Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Product Design in Cyberspace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Product Design in Cyberspace - Essay Example This can facilitate them in their negative activities and can be a potential source of harm for the peace of the society as a whole. People who are in such professions that require use of GPS have little trouble accessing it even if it is not available through Ebay. However, others that are not in a position to purchase GPS from their local areas can easily purchase it on Ebay and use it for whatever purpose they want. There are many areas where people are supposed to get a license to keep a GPS with them because it is a potential source of help for criminals particularly when they want to perform their act in groups. Likewise, GPS software should also not be allowed to sell on Ebay because of the same reason as that for GPS device. Worst thing people have a problem with at Ebay: Worst thing people have a problem with on Ebay is that it does not allow sale of any kind of medication (Hubpages, 2011). Fake medicines are common in a lot of underdeveloped countries. In these countries, p eople produce false medicines in the name of real ones in order to make profits on the cost of customersââ¬â¢ life. People are highly skeptical about the quality of medicine they purchase. Medicines are already very costly.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Modernity and Modernism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Modernity and Modernism - Essay Example The essay "Modernity and Modernism" analyzes the impact of modernism and modernity in the context of the history and culture. In the following parts of this paper, first history of modernism has been included in which a limited introduction of modernism from World War II and evolutionary changes in the architecture, craft, art and design have been provided. It is followed by the segment Le Corbusierââ¬â¢s monuments in Chandigarh in which they have been analysed in the light of the relevant theories. Before the conclusion, the idealist modernism part has been provided. Modernism is both evolutionary and revolutionary process. It does not remain the same but kept changing with the changes social, cultural, economic, personal, and other dimensions of todayââ¬â¢s modern society. After the world war one, social, cultural and economic change was felt in which culture; art, design and architecture were mainly affected by the appetite for the change played the main role in this endeavo ur. However, it gained particular momentum particularly after the world war two in which more revolutionary thinking for economy; political activism affected the modernism in which a substantial amount of cultural change was experienced. Two world wars severely affected the modernism and developments taking place in the field of art, design, architecture and craft. In the World War II, millions of people died in which people from involved states as a whole lost sight on the sustained growth and stability of economic and cultural factors.
Sunday, October 6, 2019
The Cause and Effect of Learning the English Language Essay
The Cause and Effect of Learning the English Language - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that not so many people can speak the English language well in the companies in Saudi Arabia and such, employees who could speak the language well are often paid high salaries. In addition, English speaking employees also get promoted easily compared to the non-English speaker because companies prefer those who can interact with more people. This is becoming more important today because employees now have to work with other people from other countries and culture with the globalization of our economies. Such, learning English is becoming more and more important to be effective in oneââ¬â¢s job in the future. This explains why many of us flocks in English speaking universities in order to improve our English. We would like to get paid well and get easily promoted in the companies that we will work in the future when we go back to our respective countries after graduation. It is hard but it is worth it.Ã
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Small cases Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Small cases - Coursework Example tional care by the supermarket; failure of supermarket to exercise reasonable/rational care, that she was physically injured/harmed due to negligent behaviour of the supermarket; that she suffered physical injury/harm in the form of real damages; in addition to proximate cause, which demonstrates that the injury/harm is within the range of liability (Twomey & Jennings, 2013). Anna definitely has a claim and for the merits of this case to be evaluated adequately then the following facts ought to be known; there should be a dependable witness of sound mind as well as doctorââ¬â¢s report outlining the damages she suffered, that should include the date and time of injury. Yes an agreement written on the napkin can constitute a valid contract if it has all the requirements of a valid contract such as presence of an offer by one party and acceptance by the other, consideration that will be paid for the promise agreed upon, legal capacity of the involved parties, as well as genuine intention to create legal relations. Bob should win the lawsuit since clearly he was not in capacity to make a valid contract because he and Carl had been drinking and were intoxicated while making the contract. There was also no genuine offer coming from Bob for him to sell his racket. Clearly there was no meeting of minds since there was no same understanding of the sale agreement. Bob thought it was a joke and laughed it off whereas Carl took it seriously and even wrote the agreement on a napkin. The courtââ¬â¢s decision regarding the adequacy of the consideration is likely to be that there was no adequate consideration since the market value of the racket is far much h igher than the offered value. Thus if Carl were to win the lawsuit, then it means Bob cannot afterward file a suit claiming the shortfall (Twomey & Jennings,
Friday, October 4, 2019
Individual reflective report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
Individual reflective report - Essay Example During the discussion I will also use the theories that I had learnt while completing my degree at the university. The BSG online game or better known as the business strategy game online is a simulation game played by students as well as experts to enhance their business operating knowledge. It involved the accurate prediction of the stocks, taking up realistic decision and at the same time incurring profits for the virtual firm (Johnson Jr. and Stappenbeck et al., 2010). The Business Strategy Game is a no holds barred rivalry: organization against organization. Each one organizations group focused exertion opposite adversaries is essential to market victory. Your group is in as practical an organization and intense market setting as would be prudent and are dealing with all parts of the organizations operations. This MBA level on the web, PC-based certifiable reproduction has been utilized by in excess of 500 business schools in 25 nations and has had 500,000 players. It is a demonstrated testing ground for vital hypothesis in an experiential taking nature (Johnson Jr. and Stappenbeck et al., 2010). The positive issues while playing this game was it helped me gain knowledge practically and I could also apply my learning skills without the fear of losing in real time. It gave me the idea of what are the possible threats and how to overcome those while running your own business. Earlier I had the notion that once I have enough money to setup a company of my own, I will be hiring different people for different sections who will be running them and reporting to me. My job would be to listen to them and give them targets that need to be achieved by their team. Once I started playing this game, I had a face a whole different reality all together. It was not just sitting and going through progress reports but I had to run the show. Without me taking up important steps it was becoming
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Islam is the second religion of the book Essay Example for Free
Islam is the second religion of the book Essay Incidentally, the term: ââ¬Å"People of the Bookâ⬠comes from the Qurââ¬â¢an which cites both Judaism and Christianity, religions which came before Islam, as having part of its origins in the prophet of Abraham. In this, we can see a respect for the other religions; a respect which is lost on the perception of a vocal minority of Muslims and as a result, a perception that Muslims hate all other religions. This is false and dangerous assumption for both sides. Belief in Islam requires that a convert believe in only one God, the revelations which he has given to his people from his angels, his messengers and chiefly, the prophet Mohammad whose writings from 610AD until his death in 632 AD helped to compose the Holy book of Quran. It is a central belief and one that is seen as the most important: That there is no ââ¬Å"God but Allah and Mohammad is his prophet. â⬠This is required of all those wishing to consider themselves Muslims and followers of Mohammad and his teachings. There are an estimated 1. 6 billion Muslims with an annual growth rate which exceeds all other religions in the world. Muslims are spread all over the world but are highly concentrated in the Middle East. Pakistan is the most heavily populated country of Muslims and even America has an estimated seven to ten million Muslims in the country. Muslims believe that the Koran is the literal word of God and was made such by a visitation of the angel Gabriel to the prophet Mohammad. Angels are described in the Koran as: ââ¬Å"messengers with wings. Two or three of four pairs. He adds to Creation as He pleases. â⬠This is a central belief as well as the fact that Mohammad, despite his greatness in the religion of Islam, is not considered a deity of any kind. Neither is Jesus who, despite being highly regarded in the official teachings of the last fourteen centuries, is considered to be only a man and a prophet of Godââ¬â¢s, although his greatness is not to exceed that of the prophet Mohammad. God is a central theme of the religion and his is referred to as: ââ¬Å"God, the One and Only: God, the eternal, Absolute, He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto him. â⬠It is also a central theme of Islam; the Day of Judgment. Similar to the Christian belief in predestination, many Muslims believe that people are predestined as to whether they will enter heaven or enter hell on the Day of Judgment. That is not to say that an individual does not have the freedom to choose, rather that God, from the beginning of time, knows the destination of every person who ever existed, or who will ever exist. In this fervor, the message of a complete submission to God is central as well as to the belief in Islam. Disbelief and a failure to submit to the will of God are one of the main offenses which, according to the Koran, will result in a person, on the Day of Judgment, going to hell. The latter is one of the main appeals that individuals have for Islam as in many countries with a high population of Muslims, the living conditions are less than substandard and people live a very tough existence. Lastly, one of the most important and central teachings of Islam is called the ââ¬Å"Five Pillars of Islam. â⬠There are five major aspects of Islam which individuals are strongly encouraged to observe. The first is belief in Mohammad as the prophet of God and that the words of the prophet which are located in the Koran are the literal word of God. The second is praying in the direction of Mecca, five times a day. The third is the giving of alms or charity to the poor and needy. The fourth is fasting during the month of Ramadan in which one must not eat or drink from dusk to dawn. The last is called the Hajj or a pilgrimage during the fourth Islamic month to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. â⬠The latter will compel millions of Muslims, sometimes two and three million Muslims at a time, to go to Mecca at the same time in order to fulfill their last duty, or pillar of Islam. When asking Mr. Aziz about the importance of the religion of Islam within his own life, he gave a very passionate and informed response. ââ¬Å"In America, there is a great deal of misconception about the religion of Islam and as a Muslim; it is my responsibility to live in a way that would help to dispel those myths. Although not in the same light, nor with the same amount of spotlight, it is similar to the experience that the American boxer, Joe Louis had while he was the Boxing heavyweight champion of the world. His manager was careful not to have Joe Louis portrayed in a way that would add to the misconceived stereotypes about African Americans at that time since the last African America boxer, Jack Johnson, had done the opposite and was shunned by America. â⬠When asked if he has found this to help within his own life; the conception of others about him, his ethnicity and his religion, Mr. Aziz had a mixed response. ââ¬Å"There will always be people who will not change their opinions about the Middle East or Islam. I canââ¬â¢t really help that. However, for three high majorities of people who make the effort to know me, they have sometimes come out and said that they were wrong about Muslims, or at least about me. There is still a hint of racism within such sentiments. However, it is progress. â⬠Mr. Aziz then talked to me about his religion. ââ¬Å"In Islam, there are five pillars which every Muslim is expected to respect and obey these pillars. In no specific order, these five pillars are to travel to Mecca at least once in your life, to give to charity, to pray five times in the day while facing in the direction of Mecca, to fast during the Holy Months and to believe that there are no gods but Allah and that Mohammad is his messenger. The last is the most important and is what helps to connect the more than 1. 6 billions Muslims in more than a hundred countries in the world, each one to the other. It is very important to all Muslims. I have not yet gone to Mecca but I hope to by the end of the decade. I have not always been faithful in the completion of the other four on a daily basis as most people of faith experience a lapse in their faith and devotion. That has happened before. However, I am quick to connect the dots and to separate myself from whatever vehicle is serving as an impediment to my faith. â⬠ââ¬Å"Fasting is also important. During the Holy month of Ramadan, there is to be no eating during sunlight. This is one of the most difficult of the five pillars. The reason to fast is that it will help to bring the believer closer to God through the realization that God is the supplier of everything and that nothing can be done apart from him. We eat his food and breathe his air. We use his sunlight and are stewards of his world. In comparison with God, man is so small and weak. Sometimes people forget that. Fasting helps to remind them. â⬠Mr. Aziz also prays five times a day as well as gives to charity. ââ¬Å"I wake up at 5am and pray then as well as at 8am, noon, four pm and before I go to bed at 9pm. Since I was raised to do this and to adhere to the five pillars, this has become a habit of mine and is not really difficult. I remember as a child, I rebelled a great deal towards this especially since I wanted to stay in bed. It was not until two consecutive years, did I feel its difficulty ease and I began to enjoy it. â⬠It is also important to give to charity. This does not solely mean money. There are many people in the world who are very poor and do not have the money to give. To give to charity, or to give alms, means also to be helpful to oneââ¬â¢s neighbor. Whether it is shoveling the snow from an elderly neighborââ¬â¢s driveway or simply just informing a person at the grocery store that they dropped their purse; these all are examples of charity. â⬠Mr. Aziz also speaks to the importance that his religion has towards his community. ââ¬Å"Even though here in America, there is an estimated three to seven million Muslims, there are very few where I live and no places of worship. One of the reasons for the latter I believe is caused by the beliefs that the people in the surrounding towns have about Muslims and that we are all terrorists. Therefore, there have been many attempts, to diffuse any building plans for a mosque. â⬠How do you feel about that? ââ¬Å"It is discouraging to me but me and fellow Muslims meet in peopleââ¬â¢s homes in order to worship and pray. It is similar to the 1st century Christians who were barred from worshiping by the Roman authorities or the Jews who during WWII were not allowed to worship either. We are not under the same level of persecution but as these other two groups. However, it still requires some planning. â⬠ââ¬Å"It is my family and friends which help to lay a foundation of faith within my life. There are few Muslims in the surrounding areas. Therefore, the friends that I do have and which practice Islam as well as my family, for more than one reason, provide a structure and foundation for me. This is very important. America does not have the same problem with their Muslim population in comparison to the troubles in Europe because we have assimilated. This is important to a degree. We do not want to become completely Americanized but in the process, love American sports and the traditions that come with this country. â⬠So we are then relegated to worship nearly in private. â⬠It is one of the prices to pay for being a Muslim in America. However, since the majority of American Muslims are doing well in America and enjoy this land, we are content to pay some of that price. We are Muslims first however and Americans second. Just as Christians have as a major aspect of their identity in which it cannot be separated from who they are, the same can be said about Muslims. â⬠ââ¬Å"The societal restrictions towards Muslims in America have eased up. However, as a Muslim in America, I still feel as though I am a foreigner in a country that I immigrated to legally over twenty years ago. America has still given me more opportunities than my homeland. I just look forward to the day when I can be truly being considered an America. If I do not live to see that day, I will be sad but I will remain happy that I have had such a rewarding and blessed life while living in America. â⬠Mr. Aziz still continues to work and to support his family. When asked about the faith of his two daughters, Mr. Aziz comments: ââ¬Å"They are eight and ten years old so they are young, but not too young to understand some of the world around them. I hope that I can keep them from experiencing instances of racism or prejudice. I do not however, that the worst that they receive in America, is still better than what they could have hoped for in Pakistan. That is why I am hesitant to complain too loudly. I am still able to raise my children, along with my wife, in the ways that we choose. This is a great freedom that America has; its religious freedom. I recently watched a documentary on Thomas Jefferson and learned that he was instrumental in creating a foundation of religious freedom that is present in America. This happened more than two hundred years ago. Yet, I am a recipient of such actions even today. It is very amazing to me and I am very appreciative. â⬠ââ¬Å"I am proud to be an American. However, I am also proud to be a Muslim. It seems that in the past few years, especially since 9/11, such sentiments have been seen as an oxymoron. I believe that they are one in the same as America promises religious freedom to all who will practice their religion of choice without breaking the law. This is the great gift that Americaââ¬â¢s forefathers and all who help to preserve such efforts, to contemporary Americans and all who will follow. It is the effort of every Muslim, not to be swayed by the fleeting morals of a society but to hold firm to the faith and teachings of Islam. This is what I am attempting to do. I have not always been successful and have fallen away from my faith from time to time. It is important, just like with anything in life, that once somebody has fallen short of their personal expectations, to get right back up and to try again. Religious faith is an ongoing process and does not stop while one is alive. â⬠This is my hope and prayer for me and all others who feel that the law can only go so far and that a personal relationship with God is paramount in a personââ¬â¢s life. WORKS CITED Armstrong, Karen Islam: A Short History New York: Random History 2006 Burns, Ken Thomas Jefferson New York: Steeplechase PBS Films 1997 Miller, James Religions of the World. New York: WW Norton 1987 The Holy Qurââ¬â¢an (2002) New York: Oxford University Press An Interview with Mr. Aziz. Recorded with his permission on November 1, 2007 and Transcribed on November 4, 2007.
The Life Of Walt Disney Film Studies Essay
The Life Of Walt Disney Film Studies Essay When he arrived back to the United States, Walt moved back to Kansas City where he worked on several different jobs as a commercial artist and a cartoonist. One of these jobs was a temporary contract with the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio where he created ads for newspapers, magazines and movie theatres. It was at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio where Walt met Ubbe Iwerks with whom he set up Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists, which Disney soon left and began working at Kansas City Film Ad Company where he made cut out animation commercials. Disney decided he wanted to become an animator, he read a book called Animated Cartoons: How They Are Made, Their Origin and Development through which he learned about cel animation which he found to be much more promising then cutout animation. He was allowed to borrow a camera from work to experiment at home. He recruited fellow Kansas City Film Ad Company employee, Fred Harman as his own first employee and the two secured a deal with local theatre owner F rank L. Newman to screen their cartoons which they titled Laugh-O-Grams. The cartoons were hugely successful in the Kansas City area and from their success Disney was able to set up his own studio also called Laugh-O-Gram and also hire a number of animators including Fred Harman and Ubbe Iwerks. The company soon went bankrupt as the studios profits were unable to pay for the animators high salaries and Walt was unable to manage the money. After the failure of Laugh-O-Grams, Walt set his sights on Hollywood, where he met up with his older brother Roy and using the twos collective funds they set up a cartoon studio. At this stage a New York distributor Margaret Winkler signed a deal for some live-action/animated shorts based upon Alices Wonderland, which Walt had worked on in Kansas City with Iwerks. Walt and Roy had now set up Disney Brothers Studio, a single story building on Hyperion Avenue, LA where the company remained until 1939. The Alice Comedies were quite successful until finishing up in 1927 by which time the focus was mostly on the animated characters in the series rather than the live action Alice, especially Julius, a black cat that resembled Felix the Cat. In 1925, Disney had hired Lillian Bounds to ink and paint celluloid, Walt dated Lillian for a brief time and two got married in the same year. In 1927, Margaret Winklers husband, Charles B. Mintz had taken over her business and ordered Disney Studios to make a new animated series to be distributed through Universal Pictures. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was the new series and was an instant success. Oswald, a character drawn and created by Iwerks became a popular figure. The company was doing so well that Walt hired 4 more animators. In February 1928, Mintz and Disney met to discuss a new fee for the shorts. Disney was looking for a higher payment but Mintz informed him that not only was he reducing the fee per short but that he had taken most of his main animators (except notably Iwerks) under contract and could begin his own studio if Disney did not accept the cuts and that Universal, not Disney, owned the trademark of Oswald the Rabbit so they could continue to make the films without Disney. Disney declined Charles Mintzs offer and lost the majority of his animation staff and his beloved Oswald the Rabbit. After losing Oswald, Walt Disney felt like he needed a new approach to his cartoons and new character to replace Oswald. The new character was based on a mouse that Walt had adopted as a pet while working in Kansas City. Ub Iwerks took Disneys rough sketches of the mouse, making it easier to animate. The mouse was originally called Mortimer, but later christened Mickey by Lillian Disney who thought the name Mortimer was too stiff and convinced him to go with Mickey instead. Mortimer later became Mickeys rival for Minnie. Mickey first starred in two silent films called Plane Crazy and The Gallopin Gaucho, both these films failed to find a distributor. By this time other film studios in Hollywood had began using sound in their movies and after Walt had seen The Jazz Singer, the first movie with sound, Disney decided to make the fist all-sound, talking and music cartoon with Mickey Mouse starring as Steamboat Willie which was distributed by Cinephone (1928). Eight years later, in 1936 c ritics and fans all over the world agreed that Mickey Mouse was the most recognized figure on the planet. It was Walt himself that provided Mickeys voice until 1946. Although he had stopped actually drawing the cartoons himself in 1927, Disney relied on his animators to implement his ideas which included launching many other successful cartoon characters over this time including Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto. In 1932, Disney received a special Academy Award for the creation of Mickey Mouse. Disneys Success continued to soar throughout the 30s and 40s, with 1937 1941 being known as The Golden Age of Animation. In 1934 Disney began making plans for a full length feature animation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with an estimated budget of $150,000 that ended up costing Disney $1.5 million. The studio actually ran out of money mid 1937 and had to show a rough cut of the film to loan officers at the Bank of America who gave them money to finish production. The premiere on the 21st December 1937 was met with a standing ovation. The film was released in February 1938 and earned over $8 million on its first theatrical release, at a time when the average ticket price was 25 cents. On the success of Snow White, Disney was able to build brand new studios in Burbank, which opened for business in December 1939. Over the next four years, Disney produced Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi and Dumbo and early production work had started on Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland. Although the ear ly forties proved difficult for Disney as many of the top animators went on strike. Personal Politics Throughout his life Walt Disney gave off the perfect public persona, but Walt has had many critics during his life and since his death. In the studios in Hyperion Ave, his employees knew him as Uncle Walt which at the time was a term of endearment and it seemed like a privilege to them not to have to call their boss Sir or Mr. Disney. The animators worked long hard hours to meet Disneys high standard of perfection, Everybody loved the studio, everybody joyfully worked over-time putting in all the hours needed without any pay, everybody liked each other and liked Walt Bill Melendez, animator at Disney Studios 1937-1941. But when the studios moved to the new location at Burbank, Disney introduced a high degree of specialization among his work force transforming animation into a production line process, here at last was the rationally planned factory Disney had dreamed of. Walt showed off the studio is a film called the reluctant dragon in which smiley white coated worked go happily abo ut their day. But reality at the new studios wasnt all that it seemed. The workers had been promised that the move from Hyperion was good for them as well as Walt, but this was not the case, in fact some workers fell that is was in some ways a deterioration in their working conditions. Marie Beardsley was one of the artists who made the move everything was segregated, everything got too big and too impersonal and I think thats where the trouble started. Through using this factory like method in the studio had created a hierarchy of jobs, at the top being the animators, all male and all hand picked by Disney beneath them was hundred of inkers and painters, who coloured in the thousands of pictures that made each scene. They were all women. Marie Beardsley said it probably never even occurred to Walt to put a man in the inking and paintingà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ That was demeaning work, she recall supervisors walking around and standing behind and other women to see how well they were inking and how fast they were painting. They were timed to see were they worth keeping on. Bill Melendez recalls Walt saying that women were Ok to be used in a menial capacity because once they reached the age of thirty the hand got shaky so it was time to get rid of them. Things had changed in the new studio and Disneys increasingly tyrannical style of management meant for some that the words Uncle Walt took on a much more sinister meaning. Disney was unusually straight-laced for a Hollywood big shot; Marie Beardsley recalls a memo being sent around to all the girls in inking and painting saying that The married men in Disney were happily married and we want all of the girls to understand that, he disliked any sort of sexuality or even socialising amongst his employees. He and Lillian were together for forty years until his death and no one at Disney Studios recalls him ever showing any interest in any other women. He actually told one of his animators that he loved Mickey Mouse more than any girl hed ever known. On Walts 35th Birthday two of the animators made a film of Mickey and Minnie consummating their relationship, at the end of the film Walt stood up and said that it was great animation, he then asked who had made it, the animators who made it stood up and Walt fired them on the spot. Case Study: Disney Corporation vs Fitzpatrick In 2001, Denise and Francis Fitzpatrick, a young professional couple from Ireland did the impossible and defeated The Walt Disney Company in a legal battle over the rights to the name of their character Piggley Pooh for a TV series they wanted to develop. In 1999 Denise and Francis received a letter from Disney saying that the company was opposing their application for the trademark of Piggley Pooh in Europe because of Disneys character Winnie The Pooh. The Fitzpatricks faced an almost 3 year long battle with one of the biggest entertainment corporations in the world. In which they became emotionally, physically and financially broken. Winnie the Pooh is character from books written by A.A Milne in 1926.in 1930 Steven Slesinger purchased the rights to Winnie the Pooh from Milne for a $1000 advance and 66% of Slesingers income, by November 1931 Slesinger had turned Winnie the pooh into a $50 million a year business. Walt Disney bought Winnie the Pooh off Slesinger in 1961 and was paying twice yearly royalties to A.A Milnes beneficiaries until 2001 when they paid a lump sum of $350 million. The lump sum was spread out between the Royal Literary Society, the Westminster School and the Garrick Club and family of A.A Milne. Winnie the Pooh now raises at least $6 billion revenues for Disney each year. As a young girl on her grandmothers farm in Co Meath, Denise had a fascination with the pigs that were there, she used to visit them every time she was on her grandmothers farm and loved to make up stories about them. The main character in all her stories was Piggley Pooh. Denise says she had never heard of Winnie the Pooh or Piglet or any of the animals in 100 Acre Wood during her childhood in the 1960s and 1970s, like most Irish children she read Enid Blyton and other English wirters. Her imagination ran wild throughout her childhood as to what this marvellous little Pigley Pooh would be getting up to. Denise also had a love for stories from Celtic mythology and old Irish seanchaà s throughout her life. This is what she wanted the Piggley Pooh TV series to be based on, a simple story for children, with a moral lesson behind it. Disney were adamant the Fitzpatricks stop the production of the Piggley Pooh TV series, or at least change the name, something Denise was thoroughly against, she would not even hear of having the h at the end of pooh dropped. After the letter in January in 1999, they decided not to let the giant corporation ruin Denises childhood dreams. Piggley Pooh was already a registered trademark in the U.S, but they were objecting to the name becoming a registered trademark in Japan and Europe. Francis met with their Trademark Agents who were quite confident that they has a pretty strong case. Disney were trying to prove that their ownership of the name Winnie the Pooh was being stolen by the use of the word pooh in Piggley Poohs name. In 2000, Denise and Francis flew over to L.A for a meeting with Steve Ackerman, Disneys chief counsel worldwide. After many attempts to postpone their meeting, Francis arrived at the Burbank Studios where Ackerman showed up 40 minutes late for their meeting without a word of apology. Ackerman straight out told Francis that the problem they had was one of theft, they had stolen two names from Disney. Pooh and Piglet. Although they had slightly altered Piglet, they had still put it side by side with Pooh, and hoped to make millions from it. This is what the Disney Corporation thought about Francis and his wife and family and it looked as if they were not going to stop at anything to get their names back. The meeting was a hostile one, with Ackerman claiming that Disney could prove that there were Winnie the Pooh books in circulation in Ireland at the time of Denises childhood. Francis was called a thief many times and an Irish bastard. But things came to a head when Ackerman threatened the Fitzpatricks children Listen Francisà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ Youre not going to get the better of the Disney Corporation. Nobody gets the better of Disney. We got the recourses. We got the time. We got right on our side. Well go after you all around the world and bankrupt you. Youre a family man. You got children. You need to think again Youve got young childrenà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ You and your wife have to look after them, not waste their future Francis flipped telling the corporate giant never to mention his children again. Telling him that Disney were the thieves in all this, stealing peoples dreams, peoples rights to tell stories and stealing something that had been a part of Denises life since she was a child. After this outburst, Ackerman realised that the Fitzpatricks were serious about this and would not be backing down anytime soon. The two men continued the meeting in a civil manner, with Disney proposing a settlement out of court of $500,000 for the Fitzpatricks to give up the Piggey Pooh name. They refused this offer and met the Disney Company in the European Trademark courts in Alicante, Spain in January 2001 but no oral hearing happened, it was done behind closed doors. Three months later Francis has a phone call from their Trademark Agents telling him it was good news. They had won, Disneys objection had been overruled and they were entitled to registration as owner of the trademark. But this wasnt the end for the battle for the name Piggley Pooh. In March 2002, Royal Bank of Scotland, the bank funding the TV series decided that the name Pooh must come out of the name Piggley Pooh because of Disneys powerful stance in the marketplace was too threatening to the brand of Piggley Pooh. If a Piggley Pooh soft toy were on sale for $10 in childrens shops, Disney would sell Winnie the Pooh for $8. The Fitzpatricks were back to square one. Although they had beat the Disney Corporation in the courts they had not fully won. Out of this Piggley Winks was born and turned into a successful animated TV series.
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