Black People and Civil War Essay Example for Free

Black People and Civil War Essay ?Introduction: In this essay I am going to compose a piece of text which will involve the tension of Segregation. In the 1930s, although 50% of the population of Southern towns were black, they had no vote and could not marry whites. Also in the 1930’s, many black people lived in the southern states. During that time, racism reached its highest point. For instance, the whites treated the blacks very poorly because they thought that the blacks were lower than them. Therefore, the blacks had to fight for the right to be treated equally. As a result, black people had to face the Jim Crow Laws and the Ku Klux Klan. In my own opinion I think that the 1930 was a turbulent time for race relations in America. Paragraph 1: The first racism incident that I have spotted out and chosen to write about in my essay is when the Wallace’s’ poured kerosene over Mr Berry and his nephews and lit them on fire. One of the nephews died, the other one is alive but has the same condition as Mr Berry. The reason why the Wallace’s poured kerosene over the Berry’s was because they caught them flirting with a white woman which wasn’t allowed back then. In fact, it was not even true! The Berry’s didn’t even flirt with her. They lied about it. The quote that goes with this event was when mama (Cassies’ mum) said to her kids, â€Å"The Wallaces did that, children. They poured kerosene over Mr Berry and his nephews and lit them afire. † â€Å"Everyone knows they did it, and the Wallaces even laugh about it, but nothing was ever done. † At this right moment I feel disgusted and baffled that people could actually do this in the 1930s. The sympathy for the Wallace’s has decreased because setting fire to someone is arson and that makes Mr Wallace and his clique an arsonist. Also it makes us feel that the Wallaces are black-hearted and atrocious people, because who would want to set a person on fire? Then laugh about it. The sympathy for the Berrys has definitely increased because of what happened to both Mr Berry and his two nephews is utterly excruciating and the fact that there is no reason behind why the Wallaces did it, makes the reader feel more sorrowful for them. On the other hand in the book it says, â€Å"Disfigured man lying in the darkness† In that quote you can see how dreadful his injuries were. He was even camouflaging with the darkness; see that is real bad? Paragraph 2: The second racism incident that I found very crucial was when Cassie bumped into Lillian Jean Simms by accident but Lillian Jean still DEMANDED for a sorry and for Cassie to get on her knees instantly. As well as this was racism, it was also bullying in some kind of way because Cassie didn’t want to get on her Knees but she still got forced. â€Å"Kicking at the sidewalk, my head bowed. It was then that I bumped into Lillian Jean Simms. † Cassie really didn’t mean to bump into Lillian Jean at all but she took it over the top reacted to the bump by saying, â€Å"why don’t you watch were you’re going? † â€Å"Well apologize† â€Å"That ain’t enough. Get down in the road† This right here is what you call racism. Cassie didn’t intend to bump into Lillian Jean, it was just an accident but because Cassie is black they didn’t care at all. Cassie even got pushed around by Mr Simms. Mr Simms was even sticking up for his daughter even though she was in the wrong. Lillian Jeans’ father was saying to Cassie that when Lillian tells you that you should get off the sidewalk, you get off it. The sympathy towards Lillian Jean Simms has totally decreased because what she did was just too dramatic and it was just a ‘bump’. In my opinion Cassie did not have to go on her knees because she didn’t deliberately bump into her; all that should have been done was an apology to Lillian. My sympathy towards Cassie has increased more. The reason why I said this was because she was intimidated and forced to get on her knees even though she had already shed a tear; they didn’t care, they just wanted an apology from her. Conclusion: To sum up I think that Racism is totally unacceptable and utterly inglorious. In this novel I think that Taylor was trying to put across the fact of what the black people had to go through in the 1930s every day of their lives, and how their wouldn’t even be an us our even a peaceful world if racism was still occurring. I also think that Taylor is trying to compare today’s life to the 1930s and too see how much the black people suffered.

On “Unspeakable Conversations” Essay Example for Free

On â€Å"Unspeakable Conversations† Essay The issues of euthanasia and infanticide have long been subjects of heated debate, and there are no signs that the arguments for and against the two ethical dilemmas are coming to a halt. For the most part, the issue stems from the classic stand-off between religion and science, or religion and the state. In cases where the aforementioned conflict applies, what are brought to the table are arguments revolving around and stemming from the idea of a human being’s â€Å"right to life†. Generally the church invokes the central belief that a life can only be ended by the supreme being that created it, to counter whatever propositions that may have been deducted from scientific studies and philosophical undertakings that deviate from the said belief. Nowadays, debates on euthanasia and infanticide no longer just stem from religious beliefs. Opposition for the legalization of the two issues likewise comes from various organizations that, in more ways than one, are (or will be) directly affected. An example of such an organization is Not Dead Yet: a movement that concerns itself with the plight of the disabled, and of which Harriet McBride Johnson whose article â€Å"Unspeakable Conversations† is at the heart of this position paper – is a member. For purposes of clarity, this paper focuses on the implications of and points in Johnson’s article in exploring the philosophy of Peter Singer, who is undoubtedly one of the most controversial philosophers – nay, figures – today, with the intent of refuting his position relative to the two areas of concern. In a nutshell, this paper, while acceding to the logicality and coherence of Singer’s position, argues that the world in general is not yet ready for his revolutionary view of morality and ethics; and that there are more grounded alternatives that have yet to be considered and taken which do not require the legalization of either euthanasia or infanticide. The Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary defines euthanasia as â€Å"the act or practice of killing hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy; also : the act or practice of allowing a hopelessly sick or injured patient to die by taking less than complete medical measures to prolong life—called also mercy killing†; infanticide, on the other hand, translates to â€Å"the killing of an infant†. Since the latter definition elicits horror, it is important to emphasize that what Singer proposes is selective infanticide – a concept that is not as horrifying when understood in the context of his philosophy. Harriet McBride Johnson’s â€Å"Unspeakable Conversations† is a personal account of the lawyer’s relationship with Singer, which began when she accepted the latter’s invitation to two speaking engagements in Princeton University in March 2002, and her thoughts on his philosophy. Even before her encounter with the controversial bioethicist, Johnson had been fully aware of Singer’s philosophy, what with her organization Not Dead Yet being a thorn on the professor’s side, disrupting his lectures and even protesting his appointment in Princeton University. As such, it is no surprise that in the latter part of the article Johnson recounts that her agreeing to be involved in one of Singer’s talks in a non-violent manner (so to speak) aroused negative feedback not only from her co-members in the organization – who believe that a discussion with him is out of the question since giving him an audience legitimizes his view but from her sister, who clearly is of the opinion that Singer’s view, if used as a basis for future legislation / action, may pave the way for another genocide. Johnson’s opposition to selective infanticide is grounded on two ideas: (1) that people are not fungible, and (2) the basis for selecting disabled infants is prejudicial. The first concept is clearly a response to Singer’s assertion that infants are replaceable, and thus infanticide cannot be considered wrong when done under the correct pretense. Such a striking proposition is rooted in what Johnson sees as Singer’s view that infants cannot be considered â€Å"persons† on the basis of their inability for self-awareness, and their inability to express preferences, the most important of which is the preference to live. As for the second idea, Johnson strengthened her argument by raising the issue of race versus disability (in relation to trends in adopting babies): if the basis for killing a certain infant is the prediction that its life will be worse-off in the future due to disability, then why can’t a mixed-race baby – whose chances of being adopted are slimmer compared to white babies, thereby raising its chances of living a life that is not at all appealing – also be considered? This oversight, for her, is a product of prejudice prevalent today. As indicated in the article, Singer responded to the question by saying that whereas preferences based on race are not reasonable, those based on ability are not. With regard to euthanasia, or assisted suicide, Johnson made use of the ideas of Andrew Batavia and Carol Gill to better make understood her point.. For Batavia, assisted suicide is but another way of upholding a person’s autonomy: if a person wants to die, then out of respect for the autonomy of that person, everything – even assistance – should be given to facilitate the choice. Carol Gill, on the other hand, considers assisted suicide a form of discrimination directed towards the disabled. This idea stems from the fact that on a general note, society takes every known measure to prevent the occurrence of suicides; and yet, suicides for the ill and the disabled – though assisted – are considered (or even encouraged). This contradiction is explained by Gill as a product of the underestimation most people have of the quality of life a disabled person has or can have, which likewise gave birth to the stereotypical image of the disabled as people who are to be pitied. With the above statement in mind, it only follows that society is not surprised – in fact, Gill went as far as to say that it is considered rational – when a choice to die is made by a disabled/ill person. Johnson quite expectedly sided with Gill, adding that what is worrying is what she calls the â€Å"veneer of beneficence – the medical determination that, for a given individual, suicide is reasonable or right. † Debunking Batavia, her article implies that choices are, in fact, illusory when the discussion is that of a disabled person’s preference to die. Why is this so? Under â€Å"normal† circumstances – that is, with a non-disabled person – a choice is to be upheld in respect of a person’s autonomy. When it comes to a disabled/ill person’s â€Å"choice† to die, however, the issue is not that of upholding the choice but of the very occurrence of the thought that the person prefers to die rather than live. For Johnson, prior to legalizing assisted suicide, what should be done is exhaust all possible means of upholding the right to live of the disabled and the ill. Quoting her: â€Å"We shouldn’t offer assistance with suicide until we have all the assistance we need to get out of bed in the morning and live a good life. Common causes of suicidality†¦ are entirely curable. † In defense of Singer and his views, Johnson acceded that the professor’s work is logical, in that â€Å"it does make sense – within the conceptual world of Peter Singer†. If one were to read his work â€Å"Practical Ethics†, it is clear that the ideas of Singer regarding infanticide and euthanasia are entirely rational, albeit horrifyingly so for the majority of the human race who have yet to understand his way of thinking. A utilitarian through and through, Singer merely applied the dictum of producing the most happiness for the most people in conjunction with his view that what matters is not the species of a creature but its sentience and ability for self-awareness. With these in mind, and all subjectivity aside, his pursuit of the legalization of euthanasia and selective infanticide are logical – as logical as his pursuit for animal rights are. However, such a revolutionary way of looking at the universe in general is still unwelcome today. To think like Singer is to uproot age-old beliefs and completely reconstruct one’s brand of morality – a feat that is perhaps not impossible, but improbable. As such, Johnson’s idea that before thinking of assisted suicide, assistance first should be given to the disabled and the ill, is the better route to take. REFERENCES Johnson, Harriet. (2003). Unspeakable Conversations. New York Times. February 16, 2003, from http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html sec=healthres=9401EFDC113BF935A25751C0A9659C8B63 Mar. (2008). Princeton Bio-Medical Ethics Professor Peter Singer Teaches Controversial Ethics. Associated Content. February 21, 2008, from http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/616049/princeton_biomedical_ethics_professor. html? cat=5 Singer, Peter. (2008). Putting Practice Into Ethics. The Sun: New York. January 16, 2008, from http://www. nysun. com/arts/putting-practice-into-ethics/69595/

Trends in Innovative Technology

Trends in Innovative Technology Guide To Creative Industries Khalid Khan Digital Arts Kk356 What are creative industries? The creative industry refers to those that have their own individual skills and talent. The creative industry has the potential to create jobs for certain individuals and to create wealth for the economic through the development, production and exploitation of intellectual property (law). The way this has been achieved is through the development of culture and technology connecting people through images, sound, text and symbols. The creative industry consists of 13 sectors which include, Advertising Architecture Arts and antiques Crafts Design Designer fashion Film Interactive leisure software Music Performing arts Publishing Software and computer services TV and radio Who are the key players? What did you find out about them? The key players in the creative industries are the individuals that think outside the box and use their intuition to form their personal understanding on how one sector works in the creative industry. The way on how one individual is successful is through finding a weak gap in the sector and then improving its core values. In other words, originality and creativity. Let’s take the software and computer services sector. A great example of this would be Apple. The main reason why Apply is successful is because they’re not just selling electronics, they’re trying to sell a lifestyle and friendship to consumers who are otherwise without it. Another reason why Apple is successful is because of their marketing. The ‘brand’ is what stands out to the public. Some consumers are well aware that they can buy Microsoft brands who are the competitors for half the price however because of Apples marketing, the consumers are prepared to pay a premium price for ‘Apple’. Consumers buy Apple products because they automatically assume more expensive products mean better products. A similar brand has also approached this method. If we look at Monsters products we can also argue that it’s done very well in the music industry. To a lot of consumers, the Apple products and the Monsters Beats brand is a fashion acce ssory and status symbol. What are the current trends? Hologram Hologram is becoming popular trend as it allows images to be recorded in three dimensions and to be displayed in different angles which can be perceived as a real object being displayed in the real world. However this being said, hologram was first technologized by Dennis Gabor. In 1948 Dennis Gabor wrote a paper that has become the foundation of modern holograms. Unfortunately Dennis could not pursue his idea further due to the lack of apparatus and instruments used at the time. Musion is a global creative company which specialize in Hologram developments. Musion are best known for working with Madonna Louise, Gorillaz, Tupac Shakur, David Beckham and many more. Musion’s aims are to present 3D holographic images in real time so they are indistinguishable from real live performance and presenters appearing alongside them. Another popular trend in the creative industry is the ability to work as a freelancer or being self-employed. This gives them the flexibility to organise and work on their own pace and the freedom to work where they want. Another reason why being self-employed is a popular trend in the creative industry is having the flexibility over the payment rates and terms applied. You can negotiate your prices with the clients depending on how confident you are with yourself however one major downside to being self-employed that you’re challenged with a certain level of financial instability. Timeline of Holography: 1947: Dennis Gabor developed the theory of holography 1960: Pulsed ruby laser was developed. 1962: White light reflection hologram was invented. 1983: MasterCard first credit card to use holograms. 2009: Interactive holographic displays developed. 2010: Development of moving 3D holograms. What important projects and/or productions happened in the last five years? Touch Screen Technology Ultimately, the main project that has been successful in the last five years is the ability to use touch screen. Touch screen technology has allowed users to interact directly with what is being displayed rather than using keyboard or mouse. This has been used in many projects such as smartphones, video games, navigation systems and computer systems. The main company that revolutionized touchscreens was Apple. With their innovative designs and technology, the IPhone was far more superior than any other telecommunication system out at the time. In 2007, Apple revealed the iPhone which changed the face of telecommunication and screen technology. Not only was it touch screen, the device was revolutionary because it incorporated the ability to record and take photos, play games, take notes, watch YouTube videos, connect to WiFi and more. Following the success of this device, Apple released their next generation of other devices such as iPod and iPad. Their market research lead them into making the iPod and iPad very similar to the iPhone, expect for the difference that it doesn’t have the cell phone capabilities. Both systems relied on the same touch screen technology and using the same user-interface. Leap Motion Technology Leap motion is a technology that is in the process of being developed by companies such as Samsung. The technology allows the user to use hands in motion instead of using the conventional keyboard or mouse. The technology is a way of interaction. The technology uses motion detection in order to process detecting changes in the position of an object relative to its surrounding. History of Leap Motion The technology was first developed in 2008. The initial investment was from David Holz who started the company (LEAP MOTION) along with his childhood friend Michael Buckwald. ‘The company raised a $1.3M seed financing round in June 2011 with investments from venture capital firmsAndreessen Horowitz,Founders Fund, andSOSventures, as well as severalangel investors. In May 2012, Leap Motion announced a $12.75MSeries. A funding roundled byHighland Capital Partners.In January 2013, Leap Motion announced a further series B round of funding for $30M’. Currently, Leap Motion are trying to implement their technology into gaming, where some users may find gaming experience more intuitive compared to mouse and keyboard however this being said, there are consoles such as the Nintendo Wii that imitate this process. What innovative technology is used and how? 3D printing 3D printing is an innovative technology being used in many of the creative industries as the technology allows an object to be printed by three dimension. 3D printers build objects by depositing a material such as metal or plastic to be printed out in layer by layer until the final product is complete. The process of this is called rapid prototyping or 3D printing. The main benefit of using 3D printing is prototypes can be printed in hours. This means the user can obtain feedbacks from the prototypes or any refine designs that needs to be changed and can be repeated until the final design is perfect. One major company that is using the aid of 3D printing is Nike. Nike falls into the designer fashion sector and with the aid of 3D printing, Nike has successfully managed to present 3D items such as football boots and their new duffle bags which are aimed at the very high end luxury market. This is a clever way of integrating 3D printing into sports product designs. This demonstrates that the performance of 3D printing is starting to be getting recognised by famous brands across the world. Virtual Reality Provides 3D reality experiences mostly for gaming and video entertainment purposes. Virtual Reality is a computer simulated environment that gives the user the feeling of being generated in a virtual environment instead of the one that they’re actually in. A lot of video gaming companies have developed the technology to put the user in an interactive world, for example, in a driver’s seat of a car or in a battle field first person shooter however the users perception of reality is not altered, the user is simply a spectator overseeing the events that are happening in that world. In order for our brains to perceive a virtual environment, there are a few key factors that are vital for the creation of an immersion experience necessary for virtual reality. While there are different display methods, one of the most popular ways to experience virtual reality is through a head set. Head set devices use stereoscopic displays, to make what you see three dimensional, and to give depth to the image that you’re looking at. The ability to tack a user’s motion such as their head and eye movement, allows the images displayed in that headset to actually change, your perspective, so if you turn to the left, the display will render whatever is on your left environment. Besides visions, certain VR experience, will also include, other sensors stimulations like, sounds and even tactical feedback for touch. Virtual reality has a lot of practical outside of gaming. It has been used for training simulations, for shoulders, pilots, and doctors. Drives such as Oculus has advance the VR experience by including, superior graphics, improved latency and wider range of motion. Reduce costs of components, also allowing virtual reality devices to become affordable, for consumers. What future projects/technologies are being developed? Smart glasses i.e Google Glasses Smart Glass is a future development project being planned by various companies such as Google to create free displaying information on a user’s perspective. It is a device that is worn in front of the eye that acts as if the information is being displayed in the front of your eyes. The video displays a pop up hands free information. Another feature that smart glasses are implementing are EyeTap technology. The technology allows the user to record the scene available right in front of the user’s perspective. The video camera takes photos and can take videos too. Another feature is having speakers built in. The speaker is designed for the user to make or receive calls. Another feature that is on board is a microphone. Not only does this allow the user to make telephonic communications but it also acts as a voice recognition. This allows the user to take voice commands from the user without having to touch the display. http://www.slideshare.net/aprzezdziek/10-trends-in-technologies-for-2014?qid=ad14da99-a491-4d3d-a68d-047aa6ddd68cv=defaultb=from_search=4 http://www.arctron.de/uploads/media/Zcorporation-3DPrinting-Info.pdf http://www.slideshare.net/godhanisarkar/google-glass-glasses-presentation-ppt

environment analysis of the BPO industry in india :: essays research papers

Introduction THE DEFINITION OF OFFSHORING AND OUTSOURCING There is no commonly accepted definition of â€Å"off shoring† in the public debate nor in the economic literature. However, the term â€Å"off shoring† is widely used as a particular subcategory of â€Å"outsourcing†. The latter has been defined as â€Å"the act of transferring some of a company’s recurring interval activities and decision rights to outside providers, as set in a contract†. The typical consequence of such a decision is a decline of employment in the plant/firm that is doing the â€Å"outsourcing† and a rise in employment in the plant/firm from which the supplies are sourced thereafter. The vagueness of the term is often related to the fact that it is not made clear if the change in sourcing of supplies refers to the plant level, the firm level or to the national level. The term â€Å"recurring interval activities† might include a given level of in-house supplies in a stagnant business environment, but the meaning is l ess clear in an expanding environment in which additional supplies from the outside do not necessarily result in an absolute reduction of employment but tend to limit its expansion. It is also useful to distinguish between a replacement of the supplies which takes place between plants of the same firm or from a non-affiliated firm (control-ownership), and whether the new sourcing is from plants in the home country or abroad (location). In certain cases, the sourcing decision goes hand-in-hand with new investment abroad, which leads some observers to focus the outsourcing debate on outright plant closures, with output being replaced by new greenfield investment abroad. Four types of â€Å"outsourcing† are reported, using location and control/ownership as distinguishing criteria: Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Captive onshore outsourcing implies a shift in intra-firm supplies to an affiliated firm in the home economy. Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If the shift in sourcing of supplies benefits a non-affiliated firm in the home economy, one can describe it as non-captive onshore outsourcing. The term â€Å"onshore† could be replaced in both cases by â€Å"local† or â€Å"domestic†. Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Captive offshoring describes a situation in which future supplies are sourced from an affiliated firm abroad. Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The fourth variant of outsourcing may be labeled non-captive offshoring and refers to the case when the new supplier is a non-affiliated firm and located abroad. A major problem with the definitions above is that they do not concord easily with officially collected economic data. Outsourcing decisions are made at the micro level of plants or firms, while the official data are generally collected at the sectoral and national level.

Gas Pressure Lab :: Papers

Gas Pressure Lab We pumped air into the tube until the pressure was as high as possible, which was 3.4x105 Pa. We recorded the volume of gas; it was 16.0cm3. We then let the pressure down slightly and recorded the pressure and volume again. We repeated this about 15 more times, which was when the pressure reached 1.03x105 Pa. Here are the results: Gas Pressure (x105 Pa) Gas Volume (cm3) 3.4 16 3.23 16.9 3.09 17.8 2.91 18.8 2.78 19.7 2.62 21 2.48 22.1 2.31 23.7 2.15 25.7 1.97 28.1 1.73 31.9 1.6 34.9 1.41 39.1 1.28 43.3 1.12 50 1.03 56 EXPLANATION Boyle ¡Ã‚ ¦s law states that the volume of a fixed mass of ideal gas at constant temperature is inversely proportional to the gas pressure: P „f 1/v OR pv = constant This means that if p is doubled then v is halved, or, if p is halved then v is doubled. MOLECULAR EXPLANATION At room temperature and pressure, there are a certain number of gas molecules in 10cm3 of air. Each molecule exerts a pressure on the walls of a container. The molecules hitting the sides of the container cause this pressure. If you decrease the volume that the air occupies from 10 cm3 to 5 cm3, then there would be twice as many molecules per cm3 than before. This means twice as much pressure will be exerted due to twice as many molecules hitting the sides of the container at a certain time. ANALYSIS To analyse my results I will extend my table from before by adding 1/v and pv: p (x105 Pa) v (cm3) 1/v (cm-3) pv (x105 Pa cm3) 3.40 16.0 0.062 54.40 3.23 16.9 0.059 54.58 3.09 17.8 0.056 55.00 2.91 18.8 0.053 54.71 2.78 19.7 0.051 54.77 2.62 21.0 0.048 55.02 2.48 22.1 0.045 54.80 2.

Hiring In-Laws: A Bad Idea :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Hiring In-Laws: A Bad Idea Many successful small businesses have been ruined by bringing in-laws in to the family business. As these in-laws struggle to establish a voice in the company, meaning well, they often wind up destroying them. As the owner of the family business, it is your job to avoid situations that could hurt or hinder your business. In this case you should assume a few often overlooked points:  When approaching your business, never think of it in terms of one happy family.  Never assume that in-laws will be grateful to benefit from the opportunities the business offers. Rather, they often feel guilty and incompetent thinking they would have never gotten the job if they weren't family.  Even in-laws with terrific ideas for the company will disrupt the business, the family, or both.  In-laws will struggle from day one to try to prove themselves to you. Even at family outings they will often engage in business talk to promote their worthiness and creativity. The O'Shea Family Business To further illustrate the risks of hiring in-laws into a business we will use a real life example, the O’Shea family. The O’Shea family business was fairly simple. They owned a clothing manufacturing company that made camouflage apparel. They were contracted suppliers of clothing to the military since the business opened its doors during World War II. Daniel O'Shea, the company president, was earning a "comfortable living" in 1970 when began making plans to select his successor. His two daughters had no interest in the day-to-day operations of the company. As a result his decision to choose his son, a levelheaded recent M.B.A., was easy. His name was Sean. Sean knew the business very well, and the company grew from his good business sense. He was young and energetic, helping the company to increase profits almost 50% in his first 2 years while at the helm. This meant bigger monthly checks for the family members, and no one argued against that. The business be gan to grow and so did the need for personnel. Sean made a big mistake only 5 years into his career. With the insistence of one of his sisters, he hired an in-law. It was against his better judgement, but he figured he could place him in a job were the family ties would not cause any problems.

Draft a Definition: Family Essay

Our ever-changing environment has impacted everything that it has even resulted to people having their own definition of words such as the word â€Å"family†. People now make their own definition of the said word based on their own personal and domestic experiences and circumstances. Gone are the old days of having one specific formal definition for the word â€Å"family† where it was also universally applied. The word family before was simply defined as a social unit â€Å"consists of a male wage earner, a non-working wife, and kids† (Lewin). It was considered as the simplest form of social organization where each member occupies a position, like being a father or mother to one’s children, husband or wife, the eldest or the youngest child. However, today there is more to the said definition. A family is defined as not only inclusive of the presence of a father or a mother with children but could also be any two or more persons living together regardless of sex orientation and preference but have commitment with each other, share the same values, and pursue the same goals. This definition may not have a legal standing in our society but various social groups asserted for its acceptance. These social groups would like to liberate the definition of the word family to pave the way for society’s acceptance as well as legal recognition especially for those who are involved in homosexual partnership where a relationship anchored on a long and deep commitment between partners was already established yet are not legally recognized. I still recognize family as a social unit but I hold a deeper meaning for it. For me a family is one that molds the character and personality of its member and in his contribution to the society. It is the building block of any society. The strength and durability of any society stems from the cohesiveness of this social unit called a family. As such I viewed family as the main link between the individual and the society. This is where the person or the child first gains experiences in love, affection, kindness, sympathy, and the like. The child gets oriented into the culture of the group, its norms, goals and types of consensus and sanctions. Indeed, the family is that social unit which has a pervasive influence on the individual’s behavior, even up to adulthood. It acts as the social laboratory which prepares the child for life in the bigger society, and that it is the family which is the first, the closest, and the most influential social group in the child’s life. Also, a family being a social system makes each member, from the youngest to the oldest, regardless of other personal circumstances essential to the working of the said system. Further, a family is one that provides a child with a fertile ground to build a solid foundation of who he will become in the future. It prepares the child to the outside world and also to the next life cycle. A family is something that is always there for its member no matter what and no matter when. Indeed, a healthy family may not necessarily have a father or a mother or both but it can bring people out of themselves as they recognize others. They heal, bind, and foster intimacy. They bring the sense of belonging, of feeling worthwhile, and develop a sense of individuality. Members of the family realize their unique dignity. These virtues are often overlooked in families, or are considered secondary or only expressed to friends, when they truly are the foundation of a healthy, functioning family. Reference List Lewin, Tamara. Suit Over Death Benefits Asks, What is a Family? Retrieved March 10, 2007 from http://www. cs. cmu. edu/afs/cs. cmu. edu/user/scotts/domestic-partners/family. html.