American Revolution and the Crisis of the Constitution of the USA

Introduction The U. S history, particularly the period of the American Revolution, has been marked by a number of inconsistencies and misconceptions concerning the origins of political power and reasons why people were involved in mass insurgencies. One way or another, the historical events occurred in the past has formed the present, newly established movements struggling against inequalities and corrupted political regimes.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on American Revolution and the Crisis of the Constitution of the USA specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This fight, however, is based on the political frictions connected with the limitations and changes presented in the U. S. Constitution. Throughout the American history, this document has been the major source of confrontations between the Conservative and Republican Parties that interpreted the clauses with regard to their personal and political inter ests. The point is that the oldest legal documents still fails to directly address the current political issues and meet people’s expectations with regard to their rights. In order to stand the biased provisions, liberal and radical confrontations appeared, such as Tea Party that is now followed by the New Left, a radical movement fighting against the corrupt government and protecting the innocence of the unwitting community. In whole, the American people paving the way to independence have to face challenges in the form of restricted provisions of Constitution, wrong interpretation and understanding of the American Revolution, and false representation of conservative and republican views on democracy. The American Revolution – A Long Way to the Independence The American Revolution emerged as a result of political, social, and intellectual shifts in the American government and society. This was one of the first attempts of people to oppose the corrupt authoritative str ucture, establish justice, and promote liberal views. While comparing previous resistance to the modern attitude to the political regime in the United States, much attention should be paid to the efforts of Tea Party and the New Left to protect social interests and model a new political order based on democracy and liberalism. According to Crain (2010), today the American population â€Å"†¦have come to regard insurgency as a foreign and unpleasant phenomenon† to the extent that one cannot recollect the fact from the American history about cruelty of the American revolutionaries (p.3). It is often neglected, however, that the Tea Party movement often resorted to unjust and cruel methods and introduced conspiracy theories and violence. As a result, a shadow of biases is now imposed on the current movements protecting the rights of people because of the ambiguity of the U. S Constitution.Advertising Looking for critical writing on history? Let's see if we can help you ! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More What is more doubtful is the introduction of U.S. constitution whose provisions have still left much ambiguity concerning its rightfulness and justice with regard to people and the democratic regime (Lepore, 2011). Apparently, the misconceptions emerged in the past were also due to the eternal confrontation of the political parties and regimes. Specifically, there have always been a conflict between Conservatives and Republicans leaving no space for protecting the rights and freedoms of humble people. Lack of ideology and reluctance to follow the generally established norms led to discrepancies and frictions (Hanna, 2010). As a result, the entire U. S. history is a revolutionary path of people established to fight against those inconsistencies. The U. S. Constitution as the Symbol of Its Independence The USA was declared as a federal constitutional republic. In 1787, the Constitution became the main document of the government ( US Constitution, 2011). This constitution is considered to be the oldest one in the modern society. As the document states, â€Å"We the People†, it implies â€Å"†¦forming a more perfect Union, establishing Judgment, insuring Domestic Tranquility, providing for the Common Defense, promoting the general Welfare and securing the Blessings of Liberty to the American and their prosperity† (Lepore, 2011, p. 1). Although some politicians refused to sign it because of the uncertainty of some laws covered in its document, it was still adopted. The document was only the symbol of a federal constitutional republic (Lepore, 2011). As the Constitution was created for every American, it became accessible for reading. Importantly, everyone could keep this invaluable document of the government in a pocket (Lepore, 2011). Although it became available for many people, the power of this document was not enhanced. The Constitution of the United States of America is considered to be one of the shortest ones because it contains forty-four hundred words only. However, the document generates serious discussions and is subjected to different interpretations by the Parties. Existence of different variants and amendments to the Constitution prevents the government from establishing a unique set of rules and regulations applied to the contemporary society. In particular, the original document fails to â€Å"†¦directly address many of today’s significant political issues† (US Constitution, 2011, p. 2). In this respect, the Republicans are more prone to use the corrected variant of the document because they approve the necessity to introduce changes to a constantly developing society.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on American Revolution and the Crisis of the Constitution of the USA specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In contrast, the Conservatives believe that it is more r easonable to apply to the original variant so as to preserve the integrity of regulations. The presented ambivalence significantly hampers the overall social improvement. Everyone is taught to respect the Constitution from his/her childhood. However, even if you have such a great opportunity to look through the document, it can be differently interpreted due to the existence of general and ambiguous statements. According to Lepore (2011), â€Å"the Constitution was made like a Fiddle, with but few Strings, but so that the ruling Majority could play any tune upon it they please† (p. 2). It is a sort of an instrument used by politicians to achieve their interests. The contracted version of the legal document presented in public, however, cannot provide solutions to the problem of freedom and equalities protection because it significantly deviates from the existed variant considered by the government. In fact, the availability does not mean the existence of the printed variant o f its document, but sufficient understanding of laws, rights, and duties. More than that, there have been millions of different interpretations of the same law from this document, which leads to insurgencies and resentment among the U.S. population. Many politicians were concerned by this problem and some actions were undertaken to solve it. In 1789 and 1860, only the one state California wanted the Constitution to be taught at schools (Lepore, 2011). There was a great doubt concerning this issue. Despite the fact that the Constitution proclaimed liberties, the majority of people were far from being free from slavery for a long time. Hence, changes should not be proposed to the document, but to the attitude of the Government to the document itself. Judging from this, the U.S. Constitution failed to provide equal opportunities for all citizens of the United States irrespective of their race and nationality. In particular, inconsistent information was provided concerning social and po litical problems at different historical periods.Advertising Looking for critical writing on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the one hand, the alterations included into the legal document seem to be unreasonable because some of them are not congruent with the original and universal statements. On the other hand, the introduction of amendments and corrections is indispensible to meet the challenges of the modern society. There is an assumption that the Constitution â€Å"†¦is not a document, but a stream of history† (Lepore, 2011, p. 2). The Constitution should always be subjected to changes. It should also correspond to social and political problems of the society. When new problems arise and the government is not able to provide solutions with regard to the existing norms of the U.S. Constitution, the urgency of this document goes out of date. In this respect, it should be stressed that the Constitution of the United States of America is in crisis now. The point is that the nation is a complex unity that undergoes different social, cultural, and economical processes. At this point, the Con stitution should be developed in accordance to the needs of society (Lepore, 2011). Judging from the rigorous criticism of the documents, the U.S. Constitution should undergo tangible changes for the U.S. people to feel that their rights are protected and respected. What is more important is that the original document, along with all the amendments, should be available for all people. Each citizen should understand the value of observing the rights and freedoms of every person to eliminate the problems of social, racial, and cultural inequality. The Activities of the Tea Party and the New Left There are many interpretations of the Constitution that facilitate its understanding for ordinary people. The newly introduced variation impels many Americans to comprehend this document with regard to their personal needs and interests. This idea of easy interpretations is supported by the New Left, the successors of the Tea Party and conservative think-tankers. The movement seeks to return p ower to people, overthrow the power of the elite and organize a revolutionary movement (Hannan, 2010). The Constitution is not the privilege of elite, as many politicians state. On the contrary, the Constitution was proclaimed for the whole nation. Everyone has the right to know all his/her rights and duties. Although the Tea Party and the New Left have a number of differences, there are also many similarities in their politics (Brooks, 2010). The established parallels specifically concern the methods of fighting with the legal inconsistencies through organizing public demonstrations and extreme movements. It should also be stressed that both parties agree with the statement that all people are virtuous and pure and all problems are caused by â€Å"rotten authority structures and corrupt elite† (Brooks, 2010, p. 2). They believe that political regimes contribute to the destruction of our society. In this respect, the best decision of solving these problems is â€Å"the spont aneous upraising of participatory democracy† (Brooks, 2010, p. 3). Is it actual to live according to the Constitution which is considered to be the oldest one? The New Left is keen on introducing the changes to the Constitution. It also seeks to provide privileges to the middle social class. Additionally, the Party is confident that imprudence, naive radicalism, and self-righteousness can contribute to achieving the established goals and objectives (Brooks, 2010). Despite the fact that many politicians criticize the measures used by the liberal movement, it is the only way to draw attention of masses to this burning issue. The Constitution of the United States of America, the oldest historic document is the symbol of the independence for many Americans. The U. S. honor and follow it without fully comprehension of its content. However, community is not aware of the actual role that the document plays in governing the state because political forces are inclined to use different interpretations for achieving their personal goals. Judging from these considerations, the questions about the objectivity and appropriateness of the U.S. constitution provision arises. In order to solve the problems and eliminate contradictions, political upbringing is one of the main aims of the modern society. It presupposes a full understanding of the Constitution. If the Constitution too difficult for ordinary people to understand, it should be reconsidered. The history shows that many regulations and norms have appeared because of revolutionary movements. Conclusion Many contradictions are specifically connected with the origins of the U.S. constitution, as well as the further events connected with its provisions. The American Revolution, eternal confrontation between the Republicans and the Conservatives, and the emergence of the Tea Party are among such events proving the necessity to re-evaluate the clauses of the U.S. Constitution and introduce universal principles that wo uld be applicable to each person. It is impossible to live in modern society with new social and political problems without changing the main document of the government. In spite of the fact that the slavery was abolished long time ago, but the consequences and undercurrent issues remain. Reference List Brooks, D. (2010). The Wal-Mart Hippies. The New York Times. Web. Crain, C. (2010). Tea and Antipathy. The New Yorker. Web. Hannan, D. (2010). The Tea-Party Tradition. National Review Online. Web. Lepore, J. (2011). A Critic at Large. The Commandments: the Constitutions and its worshippers. The New Yorker. Web. US Constitution Read Aloud in House of Representatives. (2011). BBC News US and Canada. Web. 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Dogs chomp on more than four million people a year1 essays

Dogs chomp on more than four million people a year1 essays Dogs chomp on more than four million people a year. Megan Boger of La Belle, Pa., returned from shopping with her mother and ran into the yard to greet the family pet, a part-cocker mutt named Blaze. Seconds later, her mom, Elena Boger, heard a snap and then shrieks from three-year-old Megan. There was blood all over her face from tooth punctures under an eye and around her mouth, she recalls. Elena and her husband rushed their sobbing child to a local hospital. But the injuries were severe enough that the Bogers were sent to Children ¡s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where a plastic surgeon stitched the gashes. Little Megan is far from alone in having been the victim of a dog bite. According to a 1994 survey (the most recent) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, some 4.7 million people were bitten by dogs. About 800,000 required medical treatment. Many bites are to children, and most are from family pets or familiar dogs, not strays. Many bites are treated at home or in a doctor ¡s office, and as a consequence are often not reported to authorities. Meanwhile, there is no ongoing national system for counting dog bites, says the CDC ¡s Dr. Jeffrey Sacks. In some locales bites are reported to the police, in others to the animal-control folks or the health department. Some counties don ¡t collect data at all. Whatever the exact numbers, medical, veterinary and insurance experts agree: dog bites are on the rise. One reason may be that more people are getting larger, more powerful dogs than in the past. The CDC considers dog bites a serious public-health problem for children. A Pennsylvania study found that 45 percent of children had been bitten. And not only children are at risk. Dog bites are no joke for letter carriers and delivery people. Dog attacks account for a whopping one-third of all liability claims under renter or homeowner ¡s insurance policies. The Insurance Information Institute says that...

Economic crisis in France Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economic crisis in France - Essay Example The ills of lowdown are being experienced by the citizens of France. The citizens of the country are facing hard times in order to pay off their loans. The financial crisis led to loss of job opportunities and therefore the citizens did not have enough money on their hands to serve the basic requirements. The citizens are getting inclined to secure loans and debt to serve their finances. France has not been capable enough to direct foreign direct institutions into the country and financial crisis did not excluded France from shedding the ill effects. Performance of the French economy It is noted that the country of France suffered from low productivity as well as employment losses in the phase of 2008. But the impact of the crisis has been relatively less on France as compared to other advanced countries. The recovery phase has been sluggish for France. The country partly excluded itself from the asset price shocks. The above figure shows the loss and the recovery for France. The oth er panel shows the loss in employment and recovery. The country has been less open over the decade or so, therefore it experienced steady loss of export compared with the European partners. The current account balance deteriorated steadily while the reduction in openness ratio was 9 percentage points in the decade of 2000 to 2010 (European Commission, 2009). The lower degree of openness cats as the constraint in limiting the capability of the economy to rebound itself in the short run. It also limits the progress of the economy in the medium term. Experts opine cyclical effects of the recent decline as the share of the capital income for the residents of France is far behind from that of the European partners. The figure below will act as the evidence regarding the performance of the macroeconomic indicators for France. (International Monetary Fund, 2012, pp. 1-5). The economy of France is showing no progress for the fourth consecutive year. The early part of 2012 showed a sign towa rds returning towards the path of growth. The tensions in the financial markets were eased by the effective monetary policies of the European Union. Growth process may get hindered by the weak trade prospects and further austerity measures. The economy is expected to remain flat in the recent future and recovery process will take place from 2014. The lack of domestic demand can be accounted to be the reason. The consumption of household and residential investment is held back by rise in the level of unemployment and reduction in real disposable income. The exports are expected to grow in 2013 but the conditions of the Euro area are not too good for the cause. The authority has announced an injection of 30 billion Euros and the rate of tax has been raised for the high income earners. The aim is to reduce the fiscal deficit from 4.5 to 3% of GDP. The growth rate assumed for 2013 is 0.8%. The lending towards the private sector will still remain flat. The unfolding of the events in the neighbouring countries will have severe effects on the prospects of the economy of France (National Institute Economic Review, 2012, p. 5). The President of France has promised in a reduction in forecasts in budget deficits to 3% of GDP. The growth forecast for 2012 was 0.5% while that of 2013 is 1.7%. According to some experts the deficit will slip to 5% in

The Ethical Issues and Social Responsibility of Corporate Management Research Paper

The Ethical Issues and Social Responsibility of Corporate Management at Ford - Research Paper Example Since its production, people have been curious and apprehensive about this Ford Pinto model as it has low capacity and safety measures, catching fire, particularly after a rear-end collision. The specific case of the three teenagers received media attention primarily because the company was charged with criminal conduct and murder, not simply negligence. Connected to this case were the several other pending civil cases against Ford for this particular problem. Larger of the problems that Ford faced was that of corporate social responsibility where ethical concerns included conducting successful and people-oriented business in today’s time (Ethics and the Individual, n.d). The paper talks about this ethical concern that Ford faced and the ethical decisions it took to cater to this issue at hand. Furthermore, the paper also discusses the various alternative actions that the company could have taken to cater to this ethical dilemma at hand. The Ethical Issues in the Case and the Approach used by Coordinator The various ethical concerns at hand that this case identifies include the launch of Ford Pinto with complete knowledge that the product was faulty and prone to problems such as the fuel tank catching fire after a slow rear-end collision with any other car. This ethical concern is magnified by the forty or so civil and one criminal case against Ford Motor Company based on this problem identified in the car. The cars had specifically been tested to evaluate whether the fuel tank was faulty and it was discovered that out of eleven cars, eight cars had ruptured fuel tanks which caught fire. This problem is complicated further by the fact that Ford decided to launch its Ford Pinto in two years, which is one year and six months earlier than the regular time span it took for the product to be put in the market, from a conception of the product. The product was out in the market and it implies that the coordinator had a clear idea on the failures of the product and yet launched it in the market with this explicit knowledge (The Revised Trevino & Nelson 8-step model, n.d). In the ethical case elucidated above, the philosophical approach that the coordinator used in this case was the justice or fairness approach. This approach implies the principal taught by Aristotle that equals are to be treated equally while unequal should be treated unequally. In this respect, the moral question is that whether the actions taken by the coordinator were fair and whether these actions treated everyone similarly or in a similar manner or not. The case indicates that the coordinator launched the product despite knowing its faults and problems, thus showing discriminatory behavior towards the other stakeholders of the product (Andre, Meyer, Shanks & Velasquez, 1996). The Stakeholders for the Dilemma It is pertinent to study the various stakeholders and their relationship to the case as it will help us in evaluating which stakeholders had the most negative ef fect from the launch and running of Ford Pintos in the market. The first and foremost were the users of Ford Pinto who either drove the Ford Pinto or were passengers in the car. The negative effect for them was that any small accident particularly involving the rear end of the Ford Pinto, would result in a ruptured fuel tank and possibly a fire which could be dangerous to these stakeholders.

Petroleum paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Petroleum paper - Essay Example It is believed that the heat converted the remains of the animals and sea-plants trapped on the seabed to petroleum. When refined, petroleum separates into various fractions of useful hydrocarbons. Thus, petroleum is not beneficial in the raw form. The economic resource category of the petroleum is the land. The common petroleum products and derivatives, which average American family uses and interacts with include shoe polish, nail polish, lipstick, toothpaste, antiseptics, shampoos, mineral spirits, dyes, insecticides, and crayons. The products and derivatives satisfy the needs of the American families in many ways. Toothpaste is a petroleum derivative, and every American uses the product on a daily basis. Americans use the toothpaste to clean their teeth. In effect, the toothpaste protects the teeth against cavities, yellowing, as well as accumulation of tartar. It removes the bacteria that tend to grow on teeth and cause gum disease and cavities. Shoe polish comprises of turpentine, naphtha, and dyes. The product is used to polish, as well as shine leather shoes. Shoe polish protects, maintains, restores, and improves the appearance of the footwear. Every American use shoe polish daily. Nail polish contains petroleum constituents such as adhesive polymers, plasticizers, and pigments. People use the polish to decorate their nails. The nail polish is a key product in the cosmetic industry, and average American uses it. The scientific name for clove is Cinnamomum verum. The product has antiseptic, as well as analgesic effects. Clove cleans open wounds and surfaces of objects such as toilets. Thus, the Americans use clove as a therapeutic agent against deadly microorganisms. The main uses of shampoo entail removal of dirt, oils, dandruff, skin particles, and contaminants that accumulate in the hair. In effect, shampoo protects the hair and makes it manageable. The product is useful in the cosmetic and beauty industry. Mineral spirit is a

Impact of Information Architecture

Impact of Information Architecture In recent years, as the technology is changing to our society, people are more relying on Internet to find out the solutions for their everyday needs. As some instances, online shopping, learning, processing transactions, watching movies and making easy communications are usual activities today for most of the modern people. In between, there is no doubt about that government related issues are important for the residents or locals and foreigners of the country. There is no way to avoid those transactions if the person is visiting or living in a country and those transactions are also time consuming if try to process manually, for the reasons of travel time, waiting time and other unexpected matters (forgetting of important document and etc). So, governments try to provide the most of the transactions to be able to process via online partly for some of the transactions and some completely. But, there are some difficulties for the expect and the persons who are not familiar with internet so, it is really important to be user friendly and having simple layout in order to be able to use easily by both novice and expert user. In this paper, the studies regarding Information Architecture and Design required to consider when we are to going to develop a user-friendly and good-quality website. I chose the Immigration Checkpoints Authority (ICA) e-government website ww.ica.gov.sg and made justification the site according to my studies regarding information architecture and design concepts especially usability views. Literature Review There are many different views on information architecture with many different areas. Information architecture is the practice of structuring information (knowledge or data) which are structured according to their context in user interaction or larger databases. Rosenfeld expresses the basic concept of IA as the interlinking of three major components: users (who they are, what their information-seeking behaviors and needs are), content (metadata, volume, formats, structure, and organization), and context (business value, business model, culture, politics, resources and resource constraints). Most of the website are developed emphasize on the users requirements and goal. It is essential to consider the information architecture concepts in most of the website in order to let the user with usefulness, usability, efficiency and effectiveness when using the site. While designing the portal site, the first things to think about the target user and user groups and should consider what the user needs, what kind of task are user perform. Moreover, the mental/cognitive aspects should think such as attention (structuring information, use of alert mechanisms and colors,), memory (short-term memory, iconic memory, long-term memory), and the behavioral aspects such as information needs should be well thought-out to match with the usability concepts for the portal website. Furthermore, the interaction design are need to consider in order to let the site is attractive and well-designed especially navigation, search system. Case studies based on ICA website The Immigration Checkpoints Authority (ICA), e-government site, provides many services and functions including issuing of travel documents and identity cards to Singapore citizens and issuing various immigration passes and permits to foreigners. In this site, e-appointment, registration the IC online, applying the students pass for the foreign student via electronically and more services can be performed via this site. Figure-1 ICA website 1. Focus user group This ICA website targets different user groups such as citizens, permanent residents and visitors of the country (Singapore) and information are placed under the different user groups. 2. User Mental/ Cognitive Aspects 2.1 Perception and Attention In this site, the developer uses the alert mechanisms to grab reader attention for example; there is a flash image in the middle centre of the home page to be attractive to user. As information is presented with ample spaces, and text is legible and distinguishable from the background, so the website can be perceived easier by user. (According to the type of users, patterns are used with consistent text size and different colors to attract the users focus). 2.2 Memory Iconic memory In this portal, the images and icons are used in terms of improvement of iconic memory. Short term memory (working memory) mental processing Information is well categorized to support the user short-term memory. So, the user can emphasize on relevant information and do not need to confuse with non-related information. Long term memory knowledge The design supports the long term memory by the recognition of user with using consistent menus, navigation. 3. Interaction design 3.1 Navigation The navigation system is consistent and the global navigation system, persistent navigation, is provided in the whole transaction process. In figure-2, it helps the user navigate the site to find the areas of interest to them and shows users where they are within the site and how to get other page. Furthermore, local navigation uses the within a specific site section, for example, visitors service, entry visa, visit pass, students pass and birth pass. This portal support, breadcrumbs, horizontal list of labels which shows current site location and the path the user go through within this site, and helps user where on website they are and enable user to go back previous page throughout the hierarchical navigation. Breadcrumbs Contextual Navigation Local NavigationFigure-2 3.2 Search Figure -3 This site provides the powerful search feature for the user to find the information which is more desired information of the users. In figure-3, there is search box to find the information and also provide advanced search with the drop down list lets the user chooses within this site or within all government site. Choosing the latter option will help the user to be able to search among all of the Singapores government websites such as Ministry of Health and Ministry of Manpower. 3.3 Categorization In ICA site, there are different categorization for user group and the information and services are categorized for each user group. As an example, a permanent resident can find the related information and services under the category of Permanent Residents. 4. Suggestion for improving site Although the ICA website is nice and user-friendly, still there are some features and technologies to comment perfect. I believe the transactions will be more easier if the website support the user account control feature because a user will only need to fill in their personal information for very first time only and will be stored in the database and later the information will be retrieved when the user login and that data will be able to use for the transactions need. Getting updated is really important in the Information Technology. In addition, very latest technologies will not only help the web-site to be looked well but also provides the new and convenient features such as auto-complete function and real-time announcements. Moreover, the network navigation links which are useful other government sites links that may be related to this site should be support in this site. The features described above are not the vital features. However, it is really better to have those features than doesnt have. I believe that implementing those will make the web-site become more and more perfect. Conclusion In conclusion, the government related issues are essential for every country and the government and people turn into use the e-government website for processing their transaction vial online. In between, those websites should have usability and usefulness for both expect and novice user (e.g. ICA website). So, it should be aware to consider the information architecture in designing and developing the website. According to my literature review, I studied a case, ICA website, in the point of usability concepts especially users, the interaction design between user and the system. According to my studies, user can get more satisfaction when using this ICA website than going physically to ICA building and process the transactions manually. I realize that the website will be more usability, effectiveness and efficiency by focusing on my suggestion base on information architecture issues.

Clockwork Tales :: Clockwork Tales Short Story Essays

Clockwork Tales Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-TONG! .............. "Yeah, I finally got that damn clock to stop," the man mumbled happily. "Now I can sit here and read in peace." He picked up his copy of Canterbury Tales, aching to find the insight that his professor swore was kept hidden within. He started once again. The Miller's Tale. "Hmm, I wonder how long it is." He started to flip through the pages one by one, counting them off. "One, two, three, four, five, . . . seventeen. Well, that's not so bad. If I could just get started on it." He looked down and started to read. "Whan that the Knight hadde thus his tale ytold." Tick-tock, tick-tock. "Dammit!" He jumped up out of the easy chair, and in doing so sent his literature book cascading across the room. "Damned clock. I'll show you what's up." The poor clock really didn't know what to make of this. After all, it was just sitting there, doing its job of counting the seconds, minute after minute, hour after hour. It was a good little clock. It was about the size of a baseball, and it's brass plating was polished to a gleaming shine. It fancied itself as attractive. People loved it. No one had ever told it to shut up before. This was all brand new to it. It wanted the man to be happy. It really did. But the man was far from that at the moment. His fair skinned face was mottled and flushed with rage. His blond hair was tousled and unkept, and looked as though he had just woken up. His shirt was untucked from his jeans in various spots, almost making him look like a bum. The clock ticked to itself again as the man stepped closer. It was still vaguely upset at the shoe that had been thrown at it a few minutes before. Violence just wasn't the answer, the clock believed. If you just waited, time would solve everything. It was inev itable. The man was just a few steps away now, and the clock was frightened. What would this man do to him? Would he tear out his gears, pull out his plugs, or would he merely smash him into the fireplace he was resting on, ending it all with single forceful blow. The clock's ticking sped up ever so slightly, half a second instead of a whole.