Bulimia Cognitive Treatment essays

Bulimia Cognitive Treatment essays Bulimia is a very common eating disorder typically characterized by a person eating large quantities of food then purging usually by vomiting, but also by the use of laxatives diuretics and excessive exercising. The use of cognitive treatment in the treatment of Bulimia is very common and actually very effective. There are several views that I have reviewed in my quest for information on cognitive treatments for Bulimia. People diagnosed with an eating disorder are said to have developed a schematic obsession with body size and eating. The person in question is obsessed with body shape and fatness. They eat a forbidden food and feel bad about doing so. They feel the only way to correct this is to purge the food from their body to rid themselves of the negative feelings. This happens until the person is always feeling this way when they eat and always purging. This occurs as part of the Schema and gives no concern to the physical harm being caused to the person. Everything the person sees and does is a direct link to fatness and their body looking bad until it becomes an all out obsession. Since Bulimia is a learned behavior, using cognition is a great way to correct the behavior. Healthy eating is promoted. Using stimulus control procedures, antecedents of the original abnormal eating patterns are limited. Williamson, Donald A Muller, Stephanie L Reas, Deborah L Thaw, Jean M " Cognitive bias in eating disorders " Behavior Modification 23, no. 4 (Oct 1999). Some things that are used are making the person eat only while sitting at a table no standing while eating Exposure Response Prevention (TERP). ERP is based on the theory that purging produces a reduction of eating-related anxiety; therefore, patients are allowed to eat, but compensatory behaviors are prevented. Anti-depressant medication is recommended along with cognitive treatment or else the outcome may not be ...

Timeline of the Lebanese Civil War From 1975-1990

Timeline of the Lebanese Civil War From 1975-1990 The Lebanese Civil War took place from 1975 to 1990 and claimed the lives of some 200,000 people, which left Lebanon in ruins. Lebanese Civil War, 1975 to 1978 April 13, 1975:  Gunmen attempt to assassinate Maronite Christian Phalangist leader Pierre Gemayel as he’s leaving church that Sunday. In retaliation, Phalangist gunmen ambush a busload of Palestinians, most of them civilians, killing 27 passengers. Week-long clashes between Palestinian-Muslim forces and Phalangists follow, marking the beginning of Lebanon’s 15-year civil war. June 1976: Some 30,000 Syrian troops enter Lebanon, ostensibly to restore peace. Syria’s intervention stops vast military gains against Christians by Palestinian-Muslim forces. The invasion is, in fact, Syria’s attempt to claim Lebanon, which it never recognized when Lebanon won independence from France in 1943. October 1976: Egyptian, Saudi, and other Arab troops in small numbers join the Syrian force as a result of a peace summit brokered in Cairo. The so-called Arab Deterrent Force would be short-lived. March 11, 1978: Palestinian commandos attack an Israeli kibbutz between Haifa and Tel Aviv, then hijack a bus. Israeli forces respond. By the time the battle was over, 37 Israelis and nine Palestinians were killed. March 14, 1978: Some 25,000 Israeli soldiers crossed the Lebanese border in Operation Litani, named for the Litani River that crosses South Lebanon, not 20 miles from the Israeli border. The invasion is designed to wipe out the Palestine Liberation Organization’s structure in South Lebanon. The operation fails. March 19, 1978: The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 425, sponsored by the United States, calling on Israel to withdraw from South Lebanon and on the UN to establish a 4,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in South Lebanon. The force is termed the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Its original mandate was for six months. The force is still in Lebanon today. June 13, 1978: Israel withdraws, mostly, from occupied territory, handing over authority to the breakaway Lebanese Army force of Maj. Saad Haddad, which expands its operations in South Lebanon, operating as an Israeli ally. July 1, 1978: Syria turns its guns on Lebanon’s Christians, pounding Christian areas of Lebanon in the worst fighting in two years. September 1978: U.S. President Jimmy Carter brokers the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, the first Arab-Israeli peace. Palestinians in Lebanon vow to escalate their attacks on Israel. 1982 to 1985 ​June 6, 1982: Israel invades Lebanon again. Gen. Ariel Sharon leads the attack. The two-month drive leads the Israeli army to the southern suburbs of Beirut. The Red Cross estimates the invasion costs the lives of some 18,000 people, mostly civilian Lebanese. August 24, 1982: A multinational force of U.S. Marines, French paratroopers, and Italian soldiers lands in Beirut to assist in the evacuation of the Palestine Liberation Organization. August 30, 1982: After intense mediation led by the United States, Yasser Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization, which had run a state-within-a-state in West Beirut and South Lebanon, evacuate Lebanon. Some 6,000 PLO fighters go mostly to Tunisia, where they are again dispersed. Most end up in the West Bank and Gaza. September 10, 1982: The Multinational force completes its withdrawal from Beirut. Sept. 14, 1982: The Israeli-backed Christian Phalangist leader and Lebanese President-Elect Bashir Gemayel is assassinated at his headquarters in East Beirut. Sept. 15, 1982: Israeli troops invade West Beirut, the first time an Israeli force enters an Arab capital. Sept. 15-16, 1982: Under the supervision of Israeli forces, Christian militiamen are bused into the two Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila, ostensibly to â€Å"mop up† remaining Palestinian fighters. Between 2,000 and 3,000 Palestinian civilians are massacred. September 23, 1982: Amin Gemayel, brother of Bashir, takes office as Lebanon’s president. September 24, 1982: The U.S.-French-Italian Multinational Force returns to Lebanon in a show of force and support for the Gemayel’s government. At first, French and American soldiers play a neutral role. Gradually, they turn into defenders of the Gemayel regime against Druze and Shiites in central and South Lebanon. April 18, 1983: The American Embassy in Beirut is attacked by a suicide bomb, killing 63. By then, the United States is actively engaged in Lebanon’s civil war on the side of the Gemayel government. May 17, 1983: Lebanon and Israel sign a U.S.-brokered peace agreement that calls for the withdrawal of Israeli troops contingent on the withdrawal of Syrian troops from northern and eastern Lebanon. Syria opposes the agreement, which was never ratified by the Lebanese parliament and canceled in 1987. October 23, 1983: U.S. Marines barracks near Beirut International Airport, on the south side of the city, are attacked by a suicide bomber in a truck, killing 241 Marines. Moments later, French paratroopers’ barracks are attacked by a suicide bomber, killing 58 French soldiers. Feb. 6, 1984:  Predominantly Shiite Muslim militias seize control of West Beirut. June 10, 1985:  The Israeli army finishes withdrawing out of most of Lebanon, but keeps an occupation zone along the Lebanon-Israeli border and calls it its â€Å"security zone.† The zone is patrolled by the South Lebanon Army and Israeli soldiers. June 16, 1985:  Hezbollah militants hijack a TWA flight to Beirut, demanding the release of Shiite prisoners in Israeli jails. Militants murder U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem. The passengers were not freed until two weeks later. Israel, over a period of weeks following the resolution of the hijacking,  released  some 700 prisoners, insisting the release was not related to the hijacking. 1987 to 1990 June 1, 1987:  Lebanese Prime Minister Rashid Karami, a Sunni Muslim, is assassinated when a bomb explodes in his helicopter. He is replaced by Selim  el Hoss. September 22, 1988:  The presidency of Amin Gemayel ends without a successor. Lebanon operates under two rival governments: a military government led by renegade general Michel Aoun, and a civil government headed by Selim  el Hoss, a Sunni Muslim. March 14, 1989:  Gen. Michel Aoun declares a â€Å"war of Liberation† against Syrian occupation. The war triggers a devastating final round to the Lebanese Civil War as Christian factions battle it out. September 22, 1989:  The Arab League brokers a cease-fire. Lebanese and Arab leaders meet in Taif, Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of Lebanese Sunni leader Rafik Hariri. The Taif agreement effectively lays the groundwork for an end to the war by reapportioning power in Lebanon. Christians lose their majority in Parliament, settling for a 50-50 split, though the president is to  remain  a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of Parliament a Shiite Muslim. November 22, 1989:  President-Elect Renà ©Ã‚  Muawad, believed to have been a reunification candidate, is assassinated. He is replaced by Elias Harawi. Gen. Emile Lahoud is named to replace Gen. Michel Aoun as commander of the Lebanese army. October 13, 1990:  Syrian forces are given a green light by France and the United States to storm Michel Aoun’s presidential palace once Syria joins the American coalition against Saddam Hussein in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. October 13, 1990:  Michel Aoun takes refuge in the French Embassy, then chooses exile in Paris (he was to return as a Hezbollah ally in 2005). October 13, 1990, marks the official end of the Lebanese Civil War. Between 150,000 and 200,000 people, most of them civilians, are believed to have perished in the war.

Total Quality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Total Quality Management - Essay Example This approach to quality helps in sustenance of success and business profits in the long run. Moreover, adopting TQM approach is also a long-term commitment and cannot be achieved through simple practices. TQM is more of a philosophy and a culture that infuses focus on quality, improvement, as well as innovation. Hence, this approach uses a combination of different practices, tools and techniques. The present discourse explains application of one such technique at the accounting section of Al Faisaliah, in Saudi Arabia, which resulted in an overall improvement and sustenance of their performance in terms of key results; further this approach helped in identifying non-performing areas and in stabilizing new practices that replaced conventional methods of working in order to sustain high performance. Basically, application of TQM happens in two phases namely the human resources phase and application of tools and techniques phase. The process of TQM requires commitment from employees an d effective coordination and communication along with new methods of working. Both phases are closely linked to each other in the process of TQM application because achieving total quality is possible only through strong commitment, teamwork and application of various tools, techniques and practices produce high-quality and/or sustainable results. One such comprehensive approach, or tool, to achieving continuous improvement in all business areas is the Six Sigma methodology. About Six-Sigma, Tennant (2001) suggests that Six Sigma, as an approach to TQM, can be viewed as a vision and philosophy that can direct an organization, department, and team or function towards highest quality standards; as a metric, a symbol, a goal and a methodology to help an organization maintain highest quality standards. However, this approach cannot be considered as the end solution or guarantee of success; and is a complex mix of different tools and techniques. This methodology can be applied to manufac turing as well as service industries. Just as TQM is a measure of continuous improvement, Six Sigma methodology is most suitably applicable to achieve continuous improvement in quality, productivity, customer satisfaction, timeliness, and any other measurable business attribute; however, six sigma cannot be applied to situations or processes that lack historical data and tangible metrics. Intangible objectives such as employee motivation, commitment etc can also be improved by using Six Sigma methodology only if these subjective attributes can be converted to measurable objectives and can be measured to derive a quantifiable number that can describe the present status. Despite presence of proven and efficient quality tools and techniques in the market, some companies have embraced Six-Sigma methodology as their guiding force towards TQM. The pioneers of this technique are Motorola and General Electric (GE), both adopted this technique to improve their manufacturing quality and waste reduction. General Electric embraced Six Sigma much more rampantly than any other firm in their manufacturing as well as service sectors. They attribute cost reduction, customer satisfaction improvement, Wall Street recognition and corporate synergies to application of Six Sigma methodologies. Six Sigma is embedded into GE’s culture. This company employs over 4000 Black Belts and 10000 Green Belts across its businesses, and has set a benchmark for Six

Racial Disparity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Racial Disparity - Research Paper Example If it could be considered as one of the social problems of modern societies, racial disparity has caused severe concerns to governments worldwide mostly because of the following facts: the problem seems to be continuously expanded, i.e. there is no sign of limitation or even standardization; also, the phenomenon has been already developed at such level that threatens the stability of the society. Racial disparity is a critical social problem in countries worldwide. The problem is mostly reflected in the barriers faced by black people or people belonging in minorities when trying to enter the job market (The Independent 2008, NBC Washington 2011); the healthcare treatment provided to black people and people in minorities also reveals the existence of racial disparity (McNeil 2011). In criminal justice also, cases of racial disparity can be identified. Indeed, black people and people in minorities are most likely to be arrested for crimes of various types; moreover, people in this category are more likely to be convicted – compared the white people who have committed the same offences. In Illinois ‘19 per cent of black defendants charged in 2005 were sentenced to prison after being charged with a low-level drug possession felony’ (Di Benedetto 2011); the percentage of white people charged for the same crime was just 4% (Di Benedetto 2011). It should be noted though that the failure in managing racial disparity is not reflected just in the punishment imposed on offenders; it seems that criminal behavior is increased in black people and people belonging in minorities, a fact which shows the lack of measures for equally controlling crime across society. In a research developed in 2008 â€Å"10.1 per cent of all blacks reported using illegal drugs compared to 8.2 per cent of all whites† (Di Benedetto 2011). Racial disparity is an important social problem;  however, its limitation would require an integrated plan of action; the introduction of changes in the criteria of sentencing would not be adequate for reducing the number of minorities in courts and prisons.  

High School and Social Support Essay Example for Free

High School and Social Support Essay The purpose of the study was to determine possible differences in leadership behaviors, using the Revised Leadership for Sport Scale (RLSS), between male and female coaches and among different coaching levels. The researchers submitted two hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that male and female coaches would respond differently to the RLSS in overall leadership behaviors. The second hypothesis was that differences on the RLSS would occur among coaching levels: junior high, high school, and college. The sample was nonrandom, including 162 coaches that were chosen on a volunteer  basis. Within the sample, 118 (0. 73) of the coaches were male, while 44 (0. 27) were female. With regard to coaching level, 25 (0. 15) were junior high coaches, 99 (0. 61) high school, and 38 (0. 24) at the college level. While this is a good sample size, the problem lies with the distribution of the sample. The sample number for junior high coaches, in particular, is rather low. A larger sample with regard to all categories would have aided in the data analysis, particularly when looking for possible interactions between gender and coaching level. The instrument utilized was the Revised Leadership for Sport Scale (RLSS) developed by Zhang, Jensen, and Mann in 1996. This scale is used to measure six leadership behaviors: training and instruction, democratic, autocratic, social support, positive feedback, and situational consideration. The scale uses 60 statements, which were preceded by â€Å"In coaching, I:† A Likert scale was then given for each statement: 1 = never; 2 = seldom; 3 = occasionally; 4 = often; and 5 = always. This produced an ordinal level data set. Scales were administered in a number of environmental settings: classrooms, gymnasiums, practice  fields, and offices. The internal consistency for each section was calculated: 0. 84 for training and instruction; 0. 66 for democratic; 0. 70 for autocratic; 0. 52 for social support; 0. 78 for positive feedback; and 0. 69 for situational consideration. There was no information, however, regarding the validity of the RLSS. A MANOVA was used to analyze the data for differences between male and female coaches with regard to leadership behaviors. This is not consistent with the type of data collected. The RLSS used a Likert scale (ordinal), yet a MANOVA would be most  applicable for normally distributed, quantitative data. The analysis showed there were no significant differences between male and female coaches in overall leadership behaviors. When the six leadership styles were examined separately, there was a significant difference in social support between males and females. In general, females scored much higher than did the male coaches. A MANOVA was also used to examine the data for differences between the three levels of coaching (junior high, high school, and college) with regard to leadership behavior in general. There were significant differences between the three levels. When breaking down the six behaviors and examining them individually, an ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Again, because the data for the RLSS is ordinal, an ANOVA is not the best analysis tool. The three coaching levels scored differently on three of the six behaviors: democratic behaviors, training and instruction, and social support. High school coaches scored much higher than college level coaches in democratic behavior. Junior high coaches were significantly lower in training and instruction than either high school or college coaches. Junior high coaches also demonstrated a lesser degree of social support than either the high school or college coaches. A MANOVA was again used to analyze the data for any interaction between gender and coaching level with regard to overall leadership behavior. Once again, a better analysis method could have been chosen based on the nature of the data collected. The results indicated no significant interactions. The ecological generaliziability for the study is fairly high. The surveys were mailed out, and returned on a volunteer basis. However, due to the nonrandom nature of the sample, the results would not generalizable beyond the 162 participants in the study. There was no effect size is listed for the study. In order to reduce threats to internal validity, the participants were asked to respond honestly and confidentiality was stressed so that the â€Å"coaches might feel more at ease in responding. † No other efforts were indicated. The researchers mention that the scales were given in a variety of settings. This could present a threat to the internal validity in that participants might not have been entirely focused on completing the scale, but instead on coordinating practice, completing  paperwork, etc. There are a number of other factors that could effect the internal validity of the study, yet were not addressed by the researchers. Coaching experience would greatly effect the responses of the participants, yet this was not considered in the study. The gender of the athletes may be a contributing factor to the coaches’ responses. It is not unreasonable to suppose that coaches of female athletes, particularly at the junior high and high school levels, will demonstrate more social support than those of male athletes. The nature of the  sport could also be critical. Certain coaching styles are more applicable for individual sports (wrestling, track, and tennis) than for team sports (football, soccer, and basketball). The socioeconomics and population of the school itself could play a factor. Certain schools have better athletes and programs in a particular sport, while others may not be able to field a winning team. In addition, at the high school level, coaches are occasionally asked/forced to work with a program they have no knowledge of or desire to coach due to staffing  shortages. This could dramatically influence a coach’s response to the scale questions. The history of the program as well as the individual coach’s personal coaching history could greatly influence responses. If the program has had several losing seasons in a row, perhaps the attitude of the coach could be different than that of a coach who has recently won a state title. An additional set of questions regarding the personal history of the coach in question could have helped reduce many of these threats. With additional information, the  researchers may have been able to use a modified matching system when analyzing the results. By increasing the number of independent variables to include things such as coaching experience and gender of the athletes, the researchers could have reduced some of the potential threats to internal validity. In addition, bringing coaches together to a common setting could have reduced location threat. Coaches meet seasonally for clinics. Perhaps obtaining permission to administer the survey during these meetings would have been possible. It would have also been possible to actually go to individual  schools and meet with the coaches as a group to administer surveys. This method would have given a good cross-section of gender and coaching experience for a variety of sports. While the study has merit, the methods need to be re-evaluated. The power of the study needs to be increased by obtaining a larger sample size. The numerous potential threats to internal validity need to be addressed and minimized where possible. It would also be helpful to be given data regarding the validity of the RLSS. Without these, it is impossible to evaluate the potential meaningfulness of this study.

Doris Duke :: Essays Papers

Doris Duke Many people may think that money is the key to happiness, but Too Rich, written by Pony Duke and Jason Thomas proves this theory wrong. Doris Duke was one of the richest people in the world, in fact at her time, she was the richest woman in the world, but money does not make all people happy. Actually, being rich could lead to and extremely lonely life, such as Doris Duke’s. Well, of course money can buy a person any and every material item that they want, but some things are priceless. Even the MasterCard commercial says so, â€Å"Your child’s first baseball game, priceless. For everything else, there’s MasterCard.† Money cannot buy happiness and companionship. The reason that a biography was written about Doris Duke is because she was the richest woman in the world. Her family and she used their money towards worthy causes. Doris’ father founded Duke University and Doris helped to preserve national forests and monuments. The Duke fortune started with the American Tobacco Company. At one point their tobacco company was a monopoly, but then others formed. When Doris was born she was referred to as the one million-dollar tyke. This became true when her father, Buck Duke died. The message conveyed in this novel is that money can buy most things, but it cannot buy happiness. Happiness is the one thing that Doris Duke craved and needed in her life more than anything else in the world. She was very lonely and trusted too many people. The most important lesson that her father taught her that she did not follow was not to trust anyone. The dedication of the book reads, â€Å"This book is dedicated to Doris Duke, who should have believed the person who told her ‘never trust anyone’†(iv). Doris wanted to be loved. She tried to find real affection from so many people, but found mostly fortune hunters. Doris also grew up alone and isolated. All of the people she allowed into her life did not love her for her, which she found out sooner or later, but later much more often than sooner. Doris is portrayed as a lonely loving woman, who would do almost anything for anyone if she offered before she was asked.

Stepmom: About Death and Dying

Movie Review: Stepmom By: For: November 16th, 2010 REL201 The film step mom beautifully portrays the effects death and dying can have on a family. Even one like the Harrison's, where the parents are split up, and and a new women has come into Luke's live. Their will always be different ways of coping with death and that is shown through all the characters, be it strong willed like Luke and Jackie, negatively and dramatically like the daughter Anna, or positively and unaware like the son Ben. All these different ways of coping make this film an ideal one to view the different ways one can cope.Throughout the film Stepmom death is shown as both a negative and positive affecting occurrence. When the main character Jackie Harrison is first told that her diagnosed cancer has became much worse, she is spiteful and hate-filled. She resents the fact that her recently divorced husband is now getting married to a younger woman, she is also angry that her marriage to Luke didn't work out, and i s also saddened at the fact that she will never live to see her children grow up. The positive aspects of death in this film is that Jackie soon realizes that she has to come to grips with her inevitable death.This allows her to live her remaining months in peace with her children and even become happy with Luke and Jena Malone getting married. In the circumstance on Jackie Harrison, death is not presented as a natural part of the life cycle. Cancer, is a modern problem with no modern cure as of yet. It endangers and ends many young lives throughout the world. Jackie was already diagnosed with cancer a year before, however, when she went for a re-evaluation it was found that the cancer had re-appeared and had intensified in her body. This shows that cancerous cells can begin to form at anytime in one's body and is not a atural part of the life cycle. In the case of Jackie there are two sides. At first when re-diagnosed she is very fearful. Not for herself, but rather for her childre n. Jackie is afraid that she will not be able to see her children again, and be able to watch them grow up and lead fulfilling lives. She is delivered more bad news at a dinner by her ex-husband. Luke tells Jackie that he is to marry Jena Malone. Jackie is angered again and can not bare to tell Luke that she is in fact dying of cancer and will not be around to raise their children. Another scene depicting anger is after Ben falls off the play structure and eeds stitches.At the hospital she tries to see her son, but Jena is already there comforting him. He asks Jena to sing her a song because â€Å"Mommy always does† (Stepmom). As Jackie looks on from outside the room Jena sings for Ben and she is angered by this and goes home and has a fit in her home. Jena uncovers Jackie's secret through a conversation they have at her home. She tells Jena that she is infect going to L. A. to see an oncologist for treatment. Jena is saddened to hear that the ex-wife is dying of cancer and a sks â€Å"are you dying? â€Å", to which Jackie replies â€Å"Not today†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Stepmom). This in turn affects Luke who is the next o find out and thus feels guilty. He feels as though it should have been him and not Jackie. They decide to tell the children about the cancer together and this scene provides the most dramatic effect of the movie. Ben takes the news very lightly and is intrigued as to what his mom is enduring, there is a doubt as to how much Ben knows about the situation. He thinks it's less serious then it actually is. The daughter Anna, is immediately angered by the news and storms off. As she heads upstairs Luke yells â€Å"You do not run out on your mother†, and she replies â€Å"No that's your job† (Stepmom).This scene is important because it shows how the family as an entirety deals with death. The message of the film Stepmom is too fully appreciate one's life to the fullest while you can, and to truly live like you we're dying. It also h as many family values attached to the death process. Jackie who has always enjoyed her children now see's the reasons to why she is truly enjoying them. After hearing that her cancer has got worse she decides to stay home and take time with to be with her family. Luke even becomes more involved with her as her condition worsens, something he never did when they we're together and she was healthy.A kind of ironic tragedy. It also portrays that Jackie will never be able to be replaced as the children's mother but Jena can do more by being there for them while they live on without Jackie. In one of the lasts scenes Jena and Jackie make amends and realize that the kids won't have to choose and that they could love them both. â€Å"I have their past, and you can have their future† (Stepmom) is what Jackie says in comfort to Jena. The white dove that Ben always asks about has dual meaning throughout the film. Ben believes every magician needs a white dove, but the dove in fact symb olizes freedom and life.The symbolism of the dove also has heavy meaning towards Jackie. It would represent her long after she is gone and would be the confidant of the young Ben. In the final scene at Christmas time, Jackie is at this point very ill. When Ben comes upstairs to Jackie's room to get his present from her she is alone in a chair. She smiles and gives Ben a magician's cape to continue living his childhood dream of becoming one someday. She then goes downstairs after Anna comes to get her, and helps Luke, Jena and Ben perform a magic trick to uncover the white dove in the cage underneath the magician's cape.It is symbolic because this white dove will represent Jackie and her continued support of her son long after she is gone. Stepmom was a great film to watch in terms of understanding how a family can cope with death and dying. It shows the contrasts of family values, ways of coping with death and also the support system a family can have throughout times of crisis. Eve n though Jackie and Luke were no longer together they found a way to make things work when the children and Jackie needed it the most. It is inspiring to see such love and compassion in a difficult situation, even when at the eginning of the film there was nothing but resentment towards each other, a common bond, brought them together and closer then ever, even if it was a negative one. Cancer continues to be a serious threat for today's modern society and we must continue the fight against to someday have a cancer free earth.Bibliography: I) Stepmom, DVD, Directed by Chris Columbus, (1998) Columbia Pictures, Hollywood. California II) http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC2569562/pdf/jnma00195-0137. pdf Heather M. Butts,JD,MPH III) http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Stepmom_(film) IV) http://www. mediacircus. net/stepmom. html