Should music file servers on the Internet should be shut down?

This assignment is all about persuasive writing, putting a controversial subject in matter and weighing up all the different viewpoints so I can make a final conclusion on the matter. I am going to write about the controversial matter of Napster and any other file sharing programs used over the Internet to swap music between computers. People send songs over the Internet to other people who can hear them for free once downloaded whenever they like with the recording artist and every other benefactor of record sales losing out. Should music file servers on the Internet should be shut down? Introduction Within the last decade computers have become very important to our lives and home computers, PC's, have become commonplace in most households. The internet has also been going from strength to strength, millions upon millions of people all round the world log on everyday to search for information, send e-mails, talk to people in different countries and a whole lot more. But within the last 3 or 4 years, file servers such as Napster, WinMX and Morpheus to name a few have sprung up allowing people to download their favourite songs straight to their computer without having to pay a penny. Record companies have been unhappy with this and are seeking legal action at the moment, while many people are rejoicing at the concept of free music. What I'm trying to do in this assignment is consider all the views and arguments of both sides and write down my viewpoints on the matter. The downfall of the record industry?! Record companies and artists have been in legal battles recently with file sharing servers such as Napster over the past year or two. They feel that these file sharing servers are illegal and should be shut down, firstly because these are copies of their albums and singles which are being spread about all over the Internet, which is piracy therefore illegal. Secondly people downloading these files aren't paying for these songs, so they are not supporting the music business which is having to manufacture and spend millions on making these records. Thirdly they feel that the increasing number of people using these servers will result in the downfall of the music industry altogether. The record companies just want to make sure that they will have a future, the same with artists but by the looks of it even artists losing their recording contracts wont hurt their futures much as the trend of singers and musicians moving into other celebrity occupations is on the rise such as tv presenter and so on. The record business sees this as a major threat to them, even more than radio, which could be taped off but never had such an impact such as the Internet. They are trying their hardest legally to shut down the music file servers. I don't really believe why the record companies are taking it so far, I don't see them losing out so much anyway because it is a billion dollar business after all. Maybe they should just hope it fades away after a while which I think it will do. Money, Money, Money Many people disagree with the record companies when they say its ‘the downfall of the music industry' because they feel that

P.T.S.D. The Cause and Cure

P.T.S.D. The Cause and Cure Gamez 1David GamezMarch 4, 2014ENG 354Short EssayP.T.S.D.-Cause and CurePosttraumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder, which may occur after an individual has undergone extreme emotional trauma that involved the threat of injury or death. The cause is unmistakable. For those individuals of Jewish decent in Europe during the early to mid 20th century, the Holocaust was deemed the leading source for PTSD. In a world full of pain and suffering, torture, rape, malnutrition, disease, filth, death-in a world full of darkness, it becomes extremely arduous to distance oneself from an inescapable reality. The trauma left many silent, some by death, others because they felt language had betrayed them. Language simply seemed insufficient to express the horrors the victims experienced while encompassed in "darkness". What words could possibly describe the reality of the experiences? Words themselves became suspected, doubted. For many, silence overcame their story, and they took it to the ir grave.Regions of the brain affected by PTSD and stress.This was not the case for the old woman in And The Rat Laughed. In Nava Semel's, And The Rat Laughed, the old woman successively alleviates the pain from her traumatic reality by resorting to the art of story telling.The cure, according to psychiatrists, is psychotherapy, or "talk" therapy. The kind of psychotherapy seen in And The Rat Laughed is exposure therapy, and it involves using mental imagery, writing and/or revisiting the event where the trauma occurred in order to reduce the fear associated with the trauma.After a long life of silence, the old woman struggles to contain the pain, and against much resistance (supplied by her own will), she acquiesces to a request from her granddaughter asking her to recount the truth of her survival story. However, the storytelling does not begin instantaneously. The first page of the novel...

Gratitude as a Ritual Expressing Thanks on Thanksgiving

Gratitude as a Ritual Expressing Thanks on Thanksgiving What do you think of when you think of â€Å"rituals†? For me, the word conjures up Shabbat dinners, Passover seders, and lighting the Hannukah menorah. Growing up in a Jewish household, we observed these rituals at the proper time on the calendar, and I always found they were an opportunity to take a step back from the other routines of life and reflect on the theme of the holiday. With Thanksgiving coming, many of us are preparing for a popular ritual: A big dinner, likely comprised of turkey (or Tofurkey), cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, amongst other goodies. In the air is a general sense that the theme is gratitude. But do you actually take time to express your gratitude on Thanksgiving, or do you just stuff yourself silly? And do you find yourself uplifted during this season, or like so many, do sadness and anxiety creep in? Expressing Thanks on Thanksgiving In my family, we usually go around the Thanksgiving table at some point and each say something we’re grateful for. I like this ritual. Expressing gratitude is scientifically proven through positive psychology research to increase happiness. It gives us a sense of our own goodness (it’s sure more self-affirming than complaining!) as well as a recognition of the good things around us. I have noticed that there’s often a level of discomfort in expressing gratitude publicly, even amongst family. But everyone still does it and I always feel more connected with the family after we express our gratitude. People often give thanks for food and health, for something that has happened in the past, or for being safe given specific world events. This year, the sense of gratitude will be very real given that I will be with my sister’s in-laws who have family in Puerto Rico. It occurs to me that there is also a deeper level we can reach: a direct personal expression. I’m inspired this year to bring a deeper aspect of gratitude to our Thanksgiving ritual. A New Gratitude Ritual? There’s a video series on the Science of Happiness that came out in 2013 and that for some reason I just saw for the first time last week. The experiment in the video was based, I believe, on research by Martis E.P. Seligman, who found that people who wrote and delivered letters of gratitude exhibited a huge increase in happiness compared to a control group. In the video, individuals were asked to write a letter to a person who influenced them and then to read it to that person. Before and after the exercise, their happiness was tested. Overall, there was a strong trend toward more happiness after the individuals read their letters to their recipients. This has me thinking, what if we take time this Thanksgiving to appreciate someone in the room who has made a difference in our lives, in addition to the standard things we’re grateful for? To me, that will make for an even more memorable Thanksgiving and will likely start out my holiday season- and the holidays of anyone who participates- with a higher happiness quotient. What’s in Your Gratitude Basket? What are you grateful for this holiday season? Who will be at your Thanksgiving table to whom you want to offer gratitude for the way they’ve influenced your life? Are you willing to go the extra step to express your feelings to them? And if you won’t be with someone who fits that category, would you be willing to write a letter and read it to the recipient? Let’s get the gratitude ball rolling, and bring it into all aspects of our lives. Into our home, our relationships, and our workplaces. The science shows we’ll all have more well-being, motivation, and overall success. In that spirit, thank you for reading my blog week after week, letting me know I make a difference, and inspiring me to bring my thoughts and creativity to life. You give me a weekly boost in my own gratitude and happiness. Thank you and enjoy your Thanksgiving ritual! Did you enjoy this article? Sign up for my Life and Leadership e-list for more inspiring articles like this one.

Cómo sacar el pasaporte americano por primera vez

Cà ³mo sacar el pasaporte americano por primera vez Los ciudadanos sin pasaporte americano deberà ­an solicitarlo ya que este  documento no sà ³lo garantiza su regreso a los Estados Unidos en los casos de viajes internacionales sino que, adems, es un documento que sirve para  acreditar  la ciudadanà ­a y la identidad. Por esas razones es muy conveniente sacarlo tan pronto como se pueda. En este artà ­culo se informa sobre quà © documentos presentar, dà ³nde solicitarlo, el caso especial de los menores, quà © hacer en caso de extraviar el pasaporte y quà © otros documentos pueden utilizarse en algunos controles migratorios. Dà ³nde hay que presentarse cuando se solicita por primera vez el pasaporte americano Cuando se solicita el pasaporte americano por primera vez dentro de los Estados Unidos, es necesario hacerlo en persona en una Agencia de Pasaportes o en una Oficina Autorizada  y presentando los documentos que se especifican en el siguiente apartado. Si se solicita en el extranjero es necesario hacer una cita con la embajada americana o con el consulado que corresponda segà ºn el lugar de residencia del solicitante. Por ejemplo, el caso de un nià ±o que nace en otro paà ­s pero que adquiere la ciudadanà ­a americana por derecho de sangre. En estos casos, cada oficina consular sigue sus propias reglas sobre cà ³mo hacer la cita, pero los documentos a presentar son en todas partes los mismos y son los que se detallan a continuacià ³n. Documentos para sacar el pasaporte americano por primera vez Deber completarse correctamente  el formulario DS-11Probar que se es ciudadano de EEUU (certificado de nacimiento,  naturalizacià ³n o cualquier otro documento que sirve para acreditar la ciudadanà ­a)Probar con documentos legales admisibles el nombre de la persona (licencia de matrimonio, licencia de manejar...)Entregar una foto de pasaporte de menos de seis meses de antigà ¼edad a color Reglas para sacar el pasaporte de USA que aplican a menores de edad Solicitar pasaportes americanos para nià ±os tiene reglas especiales sobre presencia del menor y de los padres. Deber aportarse el Nà ºmero de Seguridad Social de al menos uno de los padres.  Y si sà ³lo un padre tiene la custodia del menor, deber acreditarse tal hecho mediante un documento, por ejemplo, certificado de viudedad, decreto de divorcio, etc. Tipos de tarifa para solicitar pasaporte americano Su costo final va a depender de la edad del solicitante y de si se pide una tramitacià ³n urgente o no y de si se pide conjuntamente con una tarjeta de pasaporte.  Aquà ­ se especifican todas las opciones de costo del pasaporte. Tiempo de tramitacià ³n Generalmente se tarda entre 4 y seis semanas en renovar el pasaporte pero puede pagarse una tarifa de $60 dà ³lares para acelerar el proceso a apenas una semana. Adems, si existiera una emergencia, se puede tramitar de urgencia. Pà ©rdida o extravà ­o de pasaporte americano Si le roban su pasaporte americano o si lo pierde debe notificarlo inmediatamente de la siguiente manera: A Embajada o el consulado correspondiente, si el titular del pasaporte americano se encuentra en el extranjeroPor el contrario, si est en Estados Unidos, por telà ©fono marcando al 1-877-487-2778, de lunes a viernes de 8am a 10 pm hora de la costa Atlntica (E.T.).Tambià ©n es posible completando el formulario DS-64y envindolo a la direccià ³n que en à ©l aparece.Por à ºltimo, si se desea obtener un nuevo pasaporte, entonces deber acudir en persona con el formulario DS-64 y DS-11 a una Oficina Autorizada o a una Agencia de Pasaportes. No notificar la pà ©rdida del pasaporte puede ser un gran quebradero de cabeza ya que puede dar lugar a situaciones de robo de identidad. Verificacià ³n del estado de tramitacià ³n del pasaporte Puede chequear el estado de la tramitacià ³n de su pasaporte en la pgina oficial del Departamento de Estado. En todos los asuntos oficiales, como por ejemplo, este de solicitar el pasaporte, es fundamental asegurarse de que se utilizan pginas oficiales del gobierno, las cuales tienen la extensià ³n .gov Tips para la renovacià ³n del pasaporte Cuando expire el pasaporte, puede renovarse por correo siempre y cuando se cumplan ciertos requisitos, como que el pasaporte expirado està © en buen estado. Tambià ©n es importante la edad del solicitante y si se trata o no de la primera renovacià ³n de pasaporte que se realiza de adulto. Por otro lado  y a diferencia de lo que ocurre con los residentes permanentes los ciudadanos pueden residir en el extranjero por el tiempo que asà ­ lo deseen. No hay là ­mites legales. Si el pasaporte expira estando fuera de los Estados Unidos, la renovacià ³n se puede hacer a travà ©s de consulados y embajadas. Documentos para acelerar paso por control migratorio para regresar a USA El pasaporte se puede utilizar en todo tipo de pasos migratorios para ingresar a los Estados Unidos. Adems, en casos muy particulares como tipo de frontera y edad del ciudadano, se pueden utilizar otros documentos  que conviene conocer. Adems  los ciudadanos americanos pueden participar en programas que permiten un ingreso ms rpido cuando se regresa a Estados Unidos, las reglas son diferentes segà ºn el tipo de frontera y lugar de llegada. Nexus: entre Canad y Estados UnidosGlobal Entry o APC cuando se llega por aeropuertoSENTRI para el cruce por frontera terrestre o marà ­tima de Mà ©xico a Estados Unidos.   Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Controlling Organized Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Controlling Organized Crime - Essay Example This can lead to vast problems such as destabilizing different economies and interference in public processes by buying way through elections and putting corrupt officials in charge. Organized crime has spread its wings all over the world; illegal items might be exported from one country to another, and then sold in a third. This has really weakened the system and has created problems not only for the governments, but for the local people as well. (Organized Crime) Organized crime can cause serious socio-economic problems in whichever country it is operating. Violence is one of the major issues related to this. Crime kingpins will do whatever they can to protect their empire, and included in this is the use of violence, which usually involves firearms. Normally, these crime families are trying to kill the competition, so their aggression is pointed towards each other. But innocent victims get caught in the crossfire, and hundreds of casualties occur due to this. Moreover, these acts of violence are also used against the local population, in order to scare them and make them live in fear, so that the criminals can establish their control in a region. Illegal trafficking of drugs such as marijuana, heroin and cocaine, as discussed earlier, is also practiced by organized crime, and has caused serious issues everywhere. It is the main focus of the mafia, and their main source of income. Due to this marketing of said drugs, incidents of assails, homicides, and stealing property are not uncommon at all. These acts of violence are mainly results of tussle of control over regions between two crime families, or individuals trying to purchase drugs and make their way into this market. The consequences of this massive drug trade are not just limited to this; due to drug trafficking all over the world, a larger number of people are now suffering from adverse health effects of these drugs, which includes HIV. Other than the illegal drug trade, organized crime has found its way into the financial structure of different countries, and is harming it at an alarming rate. Credit card and mortgage fraud are the most ordinary of these crimes, and are practiced at a superior rate. Securities fraud such as crimes in the stock market and frauds related to marketing schemes such as telemarketing fraud ruin the lives of individuals and investors. For example, in some third world countries, due to the presence of land mafia and other several fraudulent cases, investors suffer from heavy losses, and less likely to continue their projects there. Money laundering is heavily practiced by many criminal organizations and it has planted a big dent on economic structures, worldwide. Money laundering normally comprises the use of a number of financial facilities such as banks, exchange and insurance companies etc. that can have adverse reactions on a number of institutions. As a result, services of lawyers, accountant and investment brokers are required, who accidentally o r on purpose assist the laundering process. Criminal organizations are capable of controlling financial systems and bribe corrupt officials of private or public institutions to aid with money laundering. This damages the financial structure of a region and also investors and the people lose confidence in the involved financial institutions. (Socio-economic Harms of Organized Crime) Many criminals organizations are said to have established working relations with law enforcement agencies. The system becomes

Team Working and Team Leadership are just 'idealised' managerial and Essay

Team Working and Team Leadership are just 'idealised' managerial and orthodox OB textbooks aspirations - Essay Example 16). According to Mullins in Original Emphasis, leadership is defined as ‘a relationship through which one person influences the behaviour or actions of other people.’ Mainly, there are two schools for the leadership, while one states that â€Å"good leaders are made not born† and the other states that â€Å"good leaders are born not made.† The two schools have their own supporting cases to claim that they are right. But in any situation the most important element of leadership is communication. Proper communication through any mode between leader and followers will make the process easy. The leadership is a quality achieved by desire and willpower. Endless process of self-study, education, training and experience is necessary for effective leadership. Here is one best example from an academic review about effective leadership. It states that â€Å"leader should primarily work through and with other people. In addition, effective leader should also help in establishing the conditions that enable their subordinates to be motivated and effective part of the organisation and the society. Aside from this, it can also be said that an effective leader should also credible. Credibility should always be considered as the foundation of  leadership. A leader should be credible for him to lead. Furthermore, to become a good leader, one must be honest, competent, aspiring and have the quality of having forward-looking approach.  In line with the political and business view, effective leadership proves to be quite beneficial. Effective leaders aids in efficiently meeting job-related demands. In addition, it also helps in creating higher-performing teams, as well as fostering renewed loyalty and commitment among the subordinates. However, this so-called effective leadership is not that easy to achieve. Effective leaders entail a lot of hard work, dedication, and other factors to mould an individual to become an efficient leader and to become a greater part of the success of the organisation† (Leadership Case Problem – Latham’s Leadership Lessons Leadership & Management 2011). Some leaders are getting best results from their team members or from the followers while some of them getting poor efforts. This is happening not only because of the poor employee skills, different kinds of leadership techniques and styles also have a part in it. These are the all things that we can understand from the orthodox text book aspiration of the Organizational Behavior Studies. But in reality, the management is always ends up with dissatisfied work groups and frustrated team leaders. Problems in Team Working: The main reason behind this is individual dysfunctional conflicts which decrease the creativity as well as productivity of the company. Working under poor leadership can be too frustrating and intimidating. If the team members are not confident about their leader what they should do? Certainly they will not be mot ivated or inspired by the leader’s activity. The important dysfunctional activities found in corporate are defensiveness, reluctance, romantic idealism, loss of confidence and disrespect. Some other problems in Team work are, Self Centeredness: Self centeredness is nothing but selfishness. These people always think about themselves only and that damages the interest of team. The solution for this problem is selflessness. The solution is not

Arguments against abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Arguments against abortion - Essay Example Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign." The aspect of abortion has been in vogue for centuries in all parts of the world and debated for and against ever since. While individuals arguing for abortion have been insistent on certain safety related issues and also often alleged business related factors, aspects against abortion too have various and even more credible grounds including religious, medical, legal, ethical and so on. While abortion is definitely a favourable decision in case of a medical emergency whereby at least the mother's life can be saved, in today's world abortion has actually become a matter of choice on various counts, and unfortunately, even a family planning tool. Across the country, people on both sides of abortion debate agree that women have a right to make informed decisions about their pregnancy. Women have a right to know what is right, safe and good for them and the child in the long run ethically, morally, medically and even psychologically. However, in honest opinion of this author, there are certain critical issues involved when terminating a pregnancy willingly, which may affect her for a long time. While there are adequate instances of medical practitioners and employers advising women regarding terminating pregnancies purely to save them monetarily through savings on maternity benefits, the abortion decision should not be taken under pressure from the employers. Unfortunately, even this happens far too often in modern world. "Coercive and unethical counselors lie to vulnerable women and pressure them. This has happened in some abortion clinics as well as some pregnancy care centers. Women have died from botched abortions, both before abortion was legalized and after, when it is supposed to be safe. After all, employers do not want to pay for maternity benefits or lose productivity when a mother takes time off to care for a newborn or sick child. "(Source: Feminists for Life, Serrin M. Foster, 1999) WHAT RELIGION SAYS Bible doesn't advocate anything against abortion for the basic reason that abortion was unthinkable in those days when a child was considered to be a gift from the god. Further, childlessness was seen as the greatest curse. Hence, there was no need to mention this aspect at all in the bible. However, "some verses appear to teach that if a woman gives birth prematurely, but the baby is not injured, then only a fine is appropriate. However, if the child dies then the law of retaliation (lex talionis) should be applied. In other words, killing an unborn baby would carry the same penalty as killing a born baby. A baby inside the womb has the same legal status as a baby outside the womb." (Arguments Against Abortion, Kerby Anderson, President of Probe Ministries International, 1997) Roman Catholicism: The popes have taught that abortion is