Short Story Chapter 1 - 1192 Words

‘Lord Fox!’ yelled a voice. The sound rang through Lord Fox’s head, bouncing and echoing all the way until he snapped back into consciousness. ‘Ahh!’ he winced, touching his head. ‘What happened?’ ‘For a moment, I thought I would have to call for Aunt Eliza,’ said Flossie, as she touched a gentle finger to his temple where a bump had sprung up like a miniature hill. ‘But what am I doing here?’ he asked, feeling rather bemused. ‘Don’t you remember?’ asked Alexander. ‘We came through the Chalk Gate just as the tremors started. We were both knocked down, however, you hit your head on the floor.’ ‘We dragged you under the table,’ said Flossie. ‘Otherwise, you would have had more than a bump to contend with.’ ‘Of course! I remember now, but I†¦show more content†¦At first, nobody moved. Their brains not able to make sense of what had just happened, yet, despite a scratch or two, and all things considered, they had come out of the tremors unscathed. And when they rose from under the table, they stretched the kinks from their legs. ‘Where’s Clemmie,’ asked Flossie. Silence. When she turned, she caught the glance between Lord Fox and Alexander. ‘Oh, no!’ she sobbed, as she nodded her head in denial. ‘Not our Clemmie.’ ‘Shhh!’ hushed Lord Fox, as he held her in his embrace. ‘Once Fen has finished upstairs, I will ask him to run a check. On the whole, I believe we have stopped the time-rift, and in doing so, Clementine has reverted back to her former life.’ ‘But what about our Clemmie? Will she ever come back to us at Chalk House?’ ‘I doubt it, my love.’ Deep inside, he wished it wasn’t true. Even though he had only known Clemmie a few days, he had come to love the little girl. She was like a ray of sunshine; a brave little warrior who filled his house with her special brand of quirky happiness. Bubbly and bright. ‘Come on, let’s go and find Fen.’ But, just as he opened the door to step outside the Chalk Pit, Bedstraw flew in from the other side. ‘Spfft!’ ‘Good morning, little one,’ smiled Lord Fox. ‘What is that in your hand?’ As Flossie peered over his shoulder, she chuckled through her tears. ‘It’s a smallShow MoreRelatedShort Story : A Short Chapter : Chapter 1971 Words   |  4 PagesIse said nothing though she did raise an eyebrow. Naoko coughed nervously and continued, â€Å"It’s just an idea but I’d like to at least try it out to see if it’ll even work and since you’re said to be really god with kidÃ…  I thought you could help me.† Ise’s face still looked unamused though when she spoke there was a hint of interest in her voice, â€Å"How did you come up with that idea?† The teen shrugged, â€Å"I read about a weapon Quincies have used called Seele Schneider. It’s like a sword but made ofRead MoreShort Story : A Short Chapter : Chapter 1739 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"I guess Yuri was right, which is mildly convenient† Sabra said. â€Å"The place is almost empty, their numbers are extremely low.† Screaming from a young woman could be heard coming from another room, surprising them. Turning their attention in the direction the scream was coming from. Everyone tried to move towards the screaming, before being halted by Paisley. â€Å"One group can go check that out. We need to go and look for Vittorio, it shouldn’t be an issue to split up for a little.† â€Å"I’m certainRead MoreShort Story : A Short Chapter : Chapter 11430 Words   |  6 Pagesher eyes, which were unable to see his in the darkness, then he checked to see Torins hand placed against her small waist more in reassurance than in having to hold her close to the wall. Once they reached the top landing, Duncan pulled the short braided rope attached to an old bronze ships bell. The clang rang off the stone walls which echoed loud enough to surly raise the dead at the very least to alert the household as was the intent. Duncan stepped back to let the door swing outward, whichRead MoreShort Story : A Short Chapter : Chapter 12137 Words   |  9 Pagesbrothers got in and went back to the motel. â€Å"Fay gets the bed,† Sam was about to protest when Dean quickly shut him up. â€Å"She stabbed a ghost in the eye twice, killed him, made friends with a ghost, and saved both our asses,† Fay just grabbed her black shorts and tank then walked into the bathroom. Stripping down, she turned on the hot water, letting the warmed rinse off the dirt and grime from the asylum. Turning off the water, she grabbed her toothbrush. As she got out the toothpaste there was a knockRead MoreShort Story : A Short Chapter : Chapter 12195 Words   |  9 Pageshappened to me would be considered within parameters. From there, they let me out of the machine and I faked being Sister long enough to be sent on my way.† Finishing off my water I set it down and nervously licked my lips. â€Å"And that’s basically my story. After leaving I got a new kit, put myself up in a hotel and over the next few days I wandered around, saw the city, did some research, and experimented a bit with being an Esper... Any questions?† Mikoto and Kuroko stared at each other and at Mikoto’sRead MoreShort Story Chapter 11266 Words   |  6 Pagesfright. Drakes smirk grew as he noticed this. You dont have a choice. As soon as those words made their way into the dead air he bolted towards the other boy. Shadow pushed Jace behind him and braced for the incoming attack, and not like other stories, this one hit its mark. He winced, and noted the body behind him. Activating the pipes in his calves he dashed towards a clearing only to take a fireball to the back. Come back and fight me coward! Drake was catching up fast. Shadow struggledRead MoreShort Story Chapter 1774 Words   |  4 PagesThey made it out of Viridian Forest not long after defeating that swarm of Beedrill. It was getting close to evening by the time they made it to the next route, so they stopped to make camp for the night. It would be another two hours before they could make it to Pewter City if they continued. It was safest to just make camp. They sat around the fire Spitfire had made for them. Misty was the only one who didnt release her Pokà ©mon. Rattata snuggled in Gabbys lap and ate from the bag of chips inRead MoreChapter 1 Short Story922 Words   |  4 Pagesfather’s council table. He looks to her for advice even in granting justice. Since her mother’s death, the Princess is more the Queen than anything els e. She might offer you some perspective.† Gwen nodded. She glanced toward the sky to see Sol just short of his zenith overhead. â€Å"Perhaps we should ride on then?† â€Å"We’d make Whitgate in a few hours. Perhaps we might find suitable lodgings afterwards?† Seeing Gwen’s reluctance to put her out further in her eyes, Blancheflor insisted, â€Å"You are my guestRead MoreChapter 1 : A Short Story1136 Words   |  5 PagesKaterina stepped out of the shadow of the filing cabinet. She pushed her hood down and swung her sniper off of her back before leaning it against the wall. â€Å"Hey Maria.† She said as she placed the suitcase onto agent Hills desk. The brunette glanced at her before she looked back to her computer screen and continued to type. â€Å"Hello, Shadow.† The young woman snorted and quickly appeared next Hill, slinging an arm over her shoulders. â€Å"Oh, don’t be like that. You know calling me ‘Agent Volkova’ overRead MoreShort Story : Chapter 11085 Words   |  5 PagesThe pillow seemed to sink a little, and Johnny died. I looked towards Dally, his face turned ten times younger, his face, his hard, mean, face had tears rolling down it. â€Å"...Johnny†¦Ã¢â‚¬  his voice whispered faintly, but Johnny said nothing. He could not. Dally had a pained expression that only someone who knew him could recognize, his hands were in fists. â€Å"We’re leaving,† Dally demanded, â€Å"Wait† the nurse said jogging towards us, â€Å"Johnny wanted you to have this.† she handed me Gone With the Wind. I took

Pressure to Conform in Miller’s Death of A Salesman and...

Pressure to conform to the societal norms of a culture can often be so weighty that those who balk against it are likely to be crushed. Usually the world wins in a very few cases though, the individual comes out the victor, beating the odds, a stronger human being as a result. In the case of Arthur Miller’s Death of A Salesman, the world devours Willy Loman in his search for the American Dream. It broke him down and eventually destroyed him. Nora Helmer, of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, was also consumed by the world, but after being broken, fought her way free and defeated society’s expectations of her. Both seek fulfillment in their lives, falsely finding it in society’s expectations; Nora discovers this dichotomy between what she should†¦show more content†¦Within seconds of his scathing condemnation though, Torvald learns that his reputation will not suffer from Nora’s actions and he â€Å"forgives† her with an open and willing he art. How could one not crack under such pressure as this? Willy, like Nora, had a dream. Willy dreamt of success: personal success, success in his family life, and success for his sons. For him, salesmanship was the measure of his success; throughout the many flashbacks he would often exaggerate his sales, boosting his image in the eyes of his children. He felt as though his place as a meaningful member of society hinged on this success. Therefore, he would only admit his shortcomings to Linda, who understood and never judged him. In the eyes of his young children, Willy could do no wrong: he made top sales records; he was â€Å"well-liked,† nothing could defeat him, further adding to his societal pressures (Miller 1.509). Willy also had to deal with the pressure from his brother who had struck diamonds in Africa by mistake, constantly living in that shadow, that stigma as the â€Å"little brother† who turned down the chance of a lifetime and instead became a salesman. Pressured to pursue his American Dream, Willy gives himself over to the overwhelming waters of society, drowning himself in its expectations and demands. Nora finds strength in realizing her failure, resolving to find herself as a human being and not in what society expects of her. Nora’s recognition comes when Torvald so

Security Breach Incidents for FAFSA Tool Breach- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theSecurity Breach Incidents for FAFSA Tool Breach. Answer: Taxpayers Compromised in IRS: FAFSA Tool Breach The present scenario of the cyber world is nothing short of a warzone where constant battles are being fought among the cyber criminals and the protectors of cyber space. The hackers are constantly developing and deploying advanced tools and strategies to outwit the vigilantes (Tax EIC, 2013). However, the organisations or the general mass whose integrity is in question are still ignorant to this emerging and dominant threat. This section of the report brings to light the news of the cyber attack that is coordinated on IRS or Internal Revenue Service of United States of America, declared officially on April 6, 2017. The news of the incident serves as practical evidence to the statement made above (Tax EIC, 2013). Overview on IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a sector of the Department of Treasury who performs the operation of enforcing laws related to income tax and supervises the collection of federal income taxes. The IRS also has the responsibility to determine the qualification of pension plan (COHEN, 2015). The IRS has the responsibility to collect the major source of funding for the government of United States of America. The IRS utilises the treasury of US to execute and enforce many of the vital tax, economic and financial policies that affects the economy of United States (COHEN, 2015). Occurrence of the Problem The authority of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) declared officially on April 6, 2017 that it has been subject to a major security breach that can affect as many as 100,000 taxpayers. The breach is considered one of the most extensive breaches that the organisation has seen since the year 2015, when attackers used stolen information to obtain access to the tax returns of over 300,000 taxpayers and filed false returns to get refunds (Walters, 2015). The organisation got the wind of the attack on early March of 2017. However, the authorities of the organisation took a month to take legitimate action against the breach. Cause of the Breach According to the official statement made by the authority of IRS regarding the security breach, the hackers gained their objective by posing as students to use the IRS Retriever Online Tool that is used to apply for financial aids. The FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid is an initial form that the federal government, states and colleges use to award work-study, grants, student loans and scholarships (Botha, Grobler Eloff, 2017). Students and their parents residing at United States of America use the IRS Data Retriever Tool to access the tax return information that is required to fill up the FAFSA form. The data is directly transferred into the form from the website of IRS. The hackers disguised themselves as students and exploited the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to obtain details of around 100,000 taxpayers. They then filed false tax returns using the credentials of original users that were stolen by them. The authority suspects that around 8000 false returns were filed, in response to which the organisation has issued refunds that amounted up to 30 million dollars (Joseph, 2017). Actions Taken Against the Attack John Koskinen, the commissioner of IRS made a statement at a Senate Finance Committee hearing that the authority of IRS had detected an anomaly in the system on March 2017. The experts of the organisation have detected an abnormal hike in the quantity of incomplete forms that were submitted by the students and were suspicious of some illegal activities that were underway. However, the organisation took nearly a month to take necessary actions against the breach despite of being warned a month ago. This action has raised question among the taxpayers (Koehler, 2017). The authority of IRS shut down the IRS Data Retrieval Tool as soon as the possibility of a breach is confirmed. Shutting down the tool at the peak season of financial aid application caused outrage among the students and their parents. However, the authority claims that around 52,000 returns could be prevented by IRS filters while 14,000 illegal refund claims were stopped as well. As per the statement of the commissioner, the agency has provided with 35000 written documents to notify the taxpayers about the risk (Johnson, 2017). Apart from this, the authority is planning to establish contact with 100,000 taxpayers who might be at risk and inform them about the breach. The complete result of the breach is still unknown, as the agency did not provide details on this matter. The commissioner claims that extensive investigation is underway to analyse the exact damage measure of the attack and that the IRS Data Retrieval Tool is expected to be secured and rendered functional after the mon th of October 2017 (Johnson, 2017). Conclusion The report concludes with the fact that the cyber attack on Internal Revenue Service not only shows the extent to which the cyber crime has evolved in the last few years but also the existing ignorance of people and organisations alike that gives the hackers the required window to achieve their goal. It is necessary for constant vigilance and steadfastness from each individual working in an organisation to take immediate actions whenever any anomaly is detected. It is also mandatory to implement sophisticated software and hardware that can detect and prevent any kind of cyber attack. WANNACRY, New Face of Cyber Terror The advent of ransomware in the family of cyber incrimination tools has proved to be a priceless addition for the cyber criminals. It has taken cyber war to the next level of challenge. Before the debut of ransomware, the hackers sole purpose of attack was to use various tools of hacking to breach a user account and gather sensitive information from the system or network to use them for financial advantage (OGorman McDonald, 2012). The organisations or individuals who are responsible for the security of cyber world develop tools to counteract the attacks and often succeed in doing so for some time. However, the attackers always seem to stay one-step ahead of the saviours. Despite all this, the protectors of cyber security had a manageable grasp of the situation and somehow managed to keep things under control. The entry of ransomware in the warzone acted as the last straw on the camels back for the protectors (Everett, 2016). Ransomware is a type of malware that has changed the concept of cyber attack completely. It does not apply conventional methods of cyber attack that involves breaching the security of a system or network to obtain crucial data of an organisation or a user, which can be later used by the hacker for financial advantage (Pathak Nanded, 2016). Instead, it breaches a system exploiting some of its vulnerabilities and holds the complete system and its resources at ransom by preventing the user of a system from performing any function on the same. This new concept of technapping has proved to be effective and beneficial for the cyber lawbreakers and revolutionised cyber war. The report sheds some light on this matter using the incident of the recent ransomware attack that caused exponential damage to the world on May 12, 2017 (Pathak Nanded, 2016). The Debut of WANNACRY On May 12, 2017, the inhabitants of 150 countries in the world felt the wrath of the ransomware WANNACRY, launched by an emerging community of hackers who claim themselves as Shadow Brokers. The wave of the attack took a toll of around 230,000 computers including organisational and personal. The intensity and suddenness of the attack caught many organisations off guard and ravaged their systems. The affected systems were held hostage remotely by the attackers and were demanded ransom against their restoration (Mohurle Patil, 2017). Mode of the Breach It has been detected that a defect exists within the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol of Windows server that is known as Eternal Blue. Microsoft Corporation was not aware of this defect and therefore the anomaly was not removed (Swenson, 2017). However, it was discovered a long ago by the experts working for the National Security Agency (NSA) of USA, who concealed the fact from Microsoft for their own advantage. The intention of NSA was to modify the anomaly and use it for offensive intelligence purpose. However, it was spirited away by the Shadow Brokers from the vaults of NSA and was unleashed on the world (Swenson, 2017). The ransomware exploits Eternal Blue to gain entry into the system of a user. The initial phase being achieved, it starts to encrypt the vital data files of the system and makes it almost impossible to access the system or use any of its features. Having crippled the system the ware then displays a message on the screen of the system that asks for ransom from the user of the system in form of bit coin currency within a specified span of time against restoring the system into its previous state. It is also warned that the system will be permanently rendered useless if the ransom is not received within the specified date (Swenson, 2017). The ransomware could affect those systems that were running any supported or unsupported version of Windows operating system, as the SMB protocol that the ware exploits to gain entry into the system is present in Windows server. Those systems that were running unsupported and older versions of Windows operating systems were the most affected (Swenson, 2017). After effects of the Attack The rampage of WANNACRY lasted for a few hours on May 12, 2017 as reported by various security experts. However, it managed to affect 230,000 computers in 150 different countries throughout the world. Innumerable organisations were affected during the attack and many emergency institutions like the National Health Service (NHS) of United Kingdom were forced to halt their emergency services that caused tremendous problems for the patients of the centre (Collier, 2017). Among all the affected organisations, some of the noteworthy organisations that were affected greatly were the Deutsche Bahn, Telefonica and FedEx of Spain. The common mass of these affected countries were not spared from the effects of this attack as well. Actions taken against the Attack Within the first few hours of the attack launched on May 12, 2017, all the security researchers around the world became busy with the one goal to mitigate the problem. A solution was discovered by a young researcher from England who found a method of resolving the issue by registering a domain name in the code of the ransomware program (Akkas, Chachamis Fetahu, 2017). The process seemed to work for a short time, which halted the advancement of the ransomware for a short while. However, it was found that newer versions of the ransomware were soon launched by the attackers that countered the solution of the researcher. Apart from this, Microsoft Corporation launched patch updates for all supported and unsupported version of Windows that resolved the Eternal Blue issue from the SMB protocol. The users were also requested by the Corporation to apply the updates as soon as possible. Security software providers like MalwareBytes, AVG Security, Norton and such provided updated version of the security software that had features to detect and prevent ransomware attacks (Akkas, Chachamis Fetahu, 2017). Conclusion The report concludes with the insight that the cyber security is an issue, which cannot be taken lightly. A short window of opportunity provided to the cyber criminals can lead to exponential loss ranging from personal to global interest. Therefore, it is better to look for ways to prevent the attack before it occurs. After all, it is widely known that prevention is better than cure. References Akkas, A., Chachamis, C. N., Fetahu, L. (2017). Malware Analysis of WanaCry Ransomware. Botha, J. G., Grobler, M. M., Eloff, M. M. (2017). Global data breaches responsible for the disclosure of personal information. COHEN, A. V. P. (2015). Agency. Collier, R. (2017). NHS ransomware attack spreads worldwide. Everett, C. (2016). Ransomware: to pay or not to pay?. Computer Fraud Security, 2016(4), 8-12. Johnson, K. (2017). Information Security Plan for Redacted Tax Service (Doctoral dissertation). Joseph, R. (2017). Data Breaches: Public Sector Perspectives. IT Professional. Koehler, C. R. (2017). Protecting your identity. Mohurle, S., Patil, M. (2017). A brief study of Wannacry Threat: Ransomware Attack 2017. International Journal, 8(5). O'Gorman, G., McDonald, G. (2012). Ransomware: A growing menace. Symantec Corporation. Pathak, D. P., Nanded, Y. M. (2016). A dangerous trend of cybercrime: ransomware growing challenge. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Engineering Technology (IJARCET) Volume, 5. Swenson, G. (2017). Bolstering Government Cybersecurity Lessons Learned from WannaCry. Tax, P. F., EIC, I. C. (2013). Internal Revenue Service. Walters, R. (2015). Continued US Federal Cyber Breaches In 2015Analysis.

Week Individual free essay sample

This Is a short summary paper to define the mall roles of Innovation, design, and creativity while Incorporating their Importance for a firm to meet their organizational objectives. Innovation The Business Dictionary defines innovation as The process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay (Business Dictionary Online, 2013). Inning this definition it is easy to infer that innovation is the stepping stone for a company to create new goods/services that are efficient and profit-producing. It is essential that a company incorporate innovation into their designs, as the world is a competitive market and innovative organizations stay in the lead. In most circumstances, the organizations objective includes being a profitable company and a leader In the products they product, this makes Innovation an Important part of the organizational objectives.Design using The Business Dictionary again design is defined as Realization of a concept or idea into a configuration or specification And which helps achieve the items designated objective(s). We will write a custom essay sample on Week Individual or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Design is putting into perspective how a concept is working and how it can work better. Design is the beginning of a product and lasts throughout the lifeline of the product. It could be said that design comes after innovation as innovation is the process of transferring an idea into a product that can e sold, and design is keeping that idea alive and working.Design is important to organizational objectives as it a process of experimenting and creating new solutions to any existing or predicted issues. This could save the company money in the future or create a bigger profit In the present. Creativity Creatively could be the beginning part of the three concepts, first comes creatively then comes Innovation and ending with the design.One could argue that Innovation s the starting point for creativity and the fuel for design, never-the-less creativity is is defined by Steam (2008) as the essential building block for innovation (p. 1 Chi. 1 Para 3). Creativity ties into organizational objectives as the glue of keeping a product together and leading to its completion. If there were no creativity there would be no innovation, and therefore there would be no design. If that were the scenario, there would be no product to for the company to sale and there would be no profits to be made.

The eNotes Blog What are Prop 8 and DOMA and Why Do TheyMatter

What are Prop 8 and DOMA and Why Do TheyMatter This week, as the Supreme Court released its rulings on a variety of different issues, supporters of same-sex marriage were particularly anxious to hear an important piece of news: the Court’s ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8. What is the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)? The Defense of Marriage Act is a federal law that restricts federal marriage rights to opposite-sex couples. It was enacted on September 21, 1996 under the Clinton administration, though Clinton, among others who were involved in the law’s enactment, has since changed his position and advocated for its repeal. Supreme Court deems DOMA unconstitutional The law’s exact wording on the issue of marriage is as follows: â€Å"In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any   ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative   bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word `marriage means   only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife,   and the word `spouse refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is   a husband or a wife.† (Defense of Marriage Act) Among others, these are the benefits that have been denied to same-sex marriages under the Defense of Marriage Act: Insurance benefits for government employees Social Security survivors’ benefits Immigration benefits Joint tax return benefits What is Prop. 8? Prop. 8, or California Proposition 8, is a ballot proposition passed in California’s November 2008 elections. Much like DOMA, it declares that only opposite-sex marriages may be recognized by the state of California. The proposition effectively overturns a California Supreme Court ruling released in May of 2008 that found marriage to be a  fundamental constitutional right that should be granted to all couples. The timeline of same-sex marriage history in California is shown below: March 7, 2000: Proposition 22 is passed 61.4% to 38%, defining marriage in California as the union between a man and a woman. September 2, 2007: The California Senate approves Assembly Bill 849, a bill about fisheries-research measures that was amended to address the legalization of same sex marriage. September 6, 2007: The California State Assembly approves Assembly Bill 849. September 29, 2007: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes the Assembly Bill 849, citing Proposition 22 as an indication of voter opinions on the issue and saying that the legality of same-sex marriage should be decided by the courts. May 15, 2008: The California Supreme Court strikes down Proposition 22 as well as a law passed in 1977, both of which denied same-sex marriage legal recognition. Governor Schwarzenegger pledges to oppose Proposition 8, which would be voted on in November of that same year. November 4, 2008: California voters pass Proposition 8 with 52% voter approval, essentially overturning the California Supreme Court’s May ruling. US Supreme Court hearings    Proposition 8:    The plaintiffs in this case were Kristin Perry, Sandra Stier, Paul Katami, and Jeffrey Zarrillo. Both same-sex couples were denied marriage licenses under Prop. 8 in May of 2009. Because both then Attorney General Jerry Brown and then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declined to defend Proposition 8 in court, the defendants for this case were two groups: ProtectMarriage.com, under the leadership of Dennis Hollingsworth, and the Campaign for California Families. They take the place of the Attorney General and Governor in the case. It’s worth noting that current Attorney General Kamala Harris and current Governor Jerry Brown both ran on platforms that included a declination to defend Prop. 8 in court.    The Prop. 8 case, or Hollingsworth v. Perry, answered the following question as stated by the Court: â€Å"Whether it violates the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment for a State to use the ballot-initiative process to extinguish the state constitutional right of gay men and lesbians to marry a person of the same sex.† (Petition for Writ of Certiorari) This refers to Section One of the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that the law must provide all citizens with equal protection and cannot remove a citizen’s rights without due process: â€Å"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.† (Amendment 14, Section 1) Many claim that there was no argument against Prop. 8’s unconstitutionality because the State has no vested interest in keeping same-sex couples from marrying. Defense of Marriage Act: In this case, also known as United States v. Windsor, Edith Windsor was the plaintiff. In 2007, Windsor was married to Thea Spyer in Toronto, Canada. But when Spyer died in 2009, at a time when New York legally recognized same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions, as it continues to do today, Windsor was required to pay $363,053 in federal estate taxes. Had the federal government recognized Windsor and Spyer’s marriage, Windsor would not have had to pay any of these taxes. Because the Department of Justice has declined to continue a defense of the Defense of Marriage Act, the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House of Representatives (BLAG) will take its place. This group consists of five members of the House of Representatives. There were three questions presented in this case: â€Å"Whether the executive branch’s agreement with the court below that DOMA is unconstitutional deprives this Court [the Supreme Court] of jurisdiction to decide this case† (Writ of Certiorari). â€Å"Whether the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the United States House of Representatives has Article III standing in this case† (Writ of Certiorari). Article III standing allows a party to argue a case despite the fact that it is not directly impacted by the outcome of that case, in a legal sense. In a December episode of Hardball, Chris Matthews noted that the Lawrence Case Opinion (which deemed anti-sodomy laws unconstitutional), given by Justice Anthony Kennedy, potentially provides a basis on which to rule DOMA unconstitutional by its outlining of personal liberty: â€Å"Liberty protects the person from unwarranted government intrusions. Freedom extends beyond spatial bounds. Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate conduct.† (Lawrence Case Opinion) Woman shows support for gay marriage Moreover, many pointed to the fact that the Supreme Court has deemed marriage a fundamental right on fourteen accounts, including the case of Loving v. Virginia, which declared the illegality of interracial marriages unconstitutional. The Loving v. Virginia case was referenced several times during the Supreme Court’s hearing and is expected to have held serious weight in the Court’s decision. What were the rulings? The Supreme Court released its decisions on these two cases the morning of Wednesday, June 26th. In the California Proposition 8 case, a 5 – 4 majority found, as NPR’s Carrie Johnson explains, â€Å"the petitioners [i.e. the defendants] lack standing so the court avoids the underlying issue, remands and wipes away the decision by the 9th Circuit Court of appeals, which means for now the lower court ruling invalidating California’s Prop 8 stands.† This means that same-sex marriage is now legal in California, though this decision does not have national implications for same-sex marriage. In the United States v. Windsor case, the Court found the Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional, as it violated the Fifth Amendment by not granting same-sex couples the â€Å"equal liberty† that they are guaranteed. The decision, a 5 – 4 split with the majority opinion delivered by Justice Anthony Kennedy, requires the national government to recognize the federal marriage rights of same-sex marriages. It does not, however, require all fifty states to issue same-sex marriage licenses, as some had hoped would occur. Despite this, however, many proponents of same-sex marriage believe this decision to have been a great victory and a monumental step forward for marriage equality. Further Reading: Throughout both of these cases, many compared the civil-rights in question with those addressed by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. You can find an online study guide for the letter here: http://bit.ly/1aNVhXw. : Matthews, Christopher. â€Å"Supreme Court to Legalize Gay Marriage? (December 7, 2012 – MSNBC),† YouTube video, 13:50, posted by HenryBloggit,   December 8, 2012, youtube.com/watch?v=WZYL6Gou-eE. Petition for a Writ of Certiorari, Hollingsworth v. Perry No. 12-144. Web. Accessed June 25, 2013. supremecourt.gov/docket/PDFs/Brief_in_Opposition_of_Respondent_San%20Francisco.pdf. Petition for a Writ of Certiorari, United States v. Windsor No. 12-307. Web. Accessed June 25, 2013. supremecourt.gov/docket/pdfs/brief_of_respondent_edith_windsor_%28jurisdiction%29.pdf. Wikipedia, s.v. â€Å"Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group,† accessed June 25, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipartisan_Legal_Advisory_Group. Wikipedia, s.v. â€Å"California Proposition 8,† accessed June 25, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_8. Wikipedia, s.v. â€Å"Defense of Marriage Act,† accessed June 25, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_Marriage_Act. Wikipedia, s.v. â€Å"Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,† accessed June 25, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution Wikipedia, s.v. â€Å"Hollingsworth v. Perry,† accessed June 25, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollingsworth_v._Perry#Parties. Wikipedia, s.v. â€Å"Same-sex marriage in California,† accessed June 25, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_California#History. Wikipedia, s.v. â€Å"United States v. Windsor,† accessed June 25, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Windsor.

Before You Buy a German Dictionary

Before You Buy a German Dictionary German dictionaries come in many shapes, sizes, price ranges, and language variations. They range in format from online and CD-ROM software to large multivolume print editions resembling an encyclopedia. Smaller editions may have only 5,000 to 10,000 entries, while larger hardcover versions offer over 800,000 entries. You get what you pay for: the more words, the more money. Choose wisely! But its not the mere amount of words alone that make a good German dictionary. There are a few other factors that need to be considered. Here are a few tips on how to pick the right dictionary for your German learning. Consider Your Needs Not everyone needs a German dictionary with 500,000 entries, but the typical paperback dictionary has only 40,000 entries or less. Youll get very frustrated using a dictionary thats not up to your needs. Note that a dual-language dictionary with 500,000 entries is actually only 250,000 for each language. Dont get a dictionary with fewer than 40,000 entries. One Language or Two Monolingual, German-only dictionaries offer several disadvantages, especially when you are just at the beginning of your German learning. For intermediate and advanced learners they might serve as additional dictionaries to broaden ones ability to circumscribe certain things. While they usually contain more entries they are also very heavy and impractical for daily use. Those are dictionaries for serious language students, not for the average German learners. If you are a beginner I strongly recommend that you get a German-English dictionary to be very clear about what a word might mean. Take a look at a few Buying It At Home or in Germany At times I have come across German learners who bought their dictionaries in Germany because they were simply very expensive in their home country. The problem often was that those were English-German dictionaries, meaning they were made for Germans who were learning English. Which had some huge disadvantages. As the user was German they didnt need to write the German articles or plural forms into the dictionary which made those books simply useless for German learners. So be aware of such issues and pick a dictionary that was written for learners of German as a foreign language (Deutsch als Fremdsprache). Software or Print Versions Even a few years ago there was no substitute for a real print dictionary you could hold in your hands, but nowadays online German dictionaries are the way to go. They are extremely helpful and can save you a lot of time. They also have one huge advantage over any paper dictionary: They weigh absolutely nothing. In the age of the smartphone, youll always have some of the best dictionaries right at hand wherever you are. The advantages of those dictionaries are just amazing. Nevertheless, about.com offers its own English-German glossaries and links to many online German dictionaries that can still be quite helpful. Dictionaries for Special Purposes Sometimes a regular German dictionary, no matter how good it may be, just isnt adequate for the job. Thats when a medical, technical, business, scientific or other industrial-strength dictionary is called for. Such specialized dictionaries tend to be expensive, but they fill a need. Some are available online. The Essentials Whatever kind of dictionary you decide on, make sure it has the basics: the article, which means the gender of nouns, noun plurals, genitive endings of nouns, the cases for the German prepositions and at least 40,000 entries. Cheap print dictionaries often lack such information and are not worth buying. Most online dictionaries even provide you with audio samples of how a word is pronounced. Its advisable to look for a natural pronunciation like e.g. linguee. Original Article by: Hyde Flippo Edited, 23rd of June 2015 by: Michael Schmitz

Project Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Project Report - Essay Example The petroleum cars contribute to alto of pollution whereby they may leave poisonous exhaust fumes or oil leaking from their engines. To conserve the various natural plants and animals, it is important to take into consideration conservation measures that will help preserve the forests. Using electric cars and bicycles will reduce exhaust fumes and the spillage of oil in North Pennines and, as a result, reduce pollution mainly. The paper will, therefore, focus on the use of alternative transport like bicycles and electric cars to reduce stress to reduce pollution to the natural environment of North Pennines. North Pennines is a natural reserve that people visit especially in their leisure or past times. It is a natural habitat far away from the city and the many activities that affect the cities and towns. There are people who stay there and as a result help to maintain and take care of the various plants and animals. The area has human settlements and the forests and natural areas where people do not inhabit. The people thus visit North Pennines to enjoy the tranquility associated with it and to venture into natural adventures especially when sampling the various animals and organisms in North Pennines. The environment is mostly natural and an excellent habitat for the different plants found in North Pennines. Many people come with their private cars into North Pennines. Most people use their cars to move around and, as a result, a venture with the cars to North Pennines. They travel through the vast lands and the moorland using their cars. The cars, therefore, cover a lot of mileage w hen moving around North Pennines, and, as a result, bring with them a lot of pollution to an area that does not have much pollution near it. It is in a remote place, so the use of a car is essential for accessing it. People can use bicycles in accessing the area. Since cars come with pollution, it is