Parliamentary vs Presidential Systems

The statement â€Å"The constraints imposed on a Prime Minister are greater than those imposed on a President. Therefore, a parliamentary system is more democratic than a presidential system†, makes a broad claim to which I agree. While Prime Ministers and Presidents are similar in some ways such as their responsibilities to do the best that they can for their nations, they also differ in many ways. These differences include separation of powers, the systems having different heads of state, and different election processes.Each of these examples contribute to the difference in constraints imposed on presidents and prime ministers and therefore contribute to the level of democracy within each system. A parliamentary system is â€Å"a system of governing in which there is a close interrelationship between the political executive (prime minister and Cabinet) and Parliament (the legislative or law-making body)† (Mintz, Close, and Croci 338), while a presidential system is d efined as â€Å"a system of governing in which the president and Congress each separately derive their authority from being elected by the people and have a fixed term of office† (363).Firstly, residential and parliamentary systems have different individuals as head of state and head of government (342). Presidents and prime ministers are considered to be heads of government, but while presidents are also heads of State, prime ministers are not. The head of state in a parliamentary system is symbolic, and â€Å"carries out a variety of official functions but is expected to be ‘above’ politics and thus is not usually involved in making governing for a country† (342).For example, in Canada the governor general, as a representative of the Queen, holds the role of head of state on a federal level, and the lieutenant-governors hold it on a provincial level. While these individuals do not have power in terms of law-making procedures and are not involved in elect ions or politics in general, the governor general does hold certain responsibilities and powers.The governor general is responsible for ensuring that a government is in place at all times and must approve of all legislation, but he/she also has certain powers that are higher in importance. The governor general can use personal discretion in situations such as the appointment and dismissal of the prime minister, and the dissolution of parliament or prorogation of parliament (343-344). On the other hand,

Nicki minaj and Michael Jackson Essay

The Jackson 5 (also spelled The Jackson Five, sometimes stylized The Jackson 5ive), later known as The Jacksons, or simply Jacksons, are an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana. Founding group members Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson and Michael Jackson formed the group after performing in an early incarnation called The Jackson Brothers, which originally consisted of a trio of the three older brothers. Active from 1964 to 1990, the Jacksons played from a repertoire of R&B, soul, pop and (in the 1970s) disco. During their six-and-a-half-year Motown tenure, The Jackson 5 was one of the biggest pop-music acts of the 1970s, and the band served as the launching pad for the solo careers of their lead singers Jermaine and Michael, the latter brother later transforming his early Motown solo fame into greater success as an adult artist. The Jackson 5/The Jacksons have sold 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best selling artis ts of all time!!!!!!!! Nicki minaj Born in 1982, Nicki Minaj grew up with an abusive, addicted father. She attended La Guardia High School for the Arts, she was introduced to rapper Lil Wayne, who launched her career. Her 2010 debut album, pink friday,wit the single â€Å"Your Love,† topped the Billboard charts. A frequent â€Å"cameo† singer, Minaj’s voice was featured in seven songs on the charts. In 2012, Early Life Hip-hop artist and singer Nicki Minaj was born Onika Maraj on December 8, 1982, in Trinidad and Tobago, and moved with her family to Queens, when she was 5 years old. Minaj’s father was a severe drug addict with a long history of violence. At one point, he set fire to the family’s home and tried to kill Minaj’s mother. Those early struggles, Minaj has said, helped fuel her drive to rise above the life her parents knew. â€Å"I’ve always had this female-empowerment thing in the back of my mind,† she told Details magazine, â€Å"because I wanted my mother to be stronger, and she couldn’t be. I thought, ‘If I’m successful, I can change her life.'† To reach that point, however, nicki developed personas for herself that would allow her to be a â€Å"new person.† An early incarnation was someone she called â€Å"Cookie,† then came â€Å"Harajuku Barbie,† before finally settling on Nicki Minaj. â€Å"Fantasy was my reality,† she has said. Minaj clearly had a knack for performance. At the age of 12, she authored her first rap, then went on to delve into acting at La Guardia High School of Music and Art, the school that inspired the movie Fame. Rapper and Singer Determined to make it in the music business, Minaj took on backup singing roles for local New York City rappers. Soon, she began writing her own material. She was eventually discovered by Dirty Money CEO Fendi, who came across Minaj’s MySpace page, loved what he heard, and immediately signed her to his label. That connection led Minaj to Lil Wayne, who collaborated with her on a series of mix tapes, the first of which, Playtime is Over, was released in April 2007. The recording, and subsequent mixed tapes, showcased Minaj’s female swagger and out-front style. By early 2010, considerable anticipation had built up around Minaj’s much discussed, much covered debut album, which was scheduled for release that fall. In April of that year, she released her first single, â€Å"Massive Attack.† Two months later she won Best Hip-Hop Female at the annual BET Awards. She dedicated the award to Lil Wayne.she later became an America idol jugde.

Teens Becoming Parents

Teens Becoming Parents 56% of young women and 73% of young men today have had intercourse by the age of 18, compared to the 35% of young women and 55% of young men in the early 1970’s (Facts. ) Each year, nearly one million teenagers in the United States become pregnant. One third of these pregnancies result in being aborted, 14% miscarry, and 52% bear children (Kids. ) What are the effects of having children at a young age? Education, being unprepared, and a change in responsibility are just a few of the effects of having a child at a young age.Seven out of ten teen mothers complete high school or eventually earn their G. E. D. , but are less likely than women who delay childbearing to go on to college (Sex. ) Having a child in high school makes it more difficult to focus on your studies. Late nights staying awake to feed, change, and care for your baby, can have a huge impact on your ability to focus on school and other tasks you face. As a teenage mother in school, you miss out things such as your prom, sports, and other extracurricular activities.Unpreparedness is another effect of having a child as a teenager. Most teenagers if they work, work minimum wage jobs and have no way of supporting themselves and a child. When a box of diapers for a newborn cost around $32. 50, and last maybe a month, and a can of formula that cost $13, last maybe a week, your priorities of how you spend your money also changes. You no longer are able to go out with the girls for an all-day shopping trip or get your hair and nails done. Every penny you make goes to taking care of that child.The combination of the minimum wage jobs and going to school, allows for very little quality time with their child. Without a good support system, raising a child as a teenager is almost impossible. In 1992, the federal government spent more than $34 billion on welfare for families begun by teenagers, which is $16. 6 billion higher than in 1985 (Babies. ) Prior to becoming a teen parent, most high school students have no concept of what responsibility is. They think that life is theirs to do with as they please.If they want to go out with friends and have good time, they do just that. However, when they become a parent they have minimal time to go out with friends. Their main priority should become their child and taking care of that child. Most teen parents rush out and get married to try and hide that the child was conceived out of wedlock, but most marriages in this form end in divorce somewhere down the line. Having a child as a teenager can really change your life. Most teenagers can’t handle going to school and raising their child, so they drop out of school.Being unprepared for a child, makes it that much harder. Teens should really wait until they are old enough, with their priorities in order, and prepared to take care of a child. Raising a child is a full time job in itself. Works Cited 1) â€Å"Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy,† The A lan Guttmacher Institute, 1996. 2) Kids Having Kids, Robin Hood Foundation, 1996 3) Sex and America’s Teenagers, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1994. 4) â€Å"Babies Born Into Peril,† Chicago Tribune, 22 May 1994

Issues in Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Issues in Terrorism - Essay Example 230). However, the thing that needs to be understood is that in a historical sense, the definition of the term terrorism had been increasingly dependent on the interests and intentions of the powers who tried to define terrorism. Hence, the meaning of the term terrorism will always go on changing in the future in consonance with the agenda of the powers which extend the majority narrative. Before elaborating on the relativity of the definition of terrorism, it will indeed be insightful to try to circumscribe the concept of terrorism within the domain of some widely accepted commonalities. It is a reality that in all ages and times, terrorism did evince some common traits and characteristics. To begin with, it would not be wrong to say that terrorism does happen to be a radical and extreme genre of political manipulation (Stout, 2002, p. 65). Most of the times the terrorists do resort to acts of extreme violence to create an environment of uncertainty and intimidation so as to make people get convinced about the ubiquity and potency of their power and sway. The other particular thing is that the aim of terrorism is always to disseminate a pervasive sentiment of panic and fear. Besides, terrorists also resort to acts of violence to accrue media and popular attention. Also, the most important thing about terrorism is that it contradicts and defies the sacrosanct human va lues and aspirations. Now, if one considers some of these characteristics that are common to the configuration of a viable definition of terrorism, it is possible to contrive a definition of terrorism which may not be concrete, but still manages to convey a malleable meaning and intent that could be grasped by human logic and ethics. However, the sad thing is that if one takes into consideration the historical realities, the act of defining terrorism has always been subservient to the intent and aspirations of the dominant narrative. It is said that

Organisational Design Problem Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organisational Design Problem - Coursework Example The internal structures did not change to match the growth of the company like required for successful global expansions. As observed, the corporate culture left loopholes where the inferior performers get rewarded while the productive employees get penalized. The core value of the organizational structure is to ensure that activities like task allocation, coordination, and supervision get stirred towards achieving goals of an organization. As such, the structure of an organization is critical to the performance and operational modes. The structure is known to affect an organization in two positive dimensions. The first dimension is that it offers a foundation for the development of standard operating procedures and routines. The second dimension is the determination that individuals handle a certain task and decision-making process. The structure ensures that it defines the extent with which these views shape the organization’s choice (Campbell and Craig, 2005). There are several challenges faced by the company due to rapid expansion and poor organizational structure. When an organizational structure does not coincide with facts evolving in operational action, it leads to poor performance when the company is expanding (Armstrong, 1996). COY’s inadequate organizational structure hampered cooperation regarding the established centers and the headquarters. Consequently, it leads to the hindrance of completion of defined operations (Peris-Ortiz and Sahut, n.d.). The structure results in a lag in time and misuse of resources when poorly implemented. As such, the organizational structure should be adaptive to the process requirements. The primary aim would involve optimizing the ratio of effort and input to output (Bahram Ranjbarian, 2011). Normally, the strategy of a company that has poorly implemented its organizational structure will change but the

Legal Issues Business Torts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Issues Business Torts - Essay Example in Salmon, 2005). The customer is entitled to assume that the proprietor will exercise reasonable care to ascertain the condition of the premises, and if he discovers any unsafe condition he will either take such action as will correct the condition and make it reasonably safe or give a warning of the unsafe condition (qtd in Salmon, 2005). As established in both the above cases and in multitudinous others, a proprietor should exercise reasonable care to ensure the safety of invitees and if the conditions of the premise are such that there is a continued hazard, or the reasonable possibility of a specified hazard arising at any given time, consequent to the conditions associated with the premise, it is incumbent upon the proprietor to either remove the hazard or provide sufficient warning of it. As pertains to Mae Tom's slip and fall claim, the above determines that she is acting within the parameters of her legal rights as an invitee to bring a negligence case against Kresge and make a claim for proven injury damages.

The American Indian Movement and Occupation of Alcatraz Research Paper

The American Indian Movement and Occupation of Alcatraz - Research Paper Example The American Indian Movement (AIM), an armed American Indian civil rights organization, was formed in 1968 in Minneapolis by Dennis Banks, George Mitchell, Eddie Benton Banai, and Clyde Bellecourt. In following years, Russell Means emerged as the leading spokesman for the organization (â€Å"American Indian Movement†). The organization was established in response to police brutality against Native Indian Americans. However, its origins can be traced to the civil right movement of the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) in the early 1960s. In 1854, Governor of Washington, Isaac Stevens signed a treaty that allowed the native tribes to do fishing according to own traditional styles and preserve the cultural heritage. However, according to the 1960s law reformation, cultural heritage and fishing rights are independent issues and hence, it was prohibited to use traps, nets, and spears (which were the traditional means of fishing for Native Americans) under the state laws (Shepher d 1-2). Also, the federal government’s â€Å"termination policy† brought the tribal lands under state control. Native Indians tribes that came under state jurisdiction suffered the immense loss of land and increased poverty. Many Native men migrated to urban areas for livelihood, however, their poverty continued (Shepherd 1-2). In urban cities, Native Americans suffered a massive oppression, discrimination, and racism. In urbanized surroundings, Native Americans became increasingly restless and knowledgeable about their rights and injustice.

Wi-Fi Appealing Technology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wi-Fi Appealing Technology - Assignment Example Some of these technologies are â€Å"the wireless protocols 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. The Wi-Fi Alliance is the body responsible for promoting the term and its association with various wireless technology standards† (wi-fihotspotlist.com, 2011). The following figure shows how the Wi-Fi technology works. There is a wireless router at the access point that is generating signals within a range that are being identified by the Wi-Fis installed in the laptops, so they can use the Internet service without connecting any cable. The Wi-Fi Technology (David, 2009). 2) Why did you choose this technology I chose the Wi-Fi technology because it has made my life easier and has improved my social networking tendency. Wi-Fi provides me with access to the Internet. I consider Internet as my most fundamental necessity, and Wi-Fi happens to be the most convenient source of Internet so far. I try to remain online for most of my day in which I am awake because it helps me promote social netw orking. In the present age, social networking is the key to success and Internet helps me strengthen that through such social media websites as Facebook, Twitter and Skype. I am able to connect with my friends anywhere anytime as long as I have my Wi-Fi with me. Owing to its importance in my life, I have chosen the Wi-Fi. 3) If you choose a technology that you like, describe what you like about it Internet was important to me even in the days in which I had cable Internet, but that proved quite inconvenient in that I had to remain at the same place in order to use the Internet. I could not move beyond the length of my cable. Plugging in and detaching the cable was no less heck. Besides, I had to adjust the cable every time I sat so as to ensure it does come in anybody’s way. I could not operate Internet on my mobile with the cable connection. I like Wi-Fi because purchasing it has made my life way easier. I could roam about the place anywhere to use the Internet as long as I remained within the range of the Wi-Fi signals, which fortunately is sufficiently wide. Now I can avail the opportunity of using the Internet both on my laptop as well as my mobile. There is no cable that needs to be adjusted, attached or detached. All I need to do to connect the Internet is push a button on the keypad of my laptop or mobile. Although apparently it seems little change since the quality of service has remained unaltered, yet it has improved my productivity manifolds as I am able to connect with my friends more often than ever before. 4) Also describe what you do not like about this technology. What would you aim to improve? Bring ideas! What I don’t like about Wi-Fi is the fact that its charger needs a constant supply of electricity. This puts me in trouble when I have to use it in places where there is no electricity. Carrying the Wi-Fi around is also inconvenient since it is a large device. I would greatly appreciate if the developers could come up with a Wi -Fi device that is as small as a USB flash drive so that I may carry it around in my pocket. Another feature that can enhance its usability manifolds is giving the Wi-Fi device a battery backup with cells. I want to break free of the need to have an electric connection in order to turn my Wi-Fi device on. I don’t know if that is possible, but I would love to have a laptop that has in-built Wi-Fi Internet as a feature. In an ideal world, I would be sitting in the midst of a forest with a laptop on my lap and use the Internet without attaching anything to my laptop. I would not mind if such an Internet service costs me few dollars more! 5) Describe the history of this technology: its development process, inventor(s), people and companies involved in its development and

Sustainable Design and the Recovery of New Orleans from Hurricane Essay

Sustainable Design and the Recovery of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina - Essay Example It passes without any notice with perfection as it is perfectly functional and its form flows seamlessly into the surrounding environment. As an example, a comfortable chair passes without any notice as it is comfortable and well-matched with the human form. Again a good designed kitchen device, even a can opener, passes without any notice perfectly owing to the easiness and smoothness of its functions. Furthermore design is closely tied to the surrounding world. It is a product of wider technological progress and persistent artistic influences. Fifty years ago issues regarding environmental problems mostly went off without any notice. However, during the last thirty years as environmental issues have become of increasing importance and awareness has grown of packaging waste, climate change and other issues design issues have expanded to include environmental issues as well. More recently, importance on environmental issues has been replaced by the importance on sustainability. The f ollowing conversation will focus on the interrelationship between sustainability and design. Initially, the term sustainability will be looked at and checked. After that the particular issue of sustainability and design will be studied. The proposal will consider the concept of sustainable design as it has been applied to the reconstruction of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana since it was struck by Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005). Particularly, problems with the actual sustainability of present 'sustainable' approaches to reconstruction will be focused. This proposal will actually argue that most of the 'sustainable' proposals for rebuilding New Orleans are not sustainable as they do not consider the main socio-cultural aspects of sustainable design. After that one simple proposal for reconstruction that is actually sustainable economically, environmentally and socio-culturally will be presented. The last section of the proposal will then consider how the specific proposal for sustainable reconstruction in New Orleans can be applied in a greater framework in other parts of the globe (mostly in the UK). Chapter 2. Principles of Sustainable Design Sustainability The historical discussion of the issue of sustainable design will start with the history (etymology) of the word sustain which is the root of the term sustainability. Following the Online Etymological Dictionary the root of sustain comes from â€Å"late 13 century, from Old French sustenir "hold up, endure," from Latin sustinere "hold up, support, endure," from sub "up from below" + tenere "to hold". (Sustain (2010) Online Etymology Dictionary [online].) Following this definition, sustainable design is a design that can be supported or held up by the economy, the environment and society. In the background of design, sustainable designs are those designs that can be backed by the environment. Sustainable designs are designs that do not erode the resources of the environment, but rather can be suppo rted by them. A definition of sustainability has existed since at least 1987 when the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future (commonly known as the Brundtland Report) was published. The World Commissio

Directing Melodrama. Specifically. The Play Lady Audley's Secret Research Proposal

Directing Melodrama. Specifically. The Play Lady Audley's Secret - Research Proposal Example But when her real face is disclosed before the audience it is an unexpected shock for them. This novel was later converted into drama by many playwrights. This is a typical melodrama and while converting it into the play the director should adapt the story according to the requirement of the features of melodrama and for that he has to have the knowledge of the genre called melodrama. I have already mentioned above that this novel is a subtle. It is so because it includes an appalling conspiracy orchestrated by a very innocent looking Victorian lady. This conspiracy is both hidden and injurious. It is a subtle novel also because it is difficult to understand the psyche of the protagonist. Her character is complex to analyze. She is villainess but we cannot deny the fact that her circumstance has made her to be villainess. The term sensation novel was widely practiced in the 1860. The term was basically used for the fictions written with surprise and shock. The term can be traced back to the novel Dion Boucicault by Colleen Bawn. It was literally stuffing middle class audience into the Adelphi Theatre in 1860. This novel was full of mystery, action, and emotions which are the special characteristics of the melodrama. Many of these features of the melodrama passed into the sensational novels, like Wilkie Collins’ â€Å"The woman in white† (1860), Dickens â€Å"Great Expectations† (1860-61), and Mary Elizabeth Braddons â€Å"Lady Audley’s Secret.† The plays were adapted from this novel by many playwrights. Among them are George Robert (1863), William Suiter(1863), Tom Taylor (1865), Henry Dunbar (America, 1866), There are ten major characters which include Lady Audley, Sir Michael Audley, Robert Audley (his nephew), George Talboys, Luke Marks, Bibbles, Alicia (Sir Michael’s daughter), Phoebe Marks, and a servant Martin. The stage version of this novel is quite different where the protagonist, Lucy

History of online Vidoe Games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

History of online Vidoe Games - Essay Example 1960s, extra computer games were developed for the public (frequently running on mainframe-computers), slowly rising in complexity and sophistication (Bellis, 2009) and (FreeBase, 2009). After this early games development period, video games deviated into diverse platforms and verities like: mainframe, arcade, personal computer, console and later handheld games. Online games  have been around for a while.   They started out years ago before the Internet on terminals, then over modems and now on the Web.   The explosion of online gaming is due to the growing amount of people who have access to the Internet.   Online games vary from basic text to 3d worlds that allow the ability to play other actual users who are connected to the game.   There are also many forums and social networking sites related to online gaming. In 1952, A.S. Douglas wrote his PhD degree at the University of Cambridge on Human-Computer interaction. Douglas created the first graphical computer game - a ve rsion of Tic-Tac-Toe. The game was programmed on an EDSAC vacuum-tube computer, which had a cathode ray tube display (Bellis, 2009) and (Celia Pearce, 2007). At its most basic level, an online game is the term used to represent games that are played over some form of computer network (in most cases, this means the Internet). One of the reasons for the expansion and growth of online gaming sites is the expansion of computer networks from small local networks to the Internet and beyond. Online games can come in a number of formats, ranging from simple text-based games to extremely complex games that include graphics and even virtual worlds. In regards to online gaming sites that allow you to win money, most sites require you to download their software. This is one of the distinguishing factors between TreasureOnNet.com and other similar gaming sites (Gupta, 2009). This era of video game history bears witness to the rise of the 32-bit, 64-bit, and 128-bit processor architecture in home console

Stakeholder Influences on Programs Essay Example for Free

Stakeholder Influences on Programs Essay Peace Domestic Violence Agency’s mission is to reduce victim trauma, empower survivors, and promote recovery through direct services. PDVA is committed to reducing the incidence of sexual assault and domestic violence through education and strives to challenge societal norms and beliefs that condone the perpetuate violence in the community. Stakeholders and the influence they have in a program plan, along with staff and administration personnel, is usually inadequately misunderstood and has room for alterations. Stakeholders are defined as a corporate party that can affect or be affected by actions of the business. A major stakeholder can make or break a program’s success depending on the positive support or negative reactions it conducts. We have to remember that some stakeholders may have strong connections to the community and hold great influence on others who may be investors or potential investors. This kind of hidden influence with authority (mainly political) is very capable of causing major disruption to the development and concerns that impact citizens within the community and how a program progresses. A good example is the recent scandals with a funding collection charity organization, known as Quadriga Arts and the many agencies associated with them, charging outrageous fees for service and never delivering any charity funding collected. They have many agencies’ who state they help veterans and support homeless food banks, animal shelters, to name a few, when in fact they are not providing funding collected from nationwide donations to these charities and non-profit organizations. Too much fraud is going on and this is another factor making respectable organizations to have a difficult time acquiring funding. A few bad apples are destroying great respectable organizations, because of their own greed and recklessness. We have this kind of fraud also within our own government establishments especially in defense contractors, banking institutions, and veteran life insurance companies, just to name a few more. Finding stakeholders is unfortunately getting fewer and fewer and more difficult and this is why large corporations are joining together and getting involved more so, than private individuals who might become liable and become possibly involved with a larger, fraudulent agency. Protection comes in groups more than the average individual might have. The needs and expectations of the stakeholder must always be considered when planning a program within the community where it resides. Stakeholders need to be given a good sense of security as well as the agency, and that positive outcome will promote positive change. Some stakeholders of course have different out looks on what success is, causing conflicts and concerns and the agency should be aware of this as well when excepting a stakeholder. This is when the agency has to be strong in its goals and mission and show positive plans for positive outcomes with the target population and what is required and prioritized for success within their communities. The give and take is; always conduct a thorough vetting process of stakeholders as stakeholders should do the same when funding any agency. The bottom-line is when final partnership is achieved then everyone is liable for any misfortunes or crimes committed within the agency. PDVA administration and staff have the same interests as their stakeholders especially when it comes to financing and possible audits that may accrue from government agencies. This is especially true when addressing private foundations/ non-profit 501(c) 3 organizations like PDVA. Since PDVA is working with human services, and also receiving grants, the agency and the stakeholders are responsible for any inside conflicts of interest or other inappropriate interests that may be present or transpire. The agency and stakeholders have to be aware of the strict regulations concerning any grants, donations, and funding they acquire, and comply with any Internal Revenue Service (IRS) assessment or audit if requested. The agency has to ensure that all parts of their programs are for non-profit, and no one person or stakeholder benefits from the agency’s assists in case of agency closure. Peace Domestic Violence Agency has two funding grant programs at this time for nonprofit agencies. The Small Grants Program† which offers a one-time grant of up to $5,000. 00 to registered charities with an annual budget under $500,000. 00. The second is â€Å"The Investor Program† which is an innovative funding program designed to support six organizations under each of the objectives of the â€Å"Supporting Families program†. This is up to $150,000. 00 a year for three years. This of course is not including private donations, charities and other fund raising activities that are available in the Portland Metropolitan Area and work together. Example is; Catholic Charities Oregon, Gateway Center for Domestic Violence, Women of Wonder Day and Oregon Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence (OCADSV). Along with these funding charities Portland also has in operation, mentor programs in local schools, sports programs and religious entities that contribute to the prevention of domestic violence among youth’s, through fundraising events and donations. The city of Portland also has the court system now applying mandatory youth camps or home parent programs instead of incarceration. But probably, most and foremost, is the education, prevention and awareness of drug and alcohol abuse and the consequences involved. For example; we have to ask ourselves who has these problems, the children or their parents, and how we protect children whose parents don’t protect them and promote or influence drinking and drug activities, or even worse violent gang activities for profit. I believe education is the answer along with empowerment and enforcement. We have so many parents that have no idea how to play the role of a parent or they don’t have or want to make the time. With this being said we also have to look at the nation, the economy, and availability of employment within our target population and how it directly affects the community and involvements for family survival. When parents have to work two to three jobs to support their families, it is hard to be in control of your children when your never home. Children cannot babysit children and relatives or friends who have substance abuse addictions cannot be responsible or creditable for mentoring these children. Example; latch key children and unemployed adults should have a safe place like community recreation centers, job and preparation training, along with professional staff for mentoring, counseling, interaction, and developing safe alternatives for these parents and children who find themselves in abusive or neglected situations and need to have a safe place to go. When we have stakeholders contributing to PDVA they both have one common goal, this is to develop a program(s) that benefit and enriches the lives of children and parents through education, protection, and awareness within the community. If the agency’s administration and staff can ensure that the agency will follow their objectives, the program will be successful and continue to receive the frequent assistance needed from stakeholders, then and only then can the agency achieve its goals and have the trust of the community it serves. Team work and involvement makes all the difference especially when the agency speaks out against violence and abuse to the community. The final conclusion is to have the agency’s administration, staff, stakeholders, and the community on the same page and be accountable for their program(s) and mostly be involved. This is to protect, educate and make everyone aware of domestic violence, prevention, rape, abuse (physical and verbal), bullying, gang activities, child trafficking, and alcohol/ substance abuse. Everyone within the agency and the community needs to identify, speak out and report these activities and to do it in a safe protective method, for this is what saves lives. To have law enforcement, probation officers, professional trained advocates, hospitals, schools, churches, local businesses, neighborhood watch programs, and community centers becoming one in corporation, to eliminate domestic violence and abuse of any form, before it transpires and becomes a life threating situation. Having a place to go, any time, day or night is a must. To learn new trades and keep everyone active, growing and progressing towards recovery and success. Children and parents need to stay active and constantly progressing towards success, not falling into idle time to get in trouble or make trouble. My grandmother use to say â€Å"Idle time is the work of the devil†

Homelessness The Hidden Nightmare Of Los Angeles Economics Essay

Homelessness The Hidden Nightmare Of Los Angeles Economics Essay Los Angeles, California ranks in as the second largest city in the United States. It is home to 3.8 billion people, including many famous movie stars. Known for being one of the sunniest and most tourist-conscious cities, Los Angeles offers many attractions for visitors (problem of homelessness). They hold many sports venues as well, including the Staples Center, which houses the L.A. Lakers and many award shows, like the Grammys. Over the years Los Angeles developed nicknames for its city, such as L.A. and The City of Angels (Los Ang. Wikipedia). While some people might call it The City of Angels, others could not disagree more with the nickname. During the daytime Los Angeles is a place of business, upper-class citizens roam the streets and movie producers are filming there next big hit. On the other hand, at nighttime its nothing more than a nightmare you cannot wake up from; thousands of people are left roaming the streets searching for a place to sleep. What we do not typically hear about or see is Los Angeless Skid Row, which hides in the shadows of the downtown skyline. This fifty block section of downtown L.A. holds the largest concentrated area of homeless people in the entire United States (los Ang City of stars). The section of Fifth Street is also referred to as the nickel. It is said that Skid Row is Americas only third world city (Skid Row wikipedia). Skid Row is nothing more than a result of the neighborhoods gentrification. These horrifying streets are home to the unwanted. Many police officers from other jurisdictions have been seen dumping homeless people in the area; they cannot provide correct services to them, so they dump them there. Already overwhelmed with the abundance of homeless people, the county is facing a major problem with social service organizations being short staffed and are experiencing a shortage of funds. Any services that a homeless person might be offered, is located in the downtown area of Los Angeles (Los An. City of stars). The LAPD Chief thought he had found a solution to help local businesses and real estate developers weed out the site of homeless people. He would have anyone arrested for minor infractions, littering, sleeping on sidewalks, and public urination. Unfortunately, his strategies were only wishful thinking. Soon after his rules were put into affect the city jails were overpopulated with homeless people and could not hold anymore. It was also costing the city more to keep them in jail, than it did to help house them for the night (Los An. City of stars). Recent plans for Skid Row have been to build condos and lofts that sell for $700,000. This would completely gentrify the area and push homeless people further away. Without anywhere else in the county offering assistance for the homeless, they have nowhere and no one to turn to for help. Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority could not afford the new rent. They were forced to move because the building was being renovated into condominiums. The downtown area is being renovated to attract new businesses, but the downfall of it all is that its causing rental prices to become non-affordable. New homes and condos are priced at an average of $2,000 to $3,000 per month. Los Angeles has the most expensive rental market in the entire state of California. With housing costs on the rise and the supply of affordable housing falling, many people are struggling to keep a roof over their head. Due to the renovations and demolitions, the 28,000 affordable homes L.A. produced from 2001 to 2006 meant nothing, because they lost 11,000 homes in the process (research briefly). Los Angeles is demolishing perfectly good homes, during the middle of a housing crisis. Coalition for Economic Survival and Housing LA, have both been fighting to stop renovations and demolitions. Thankfully, the City Planning Department has recently started to deny some request for such demolition. They are also making it a requirement that some of the residences have to be affordable (livable places). To restore Los Angeless middle class society, it must provide and create enough affordable housing units. Affordable housing is the ratio of housing costs to household income. Families should not pay more than 30% of their income, but in L.A. most moderate to low income families, pay 50%. For someone to live in a one-bedroom apartment in L.A., they must make a minimum of $48,000 a year (livable places). An average family of four with two working parents must make $70,000 a year, just to skim by (Los An. City of stars). In 2007, only 3% of homes sold in Los Angeles were affordable for median income families (Pricey properties). As the need for housing grows larger the number of homeless people, also increase. Not only are these developers building new condos, but they are evicting residents as well. These families that are being evicted or flat out cannot afford the new pricing are left without a home. Due to the shortage of affordable housing units, the Hollywood Community Housing Corporation formed a lottery for people to have a chance to secure a spot in a new fifty-eight unit subsidized apartment. Lines formed seven hundred people deep, waiting for an application. Even though they might have received an application, that did not mean they were accepted. The housing corporations executive director, said that subsidized projects similar to this one were becoming more and more difficult to finance (Hundreds wait). For families who do not win the lottery, they are left on the streets and shooed away. Because of the increase and wide spread of non-affordable housing, homelessness is at an all time high. What used to be a designated area for the homeless in Los Angeles, Skid Row, is now a wide spread community epidemic. Homelessness is no longer designated to the poorer areas of Los Angeles; the entire county is now seeing, what was once an isolated phenomenon. All eight of the Service Planning Areas have been heavily affected. On an average night in Los Angeles, 73,000 homeless people roam the streets without a place to sleep. Around 40% of the homeless have been this way for less than a year. About half the residents living in L.A. are housing a family member or friend, to keep them off the streets. Los Angeles County supplies 17,000 emergency beds for the homeless. This low amount does not even come close to the demand for them. Shelter Partnership did a study that showed how L.A.s shelters and agencies only accommodate a quarter of homeless families (research and). The Los Angeles Unified School District has reported a 35% increase of homeless students. Recent data has revealed that the number of homeless families with children is rising. Between 2006 and 2007 HUD data reported that public schools were teaching an estimated 680,000 children that were either homeless or living in an unstable environment. Studies have shown that homelessness can lower a childs academic performance and reduce high school completion. Homeless children are nearly three times more likely to suffer from emotional or behavior problems, thus in the long run affecting their education. An estimated amount of 10,000 people were found living in inhabitable areas (the medical news). Not only has the lack of affordable housing caused homelessness, but the economy as well. The recession has impacted the job market greatly. It has been projected by Goldman Sachs that unemployment will continue to rise throughout 2010. This would cause nearly 10 million Americans to live in poverty. The United States is dealing with the highest amount of unemployment rates, it has ever seen. It is likely that the nation will face its highest increase in severe poverty, than it has in the last 30 years. The current recession is more likely to cause the risk of homelessness. Unlike previous recessions that provided safety nets to protect jobless families, the assistance for families now is weaker than ever (budget and policy). The non-profit organization, Chrysalis, provides employment opportunities to help family prevent the risk of becoming homeless. Chrysalis Enterprises is Los Angeles only non-profit organization. Each year, they help over 2,500 people avoid the risks of poverty and homelessness. They provide yearly assistance for transitional jobs to 600 men and women every year (Chrysalis). Even though Congress is expected to try and restore several million jobs, an unbelievably high number of people will still be at the risk of becoming homeless Local and state jurisdictions have arranged interagency plans to prevent homelessness. This has helped reduce the number of unsheltered people in the past, and if proper resources are used than it could lessen the increase of homelessness during the recession. Adequate funding must be provided in order for the interagency plans to function effectively. However, states and localities are dealing with budget shortfalls. The recession has caused them to cut programs and raise taxes to try and keep their budget balanced. Homelessness prevention will without a doubt struggle to maintain, let alone increase proper funding (budget and funding). Between 2007 and 2008 Los Angeles County has reported a 12% increase in welfare assistance for families who are homeless. More families will fall into deep poverty if the unemployment rate keeps rising. An estimated 900,000 to 1.1 million families with children will reach the level of severe poverty if this happens, leaving them with the risk of homelessness and housing instability. Despite falling incomes and rising unemployment, rents are still being driven through the roof. Home foreclosures constantly keep pushing home owners into the rental market. The severe problem with home foreclosures and housing sectors only help cater the increase of homeless families. The demand for rental units will continually grow even though the prices of homes are falling. Families, who would originally be buying homes right now, are renting; they are waiting for the economy and prices to stabilize before doing so. Homelessness will continue to rise during the recession, as long as the housing market maintains its ongoing troubles. One way Los Angeles can help try to prevent homelessness, is by offering housing vouchers. These vouchers can be used for families to pay past due utility bills or rent. Families dealing with foreclosure can be assisted with relocation funds, a one-time cost associated with moving into a new home. Unfortunately, the only way these short-term assistance programs will work, is if families are able to uphold their ongoing rental costs. A recent five year study has proven that housing vouchers are effective in preventing homelessness. The government needs to grant a substantial number of additional vouchers in the economic recovery package. In an economic crisis, such as now, voucher programs work the best. As a familys income changes the amount of subsidy they receive will also change. Costs will also decline as the participants gain employment and their earnings increase. In 2008, Congress provided 15,000 new housing vouchers. Only 2,840 of the new vouchers were given to families with children; the families also had to be connected to the foster system. The rest of the vouchers were set aside for disabled people and homeless veterans. If no special restrictions on eligibility for new vouchers are set by Congress, then state and local agencies that receive the funds will be responsible for disbursing them. It is likely that more than half of the vouchers will be given to poor families with children. If 200,000 new housing vouchers were given throughout 2010, including administrative fees, it would cost $2.1 billion. These additional vouchers could strain HUDs 2011 budget. Subsequent budget pressures could be avoided, if the recovery package stated that agencies could not reissue vouchers after a family has left the program and other vouchers have to be out of circulation by the end of 2010. By not allowing agencies to reissue vouchers, roughly 30% of the new vouchers will be retired by the ending calendar year of 2010. Because of the recession, it is unlikely that families will leave the program, but there is still a chance that some families might leave the program for non-economic reasons. The possibility of less people leaving the program than anticipated could result in a need for additional funding in 2011, to sustain new vouchers that were not offset. The proposed funding of $2.1 billion is only meant to cover a sixteen month period. If Congress provided a twenty month program, than agencies could accept a higher number of vouchers and further help prevent homelessness in their community. With the new proposal, families would be able to spend more money on food, clothing, and health care. The benefits of trying to eliminate and reduce homelessness would be immediate and long-term. New vouchers would help pump funds back into local economies within a four to six month period. When comparing Michigan to California with the estimated state shares of recommended increases in housing vouchers and ESG homelessness prevention funding, California will receive 26,962 more vouchers and $182,507,187 more new ESG funds than Michigan (Budget and Policy).

Graphical User Interface For The 3 Axis Cnc Milling Machine Computer Science Essay

Graphical User Interface For The 3 Axis Cnc Milling Machine Computer Science Essay This paper details the design and development of a Graphical User Interface for the 3-Axis CNC Milling Machine, which was designed in-house for testing and research purposes at the University of the South Pacific. The 3-axis CNC Milling Machine used COM Port terminal software, TeraTerm to communicate with the electronics hardware via RS232 link. The GUI was developed using Microsoft ® Visual Basic 2008 Integrated Development Environment. The end result is an interface that is user friendly and is capable of controlling various tasks of the Milling Machine. This paper aims to explain how simple components of Microsoft ® Visual Basic 2008 has been used to design a Windows ® based user interface which is capable of complete control of CNC milling machine. Keywords: GUI, Serial Port, CNC, G Codes, STEP NC 1. INTRODUCTION Over the years a number of methods have been developed to control machine tools. The most widespread used throughout the industry is the G Code language for NC machine tools programming. It is based on the data model stipulated by ISO6983, and has been used for over 50 years [1]. G codes, however, limits the usage of todays fast evolving high-performance hardware [2]. The latest development in NC machine tools programming is ISO 14649 or STEP NC. It is a new standard for data transferring between CAD/CAM systems and CNC machines. It remedies the shortcomings of ISO 6983 by specifying the machining processes rather than machine toolmotion by means of Workingstep, as the basic entity [1] Whichever method of programming NC machine tools is used, it is always important to verify the program before doing actual testing. Verification of NC part programs using a PC is inexpensive compared to testing on model parts. Cutting simulation as a means of testing and verifying NC cutting paths has become an important part of modern machining [3]. With the latest advancements in PC technology and 3D graphics it is much easier to simulate NC cutting paths. A common CNC executes G-code programs, which are generated as a result of planning and scheduling in CAM tools [4]. However an interface is required to send or execute NC part program to the CNC. The user interface is the communication Tool between the operator and the PC-based CNC drilling machine, via the computer screen [5]. The recent advancement in software development technology using Object Oriented Programming (OOP) has made it possible to create simple user interface with a sound communication link to control NC machines. In 2002 [5], a GUI was developed at the University of the South Pacific for a PC-Based computer numeric control drilling machine. The platform for the graphical user interface (GUI) was written in Borlands new rapid application product, C++ Builder ®. Gordon and Hillery [6] developed a Windows ® based graphical user interface for their CNC cutting machine. The user interface communicated with the machine via RS232 serial link. The programming environment used was Borland C++ Builder 3, which allowed the visual development of the program interface. The user interface developed also had features for homing the three axes, editing of NC part program (G Codes) and also previewing the two dimensional cutter motion. This paper mainly focuses on the design of the Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the 3-Axis CNC milling machine. The user interface has been designed in Microsoft ® Visual Basic 2008 Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The features of the GUI are explained in detail. 2. OVERVIEW OF CNC MILLING MACHINE The CNC Milling Machine was designed in-house at the School of Engineering and Physics (SEP) at the University of the South Pacific (USP), for testing and research purposes. It uses an absolute three dimensional coordinate system to create its tool path. It sequentially passes instructions which are in the form of three dimensional coordinates to the Milling Machine for controlling the tool, similar to how G Codes are used. The operational framework of the CNC milling machine is shown in Figure 2.1. It consists of a dedicated PC running Graphical User Interface Software which is used to upload a text file containing X, Y and Z coordinates. It also has features to control the milling operations and to get a two dimensional cutter path preview. The software is linked to the electronics hardware via RS232 serial link. Figure 2.1 Operational framework of the CNC Milling Machine The current CNC Milling machine is only capable of linear interpolation (G01), in terms of G Codes, or moving linearly from one point in the three dimensional space to the next point. To mill different geometries other than straight lines the milling machine has to be given a number of coordinate points which can be used to approximate that particular geometry. For instance to mill a curve the milling machine needs to be given a set of points which lie on the curve. Similar method was used by Min-Yang Yang and Won-Pyo Hong [7] in their three dimensional linear interpolation algorithm. The CNC Milling Machine uses an absolute three dimensional coordinate system (X, Y, and Z) for its tool path generation. The three dimensional coordinates are defined in a text file. Each of the three coordinates has three characters in the text file for instance the X coordinate 0 is defined as 000 in the text file. The Basic Length Unit (BLU) is in millimeters. The electronics architecture of the CNC milling machine consisted of five PIC microcontrollers (PIC16F877) in a distributed architecture, with one master controller and several slave controllers. The master controller of the CNC Milling Machine consists of a PIC16F877 microcontroller which is responsible for coordinating and controlling the overall operations of the Machine. It is the central intelligence system of the CNC Milling Machine. It receives its commands from the user through a user interface and commands other co PIC16F877 Microcontrollers in a distributed architecture to carry out their respective tasks. The mechanical hardware consists of three stepper motors which drive the three axis of the CNC Milling Machine. It also has a 24V DC Motor which is the spindle motor. The worktable consists of clamps to clamp the workpiece firmly on the worktable. For feedback, the machine constitutes of limit switches which control the limit of the worktable. 3. USER INTERFACE Until recently, the CNC machine was using COM port terminal software, TeraTerm, to communicate with Master Controller via RS232 link. The GUI was designed to provide a user friendly interface instead of typing coordinates in TeraTerm. The GUI was designed using Microsoft ® Visual Basic 2008 and coded in BASIC (Beginners All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code). The overall design of the main form of the user interface is shown in Figure 3.1. Figure 3.1 Main form of the GUI It was decided to incorporate the following features in the GUI Opening of text file which contains the coordinates. Previewing of coordinate file (or tool path) in two dimensional X and Y axis Communication with the CNC Machine via RS232 link Milling control features such as homing, manual jog etc Displaying coordinate file 3.1 File Input The GUI contains a MenuStrip at the top of the main form on which there are three menus, File, Setup and Help. The File menu contains an Open menu which opens a file browser window as shown in Figure 3.1.1. The software utilizes an OpenFileDialog control of Visual basic 2008 to prompt the user for the files path. It allowed the user to choose which text file to open in the program. The OpenFileDialog control contains the Filter property which was used to control the type of file to be opened in the program. The only extension allowed was the *.txt. The ShowDialog() method was used to display the Open Coordinate File dialog box on the screen. The FileName property was used to get the path specified by the user. The dialog box is shown in figure 3.1.1 Figure 3.1.1 Open Coordinate File dialog box After getting the path from the user, the program used a FileOpen() function to open the file specified by the user. The end of file function, EOF() was used to iterate through the file until the no more coordinates are left. The LineInput() function was used get a line of coordinates into a string variable. This string variable was then extracted to get the X, Y and Z coordinates in a separate array. The array containing the X, Y and Z coordinate was then used later to generate two dimensional previews and to send to the CNC milling machine. Finally the FileClose() function closes the text file. 3.2 Tool Path Preview The graphical user interface that is designed also contains a two dimensional preview feature which can be used to preview the path taken by the milling tool on the workpiece. The GUI uses the system.drawing.graphics namespace to create tool path. The preview panel, as shown in figure 3.2.1, gives a two dimensional (X, Y) preview of the tool path which will be followed by the cutting tool. It is also to check and verify that the input text file does not contain errors. A Preview command button is used to generate preview. This is activated only when a valid coordinate file is loaded. The GUI utilizes system.drawing namespace which includes system.drawing.graphics class to draw the preview. The DrawLines() method was used to draw a series of lines according to the X and Y coordinates in the coordinate file. Figure 3.2.1 Tool Path Preview control The use of three-dimensional absolute coordinate system has made the previewing algorithm much easier since the preview is two dimensional (X, Y), the program utilizes these X and the Y coordinates to draw a preview of the shape in the preview panel. Once the Preview command button is clicked, the btnPreview_Click event procedure gets the array containing the X and Y coordinates which was previously read from the text file. The procedure then used these coordinates as points to draw a series of lines using the DrawLines() method. Since absolute coordinates are used, the lines connect from the end point of the first X, Y coordinate to the start point of the next X, Y coordinate. In this way the path taken by the cutter is drawn by connecting the series of points. 3.3 Milling Controls The GUI on the main form contained a group box with a number of command buttons for commanding the milling machine. The Home command button was used to command the milling machine to rapidly move to its home position. Figure 3.3.1 Milling Control panel The advantage of using a software interface to control the CNC Milling Machine is that it acts like a control panel of the CNC which resides on the PC. Several command buttons have been used on the main form to command the CNC Milling Machine to carry out various tasks. The Home command button is used to command the CNC Milling Machine to move to its home position. The milling control also contains a command button Start to run or to send the coordinates to the milling machine to start milling. The flowchart in figure 3.3.2 shows this. Figure 3.3.2 Flowchart showing the start subroutine 4. COMMUNICATIONS The user interface for controlling the milling machine resides on a dedicated PC. Therefore there should be some means of communication between the software and the electronics hardware. A standard desktop personal computer consists of several communications ports. These include parallel port (LPT1), serial port (COM), PS/2 ports and Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. Serial port communications has been used to with the electronics hardware. The Serial port or RS232 has several port settings that need to be set. The advantage of this obsolete technology is that it best suits the application we are designing, and the amount of data that needs to be sent to and from the milling machine. Figure 4.1 shows the dialog box that appears to the user when the user chooses Serial Port from the Setup Menu. On this dialogue box the user can choose the port settings. The reason for including this control is so that the application may work on different PCs. The default port setting is shown in figure 4.1. Figure 4.1 Serial Port Configuration dialog box The communications via RS232 was made possible using the system.IO.ports namespace, and the SerialPort class of Visual Basic 2008. The SerialPort class consisted of properties/attributes, methods and events which was used in the communication algorithm. The ReadExisting() method was used to read data from the PCs serial port receive buffer (Rx). The Write() method was used to send string data to the electronics of the CNC Milling Machine. The flowchart in figure 4.2 demonstrates how the communication to the milling machine is made when the user clicks ok on the dialog box in figure 4.1. Figure 4.2 Flowchart showing the communication algorithm followed. 5. TESTING AND DEBUGGING One problem faced during the development and testing of the GUI was run time errors or exceptions. Runtime errors or exceptions occur as a result of normal operating conditions [8]. For example errors when the GUI is trying to open a COM port which is being used by another program. The problem was overcome using structured error handling or the Try†¦Catch code block in Visual Basic. The GUI used message boxes to display appropriate messages to the users when an exception occurred and allowed the program to continue. The preview part of the GUI was tested by opening a text file containing 165 X, Y, Z points. These points resembled a circle in two dimensional (X, Y) planes. The result is depicted in Figure 5.1 which shows the tool path generated on the preview panel. Figure 5.1 Tool Path preview showing the preview of a circle Furthermore, the same file was used to mill a circle on softwood with the following settings: Feedrate 75mm/min Spindle Speed 2500RPM Cutting Tool Diameter 5mm The result is shown in Figure 5.2. The result shows that the Graphical User Interface made no errors while sequentially sending coordinates to the milling machine. Figure 5.2 Output of the CNC Milling Machine 6. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORK Based on the result in the previous section of this paper, it can be concluded that the GUI design was successful. The GUI was able to communicate with the electronics hardware of the CNC Milling Machine using RS232 serial link. The preview algorithm of the program also worked well. Finally the GUI was able to sequentially send (X, Y, and Z) coordinates representing cutter path in three dimensional space, to the CNC Milling machine. However, a number of tasks can be carried out in the future to improve the performance of the GUI and to enhance the output of the CNC Milling Machine. One such include the implementation of the industry standard G Codes which is based on ISO6983 data model, instead of X, Y, Z coordinate file. The G Code programming is a standardized way of controlling cutter motion. The CNC milling machine is capable of moving in steps as small as 1 tenth of a millimeter. Thus it is also recommended to improve the GUI so that it can cater for coordinates with one decimal point. The output of the CNC milling machine will improve drastically by having coordinates in mm to one decimal point. Another improvement that can be implemented on the GUI is using an abort button to cancel or abort the operations of the CNC Milling Machine. This is a standard safety feature which exists on most industrial machines including CNC machines.

Slaves :: essays research papers

Slave Versus Master   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slavery was a huge part of America’s history and is impossible to ignore today. African-Americans, during the 1860’s, obviously disagreed with the widespread use of slavery and did whatever they could to showcase their disapproval of it. There are many examples of slaves hostility toward their masters, but unfortunately the South was too heavily populated with slave owners for most of the protests to have a huge impact on the push for the abolition of slavery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The population of African-Americans in the South in 1860 is appalling. In 1860 the population was sixty-six percent white, thirty two percent slave, and an unbelievable two percent free blacks in the South. The lucky, few blacks that were free had to think about the abuse and pain their fellow brothers had to go through. Although some plantation owners were pleasant to work for, it does seem that the majority of slave owners were harsh and brutal to their slaves. (Doc 113)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slaves were considered as a piece of property to every slave owner and most lived a sad, to what they had to do. They protested in several different ways whether it be attacking the slave owner, wounding themselves, or simply â€Å" accidentally† breaking tool needed to perform their everyday duties. (Doc 115)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A slave named Nat Turner led one of the most famous revolts. Turner, a slave preacher, led an armed group of African-Americans on a killing spree from house to house in Southampton County, Virginia. They killed sixty white men, women, and children before being overcome by federal troops. Turner’s revolt ended with more than a hundred blacks being executed. This was the most malicious of all the revolts and after Turner’s incident slave conspiracies, were always greatly feared for as long as slavery existed. (Brink 312)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another such revolt was by a slave named Gabriel Prosser, who gathered nearly 1,000 slaves to brawl with the slave owners. Somehow a couple of slaves gave the plot away, and it was uncovered and stopped by the Virginia militia. The end of the revolt led to the execution of Prosser and others. (Brink 312)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most slave revolts weren’t anywhere near as extreme as Turner’s or Prosser’s, but there were still many other forms of revolts. It was not unusual for slaves to run away, especially to the North where slavery was illegal, but it was uncommon for the slaves to make it too far or get away.

Judge Holden of Blood Meridian :: Blood Meridian Essays

Judge Holden of Blood Meridian Although Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood Meridian tells the story of the kid and his journey through the harshest of environments, much of the action in the novel centers around Judge Holden. Judge Holden is a mystery from his very first appearance in the novel and remains so until the very end of the novel, when he is one of the few characters surviving. The kid first comes face to face with Holden in a saloon after a riot and eventually joins with Holden and a gang of misfit scalp-hunters to roam the Mexican-American borderlands. Judge Holden has some historical foundation as a character. The Judge is mentioned in Samuel Chamberlain's My Confession, a personal narrative published in 1956. Chamberlain was a private during the war with Mexico and met Holden when he joined Glanton's gang of renegade scalp-hunters. Chamberlain describes Holden as gigantic and without hair, just as Holden is described by McCarthy (Sepich 125). One of the most mysterious qualities of Judge Holden is his ability to move from place to place and almost be in two places at once. As Tobin says, "every man in the company claims to have encountered that sootysouled rascal in some other place" (McCarthy 124). Holden's first appearance in the novel is a prime example of his ability to appear in two places simultaneously. The Judge manages to escape from the riot in Reverend Green's tent to a saloon where he is completely dry, even though it is pouring rain outside (7-8). The Judge also mysteriously appears next to the kid at the bar where the dancing bear has just been killed. He looks "little changed or none in all these years" (325). In both of these situations Judge Holden is the cause of the chaos around him. The Judge single-handedly incites the riot on Reverend Green and is the cause of the bear being slaughtered. These events are indicative of the entire novel in that there is constant chaos and violence w herever Judge Holden go es. Judge Holden's physical appearance seems unbelievable and full of contrast. Holden towers over everyone, yet he seems pre-pubescent because of his total lack of hair and his small hands and feet. Much of the imagery surrounding Judge Holden describes him in child-like terms. The features of the kid and the Judge tend to complement each other.

Isolation of Clove Oil

Objective The objective of this experiment is to perform a steam distillation using a microscale distillation apparatus and isolate a natural product from cloves. Introduction By performing steam distillation we can isolate eugenol at lower temperature than its usual boiling point of 248 degree Celsius. Eugenol belongs to a category called essential oil. Many of these compounds are used as flavoring and perfumes and in the past were considered the essence of plant from which they were derived. Structure of eugenol (clove oil) and eugenol acetate: Reagents: Eugenol, CH2Cl2, Br2, FeCl3, MethanolProcedure: Co-distillation We first combine 15 mL of water with 1 g of crushed, ground cloves in a 25-mL round-bottom flask. Then added a spin bar to the 25-mL round-bottom flask and assembled the microscale distillation apparatus. We made certain that the ground cloves were well wetted. We maintained the temperature of the sand bath at approximately 130 Â °C and wrapped the bottom of the still with aluminum foil. Then periodically transfer the distillate from the Hickman head to a 15 mL screw cap centrifuge tube and continue the steam distillation until 5–8 mL of distillate have been collected.Then we started the extraction process by adding 2 mL of CH2Cl3 to the water–eugenol emulsion. Cap the tube and shake it frequently. We then allowed the layers to separate and transferred the CH2Cl2–eugenol solution to a clean, dry 5- mL conical vial. We made sure no water was transferred in this step. Then we added 1 mL of CH2Cl2 to the water–eugenol emulsion, cap and shake the tube. Allowed the layers to separate and transfer the CH2Cl2–eugenol solution to the 5-mL vial used previously and made certain that no water is transferred during this step.We then added 1 mL of CH2Cl2 to the water–eugenol emulsion and shook the tube. We allowed the layers to separate and transferred the CH2Cl2–eugenol solution to the 5-mL vial used in previ ous step. We made certain that no water was transferred during this step. Finally we finished the co distillation process by drying the CH2Cl2–eugenol solution with 2-3 microspatulas of anhydrous sodium sulfate. Evaporation Transfer the dried CH2Cl2–eugenol solution to a clean, dry, tared, 5-mL conical vial. And rinse the drying agent with a few drops of CH2Cl2 and transfer CH2Cl2 rinse to the 5- mL conical vial.In a fume hood, evaporate the CH2Cl2 using a hot water bath at approximately 40 Â °C max 55 Â °C. Classification Test of eugenol (clove oil) The eugenol isolated will be tested for unsaturation using the Br2Test and aromaticity with the ferric chloride test. Br2 Test First we dissolved the clove oil in 2? 3 mL of methanol then added 5 drops of clove? oil solution to a test tube. Then we added few drops of Br2 reagent and gently swirled and recorded our observations. W then prepared a control slide and matched our results to it. FeCl3 testDissolved the clove o il in 2? 3 mL of methanol Added 5 drops of clove? oil solution to a test tube Added a few drops of FeCl3 solution to test tube Gently swirled and record your observation Results and Calculations: Br2 test results. Original Br2 was yellow in color but when it was added to our solution it turned colorless. This shows that we had double bonds formation. Benzene gives us double bonds. Our results matched the result we obtained when we compared with control that we had created. FeCl3 test results: Our solution turned light yellowish in color.Control was dark orange in color. Discussion: Our benzene results indicated that we had double bonds formation. Benzene gives us double bonds. Our results matched the result we obtained when we compared with control that we had created. Our FeCl3 test gave us light yellowish color solution while the control was somewhat orange. This could probably mean that we had Eugenol acetate instead of Eugenol. References: Introduction to Organic Laboratory Tech niques: A Microscale Approach. Pavia, Lampman, Kriz, and Engel. (1999) Saunders College Publishing.

Example of Interview Protocol

Interview Protocol: 1. How would you define biology? 2. How would you define life? 3. Give 5 examples of life and explain why they exhibit life. 4. What is the smallest unit of life? 5. Is soil alive? Why or why not? 6. Is air alive? Why or why not? 7. What body part makes us most alive? Why? Interview #1 Interviewer (LH): How would you define biology? Interviewee (BM): Um.. as a part of life LH: Okay, how would you define life? BM: Uh.. everything around you†¦from the sky to the grass LH: Can you give 5 examples of life and explain why they exhibit life.BM: Plants, because you need them to breathe oxygen, yourself, because you are you, animals, because they are part of the food chain (she flashed a thumbs up here because she was proud she recalled this information), the sun, because you need it to grow and not be moody, and water, water because everything needs water. LH: Nice.. what is the smallest unit of life? BM: Um†¦um.. um†¦I know this†¦ LH: I know you doâ € ¦ (Another minute passed and never recalled despite looking around the room and looking directly at the cell poster) LH: Is soil alive? Why or why not?BM: Yes, because you can make it grow. LH: Is air alive? Why or why not? BM: Um†¦(about 30 second delay)†¦I am going to say no†¦ LH: Why not? BM: (she shrugs) LH: Okay, go back to how you defined life. How do you define life? What makes something alive to you? BM: It grows and survives. LH: Okay, so is air alive? BM: No, because it doesn’t grow. LH: One of your examples of life was the human body. What part of the human body makes you most alive and why? BM: Your heart because it makes everything move. Because you can live without a brain, can’t you? You can be brain dead.LH: But once your heart gives out then you are dead? BM: Yes, because you still can live†¦ LH: Without a brain but not without a heart? BM: You can live more without a brain then a heart. LH: Very nice, thank you for participatin g. Interview #2: Interviewer (LH): How would you define biology? Interviewee (YC): The study of life. LH: And†¦how do you define life? YC: Something that moving, breathing, functioning LH: Ok.. can you give me five examples of life and explain why they exhibit life. YC: Plants, cause they grow, humans, cause they move around, they function, they think and they also grow.. m.. wait†¦animals cause that’s like humans†¦. um.. LH: Two more YC: I really can’t think of two more. Those are the only ones I can think of right now. LH: Ok, so plants, animals and humans, what is the smallest unit of life? YC: The cell LH: And, is soil alive to you? Why or why not? YC: Um.. yeah because it makes things grow. LH: Okay.. is air alive to you? Why or why not? YC: No, because in order to be alive you have to be, like, functioning, growing, moving and air is just two chemicals put together to make one chemical. LH: Okay, and what body part makes a human being most alive an d why?YC: The heart because without your heart you can’t function, you can’t, because your heart makes your whole body function so without that you won’t be able to function. Because the heart is the one that produces the blood and the blood sends out to all of your†¦um.. cells and all your body parts. It also sends out reflexes. It also helps with your reflexes and everything. LH: Nice, thank you. Analysis: The most surprising part of the interview came after the interview when the two subjects started arguing about their answers. I invited two friends to come after school but interviewed them separately.After I was done with the second interview, the girls started discussing how they answered each question. Their focus was specifically on the last two questions: is air alive and what part of the body makes a human being alive? They started discussing molecules and molecular interactions in air that could create life or prevent life depending on the qualit y of air. In addition, they considered the importance of the brain in the human body and discussed the implications of being brain dead but still alive. After some discussion, the girls decided the brain is the coach and the heart is the player.Both students are basketball players so it helped them to process the information by relating to basketball. In other words, the coach gives direction but the players still have to execute the plays. Another point of interest was the correlation of grades with ease and accuracy of recall. My first subject is receiving a B in my class and the second subject an A. The first subject knew the concepts but had more difficulty with the exact definition. The first subject talked around topics demonstrating knowledge of content standards but had difficulty pinpointing her ideas.The second subject gave exact definitions and answers quickly. The comfort level was visible in the answers provided, both in accuracy and timing. In addition, despite discuss ing the characteristics of life, I realized both students still created a superficial definition of life. They summarized life as something that moves and grows and breathes, but they did not consider reproduction and they are made of cells and more technical aspects of the definition of life. The students also had trouble with their own definition when I started asking them about specific questions regarding living/non-living parts.Although it was interesting the second subject had a greater connection between her definition and her explanation of why a heart is the most critical organ for life. I also noticed when giving examples of life, both subjects focused on broad categories of life: plants, animals, humans and neglected specific examples of living things. I would be interested to see if a younger student would name specific living things or focus on broad categories. I suspect the broad categories come from the fact we are studying cells and just studied ecology and the focu s is on plant versus nimal or consumer versus producer. After completing my interview I realized my questions were too narrow. I tried to predict what the students would say and create appropriate follow-up questions but the questions still had short answers. I need to reflect on how to write my questions to solicit longer responses with more detail to demonstrate feeling. The discrepancy between what I anticipated and what happened could be the result of the nature of the survey and the focus on content compared to my research survey that focuses on experiences and emotions.

Battle Of The Bulge

Since the time that war, military and military men have existed, there has also existed a parallel class of strategist, philosophers, military, practitioners, philosophers and historians who have invested their lifetime of effort comprehending the complexities of warfare.These efforts have produced both long, complicated documents that have looked in entire social and economic aspects associated with warfare, and also condensed records and quick lessons into strategy of war that practitioners of the military art could use to guide the conduct of warfare (Johnsen et al.1995). The efforts to chronicle war details and related documents is also taken in earnest effort by every nation, in order to create a perspective on war and establish a set of workable principles that can be followed in the course of any armed struggle. However, mere compilation and study of principles would certainly account as a very limited effort in evolving a contemporary and updated approach towards warfare.Whil e the principles may have been thoroughly scrutinized at the tactical and operational levels of warfare, their applicability and suitability at the practical level of implementation may be less than exhaustive. For examples, the principle and lessons of war from Napoleonic warfare, although revealing from the strategic point of view, may have little operational significance from the standpoint of 20th century techniques and necessities (Reid, 1993).It is important therefore for these principles to apply at the strategic level of war under the conditions of rapid technological change, and remain in accordance of military needs of the time. Contrary to ocular perception that associates war as purely a military enterprise, one that is conducted entirely on battlefields, the reality is that war is an intellectual accomplishment and creative exercise, and hence many of its finer details are perfected at the strategic board and discussion rooms.The intellectual framework required to accom plish this complex procedure requires a theoretical structure that is provided by Principle of war (Johnsen et al. 1995). Meanwhile, theories and principles are just one of the side of a full-fledged war, as they have their own limits and it’s the balanced of combination of principles along with ability to transform them in practice that ensures victories in armed engagements.It is also important to remember that war strategies and principles applied in a particular battle essentially bear the stamp of their time. Although they may appear out of place, or seem overtly simple from vantage point of time, they reflect the best wisdom and experience of the age (Murdock, 2002). It is from this understanding and insight that this paper looks into the important Battle of Bulge, fought between German and US forces towards end of the Second World War and that is universally recognized as the bloodiest battle faced by US in the War.Modern Principles of War The two world events that hav e profoundly affected war strategies and principles have been the First and Second World War. The scale and range of military strategy and operations seen in each of the war had been hitherto unprecedented, and with introduction of motorized units, battletanks and aircrafts, the very core of military strategy changed for forever (Johnsen et al. 1995).The lead military thinkers and strategists of the day were forced to undergo a total revision of their approach towards conducting battles that no longer comprised of charging cavalrymen and open field combat, and brought in their consideration the role of bombers and fighter aircrafts- such modern tools of warfare that had never been used by any army through the course of human history (Reid, 1993).However, though acutely aware of the fact that pre-World War I operational strategies and principles of battles no longer hold any applicability or relevance for modern context, the strategists included some cardinal ethics in revising and p reparing the new principles of war. Some of the outstanding principles of war, as promulgated from time to time by lead military thinkers and strategists have been Originality, Economy of Force, Strategy of Indirect Approach, Objective, Offensive, Military Security, Concentration, and Co-Operation (Reid, 1993; Murdock, 2002).The first among these was Originality. By its very definition, originality does not conform to any specified set of rules, procedures or antecedent governing conduct of war. It is always a fresh take on situation, borne purely out of context of the battle. Military strategists attributes following characteristics to originality (Reid, 1993): 1. Originality is the product of an original mind. 2 An original idea or plan, by its definition, presents novel insights and its not an obvious one; further it can not be known in advance to originator themselves.Original ideas are likely to be unconventional and they happen to be product of an unorthodox approach. 3 Origin al approach and ideas generated will posses varying degree of originality and situation specific approach that may come with built in elements of context based improvisation and ideas. However, the ability to conceive original ideas does not translate to ability of selecting the most appropriate course of action. 4 Originality comes from active imagination. 5. Every one participating in an action is capable of coming out with original ideas.There are several noted contributions of originality in military field that are historically famous and have been marked as legend. The use of elephants by Hannibal, the retreat plot deployed by Normans at the battle of Hastings, and the spectacular success achieved by German Blitzkrieg are all too famous and taught across all the military schools in world (Reid, 1993). Surprise, as it can be noted, formed the crux of the originality and with further maturation of military doctrine, surprise and initial advance emerged as separate principles of w ar that were followed to the hilt by many military leaders.The remarkable successes of Germany in the initial period of the Second World War and in the Operation Barbarossa against Russia and the deadly Japanese strike at Pearl Harbor were all result of a military strategy strictly woven around the cardinal principle of surprise and initial advance(Reid, 1993). Despite the obvious advantage of originality and the elements of surprise, flexibility and initiative introduced by it, the stress on originality alone do not form the full crux of war principles.Economy of Force: Economy of Force, as a military principle was a central theme of British Military Doctrine post World War I. Economy of Force is traditionally defined as a commander’s ability to identify the area to concentrate the main thrust of the force for decisive result corollary of concentration of force (Murdock, 2002). It is well recognized that it impossible to be strong everywhere and if decisive victory is to be achieved then it is imperative that strength is directed at the critical time and place, while ensuring that reduce the wasteful expenditure of effort.It also involves a commander’s ability to take calculated risk, planning for balanced development and providential deployment of available resources (Murdock, 2002). Strategy of Indirect Approach: Strategy of Indirect Approach is aimed at minimizing blood loss at battlefronts, both in friendly and enemy’s camp. Developed as opposite to war of attrition, it is a purely philosophical approach that is aims to strike strategically at enemy’s point of weakness instead of the main force. The areas identified for this purpose are lines of supply, lines of communication, factory and industrial installations and power centers (Murdock, 2002).Strategic bombing against these vulnerable but highly sensitive channels is likely to effectively cripple enemy’s ability to conduct warfare, leading to capitulation by its main body with minimum of blood loss. Battle of Bulge The Battle of Bulge, known in Army circles as Battle of Ardennes, resulted from German offensive in the last phase of the World War II and it took place from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945. After the Normandy Landing of 6th June, 1944, Allied forces had liberated almost whole of the Europe from Nazi occupation and cornered German forces to their own territories (Astor, 1999).Allied Forces had taken the strategic position in the rough terrains of Ardennes, that occupied areas of Belgium and France. Although the forests and hills of the region made it an apparently impregnable region, the history defied this notion as the region constituted the main path taken by German forces in both 1st and 2nd World War to mount surprise attack on Belgium and France (Astor, 1999). The region had already seen a major confrontation in the beginning of Second World War when German forces launched their blitzkrieg on France using the same path.Now, with tides of battle turned, Allied forces had parked themselves in the same region, preparing to use it against launching their major offensive against German mainland. The emotions in Allied Armies ran high at this juncture. They had successfully liberated almost all of the Western Europe from Nazi occupation and at the beginning of December, 1944 they were standing at the threshold of the door of Nazi regime, the cause of momentous suffering and unparalleled loss of life for millions of people.The heavy Nazi defeat in USSR, resulting in almost total decimation of over half a million Nazi force had further created a positive mood of victory. It was not surprising that many of the army men and military officers were looking forward to end of War by 1st January, 1945. However, hopes of a quick victory took a setback as US intelligence gathered rumors mentioning a massive German counter attack. Prisoners captured and deserters from German army mentioned of large scale congregation o f German military machine and personnel.By 9th December, there were unconfirmed reports in Allied camps of an impending German maneuver, but there was hardly any decisive or concrete information available on which to base the response. For a short time the Army generals believed the military amassment to be of defensive in nature, aimed at protecting German borders (Astor, 1999). Meanwhile, around 12th of December, in several cases of interrogation of bordering civilians, Allied soldiers learned of heavy movement of military equipments as well as arrival of hardcore Nazi troops –Wafen SS from Italy (Astor, 1999).The reports created a scene of impending offensive assault. However, the report took more than a day in making its way to Army headquarters. As a matter of fact, riding on their feats of victory over Nazi Army in recent battles, American army had dangerously dropped its guard and slumbered in a zone of complacency. German spies reported that American guards manned the ir post for an hour after dark and then returned to base to emerge at the dawn.This was in total disregard to the alert and caution required at the time of ongoing war situation. As confirmed by American commander of 106 division, before bulge, they were a nine to five army in Ardennes. The Nazi Ardennes offensive was prepared by Hitler himself and it was based on standard German strategy of achieving maximum damage through surprise. Towards this purpose, German forces maintained total radio silence, putting Allied forces completely in dark on the movements and intentions of their enemies.While Allied armies rested through first half of December, German panzer divisions, supported by large number of infantry troops were stealthily filtering through forests of Ardennes to catch Americans unprepared and off guard (Astor, 1999). Germany had indeed the plan well laid out for they had deliberately selected the most vulnerable section of American division for the first salvo. German batte ries opened fire on the early morning of 16th December, 1945. The sixth panzer division showered 99th division with heavy mortars and shells, severely destroying Allied communication lines (Astor, 1999).The Fifth Panzer division, supported by Seventh Army, tore into Allied forces, virtually annihilating the opposition out of way. The attack was so intense that it literally cut down large number of trees surrounding the Allied camps, and falling tree trunks became another mortal hazard for the soldiers scrambling for cover and their life. Allied forces soon galvanized their response and within an hour of initiating attack, the 277th division found itself facing a barrage of shots and ammunition from Allied forces, and especially American soldiers.In fact at many places German forces suffered heavy casualty. However, German preparations were fairly elaborate and troops stationed near Sauer River and Sauer town witnessed the amazing scene of searchlights reflected through low hanging c louds, illuminating long stretches of path for German forces while providing little guidance to Allied troops of the location or position of their formidable adversaries (Astor, 1999). The adversaries indeed proved too formidable and they incessantly and mercilessly poured down heavy shells, bombs and fire on a force caught completely off balance.The impact of the German affront forced American divisions to move back; they hoped to assemble at a safe place and then mount an effective counter strike. But the rapidly advancing tanks units of German Army stripped the retreating American troops of any assemblage point inflicting waves after waves of massive casualty. To support the army motorized units, approximately thousand planes of Luftwaffe hovered over the scene, dropping paratroopers, reconnaissance and when the opportunity presented, strike the visible American targets.The swift German attack had also been successful in creating wedge between First and Third Army, and separated British forces from American units. The German armies continued their rampant attack for three full days, causing heavy casualties on Allied forces. Meanwhile, the Allied generals, under leadership of General Eisenhower and command of General Patton were already planning counteroffensive against German divisions. Eisenhower and the Allied command well understood the fact that German were counting on their success upon same speed and thrust that had achieved in the initial years of wars (Astor, 1999).However, Ardennes presented a different topography that was too rough and too uneven for quick, breezy movements. Further, the time of year being December, the entire area was covered with snow and it considerably slowed down German Operations. The principle aim of advancing German army was to cross the Meuse River, using the cover of surprise and stealth for their infantry to cut through Allied lines. Behind them Panzer divisions would coast easily, mowing down remaining resistance and cross the River.Once across the river, they would turn and head for the crucial port of Antwerp that they aimed to capture in order to cut off Allied supplies and force them to capitulation. However, German forces, in all their haste to advance, could not discount the natural adversities of fog, snow, inclement weather and hostile terrain. The Allied armies used these natural disadvantages well against advancing German battalions to halt them in their track and in the process cause severe damage to their resources. The Allied high command also sent quick reinforcement to flanks under pressure of heavy enemy fire thereby negating the German success.The resolute stand by Allied armies and their refusal to submit to overwhelming German armor virtually stalled the German advances (Astor, 1999). By December 18, from the strategy point of view the German High Command had known that their operation was destined towards failure. If they continued to pursue it, it was done with the hope to i nflict heavy damage on allied force and seize the initiative from them. The German fought desperately more because they knew that Antwerp presented them their only chance of survival, however slim it may be. In defense lay their total ruin (Astor, 1999; Smith, 1995)).However, as US generals later estimated, Germany faced total ruin in either of the situation. It was essentially stripped of the substance to reverse balance of power in Europe. With Allied forces pressing it from the West, and Russian forces blowing it from East, the German defeat had become a certainty that even most optimistic of Nazi generals knew. If anything, the battle of Bulge brought their ruin sooner than later. By 20th of December, Allied generals had taken complete stock of the situation and prepared their counter plan with the aim to completely neutralize the Nazi striking potential (Smith, 1995;Cooper, 1998).By 22nd of December, Allied airplanes, comprising of bombers and fighters, started to wreck havoc o n German armored units. Although Luftwaffe tried to counter the Allied airplanes, but it was outnumbered and beaten out of contest. By December 24, Allied bombing of German rail movements, their communication line, their armored divisions and their supply lines created a condition of virtual siege for German army, that starved in absence of supplies, ammunition and fuel (Smith, 1995). Nazi units were severely short of fuel, that had, for all the practical purpose, rendered them cripple and worthless from battle point of view (Smith, 1995).From Christmas of 1944, the definitive allied ground counterstrike began against defeated and retreating German armies. German encirclement of town of Bastogne was broken down by January 3 and by January 10 the two division of advancing Allied forces from two directions were at a distance of mere 10 km from each other, allowing the Nazi forces a very narrow corridor to ensure their escape (Smith, 1995). It had taken exactly a month to turn German p osition into a hopeless one, from where almost no escape was possible. By January 16 the combined allied forces were rapidly closing down on them.The severe damages suffered by Nazi forces that included 1,20,000 casualties (wounded and dead), loss of 600 tanks, 1600 planes, complete disruption of their communication lines and exhaustion of their fuel supply, had irrevocably broke their back. The offensive came to an end by January 25, resulting in an another major and decisive allied victory (Smith, 1995). Reference Cooper, B. Y. 1998. Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II. Presidio Press, Astor, G. 1999. The Greatest War: Americans in Combat, 1941-1945; Presidio Press.Smith, W. B. 1995. Eisenhower's Six Great Decisions: Europe, 1944-1945; Longmans, Green. Houston, D. E. 1995. Hell on Wheels: The 2d Armored Division;; Presidio Press, 1995 Johnsen, W. T. , Johnson, D. V. , Kievit, J. O, Lovelace Jr. D. C. Metz, S. 1995. The Principles of War in the 21st Century: Strategic Considerations; Strategic Studies Institute, 1995 Reid, B. R. 1993. The Science of War: Back to First Principles. Routledge, Murdock, P. 2002. Principles of War on the Network-Centric Battlefield: Mass and Economy of Force; Parameters, Vol. 32, 2002