World War II The Bombing of Dresden

The Bombing of Dresden took place Feb. 13-15, 1945, during World War II (1939-1945). By the beginning of 1945, German fortunes looked bleak. Though checked at the Battle of the Bulge in the west and with the Soviets pressing hard on the Eastern Front, the Third Reich continued to mount a stubborn defense. As the two fronts began to near, the Western Allies began to consider plans for using strategic bombing to assist the Soviet advance. In January 1945, the Royal Air Force began to consider plans for the widespread bombing of cities in eastern Germany. When consulted, the head of Bomber Command, Air Marshal Arthur Bomber Harris, recommended attacks against Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz. Pressed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the Chief of the Air Staff, Marshal Sir Charles Portal, agreed that cities should be bombed with the goal of disrupting German communications, transportation, and troop movements, but stipulated that these operations should be secondary to strategic attacks on factories, refineries, and shipyards. As a result of the discussions, Harris was ordered to prepare attacks on Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz as soon as weather conditions allowed. With planning moving forward, further discussion of attacks in eastern Germany occurred at the Yalta Conference in early February. During talks in Yalta, the Deputy Chief of the Soviet General Staff, General Aleksei Antonov, inquired about the possibility of using the bombing to hinder German troop movements through hubs in eastern Germany. Among the list of targets discussed by Portal and Antonov were Berlin and Dresden. In Britain, planning for the Dresden attack moved forward with the operation calling for daylight bombing by the US Eighth Air Force followed by night strikes by Bomber Command. Though much of Dresdens industry was in suburban areas, planners targeted the city center with the goal crippling its infrastructure and causing chaos. Allied Commanders Air Marshal Arthur Bomber Harris, RAF Bomber CommandLieutenant General James Doolittle, US Eighth Air Force Why Dresden The largest remaining unbombed city in the Third Reich, Dresden was Germanys seventh-largest city and a cultural center known as the Florence on the Elbe. Though a center for the arts, it was also one of Germanys largest remaining industrial sites and contained over 100 factories of various sizes. Among these were facilities for producing poison gas, artillery, and aircraft components. In addition, it was a key rail hub with lines running north-south to Berlin, Prague, and Vienna as well as east-west Munich and Breslau (Wroclaw) and Leipzig and Hamburg. Dresden Attacked The initial strikes against Dresden were to have been flown by the Eighth Air Force on February 13. These were called off due to poor weather and it was left to Bomber Command to open the campaign that night. To support the attack, Bomber Command dispatched several diversionary raids designed to confuse the German air defenses. These struck targets in Bonn, Magdeburg, Nuremberg, and Misburg. For Dresden, the attack was to come in two waves with the second three hours after the first. This approach was designed to catch German emergency response teams exposed and increase casualties. This first group of aircraft to depart was a flight of Avro Lancaster bombers from 83 Squadron, No. 5 Group which were to serve as the Pathfinders and were tasked with finding and lighting the target area. They were followed by a group of De Havilland Mosquitoes which dropped 1000 lb. target indicators to mark the aiming points for the raid. The main bomber force, consisting of 254 Lancasters, departed next with a mixed load of 500 tons of high explosives and 375 tons of incendiaries. Dubbed Plate Rock, this force crossed into Germany near Cologne. As the British bombers approached, air raid sirens began sounding in Dresden at 9:51 PM. As the city lacked adequate bomb shelters, many civilians hid in their basements. Arriving over Dresden, Plate Rock began dropping its bombs at 10:14 PM. With the exception of one aircraft, all of the bombs were dropped within two minutes. Though a night fighter group at Klotzsche airfield had scrambled, they were unable to be in position for thirty minutes and the city was essentially undefended as the bombers struck. Landing in a fan-shaped area over a mile long, the bombs ignited a firestorm in the city center. Subsequent Attacks Approaching Dresden three hours later, Pathfinders for the 529-bomber second wave decided to expand the target area and dropped their markers on both sides of the firestorm. Areas hit by the second wave include the Großer Garten park and the citys main train station, Hauptbahnhof. Fire consumed the city through the night. The next day, 316 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses from the Eighth Air Force attacked Dresden. While some groups were able to aim visually, others found their targets obscured and were forced to attack using H2X radar. As a result, the bombs were widely dispersed over the city. The next day, American bombers again returned to Dresden. Departing on February 15, the Eighth Air Forces 1st Bombardment Division intended to strike the synthetic oil works near Leipzig. Finding the target clouded over, it proceeded to its secondary target which was Dresden. As Dresden was also covered by clouds, the bombers attacked using H2X scattering their bombs over the southeastern suburbs and two nearby towns. Aftermath of Dresden The attacks on Dresden effectively destroyed over 12,000 buildings in the citys old town and inner eastern suburbs. Among the military targets destroyed were the Wehrmachts headquarters and several military hospitals. In addition, several factories were badly damaged or destroyed. Civilian deaths numbered between 22,700 and 25,000. Responding to the Dresden bombing, the Germans expressed outrage stating that it was a city of culture and that no war industries were present. In addition, they claimed that over 200,000 civilians had been killed. The German propaganda proved effective in influencing attitudes in neutral countries and led some in Parliament to question the policy of area bombing. Unable to confirm or refute the German claims, senior Allied officials distanced themselves from the attack and began to debate the necessity of continuing area bombing. Though the operation caused fewer casualties than the 1943 bombing of Hamburg, the timing was called into question as the Germans were clearly heading towards defeat. In the years after the war, the necessity of the Dresden bombing was officially investigated and widely debated by leaders and historians. An inquiry conducted by US Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall found that the raid was justified based on the intelligence available. Regardless, the debate over the attack continues and it is viewed as one of the more controversial actions of World War II. Sources World War II Database: Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other CitiesHistoryNet: Dresden Survivor

Acceptance of the Homosexual Lifestyle An Evaluation and...

Acceptance of the Homosexual Lifestyle: An Evaluation and Comparison between the United States and Other Locations The idea of homosexual behavior has created a number of responses worldwide. Currently, the United States has many levels of acceptance of homosexuality. There are places on this earth that have the same outlook as the United States, and there are places that are completely opposite. By looking at these different perspectives, the public could obtain some valuable points in the battle of acceptance. My objective is to give these old ideas a new audience, to show the wide range of acceptance throughout the world, and to compare the United States and other nations challenged to acknowledge a different lifestyle. There†¦show more content†¦There are hate crimes committed far too often to homosexuals who have â€Å"come out.† On February 23, 2004, Ronn Mattai was attacked at a nightclub in Ontario, Canada. A broken glass was thrown at his face, and the attacker continued to slash Mattai’s face with the jagged edges. Police said it was the direct result of a anti-gay hate crime (Morisson, 2004). Then there is another side; there is progress. Openness to this different lifestyle has increased as the times go on. In the United States, we can look at the rise in public attention for the homosexual minority. You can’t open a newspaper without seeing an article on civil unions. The U.S. market aims a whole new line of advertising at homosexuals. For example, PlanetOUT.com is, â€Å"the leading provider of media products and online services to gay and lesbian consumers worldwide† (PR Newswire, 2004). They have launched an online television channel dedicated to the homosexual population (PR Newswire, 2004). Personally, this year alone I have witnessed, heard of, and participated in more public displays in favor of acceptance for different lifestyles than I ever have before. Look at television. There are numerous shows which include gay characters or actors, to name a few Will Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Real World, and Dismissed. People are beginning to open their eyes, but that is only a beginning, and much more progress is needed. Until the majority of the population canShow MoreRelatedFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesAccount Manager Training and implementation support www.wileyplus.com/accountmanager MAKE IT YOURS! Fundamentals of Human Resource Management Tenth Edition David A. DeCenzo Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC Stephen P. Robbins San Diego State University San Diego, CA Tenth Edition Contributor Susan L. 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The global financial system Free Essays

The global financial system is experiencing banking and financial turmoil commonly referred to as the credit crunch that is said to be due to the pricking of a massive debt bubble, (Peston, 2009). There is no standard definition of the credit crunch; however, a credit crunch is generally described as an economic condition in which investment capital is difficult to obtain (Invetopedia 2009). Credit crunches have been observed to follow recessions and do seriously stifle economic growth through decreased capital liquidity thereby reducing productive sector’s ability to borrow. We will write a custom essay sample on The global financial system or any similar topic only for you Order Now When this situation arises, companies are not able to borrow in order to expand their operations and many may cease production altogether thereby resulting in bankruptcies. When such a situation arises, unemployment increases, homes are lost, banks close down and governments are forced to step in to contain the crisis, in most cases with limited success in the short run. This is not the first time that such a crisis has occurred. Records show that there was a crisis as early as 1622 and between 18th and 20th sixty two banking and financial crashes have been experienced (Henley 2007). Among the chief credit crunches that took place in the 20th century are the Wall Street in the year 1929 and the Japanese financial turmoil in 1990s. Genesis of the crisis The genesis of the debt crisis is partly due to imprudent lending. An observation made by Liu (2008 p9), an individual without a job or reliable income and poor credit history gets a mortgage from a bank. That borrower’s debt is partly sold to another bank that partly sells that debt to another bank that partly sells that debt to another bank perhaps a foreign bank. When the borrower fails to pay, all these banks get affected. In the event that many such borrowers are involved banks will have a liquid crisis and will not be able to lend to needy customers thereby setting in motion a credit crunch. Britain as example AS stated above, massive borrowing and reckless lending is viewed as the major cause of the credit crunch and the situation is made worse when the money is from foreign countries. For Britain, if one aggregates together the consumer, private and public-sector debt, ratio of Britain’s borrowings to her annual economic output is estimated at over 300%, roughly GBP 40000 bn Peston (2009 p1). Households borrowed too much GBP 1200bn on mortgages alone. Gross foreign current liabilities of Britain banks rose from GBP 1100 bn in 1997 to GBP 4400 bn 2008. That is three times the size of Britain’s annual economic output. Most of this cash were the savings from foreign country banks notably China, other Asian countries and the Middle East that were used to buy foreign currency assets in Britain, but the British used this to buy. The savings that were used to buy assets in Britain were made the poorly paid workers in those countries. The tilting of the economic balance could not be sustained for ever. A return to equilibrium to a more balanced global economy had to come to pass at some point and this is currently what is happening with the western economies USA, Britain and others getting the pinch (Peston 2009) Credit crunch in the United States Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of Chinese Central Bank said, â€Å"Over-consumption and a high reliance on credit is the main cause of the US financial crisis† Peston (2009 p2). Up to 2007, borrowers were financed 100% of the purchase price to buy assets without any serious scrutiny being done on the ability to pay. The New Times of 19 February 20, 2009 reported that the credit crunch in US started way back in late 1990s. At the beginning of 2000, there was a decline in the stock market that made the US to slip into recession. This prompted the Federal Reserve Bank to lower interest rates to stimulate the economic growth. Lower interest rates made mortgage payments cheaper and increased demand for homes that lead to the souring of prices. At the same time banks lowered the refinancing rates which consequently lowered the quality of the mortgage but kept on increasing and finally led to the commencement of the defaults and delinquency in 2006. The financial institutions were not able to balance two things that were simultaneously happening that is the rise in the purchase of assets and the corresponding demand for credit prompting the introduction of securitization (Liu 2008 p4). This susceptibility could not be contained, even with the introduction of securitization, resulting inevitably into the bursting of the bubbles. The outcome was the falling of asset prices that precipitated losses to those who borrowed to buy houses and these include hedge funds, private equity finds, billionaire’s corporate raiders, banks and others. The debts started to increase and the need to sell these assets to offset debts drove the prices down resulting in further losses. With banks not being paid, their resources were progressively depleted thereby halting 100% mortgage financing and other loans. This has the effect of driving prices further down that will lead to the contraction of the US economy as this vicious circle is bound to persist into the future. Business loans for the newly established companies that depend on credit are and will continue to be difficult to access (Tse, et al, 2008). In addition, closing major deals is not proving easy either. The economists predict that the tightening of the credit to drag on the US economy for quite sometime. Size of debt A number of governments are in the process of formulating various policies and measures to be undertaken so as to contain the negative economic and social impact of the credit crunch. To achieve this, and in order to set in a recovery mechanism, an estimate of the size of the debt has to be carried out and this is by no means straight forward. However, a rough calculation of the debt may be estimated by a jargon referred in financial circles, notably by Bank of England, as the customer funding gap (Peston 2009 p3) that is the difference what the US banks have lent and what they have borrowed from households, businesses and institutions that are considered too small to be major players in global financial markets. Conclusion The credit crunch, also known as liquidity crisis or squeeze, is as a result of too much borrowing and lending to undeserving individual and institutions especially in the USA and Britain. This squeeze has constrained the banks ability to lend, scared away investors from buying debts thereby drying up money for borrowing. The liquidity crisis has reduced money available to spend by consumers and the business. The credit squeeze has triggered in serious ramifications for the USA economy, the developed economies and the entire globe in general. Works Cited: Henley, J September 2007. Show us the Money: The Guardian, September 19, 2007. Available at http://guardian. co. uk/money/2007/september/19/business accessed on 19 February 2009. Investopedia 2009: Investoprdia News and Articles available at http://www. investopedia. com/ask/answers/credit-crunch. asp accessed on19 February 2009. Liu, X (2008). CDO and the Credit Crunch: Article presented at Xiamen University. Available at http://ifas. xmu. edu. cn/Article/uploadfiles/200810/200810091551131838 pdf accessed on 19 February 2009. Peston, R (2009). The New Capitalism: BBC News. Available at http://www. bbc. co. uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/16 12_09_news_capitalism. pdf , accessed on 20 February 2009. The New York Times of 19 February 2009. Available at http://topics. nytimes. com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/credit_crisis/index. html accessed on 19 February 2009. Creditcrunch. co. uk, The UK Forum p 1 Published by Credit Crunch. co. uk. Available at http://www. creditcrunch. co. uk/home/index. php accessed on 21 February 2009. Tse, T. M and Cho, D (2008), Credit Crunch in U. S. Upends Global Markets, The Washington Post of 9 August 2008 available at http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp accessed on 20 February 2009. How to cite The global financial system, Papers

Economic Consequences Of Software Crime Essay Example For Students

Economic Consequences Of Software Crime Essay In 1996 worldwide illegal copying of domestic and international software cost$15.2 billion to the software industry, with a loss of $5.1 billion in theNorth America alone. Some sources put the total up-to-date losses, due tosoftware crime, as high as $4.7 trillion. On the next page is a regionalbreakdown of software piracy losses for 1994. Estimates show that over 40percent of North American software company revenues are generated overseas,yet nearly 85 percent of the software industrys piracy losses occurred outsideof North America.The Software Publishers Association (SPA) indicated thatapproximately 35 percent of the business software in the North America wasobtained illegally. In fact, 30 percent of the piracy occurs in corporatesettings.In a corporate setting or business, every computer must have itsown set of original software and the appropriate number of manuals.It isillegal for a corporation or business to purchase a single set of original s!oftware and then load that softwar e onto more than one computer, or lend, copyor distribute software for any reason without the prior written consent of thesoftware manufacturer.Many software managers are concerned with the legalcompliance, along with asset management and costs to their organizations. Manyfirms involve their legal departments and human resources in regards tosoftware distribution and licensing. Information can qualify to be property in two ways; patent law and copyrightlaws which are creations of federal statutes, which are subject toConstitutional authority.In order for the government to prosecute theunauthorized copying of computerized information as theft, it must first relyon other theories of information-as-property. Trade secret laws are created byprovincial law, and most jurisdictions have laws that criminalize theviolations of a trade-secret holders rights. The definition of a trade secretvaries somewhat from province to province, but commonly have the same elements. For example, the information must be secret, not of public knowledge or ofgeneral knowledge in the trade or business. A court will allow a trade secretto be used by someone who discovered or developed the trade secretindependently if the holder takes adequate precautions to protect the secret. In 1964, the National Copyright Office began to register software as a form ofliterary expression.The office based its decision on White-Smith Music Co. v. Apollo, where the Supreme Court determined that a piano roll used in aplayer piano did not infringe upon copyrighted music because the roll was partof a mechanical device. Since a computer program is textual, like a book, yetalso mechanical, like the piano roll in White-Smith, the Copyright Officegranted copyright protection under the rule of doubt. In 1974, the government created the Natural Commission on New TechnologicalUses (CONTU) to investigate whether the evolving computer technology fieldoutpaced the existing copyright laws and also to determine the extent ofcopyright protection for computer programs. CONTU concluded that whilecopyright protection should extend beyond the literal source code of a computerprogram, evolving case law should determine the extent of protection. Thecommission also felt copyright was the best alternative among existingintellectual property protective mechanisms. CONTU rejected trade secret andpatents as viable protective mechanisms. The CONTU report resulted in the 1980Computer Software Act, and the report acts as informal legislative history toaid the courts in interpreting the Act. In 1980, the Copyright Act was amended to explicitly include computerprograms. It now states that it is illegal to make or to distribute copies ofcopyrighted material without authorization, except for the users right tomake a single backup copy for archival purposes. Any written material(including computer programs) fixed in a tangible form (written somewhere ?i.e. printout) is considered copyrighted without any additional action on thepart of the author. Therefore, it is not necessary that a copy of the softwareprogram be deposited with the National Copyright Office for the program to beprotected as copyrighted. With that in mind a copyright is a property rightonly. In order to prevent anyone from selling your software programs, you mustask a (federal) court to stop that person by an injunction and to give youdamages for the injury they have done to you by selling the program. The Software Rental Amendments Act was approved in 1990. This Act prohibitsthe commercial rental, leasing or lending of software without the expresswritten permission of the copyright holder.Another amendment to theCopyright Act was passed in 1992. This amendment made software piracy afederal offense, and instituted criminal penalties for copyright infringementof software. The penalties can include imprisonment of up to five years, finesup to $250,000 or both for unauthorized reproduction or distribution of 10 ormore copies of software with a total retail value exceeding $2,500 or more. According to federal law duplicating software for profit, making multiplecopies for use by different users within an organization, and giving anunauthorized copy to someone else is prohibited. Under this law if anyone iscaught with the pirated software, an individual or the individuals company canbe tried under both civil and criminal law.A Civil action may beestablished for injunction, actual damages (which includes the infringersprofits) or statutory damages up to $100,000 per infringement. The criminalpenalties for copyright infringement can result in fines up to $250,000 and ajail term up to five years for the first offense and ten years for a secondoffense. When software is counterfeit or copied, the software developer losestheir revenue and the whole software industry feels the effect of piracy. Allsoftware developers spend a lot of time and money in developing software forpublic use. A portion of every dollar spent in purchasing original softwar!e is funneled back into researc h and development of new software. Software piracy can be found in three forms: software counterfeiting, which isthe illegal duplication and sale of copyrighted software in a form that isdesigned to make it appear to be a legitimate program; Hard disk loading,whereby computer dealers load unauthorized copies of software onto the harddisks of personal computers, which acts as an incentive for the end user to buythe hardware from that particular dealer; and downloading of copyrightedsoftware to users connected by modem to electronic bulletin boards and/or theInternet. When software is pirated the consumer pays for that cost by newsoftware and/or upgrade version being more expensive. Federal appellate courts have determined that operating systems, object codeand software contained in ROMs are protected by copyright. Some lower federalcourts have also determined that microcode (the instructions set onmicroprocessor chips) and the look and feel of computer screens is subject tocopyright protection. Which has created major problems for the widespreaddevelopment of multimedia applications with regards to clearing copyright forsmall elements of text, images, video and sound. The United States Government has been an active participant in protecting therights of the software industry. When the Business Software Alliance (BSA)conducts a raid, Federal Marshals or local law enforcement officialsparticipate as well. An organization known as the Software PublishersAssociation (SPA) is the principal trade association of the PC softwareindustry. SPA works closely with the FBI and has also written an enforcementmanual for the FBI to help them investigate pirate bulletin board systems andorganizations (audits). With the help of the FBI, the result of enforcementactions resulted in recoveries from anti-piracy actions totaling $16 millionsince the program started in 1990. The Software Publishers Association (SPA) funds an educational program toinform individuals and corporations about software use and the law. Thisprogram provides all PC users with the tools needed to comply with copyrightlaw and become software legal. The SPA also publishes brochures free of chargeabout the legal use of software for individuals and businesses.Alsoavailable to help corporations understand the copyright law is a 12-minutevideotape, which is composed of the most commonly asked questions and answersto them. The video tape is available in French and Spanish and all togetherover 35,000 copies of the tape had been sold. Paradise Lost Essay PaperSPA has created a program that companies can use to help discover and correctproblems before they result in legal actions, fines and also negativepublicity. The eight point program is as follows:1. Appoint a software manager to implement and monitor all aspects ofcompany software policy. 2. Implement a software codes of ethics for everyone to adhere to. Theethicsshould state that copyrighted software, except for backup and archivalpurposes, is a violation of the law. 3. Establish a procedure for acquiring and registering software. Determineyour companies software needs, evaluate software packages, and also havesupervisors approve the plans. Keep the lines of communication open. 4. Establish and maintain a software log. The log should state the date ofwhen the software was acquired, the registration of it, serial number, networkversion, location of where the software is in use, where the original is,licensing agreement and the location of the original disks. 5. Conduct periodic audits or on an as needed basis comparing the softwarelog and/or other purchase records. 6. Establish a program to educate and train your employees about everyaspect of software and its uses. 7. Maintain a library of software licenses and provide users with copies ofthe agreement. 8. Having done the above seven points, the company can benefit by havingobtained software legally, receive full documentation, technical support whenneeded and also upgrade notices. Patents do not cover specific systems, instead they cover particular techniquesthat can be used to build systems or particular features that systems canoffer. Patent grants the inventor a 17 year monopoly on its use. Once atechnique or feature is patented, it may not be used in a system without thepermission of the patent-holder even if it is implemented in a different way. Since a computer program usually uses several techniques and provides manyfeatures, it can infringe many patents at once. A computer program is builtout of ideal mathematical objects whose behavior is defined, not modeledapproximately, by abstract rules. An example of this is when BorlandInternational, Inc. complained that a federal court decision gave LotusDevelopment Corp. the benefit of patent protection to Lotus 1-2-3 menu commandsand their order, but failed to require Lotus to meet the requirements of patentlaw, including novelty, examination and contribution to the prior art.TheSupreme Court sided with the decision that one entity cannot own the userinterface to programs. This would include such components as file formats,menu structures and programming languages. Software license agreements emerged as the most popular means of protection ofproprietary rights in computer software. They coexist with other forms ofintellectual property rights as patent and copyright. Software licenseagreements serve several functions in transactions involving the transfer ofcomputer technology. One of the most important legal functions is theprotection of the proprietary rights of the licenser in the transferredsoftware. Other functions include controlling the revenue generated bylicensed software and determining the rights and responsibilities of theparties regarding the performance of the licensed technology. Issues relatedto these functions include the applicability of Article 2 of the UniformCommercial Code, including offer and disclaimer of warranties, determining theappropriate types of licenses to utilize, such as single users/CPU licenses,Site/enterprise licenses and network/concurrent licenses. Trade secret, copyright and patent law are static forms of protection in thesense that they may exist independently of any underlying business transactionsand do not necessarily require any transfer of intellectual property from oneparty to another. Whereas, the need for a license agreement usually arises asone of the contractual forms of protection when the underlying businesstransaction involves the transfer of intellectual property, such as computersoftware. Transactions involving the transfer of computer software are subjectto both federal and provincial laws. Generally, provincial law governscontractual and trade secrets aspects of the transaction, while federal lawgoverns aspects related to patent, copyright and antitrust issues. Each province has its own version of a trade secret, the common thread throughthese province-specific laws is that if you show that you are seriously treatedinformation as confidential and that the confidential information helped yourcompetitive position, you can stop others from using it if the information wasimproperly acquired by them, and even collect damages from the wrongdoers. A computer is useless without software. The two types of software typicallyfound on a computer are operating systems software and application software. Operating system software provides an interface that makes it easier to developprograms for the system by reducing the amount of code that must be written. The operating system acts as an interface between the computer hardware,application programs and the end user.Application software consists of oneor more computer programs that fulfill a specific function for the user likeword processing, bookkeeping or financial analysis. Two legal cases recently within the last few years has brought to light thecontroversy regarding the copyright protection of software elements. Until1992, most of the federal courts followed the decision in Whenlan v JaslowDental Laboratory as a precedent for similar cases. Whenlan, a small softwarecompany wrote a accounting program for Jaslow Dental Laboratory company. Jaslow rewrote the software to run on personal computers and proceeded to sellthe product. The software was identical to Whenlans in the data structures,logic, and the program structure, except for the source code. Jaslow arguedthat the duplicated elements were part by the of the idea not the expression. The court in response felt that the data structures, logic, and the programstructure comprised to make a single function of a computer program, thereforecopyright protection should be given to those elements also. In 1992, this protection was weakened by Computer Associates v. Altai, Inc. ,when Altai a software developer was accused of copying various modules of asoftware package developed by Computer Associates which controlled the runningof applications on IBM mainframes. The court rejected Whelans premise that acomputer program embodies one function because programs are made up ofsub-routines that contain their own idea. The court recognized that this wouldnarrow the scope of software copyright protection and found this in accordancewith the Governments intent of computer programs with copyright. This is whycurrently software copyright is not as broad as it once was. All the above mentioned licenses and anti-piracy precautions cost billions ofdollars each year, in both direct and opportunity costs. These costs areshared by anybody that is involved with any aspect of the software industry. As the future of approaches, more and more people are gaining experience withtechnology. That experience doesnt come without a price. That price is thepower to manipulate technology for personal gain which usually results in adetriment ?typically financial?to others. Bibliography:Brandel, William, Licensing stymies users,URL:http://www.viman.com/license/license.html#policy, Viman Software, Inc.,1994. Business Software Alliance, Software Piracy and the Law,URL:http://www.bsa.org/bsa/docs/soft_pl.html, Business Software Alliance,1995. Software Publishers Association, SPA Anti-Piracy Backgrounder,URL:http://www.spa.org/piracy/pi_back.htm, Software Publishers Association,1995. Business Software Alliance, Did You Know?,URL:http://www.bsa.org/cgi-bin-bsa.org/seconds.cgi?, Business SoftwareAlliance, 1997. The Economist, Slipping A DiskURL: http://www.economist.com/issue/27-07-96/wbsfl.gif, The Economist, 1994. Business Software Alliance, Software Piracy,URL: http://www.bsa.org/privacy/privacy.html, Business Software Alliance,1997.

Commedia Dell Arte Essay Example

Commedia Dell Arte Essay This term during our drama lessons we have been exploring and learning about Commedia dell’Arte, a comical and slapstick style of theatre that first became popular in Italy during the 16th century. I had never heard of Commedia before we began studying it in class, so my first impressions were that it was extremely over the top and exaggerated! At the start of the topic I didn’t think that I would enjoy it very much as, because of the use of stock characters, I felt that there would be little room for creativity and making the performances original and inventive.However I was proved wrong and I learnt that although all the characters are the same, everyone interprets them differently so I enjoyed watching other groups portray the likes of Il Dottore and Columbina in ways that I would never have thought of. Commedia first came about in 16th century Italy and was performed on temporary stages in city streets and market places. The troupes of actors performed for all socia l classes, and as their plays mostly took place outside, were accessible to all.Using skilful and strangely understandable mime and grummelot, stereotypical stock characters, masks with exaggerated features, over the top physical movements and improvised dialogue, Commedia actors were accepted and enjoyed wherever they went. As the style grew in popularity, it spread to Europe and has influenced every other theatre style. Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers are direct descendants of Commedia, using mime and slapstick. Commedia has gone on to influence sitcoms (you have the bosses, the workers, the stupid one etc) and even Shakespeare, especially A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Merchant of Venice.The over the top style shows in modern pantomimes, with the loud and bubbly portrayal of characters. There are different stock characters that represent the different stereotypes in society. One of the most famous is Arlecchino, who is of the zanni (servant) status, usually servin g Pantalone, but also frequently Il Capitano, or Il Dottore. He was very agile and a skilled acrobat, however he has often been described as absent minded. Arlecchino was always hungry but had no money, and there is an story saying that his costume covered in mismatching diamond shapes was made from off cuts of old mardi gras outfits of his richer friends.He carries a wooden slapstick disguised as a bat or sword and wears a cat-like mask to suit is agile movements. The mask also often has a wart on his low forehead and he is ragged, yet sleek. Continuously in a lowered position (especially in the presence of characters higher up than himself), Arlecchino walks with his hands on his hips and thumbs in his belt. Despite his curved back from carrying heavy bags and chairs, he has acute energy throughout his body. He walks similarly to other zanni, but in a much more balletic and supple way.One of the main things that separates Arlecchino from your standard zanni is that he has the inte lligence and creativity to hatch cunning plans, although they rarely unfold how he would like. He is often described as being â€Å"quick in body but slow in mind†. His character is essential in creating interesting complications in the plot of the entire performance, as his failed schemes mess things up for others. Arlecchino is often used as a messenger, but likes to add his own thoughts and opinions to the messages.A bit of a ladies’ man, he is often the lover of Columbina Although she is also classed as a zanni, Columbina is better dressed than male servants since she is a lady’s maid. She apron with a dress underneath. Usually, her colourful skirts fell just below her knee and the neckline of her bodice low and frilled, reflecting her flirty character. She is dressed similarly to her mistress with the addition of the apron, unless she is with Arlecchino in which cases she wears the diamond pattern to match his.Columbina sometimes wears a mask that just cove rs her eyes, but she is also commonly seen wearing heavy eye makeup instead. She is considered to be very attractive, and carries a tambourine to shoo unwanted admirers away. Because of her corset, Columbina’s waist is tiny but her hips are very wide in comparison. She sit on one hip when she stands (one leg bent, the other straight) and leans forward to show off her cleavage. She flicks her legs when she walks, making the zanni walk grander. Due to her keen and active brain, she can hold her own in most troublesome situations.She is often seen as the only rational person out of all the Commedia stock characters. She eats well and has nice clothes as well as being able to read and write. The main difference between Columbina and Arlecchino is that he thinks on his feet, whereas she uses her brain and thinks things through. Like Il Capitano she can appear onstage alone, and sometimes even performs the prologue. As well as being a class of servants, Zanni is also the name of th e character that sits right at the bottom of the Commedia hierarchy.His costume is a simple, white, baggy garment originally made from flour sacks. Zanni is a bit of a slacker and always bent over and hunched. His vision is poor as is his hearing which results in him being extremely clumsy. The movements Zanni makes are always urgent and his voice is rough. As in all Commedia characters, the length of his nose indicates how stupid he is and his head bobbles like a chicken when he walks. My favourite lesson was the mime amp; grummelot one. Grummelot is a series of gibberish sounds that actors use instead of dialogue.When done properly it allows the audience to understand what is going on between the characters even though no words are being said due to the tone of voice and exaggerated gestures and facial expressions. My partner and I improvised a scene between Zanni and Il Dottore. The person playing Zanni had a hunched posture and low centre of gravity and Il Dottore was on a highe r level to show his social status. The plot consisted of a drunken Dottore ordering Zanni to move a plank using a slurring tone and swaying around to show his drunkenness.Zanni would keep hitting Il Dottore over the head with the plank due to his poor sight and urgent movements. In the end, Il Dottore got angry with Zanni because he had run out of drink, so he storms off, tripping over the plank that he made Zanni move. I could improve by being louder and more exaggerated on stage. I have learnt all about Commedia and it tells us that people at this time enjoyed humorous plays. Studying drama is important for empathising, confidence and self awareness. Commedia Dell Arte Essay Example Commedia Dell Arte Essay This term during our drama lessons we have been exploring and learning about Commedia dell’Arte, a comical and slapstick style of theatre that first became popular in Italy during the 16th century. I had never heard of Commedia before we began studying it in class, so my first impressions were that it was extremely over the top and exaggerated! At the start of the topic I didn’t think that I would enjoy it very much as, because of the use of stock characters, I felt that there would be little room for creativity and making the performances original and inventive.However I was proved wrong and I learnt that although all the characters are the same, everyone interprets them differently so I enjoyed watching other groups portray the likes of Il Dottore and Columbina in ways that I would never have thought of. Commedia first came about in 16th century Italy and was performed on temporary stages in city streets and market places. The troupes of actors performed for all socia l classes, and as their plays mostly took place outside, were accessible to all.Using skilful and strangely understandable mime and grummelot, stereotypical stock characters, masks with exaggerated features, over the top physical movements and improvised dialogue, Commedia actors were accepted and enjoyed wherever they went. As the style grew in popularity, it spread to Europe and has influenced every other theatre style. Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers are direct descendants of Commedia, using mime and slapstick. Commedia has gone on to influence sitcoms (you have the bosses, the workers, the stupid one etc) and even Shakespeare, especially A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Merchant of Venice.The over the top style shows in modern pantomimes, with the loud and bubbly portrayal of characters. There are different stock characters that represent the different stereotypes in society. One of the most famous is Arlecchino, who is of the zanni (servant) status, usually servin g Pantalone, but also frequently Il Capitano, or Il Dottore. He was very agile and a skilled acrobat, however he has often been described as absent minded. Arlecchino was always hungry but had no money, and there is an story saying that his costume covered in mismatching diamond shapes was made from off cuts of old mardi gras outfits of his richer friends.He carries a wooden slapstick disguised as a bat or sword and wears a cat-like mask to suit is agile movements. The mask also often has a wart on his low forehead and he is ragged, yet sleek. Continuously in a lowered position (especially in the presence of characters higher up than himself), Arlecchino walks with his hands on his hips and thumbs in his belt. Despite his curved back from carrying heavy bags and chairs, he has acute energy throughout his body. He walks similarly to other zanni, but in a much more balletic and supple way.One of the main things that separates Arlecchino from your standard zanni is that he has the inte lligence and creativity to hatch cunning plans, although they rarely unfold how he would like. He is often described as being â€Å"quick in body but slow in mind†. His character is essential in creating interesting complications in the plot of the entire performance, as his failed schemes mess things up for others. Arlecchino is often used as a messenger, but likes to add his own thoughts and opinions to the messages.A bit of a ladies’ man, he is often the lover of Columbina Although she is also classed as a zanni, Columbina is better dressed than male servants since she is a lady’s maid. She apron with a dress underneath. Usually, her colourful skirts fell just below her knee and the neckline of her bodice low and frilled, reflecting her flirty character. She is dressed similarly to her mistress with the addition of the apron, unless she is with Arlecchino in which cases she wears the diamond pattern to match his.Columbina sometimes wears a mask that just cove rs her eyes, but she is also commonly seen wearing heavy eye makeup instead. She is considered to be very attractive, and carries a tambourine to shoo unwanted admirers away. Because of her corset, Columbina’s waist is tiny but her hips are very wide in comparison. She sit on one hip when she stands (one leg bent, the other straight) and leans forward to show off her cleavage. She flicks her legs when she walks, making the zanni walk grander. Due to her keen and active brain, she can hold her own in most troublesome situations.She is often seen as the only rational person out of all the Commedia stock characters. She eats well and has nice clothes as well as being able to read and write. The main difference between Columbina and Arlecchino is that he thinks on his feet, whereas she uses her brain and thinks things through. Like Il Capitano she can appear onstage alone, and sometimes even performs the prologue. As well as being a class of servants, Zanni is also the name of th e character that sits right at the bottom of the Commedia hierarchy.His costume is a simple, white, baggy garment originally made from flour sacks. Zanni is a bit of a slacker and always bent over and hunched. His vision is poor as is his hearing which results in him being extremely clumsy. The movements Zanni makes are always urgent and his voice is rough. As in all Commedia characters, the length of his nose indicates how stupid he is and his head bobbles like a chicken when he walks. My favourite lesson was the mime amp; grummelot one. Grummelot is a series of gibberish sounds that actors use instead of dialogue.When done properly it allows the audience to understand what is going on between the characters even though no words are being said due to the tone of voice and exaggerated gestures and facial expressions. My partner and I improvised a scene between Zanni and Il Dottore. The person playing Zanni had a hunched posture and low centre of gravity and Il Dottore was on a highe r level to show his social status. The plot consisted of a drunken Dottore ordering Zanni to move a plank using a slurring tone and swaying around to show his drunkenness.Zanni would keep hitting Il Dottore over the head with the plank due to his poor sight and urgent movements. In the end, Il Dottore got angry with Zanni because he had run out of drink, so he storms off, tripping over the plank that he made Zanni move. I could improve by being louder and more exaggerated on stage. I have learnt all about Commedia and it tells us that people at this time enjoyed humorous plays. Studying drama is important for empathising, confidence and self awareness.

French Contact and Downfall of Tribes in Early America Essay Example

French Contact and Downfall of Tribes in Early America Essay Example French Contact and Downfall of Tribes in Early America Essay French Contact and Downfall of Tribes in Early America Essay Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: : French Contact and Downfall of Tribes in Early America The face of North America was changing by middle 18th century. The British colonists, officials, and soldiers were from the Atlantic towards the west to cross in the river valley in Ohio. A vast region extending from Florida along the Gulf Coast, and across the desert to the Gulf of California was occupied by the Spanish. On the other hand, the French opted to settle in New France, a location today referred to as Canada. The changes experienced in North America posed major impact to the Native Americans. Expansion by the Europeans led to the displacement of many indigenous tribes with their diseases decimating many people. In particular, the French expressed the best relationship with Native Americans. Nevertheless, their contact eventually led to the downfall of Indian tribes in early American history. However, it is prudent to note that the arrival of firearms and trade relations gave some tribes power, influence, and an opportunity to expand their territories. Both Europeans and some tribes seized the opportunity that came with shifting alliances between and within factions with a view of gaining prestige, expand territory, and settle disputes. In the early 16th century, the Europeans considered native Americans a hindrance to their advancement. By the 17 century, there was a new collection of rivals and allies rose as the existing tensions between Native American tribes and European political battles. One kind of alliance that came between Huron Indians and the French, and this alliance pitted them against the Iroquois Indians and the English (Phelps, 24). The relationship between the French and the Indians dates back to the early 16th century when French trading in fur cultivated good relations between them and the Indians and the Quebec settlers. In this case, the Huron Indians were in need of help to overcome rival Iroquois Indian tribe located in today’s upper New York, a need the French obliged to satisfy. Meanwhile, the British were busy developing trade relations with the Iroquois Indians. According Phelps (31), the consequence of this relationship led to the Iroquois Indians aligning themselves as the extensions of the British. On the other hand, the Huron Indians became fundamental pawns of the French. Tensions were high and the British engaged in warfare with a view of seizing colonial domination of North America. This war is referred to as the French Indian War. France and England had been conflict since the early 17th century. Even though the British eventually won the war, the success came at a hefty price (Anderson, 48). They had incurred a huge debt for war resources that almost led to the destruction of their government. The huge debt left the British with one choice; to alter how it related with its colonies. This ultimately affected the British-colony relations socially, politically, and economically. To take care of its debts, the British decided to impose high taxes on all colonies and none was exempt, including the Iroquois Indians. The French-Indian war led to devastating and long lasting effects for the American Native tribes. The British sought vengeance against all Native Americans that fought in support of the French including the Huron Indians. They did this by cutting off supplies and the instigated mandatory rules that all natives had to follow. With the French now absent, British was the supreme power in North America. The effect of this outcome indeed affected both tribes of Indians, the Iroquois and the Huron. Both and the rest of the native tribes now had to deal with stringent laws and high taxes such as the â€Å"Stamp Act† and â€Å"Sugar Act† (Winsor, 57). With a new power in force in North America, the downfall of many native tribes was imminent. Hefty taxes meant that livelihood was made tough for the Indians. The British were in control of all resources including agricultural products. Stringent rules on cultivation and high taxes meant little income and diet and thus poor health for the Indians. Even though the Indians and the other native tribes were against this new rule, they lacked the strength and resources to stage a revolt. Eventually, the Indians suffered huge casualties. Even though the Indians had gained significant experience in using firearms and military tactics, they chaffed from how they were treated by the British rule (Phelps, 75). Furthermore, the gradual relations with the British led the Indians to assimilating the British culture, and compromising their own in the process. Slowly but surely, the Indians were heading towards downfall. In conclusion, the French contact with the Indians indeed led to the downfall of the Indians as well as the rest of the natives in North America. The French relations with the Indians had a major role to play with their downfall. Competition for control over North America led to the imminent war between the British and the French. The end justified the means with the British emerging victories since they had invested more. However, large debts consequently led to the imposition of high taxes and stringent rules. The Indians and other native tribes were affected adversely. It led to their downfall. Anderson, Fred. The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War. New York: Viking, 2005. Print. Pederson, Charles E. The French Indian War. Edina, Minn: ABDO, 2010. Print. Phelps, Dawson A. â€Å"The Indians, the English, and the French 1699-1744.† Tennessee Historical Quarterly. (2007). Print. Winsor, Justin. â€Å"The Struggle for the Great Valleys of North America.† Narrative and Critical History of America. 5 (2004): 483-622. Print.

Air Canada Organizational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Air Canada Organizational Behaviour - Essay Example These values serve as touchstones to guide our actions† (â€Å"Mission, vision & values†). This paper discusses the team system of Air Canada. Before evaluating the team system of Air Canada, it is customary to have a brief insight into the types of teams and the process of group formation. Teams are of various types that include but are not limited to permanent teams, temporary teams, task forces, committees, and self-managed teams (â€Å"Types of Teams†). These teams differ from one another depending upon the roles and responsibilities of the team members and the team’s life. Permanent team, as the name indicates, is not formed for a particular time. It stays as such even after the task has been accomplished. On the other hand, temporary teams are formed for a certain length of time, and get dissolved after the task has been accomplished. Task force is a kind of team that is developed as per the need of the hour. Organizations tend to form task force to a ccomplish special tasks. They are commonly employed to find solutions to very complicated problems. Committees are also assigned particular tasks and they may be temporary or permanent. Members of a committee normally share similar views, opinions and attitudes. Self-managed teams differ from other teams in that there is no leader. People decide upon matters through mutual consensus. Bruce Tuckman has proposed a five staged-model of group formation. The five stages are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning (Neil). In the stage of forming, group members unite and interact with one another. In the storming stage, group’s problems are identified and a leader is chosen. In the norming stage, members remove their individualistic differences and agree upon common goals. In the performing stage, group members practice crafts to achieve their common goals identified in the previous stage. In the adjourning stage, group members start departing causing the group to dis perse. Air Canada has traditionally provided its workforce with full support to achieve their best potential while working in teams. Air Canada places a lot of emphasis on providing both its customers and employees with safety. Although there is no obvious relation between safety and teamwork, yet safety plays a fundamental role in the development of teamwork.

The Film American Beauty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Film American Beauty - Essay Example The philosophical idea of beauty Since the early days of Greek philosophy circa 427 B.C., the question of what is beauty has been asked. And in the earthly yet lofty discussion of the Dialogues, Plato narrates how his teacher Socrates draws them to realize that beauty is not only what is fair in physical form-- such as of a face, hands or other parts of the body --- but also what is fair or good in speech and knowledge. â€Å"Is not the good also the beautiful,† says Socrates (Jowett Translation 204). Apart from what is readily understood, Socrates speaks in more mystical terms as he teaches contemplation as a mental gaze to see â€Å" the very essence of beauty itself, everlasting not growing and decaying, or waxing or waning. . . which if beheld one would look and be with, bringing forth and nourishing true virtue† (118). The vision of Socrates on absolute beauty is not what is commonly known about the beautiful things in everyday life. Ordinarily, beauty is referred to with reference to appeal or loveliness mainly of the physical form, often enough of women. It would therefore be interesting to be clarified on what Socrates means by true, simple and divine beauty which â€Å"when beholden with the eye of the mind enables one to realize realities beyond images or physical form. The movie American Beauty may just have a comparable idea about absolute beauty. What American Beauty is In the movie American Beauty, the idea of beauty or the good is typified by the main characters. Living up to his ideal of the military service, Col. Fitts of the Marine Corps thinks military-like authority and discipline is good or beautiful for his family. He therefore subdued his own wife to full subservience and his son Ricky to outwardly regarding him as a role model and war hero. Next door neighbours are the Burnhams with Caroline Burnham bravely standing for the beauty of America’s economic rat-race which has turned her into a fierce competitor at the expense of her husband Lester, who has become less of a husband and more of a liability in her life. The teenage Angela Hayes typifies the young American beauty, obsessed with the need for attention and popularity among schoolmates. Her best friend Jane, daughter of Lester and Carol Burnham, has become the sounding board to her constant craving for adulation and her unending need to be someone special and not ordinary in school. Central to the movie, however, is not Angela, but Lester Burnham. The movie flows with his off-cam narrative and dramatic solutions to solve a middle-age crisis and discover the good and beautiful in life. Closely helping him in his search for life’s meaning is the young Ricky Fitts who introduced him to life space through drugs until Lester’s life was cut short by an assailant’s gun, that of Ri cky’s own father Col Fitts. The varied objects which appeared good or beautiful to the movie’s characters appear to compose the totality of beauty in the American way of life -- authority drawn from soldiery for Col. Fritts, drive for success at the expense of family for Carolyn, search for life space for Lester Burnham, popularity and attention for the insecure Angela, and the double life of discipline-and-drugs for the young Ricky Fitts. Who is the American Beauty It is easy to say that Angela Hayes, the object of a fleeting attraction of Lester Burnham is

Creativity and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Creativity and Innovation - Essay Example erall temperatures that are found on earth, which further results to greenhouse effects that are caused by the heightened levels of carbon dioxide among other pollutants. According to Weart (2003), global warming has been accelerating since 2005, and is further expected to increase if the environment is not taken care as would be expected particularly if there is no reduction of emission from burning fossils fuels such as coal and oil. Additionally, the rise in average have been confirmed as having far reaching effects on the general climate pattern across the world, and to human beings as well. As such, global warming has dire consequences on health, wildlife, weather patterns and glaciers and sea levels. Firstly, global warming has continuously led to high temperatures which translate to increased droughts and wildfires, heavier rainfall and numerous hurricanes across the world, and especially in Europe and Asia. According to Houghton (2008), the frequent occurrence of hurricanes that are more powerful and dangerous are as a result of warmer waters in the ocean that pumps energy into tropical storms that are potentially destructive, a situation that make easier to experience more complicated hurricanes in future due to flooding and soil erosion. Moreover, global warming has increased drought and wildfire due to greater evaporation that has been witnessed during summer, a situation that directly or indirectly leads to wildfires. Scholars associated to climate change and weather patterns have argued that when temperatures are warm they are likely to lead to heavier rainfall. Secondly, global warming has directly led to health consequences. Basically, the presence of hotter weather facilitates deadly mosquitoes to travelling for greater distance and the availability of carbon dioxide in the air makes a conducive environment for the growth of airborne diseases such as asthma and allergies. Additionally, the presence of more frequent and serious heat waves

Children A Gift From God Religion Essay

Children A Gift From God Religion Essay Many have heard of yuppies but have you heard of dinkies? The first type refers to those young urban professionals who are financially secured. Dinkies (double income but no kids) refer to those married couples having no intention or unwilling to have children. Freedom to travel and to enjoy life is a frequent answer. Other reasons include less expenses, less responsibilities and fewer problems in short less headaches. A few crudely replied, We simply dont like children as if they have never been children themselves. Some argue that the old Chinese saying, raising children to safeguard our old age, no longer applies as they saw the presence of neglected parents around. They are absolutely right. Bringing up children involves countless sacrifices and giving up many of lifes enjoyment. A parents responsibilities start from a childs conception onwards to adulthood and oftentimes beyond. From a purely economic viewpoint, investing the money spent in raising and educating a child could easily provide for a comfortable retirement. All these reasons centre on avoiding responsibility and maximizing enjoyment in life. Barring any justifiable reason, there is only one appropriate word to describe this self-centred attitude selfishness. The reason to raise and to sacrifice for our children can also be summarized simply in one word love the opposite of selfishness. Love for God, our Creator by following Christs teachings. Married couples should regard it as their proper mission to transmit human life and to educate their children; they should realize that they are thereby cooperating with the love of God the Creator à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ They will fulfill this duty with a sense of human and Christian responsibility. (CCC #2367) Love for our spouse, i.e. to bring forth the fruits of a sacred marriage. Fecundity (producing or capable of producing offspring) is a gift, an end of marriage, for conjugal love naturally tends to be fruitful. Children are the fruits of our love for our spouse and fulfillment of our marriage. The Catechism teaches A child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment. (CCC #2379) Look at those who intentionally shrink from their responsibility of having children. They may look happy and carefree but can they really find joy in their lives? I felt sorry for a former colleague suffering from mid-life emotional problems. Adamantly, he ridiculed the formality of marriage and refused to have children. I wonder if his newest Mercedes limousine, latest audio-visual equipment, memories of world travel and investment portfolio could take the place of children Gods gift that he had refused in giving joy to him and his spouse. Danny, a friend who recovered fully from cancer, told me that the support of his wife and two daughters gave him the courage to withstand the rigors of chemotherapy and other pains. He praised God for the most precious gift, his children. As for those neglected parents in their old age, they have done their duties for God and for their children. Whether their children will fulfill their own towards their parents is another matter. In comforting neglected parents, my wife, Mary, explained, Consider the joy and happiness that your child had given to you as consolation for your past sacrifices and love. Be glad that you have done your duty. A child is not something owed to one, but is a gift. The supreme gift of marriage is a human person. However, those couples who did not receive this gift need not despair. (They) should unite themselves with the Lords Cross, the source of all spiritual fecundity. They can give expression to their generosity by adopting abandoned children or performing demanding services for others. (CCC#2379) Before receiving the gift of children at his old age, Abraham asked God, What will you give me for I continue childless?(Gen 15:2) Remember, sometimes God acts in a mysterious way. Spouses suffering from infertility may not realize that Gods gift comes in many ways and at different time. Instead of giving them children, He may have given other gifts. Have faith and follow His will. For those who are struggling to support large families, they can find solace in our Churchs teaching: Sacred Scripture and the Churchs traditional practice see in large families a sign of Gods blessing and the parents generosity (CCC#2373). Our children are indeed a blessing and a gift from God.  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­ Please send your comments to [emailprotected]

Rosa Parks Essay -- Rosa Park Biography Biographies Bio Essays

Rosa Parks One of the most influential and inspirational women of all time was Rosa Parks. By one action she helped change the lives of a majority of African Americans and more importantly society as a whole. Rosa Parks sparked the attention of America when she refused to settle for the black (lower class)standards. Not only did she help change the lives for many African Americans but she helped equality for all men and women in the United States. By one brave women our world will be forever thankful. Rosa Parks was raised in her Grandparents house in pine level, Montgomery County, in Alabama. Her Mother's name was Leona Edwards and her father James McCauley was a carpenter. On February 4, 1913 Rosa was born, ya year after her parents were married. At around the age of two her father took off North looking for a better like. As a child Rosa and her brother grew up with segregation and such societies as the Ku Klux Klan. Her grandfather would often sleep with a rifle by his side due to the unsafe environment. By the time Rosa Parks went to school she began to feel unhappy about the society she was living in. She soon noticed the segregation of their society when she saw the empty and little school for blacks compared to the glamorous and bih school the whites had. At that point on in Rosa's life she decided she was going to be a person with dignity and self-respect. She promised herself she would never set her dreams lower than anyone else in the world simply because she was b lack. She wanted a change and was determined to make it happen. At age nineteen Rosa married a man named Raymond Park, who died of cancer in 1977 after a close fifty years of marriage. When Raymond was living he had always influenced her to become more active in civil rights among blacks. Her hopes for a better future were just beginning. By 1945 Rosa was a leader in the Montgomery Voters League and the secretary of the Nationals Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). One evening in early December 1955 Rosa was sitting inthe front seat of the colored section of the bus on her way home. It was like almost every day all the blacks would sit in the white section of the bus and as soon as the whites filled in the blacks would routinely move to the back. In an instance Rosa found her chance of freedom. Somehow she had changed the laws. She w... ... had no knowledge of what was going on or where they were going. It was outright not fair and morally wrong. Onthese ships the living conditions were very harmful to their lives. They received barley any food and the floor to sleep on at nights. Of the few that would survive the long journey once they arrived in Europe they would be auctioned off the Americans or people to do what they desire with them. From that day on African AMericans were viewed as the whites toys and games. Rosa PArks had the courage to finally begin to put a stop to this and she will be well resprected for all her life. Today, Rosa Parks tried to use her negative memories of segregation and racism to continue her goal towards complete justice, freedom, and equality. She believes that the children are future of the world and hope that they will fulfill the dreams of society in the future. Rosa Parks was a true role model to our nation and granted the dreams and wishes of many African Americans. Her words and actions pertaining to the struggle for desegregation continue to ring like church bells today. This bell rings throughout the world for all to hear, and millions of people follow the beat.

Professional Athletes and Illegal Steroid Use

Athletes of the modern sports are pushing their body to the limits, not only through rigid practice and training, new techniques and strategies but also by enhancing or altering the body’s physiological make up.   Admittedly, the use of drugs in today’s sport is widespread.   Statistics show that athletes even the amateur ones as young as 12 years old are already taking steroids or drugs to enhance their performance in their respective fields. In a survey conducted by the NCAA in 2004, it was reported that among 19-22 year-olds, 18.9% of them responded that they knew friends within the same age bracket who are taking steroids and who are playing a sport and 3% of high school seniors are using steroids as performance enhancers, how much more for the professional athletes who have a lot more at stake than just name, reputation, medal and trophy.So what are steroids and why has it raised so many clamors, not only among the field of sports but also among the field of sc ience?   If an athlete takes steroids, would it be tantamount to cheating as he is not utilizing his own body’s capabilities but that of a drug?  Ã‚   Drugs commonly referred to as steroids are classified as anabolic, androgenic, and corticosteroids.   Corticosteroids are used to control inflammation.   Anabolic steroids which have been the object of media attention are the kind of drugs which is used by athletes and body builders to improve and bulk up their profile and body’s physiology. Anabolic is a Greek word which means to â€Å"build up† and these are synthetic hormones that cause the body to produce more muscle at the same time preventing muscle break down.  Ã‚   In the United States, it is illegal to take anabolic steroids without prescription from a doctor.   Androgenics or androstenedione (andros) is a lesser or weaker kind of anabolic steroid.   It primarily works by increasing testosterone and muscle proteins and many of weigh lifters take this steroid.The Benefits of SteroidsThe human body produces steroids naturally.   In the case of anabolic steroids, they resemble the chemical structure of the male sex hormone testosterone.   It facilitates the development of the male secondary sexual characteristics as well as facilitating muscle growth.   [Hobart, Sarah]. But just like any other development in science, steroids were not developed in order to enhance an athlete’s capabilities.   Rather it was developed in the 1930s in order to treat hypogonadism.   People with such disorder do not produce enough testosterone and the use of steroid helps replace the much needed testosterone.   Such success caught up with the athletes.   In 1956 Olympics, Russian athletes who used steroids were observed to be using catheters when urinating.   Ironically, the athletes had trouble urinating because their prostates have enlarged because of the excessive use of the drug.Subsequent observations and studies ha ve manifested the benefits of the use of steroids by professional athletes.   Weight lifters who used steroids were seen to have increased their muscle strength and muscle growth. In comparison to those weight lifters who used steroids, those who took placebo or did not take anything at all showed a very slow increase in muscle growth and strength.   Steroids not only enhance the athletic performance of athletes, it also provide for the development of a physically fit, tighter and toner body not only for men but also for women.The Risks and EffectsJust like any other drug, steroids have also its share of risks and side effects.   One of the particular concerns of health officials over steroid use for a prolonged period is liver damage, increased risk in heart disease.   The side effects of the steroid use are also severe.   For men who use steroids, they tend to develop â€Å"breasts† or gynecomastia, painful prolonged erection (priapism) and edema due to water and sodium retention.   In the case of the Russian athletes in 1956, they had trouble urinating due to the enlargement of their prostates.  Ã‚   Cardiovascular problems also occur due to the increase of â€Å"bad† cholesterol or the low-density lipoprotein levels instead of enhancing the â€Å"good† cholesterol or the high-density lipoprotein levels.   With these harmful physical effects, psychological problems also come up.   There was an indication that man who takes steroids showed behavioral changes like being aggressive.On the other hand, women who use steroids suffer irreversible damages unlike the men who can correct what ever side effect they have after discontinuing the use of such drug.   Women develop facial hair growth, enlarged clitoris, and coarser skin.   They also increase the same cardiovascular problems like the men do.   Women also are at risk of infertility and other reproductive disorders.   Admittedly, professional athletes both men an d women still continue to use illegal steroids disregarding the risks even death because of their desire to win.EthicsThe debate of the use of steroids is not only limited to the health concerns.   Rather, the use of steroids by professional athletes is centered on ethics. One argument over steroid use by professional athletes is that it is a form of cheating.   When using steroids as performance enhancing drugs, they tend to depend on the drugs capability instead of their own.   Athletes using performance-enhancers seek to increase their athletic ability via drugs rather than through the training process, which requires true commitment and effort on the part of the athlete (â€Å"Steroids: Play Safe,† 2004).The athletes who are the center and the heart of the game use steroids to win or better their chances in winning, they gave into the power of the drugs over them instead of wielding and showcasing their strengths.   This is ultimately being unfair to other athlete s and professional players who only depend on their prowess, not of the drugs.   And since professional athletes play to win, as they are paid to do so, those who do not use steroids are extremely pressured to use them too in order to compete with the other athletes who have exceedingly enhanced performance.Another point raised on the ethical perspective of the use of steroid is that such use of a performance-enhancing drug allows professional athletes to tap into their undiscovered potentials. Although as discussed above, the athletes are the hearts of the game and they should be the one controlling it, not some drug, still with the aid of the drug, they are only harnessing their potentials to full use.   The privacy and the rights of the athletes to do to his body whatever he thinks is beneficial to him must be respected. Providing a stricter regulation on the use of steroid among professional athletes will not solve the problem.The decision to use or not to use such drug must be left to the discretion of the athlete.   The use of steroids among professional athletes may ultimately have been the result of â€Å"media hype†, and the ban on the use of such has been based on moral panic. By the making the use of steroids criminal, through drug testing may be even the cause of more health risks for the athletes.   As it is impossible to acquire the drug through a doctor, they instead turn to the underground or black market.   Instead of providing adequate help to the athletes who may limit or control the use of such drugs, banning it is ultimately forcing them to continue using steroids thereby driving them to further health risks in the first place.Athletes especially the professional ones are the role models of society especially the youth.   They have been looked up to by the society as pillars that are looked up to.   While each individual have the rights to do what he thinks is best for his own self, the state or the government can stil l impose regulations among its citizens especially if it concerns the health of many. The question of ethics should not come first but the health concerns.Although there have been reports and studies about the long time effects of the use of steroids, published cases of tumors and cancer-related cases, health experts and researchers do not exactly know the consequences   of steroid abuse   Ã‚  Even with all the data and reports submitted by researchers and users alike, still this are not conclusive and may be inaccurate. And so the federal government has issued a ban on the use of such.   Possession of steroids with the intent of distributing it is considered illegal and punishable by law.   Likewise, the use of steroids in sports is considered to be a violation of sports leagues and councils even the ethics of sportsmanship.But even with all the ban and regulation made by the government for the use of steroids especially in professional sports, many athletes still continue to use it despite warnings of its risks.   As drug testing is one way of determining whether an athlete is using steroids or not, professional athletes have found a way to go about and escape such drug testing. Just like the Ben Johnson who failed to bring home the gold in the 1988 Summer Olympics when he tested positive for steroids.   The catch is, he took 19 drug tests before that before he failed in the Seoul Games which eventually led to the forfeiture of his gold medal.   Ultimately, it is really up to the athlete whether he will use steroids to enhance his athletic performance or not notwithstanding the ban and regulation made by the federal government and the question of ethics as well.Reference:Bahrke, M.S., and C.E. Yesalis.   â€Å"The Future of Performance-Enhancing Substances in Sport.† The Physician and Sports Medicine , 2002, 30(11):1-21.Chuey, Daniel, Introduction to Benefits and Risks     www.biodavidson.edu accessed 1/30/06Chyka, P.A.. â€Å"And rogenic-anabolic steroids.† Clinical Toxicology. Philadelphia.WB Saunders, 2001, 595-601.Hobart, Sarah, â€Å"Athlete Use and Abuse of Performance Enhancing Drugs â€Å"www.biodavidson.edu accessed 1/30/06NCAA. â€Å"NCAA Drug-Testing Results 2002-2003.† Accessed 01/30/06 2003.2004. â€Å"Steroids: Play Safe, Play Fair.† American Academy of Pediatrics. . 1 Oct. 2004.

Free Essays on Traffic Jams

Rodeo Traffic Have you ever been driving on a Houston highway when traffic slows to a crawl? You inch along for many minutes while waiting to see the accident, which must have caused the jam, but the jam is over and there was no accident. Traffic has been the highlight of the Rodeo this year. Rodeo traffic has been caused by over population of vehicles, construction, and mind wandering drivers. Over crowded highways has always been a problem in Houston, and since the Rodeo was recently in town there seemed to be even more automobiles on the road. Newcomers and Rodeo fans heading into Houston at an all time high this year. This year they decided to have no parking at the Rodeo everyone had to park and rides at destination Metro Park and ride locations. It was reported that commuters had two and three hour bus rides just to be dropped of miles away from the Rodeo entrance. The Metro Park and ride was definitely ineffective in decreasing traffic. The constructing of new roads to decrease traffic actually caused more traffic than before restructuring of new highways. There are over thirty-five major road construction sites in Houston, which only increased the traffic congestion. With construction in progress in Houston it created road blockage therefore drivers had to take long detours to get to their destinations. Although, overcrowded highways and freeway construction are the two main bases for traffic build up during the Rodeo season reckless drivers must also take the blame for traffic jams. Careless drivers should take the majority of the blame for traffic delay because they are always preoccupied while driving. They always focus on everything but driving, like chatting on their cell phone, piling on make up, indulging them selves with food, or deeply into the conversation with the passengers. Rodeo traffic problems were caused by overpopulation of drivers, many people commuting to Houston to enjoy the Rodeo, various con... Free Essays on Traffic Jams Free Essays on Traffic Jams Rodeo Traffic Have you ever been driving on a Houston highway when traffic slows to a crawl? You inch along for many minutes while waiting to see the accident, which must have caused the jam, but the jam is over and there was no accident. Traffic has been the highlight of the Rodeo this year. Rodeo traffic has been caused by over population of vehicles, construction, and mind wandering drivers. Over crowded highways has always been a problem in Houston, and since the Rodeo was recently in town there seemed to be even more automobiles on the road. Newcomers and Rodeo fans heading into Houston at an all time high this year. This year they decided to have no parking at the Rodeo everyone had to park and rides at destination Metro Park and ride locations. It was reported that commuters had two and three hour bus rides just to be dropped of miles away from the Rodeo entrance. The Metro Park and ride was definitely ineffective in decreasing traffic. The constructing of new roads to decrease traffic actually caused more traffic than before restructuring of new highways. There are over thirty-five major road construction sites in Houston, which only increased the traffic congestion. With construction in progress in Houston it created road blockage therefore drivers had to take long detours to get to their destinations. Although, overcrowded highways and freeway construction are the two main bases for traffic build up during the Rodeo season reckless drivers must also take the blame for traffic jams. Careless drivers should take the majority of the blame for traffic delay because they are always preoccupied while driving. They always focus on everything but driving, like chatting on their cell phone, piling on make up, indulging them selves with food, or deeply into the conversation with the passengers. Rodeo traffic problems were caused by overpopulation of drivers, many people commuting to Houston to enjoy the Rodeo, various con...

All About the Economics of Interest

All About the Economics of Interest What is Interest?: Interest, as defined by economists, is the income earned by the lending of a sum of money. Often the amount of money earned is given as a percentage of the sum of money lent - this percentage is known as the interest rate. More formally, the Glossary of Economics Terms defines the interest rate as the yearly price charged by a lender to a borrower in order for the borrower to obtain a loan. This is usually expressed as a percentage of the total amount loaned. Interest Types and Types of Interest Rates: Not all types of loans earn the same rate of interest. Ceteris paribus (all else being equal), loans of longer duration and loans with more risk (that is, loans that are less likely to be paid off) are associated with higher interest rates. The article Whats the Difference Between all the Interest Rates in the Newspaper? discusses the different variety of interest rates. What Determines the Interest Rate?: We can think of the interest rate as being a price - the price to borrow a sum of money for a year. Like almost all other prices in our economy, it is determined by the twin forces of supply and demand. Here supply refers to the supply of loanable funds in an economy, and demand is the demand for loans. Central banks, such as the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada can influence the supply of loanable funds in a country by increasing or decreasing the supply of money. To learn more about the money supply see: Why does money have value? and Why Dont Prices Decline During A Recession? Interest Rates That Are Adjusted for Inflation: When determining whether or not to loan money, one needs to consider the fact that prices go up over time - what costs $10 today may cost $11 tomorrow. If you loan at a 5% interest rate, but prices rise 10% you will have less purchasing power by making the loan. This phenomenon is discussed in Calculating and Understanding Real Interest Rates. Interest Rates - How Low Can They Go?: In all likelihood we will never see a negative nominal (non-inflation adjusted) rate of interest, though in 2009 the idea of negative interest rates became popular as a possible way to stimulate the economy - see Why Not Negative Interest Rates?. These would be difficult to implement in practice. Even an interest rate of exactly zero would cause problems, as discussed in the article What Happens if Interest Rates Go To Zero?

The significance of credit rating on Chinese auto industry Literature review

The significance of credit rating on Chinese auto industry - Literature review Example This study will mainly concentrate on the importance of credit rating of Chinese auto companies and how credit rating affects auto industry in China. The reason of focusing on Chinese auto industry is that auto industry in China has less influences of Chinese government policies, which could combine more experiences and academic results from western countries into this study. This study will also explore the significance of credit rating to the sustainable development of Chinese auto industry. In order to solve the problems about asymmetry information between lenders and investors and existence of credit risks, credit rating agency appears in the market. Focusing on the Chinese auto industry, this project will demonstrate the specified risk factors in the auto industry and how the ratings are determined by studying the features of Chinese credit rating market and comparing with the western countries’ experiences. The mathematical modelling can be applied in this part to show the ratings clearly and also case study will be used here. Moreover, this project will also introduce the impact to the large auto enterprises in China. This can be illustrated from two points: on one side, the significance of credit rating on developed corporate bonds of the auto companies will be studied; on the other side, the role of credit ratings on new products of asset securitisation of Chinese auto firms will be analysed. Furthermore, based on the studies, this project will discuss the sustainable development strategies for Chinese auto industry. 4. The impact of credit ratings to Chinese auto corporate bonds which are already in the market need to be discussed; the important role of credit ratings on new financial products of Chinese auto asset securitisation will be analysed. Credit risk in the financial market can be defined as the uncertain ability of an obligor to repay the money owing. Adams et al. (1999) mentions thatCredit rating started back in 1837 by Mercantille

Thermoregulation in Desert Lizards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thermoregulation in Desert Lizards - Essay Example Among ectotherms, lizards inhabiting tropical regions are most likely to be affected since biodiversity in their habitats are most affected (Meek 1). Change in temperatures affects lizards in terms of thermoregulation mechanisms, energy expenditure, as well as biological activity. Investigation on how temperature changes, caused by global warming, are affecting lizards is of utmost importance especially considering that lizards are at a high risk of extinction. According to Huey et al, â€Å"Forest lizards are key components of tropical ecosystems, but appear vulnerable to the cascading physiological and ecological effects of climate warming, even though rates of tropical warming may be relatively low† (Huey et al 1939-1940). This paper explores the effect of global warming on thermoregulation mechanisms of lizards. Strategies to Thermoregulation of Desert Lizard According to theories of evolution, thermoregulatory mechanisms in many species especially reptiles has evolved wit h time in response to changing climatic conditions (Huey et al 1939-1942). Changes in climatic conditions cause increase in temperature variations forcing lizards to adopt both biological and behavioral temperature regulation mechanisms in order to cope with changing weather conditions. According to Meek, â€Å"The evolution of thermoregulatory behavior in reptiles almost certainly arose because environments are not usually thermally stable but fluctuate both on a daily or seasonal basis or because of uneven heat distributions within environments† (Meek 1). Meek hypothesized that any thermoregulation mechanism adopted by lizards comes at costs and benefits. For instance, lguanid lizard inhabiting high altitudes where temperatures are extremely low use ground vegetation for insulation. It was observed that the lizards could raise their body temperature to approximately 35degrees by basking on the sun for two hours. They could then return to their shelters and maintain their bo dy temperature for the whole afternoon. However, such a thermoregulatory mechanism comes at a cost since the lizards remain inactive, minimal habitat utilization, and increased basking (Meek 1). These findings correlate with findings by Kearney et al â€Å"Warmer environments also may increase maintenance energy costs while simultaneously constraining activity time, putting pressure on mass, and energy budgets† (Kearney et al 1). One of behavioral mechanisms adopted by lizard is change of body color in relation to surrounding environment temperatures. According to Bradshaw, this type of behavior enables the desert lizard to maintain its body temperature in a normal range. As the temperature goes down the lizard turns into black. Black color is a good absorber of heat and hence it is able to absorb heat faster from the environment. Once the environmental temperature rises, light color becomes prominent. This turns the heat away and enables the lizard to cool its body. This exp lains why desert lizards are light in color as compared to lizards in cold regions (Bradshaw 90). Besides being a thermoregulatory mechanism, a study by Bujes and Verrastro found out that color change was also found to be a camouflage mechanism (Bujes and Verrastro 1). Activity of the Lizard in Different Seasons The most important factor in behavioral regulation of temperature in desert lizards is use of burrows. Indeed, different studies have pointed to the same fact that desert lizards spend almost 75% of their lifetime in burrows throughout annual season. These burrows offer temporary rescue or long-term survival mechanism. Lizards either dig their own burrows or use already existing ones (Bradshaw 166). Similar findings were found by â€Å"The activity of

E-commerce and M-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

E-commerce and M-commerce - Essay Example If E-commerce and M-commerce matters for development, it is not because the are the fancier or more convenient ways of doing shopping: but they allows allow enterprises to operate efficiently with their trading partners including their production sites, vendors and point of sales. For an Internet user to become an e-commerce customer, a much higher frequency of access is necessary in order to acquire the familiarity with the e-business transactions and payment systems. This is more required for the B2B traders, where the order of magnitude of their exposure to Internet etiquette must be more than a normal user. Contradicting the above general assumption, a survey conducted by IDC in 2002 there is a gap found between the Internet users and e-commerce revenue in the developing and developed countries. This shows that the usage of Internet does not directly imply the e-business attitude. Where as, the M-Commerce does not necessarily require more adequacy of such involvement with the mobile devise or operating the m-commerce applications. The reason behind this could be attributed to the low involvement and less choice of options for the customer to choose between while buying something through mobile phone. In other terms, mobile commerce involves a quick decision for buying, by simply replying to the message alert for the sale offer or saying yes to the chosen option. The prevalence of E-commerce has led people to research and form the strategically options to push the sales through Internet in the recent years. Some researches stated that lower per capita incomes, low credit card usage, lack of relevant Products and service to buy in near places, and lack of logistics and fulfillments are the factors influencing the buying behaviors of the users on E-commerce. Though these should be the same factors influencing the buying behavior of the M-Commerce also, rather than clear evidence of that, one could perceive some thing else alarming that the above for the influence of M-Commerce buying patterns. E-commerce trading is more seen between B2B or Business to Government types of transactions than Business to Consumer. This adoption could be linked with their capacity to integrate themselves into regional and global supply chains. At the enterprise level, this requires being able to meet technological and organizational challenges. At the country level, the digital and the physical layers of the national economies have to be connected in congruence. Thus E-commerce opens more trading between different foreign countries. Where as M-commerce, due to the localized service operators, has the limitation of global restriction with the service options limited within the geographical regions. Beyond technological limitations, the logistics and Policy regulations are also the other factors for this shortage. May be the still future of M-commerce could resolve such type of hindrances in a very short future depending on the nature of service expansions. While looking at the scenario of operations, E-commerce offers a more popular way of shopping than the other, through PC, laptops and palm tops. The purchasers of the Internet

A Horrid Memory Essay Example for Free

A Horrid Memory Essay My sweaty palms ran through-out the thin strands of my hair as I tried to comfort myself for just a single moment. I felt scared, almost terrified as the screams of my nightmare echoed in my ears and made my head throb. Almost never did I have such vivid dreams, and when I did, I never remembered them the next day. Nevertheless, I dont think that Ill ever be able to make amends with my darkest memories and reliving situations that scarred my childhood and eventually my life, can never be forgotten. All I can do is go back and ask what this version of myself could have done to avoid or even confront the situations and events. Around me, there were four chairs, each one with a primary colors: blue, red, green and yellow, around the circular, light wooden table, and of course, I was in one of them. In front of me, was my mother, who had a slim and petite figure, dark brown hair, as well as matching brown eyes and tanned skin; she was feeding the birthday girl, who was a 1 year toddler. Next to me was my six year old sister, and she had pale skin with orange colored freckles, almond shaped eyes and chestnut hair. On the right side of the table, was my stepfather, who was visibly, a few drinks from drunk, and you could notice it by the scent coming out of his mouth and his blood shot eyes. He was also pale, freckles everywhere and bold eyes that made little statement thanks to his glasses. I was about thirteen years old, and I can still recall the smell of a hot and cheesy plate of macaroni, and each bite that I took of it was better than the one before. But I was so focused in my delicious food, that I hadnt realized the silence that crept over the entire table. Feeling like there was an absence of a healthy family conversation, I tried to create a conversation â€Å"So.. What did you guys do today? † I said, feeling my eyes were full of excitement and content, food always had that effect on me. Four pairs of eyes were staring at me, and I began to drop my fork as I saw my stepfather placing a knife against his five-o-clock shadow. Everyone in the table stared at him, and I immediately started to feel uncomfortable. â€Å"Is it true what Isabel told me? † His voice was cold, dark and had a sense of hidden humor, it felt like a horror movie. Our eyes then shifted towards Isabel, my little sister, and she looked like she had just fallen into a hole and had no idea how to get out of it. â€Å"She told me that you guys didnt love me, you guys didnt want me. † He spoke once again with the same tone, and at first, I thought he was joking, so I laughed but then I was rewarded with a deadly glare, which let me know that he wasnt joking. The air around the room got thin, and I could feel the walls trying to suffocate me. My mom, knowing he was drunk, had an annoyed expression planted on her face. â€Å"No, we never said that, now finish up your plate. I think its time for you to go to bed. † She usually had pretty low tolerance with drunk people, and her husband was no exception. I think that the only one that wasnt in tension, was my 1 year old sister, Dianelle because she couldnt understand dialogue, what we were saying. He shoved the plate from the edge of the table, and soon after, I heard it smash against the ground. After being well aware about what was going to happen next, I took Dianelle into my arms and let my mother handle the situation before I said anything that would make him angrier. Nelson, my stepfather, got up from his chair and went to the kitchen cabinets to get something and when he turned around, he had a jalapeno mixed with DonQ spice in his hand. â€Å"You know what happens when you lie to me? You get jalapeno in your mouth. † He must have been mentally sick, because he was actually laughing. As a result of the emitted screams, yells and pleading for him to stop, the police came and took him away, right after he took out the butcher knife. In those three months that he wasnt around, it had probably been the most peaceful moments that my mother and my sisters spent together, we were even closer. The house was calm, the flowers smelled better and I didnt feel in danger or threatened while he was gone. But he eventually came back, and my mom accepted him, with the excuse of a face that he always made, opening his eyes widely and puckering his lips, trying to make a puppy dog face and he always got everyone to laugh. Ive learned that no matter how much you love someone, theyre never worth hurting the rest of the people around you, that love you.