Causes of the Zika Virus Spread

Causes of the Zika Virus SpreadA worldwide epidemic of the Zika computer virus has plagued the Pacific Islands, the Americas, and some African and Southeast Asiatic countries. Currently, brazil holds the highest record of Zika virus-positive cases in Latin America which induce devasted and terrified the nation. The World Health Organization (WHO), an organization of the United Nations (UN), has announced Zika virus contagion as a newly arising disease to be managed and also a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)(Gulland, 2016). In general, Zika virus is a single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Flavivirus which is also related to other flaviviruses such as dengue virus, lily-livered fever virus, West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus (Lanciotti RS, 2008 Scaramozzino, Crance, Jouan, DeBriel, Stoll, Garin, (2001)). clinical complications namely, the Guillain-Barre syndrome, congenital syndromes, miscarriages, and even death chip in been correlated wi th Zika virus infections. Zika virus is not a new virus. In fact, it has been discovered and documented more than 50 years ago. Only recently, it has gained unparalleled attention and has created such global alarm by the global health companionship. The first human illness caused by Zika virus infection was first recorded in 1953 in Nigeria (MacNamara, 1954). By September 2015, investigators in Brazil saw an increase in the number of infants born with nanocephaly which is one of the clinical complications linked with Zika virus infections. By mid-February 2016, over 4300 cases of microcephaly had been recorded (Victora, Schuler-Faccini, Matijasevich, Ribeiro, Pessoa, Barros, (2016)). The question that now reflects in peoples mind would be, what are the causes of the administer of Zika virus mosquitoes? There are many causes of the rapid dissemination of this virus, but the more major reasons are the carriers of the disease, the abundance of breeding ground, and climate change.Fi rstly, the main reason for the spread of this virus would most evidently be the mosquitoes infected with the Zika virus. Not all mosquitoes act as carriers but the predominant vector responsible for the spread is the yellow fever mosquito or in scientific terms, the Aedes aegypti mosquito which is also a primary vector for the transmission of dengue throughout the globe. According to Dasti, before the bang of Zika virus in Brazil, distribution of Aedes aegypti has been predicted across different continents. Based on the entomological data available, it is shown that high concentration of this species in Brazil faculty be the main contributor to the outbreak and also the rapid dissemination of Zika virus infection across the country (Kraemer, Sinka, Duda, Mylne, Shearer, Barker, Hendrickx (2015)). Fortunately, the Aedes aegypti mosquito does not tolerate colder climates and is presently limited to tropical and subtropical regions of the globe (Brown, Evans, Zheng, Obas, BarreraMa rtinez, Egizi, Powell, (2014)). There are also other potential species of Aedes mosquitoes which can also transmit the virus such as Aedes furcifer, Aedes metallicus, Aedes africanus, and Aedes hensillican.Another cause of the outbreak is the abundance of breeding grounds which plays a significant role in the reproduction and spread of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which are the primary carrier of the Zika virus. In the past 50 years, there was an explosion in the number of plastic containers which have created an abundance of ideal larval habitat for the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Residents in countries that has little awareness and education about the importance of hygiene and sanitation have interpreted their cities and towns for granted and have caused their community to be a perfect breeding ground for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Troncoso has identified several containers such as bottles, bottle caps, buckets, basins, release tin cans, puddles, pots, barrels with water, containers on t he roof to collect rainwater, tanker, used tires, and other artificial containers that can hold water (p. 522). Troncoso has also discovered common city areas with high concentrations of people such as bus stations, parks, and schools are potential sites for mosquito breeding (p. 522). Breeding sites for Aedes mosquitoes can be found all somewhat the house also. Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes lay eggs in water stored containers, which creates the opportunity for breeding. Furthermore, according to Alcides, cemeteries can also be considered as an excellent office for breeding of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Results of over 30 studies from the last decade related to mosquitoes in cemeteries have been published. In general, cemeteries are very suitable habitats for mosquitoes that thrive in artificial containers given the broad availability of sources they need. It is recommended that getting rid of unused containers and daily change water trough for animals and vases can reduce the r isk of Zika infection (Ayorinde, Oboh, Otubanjo, Alimba, Odeigah, 2014). Any stagnant water could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and majority of them are caused by man (Kilpatrick Randolph, 2012 Vasilakis, Cardosa, Hanley, Holmes, Weaver, 2011).Besides that, climate change is a crucial factor that can worsen the spread of the Zika virus. The Zika epidemic further proves that climate change is beginning to affect human health. According to the United Nations (UN), the rising slope in temperatures enhances the breeding and transmission of the Zika virus. The worsening climate increases the frequency of natural disasters all around the world which can be more devasting to countries with a poorer nucleotide (Troncoso, 2016, p. 521). According to Troncoso, the transmission of infectious diseases such as dengue or Zika is sensitive to climatic situations (p. 521). The ever changing climatic environment which includes temperature, humidity, rainfall, and soil humidity can affect the viruses that are transferred by insects (Brady, Golding, Pigott, Kraemer, Messina, Reiner Jr, Hay, 2014). Warming of tropical and sub-tropical climates has improved the condition for Zika carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to breed. Climate change has amplified the health risks of the poorest people, who are vulnerable and in jeopardy from the significant increase in disease by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Human activities such as massive deforestation and dam construction have caused the extinction of natural predators and changed the biodiversity which has increased the risk of exposure to mosquitoes. Residents of countries which have tropical or sub-tropical climates and have difficult access to health care will beget the most severe consequences (p. 522) of this disease (Johansson, M. A., Dominici, F., Glass, 2009). Consequently, as Troncoso (2016) confirms, climate changes is a potentially very important factor. that can bring new epidemics of Zika and even the risk of a pandemic worldwide (p. 521).In conclusion, evidence has shown that the outbreak of the Zika virus is the consequence and mis give births of our improper handling in the past, also with the current environmental factors. Unfortunately, the current extension has to suffer the adverse effects of the spread of this disease. Zika virus is a major global health problem that has already spread to different regions on creation and is anticipated to spread more rapidly given the fact that the virus can be transmitted sexually and by mosquito bites. The global health community has a responsibility to research and develop a solution to solve this problem as we have little knowledge about the virus. For the meantime, people should take extreme precaution when traveling to countries which have significant cases of Zika virus infection. Carrying the disease back home would be the last thing you want to do.

Importance Of IP Addresses

Importance Of IP foretellesEach device that participates in networking activities mustiness have a crotchety IP greet. Network services that use TCP/IP identify other(a) network hosts by using IP squalles. The IP prognosticate provides the tiny location of a host device on a network. If the internet protocol determines that a destination accost is on the local network, it transmits the packet this instant to the network host. If it is determined that the destination IP address is non on the local network, the internet protocol looks for a dispatch to a remote host. An address on the local network is a local address and on not on the local network is a remote address. If a route is found, the packet is sent using that route. If no route is found, then the packet is sent to the default gateway for the source host. A gateway connects networks using diametrical communication protocols.An IP address includes a network identifier and a host identifier. The network identifier i s apply to identify the network where the host is located. All systems that atomic number 18 on the alike(p) physical network must have the same network identifier. The host identifier identifies a workstation, server, router, or other host at bottom a network. The address assigned to each host must be unique to the network identifier.The 128-bit IPv6 address is divided into 16-bit boundaries. The 16-bit blocks are then converted to a 4-digit hexadecimal number, separate by colons. This representation is called colon-hexadecimal. This is in contrast to 32-bit IPv4 address represented in the dotted-decimal format, divided into 8-bit boundaries, and then converted to its decimal equivalent, and separated by periods.IPv6 addresses do not need to be configured manually. Unlike in IPv4, DHCP is not used in IPv6 to configure IP addresses and subnet masks automatically. The link-local scope of an IPv6 address is always configured automatically. Addresses with other scopes, for examp le global, are configured by router advertisements.Static and Dynamic AddressesA static IP address is an address that does not change over magazine unless altered manually. It is used when an IP address or network location has to remain the same consistently. A good example of this would be a blade server. If you go to www.google.co.uk you are really going to the IP address of 66.102.9.147. If this were to change it would not be possible to access Google.co.uk unless you knew the new IP address or until Google updated their DNS records.A Dynamic IP address is an address that changes every time the device connects to a network and is assigned an IP address. It is mostly commonly used when a consistent IP address is not necessary. Dynamic IPs are used in large networks where computers are frequently reconfigured, or where a limited number of IP address are available to share between many computers.IPv6 Unicast AddressesIPv6 UnicastIPv6 Unicast addresses are generically structured as a two part address a 64-bit Topology part, used by routers to forward a packet to its intended destination network, and a 64-bit Interface Identifier, that identifies a particular end point.There are some(prenominal) types of unicast addresses in IPv6 unicast global unicast, link-local unicast, and unique-local unicast. There are also some special-purpose subtypes of global unicast, for example IPv6 addresses with embedded IPv4 addresses or Loopback address. Additional address types or subtypes may be defined in the future.Elements of a Unicast AddressPrefix e.g. FC00/7 is a prefix to identify local anesthetic IPv6 unicast addresses.Global IDs are 40-bit global identifiers used to create a globally unique prefixSubnet IDs are 16-bit identifiers used to identify a subnet within the directInterface ID is a 64-bit Interface identifier that indicates the interface of a nodeGlobal UnicastGlobal Unicast Addresses of this type are designed to be aggregated or summarized to prepare an efficient routing infrastructure. They are the IPv6 equivalent of public IPv4 addresses. Unlike the current IPv4-based Internet, which has the mixture of both flat and hierarchical routing, IPv6 has been designed from the ground up to support hierarchical addressing and routing. Global unicast addresses are globally routable and reachable on the IPv6 section of the Internet. The region of the Internet over which the global unicast address is unique is the entire IPv6 Internet.IPv6 global unicast addresses are assigned from the prefix 2000/3. Global unicast address assignments are made to Regional Internet Registries, and the address blocks that have been assigned are registered in the IANA IPv6 Global Unicast Address Assignment Registry. All other address prefixes are currently unallocated, and should not be seen in the source or destination address of an IPv6 packet in the context of global routing.Link- local anaesthetic AddressesLink-local addresses are network addresses that are intended only for communications within unrivaled segment of a local network or a point-to-point connection. Link-locals allow addressing hosts without using a globally-routable address prefix. Routers will not forward a packet with link-local addresses.Link-local addresses are often used for network address configuration when on that point is no external source of network addressing information is available. This addressing is accomplished by the host operating system using a run called stateless address auto configuration. This is possible in both IPv4 and in IPv6.IPv6 hosts automatically assign their interfaces a unique address based on the IEEE 802 mack address.Unique Local AddressesUnique Local Addresses are similar to the private address space in IPv4. This address space is intended to have the same scope as global address but that equates to an enterprise environment. Unique local addresses are assigned from the prefix FD00/8, using a self-assigned Global ID, where the L ocal bit is set to 1. The Global ID is not certain to be unique, and there is no form of address registration. Packets with these addresses in the source or destination palm are not intended to be routed in the public Internet, but are intended to be routed in a site. The address prefix FC00/8 , with the local bit set to 0, is currently undefined.A former standard proposed the use of site-local addresses in the fec0/10 range, but due to concerns about scalability and the poor definition of what constitutes a site, its use has been deprecated since September 2004Unicast ConsiderationsGlobal Unicast Address ConsiderationsNo signifi assholet considerations are necessary if the organization has an address space assignment and a hit prefix is deployed.A multi-homed site may deploy addresses from two or more Service Provider assigned IPv6 address ranges. Here, the network Administrator must have awareness on where and how these ranges are used on the multi-homed infrastructure environme nt.The nature of the usage of multiple prefixes may depend on the reason for multi-homing (e.g. resilience failover, load balancing, policy-based routing, or multi-homing during an IPv6 renumbering event)IPv6 introduces improved support for multi-addressed hosts through the IPv6 default address selection methods.A multi-homed host may thus have two addresses, one per prefix (provider), and select source and destination addresses.However multi-homing also has some operative and administrative burdens besides choosing multiple addresses per interfaceLocal Link Addresses ConsiderationsLink-Local addresses are designed to be used for addressing on a single linkGenerally for the purposes of automatic address configuration, neighbor discovery, or when no routers are present.Routers should not forward any packets with Link-Local source or destination addresses to other links.unique only on one physical linknever routed even within particular organizationnot globally uniquenot unique even w ithin particular organizationused for special features of IPv6 like auto configurationUnique Local Addresses ConsiderationsAdvantagesProvides Local IPv6 prefixes that can be used independently of any provider-based IPv6 unicast address allocations. This is useful for sites that are not always machine-accessible to the Internet or sites that wish to have a distinct prefix that can be used to localize traffic inside of the site.Applications can cover these addresses in the same manner as any other type of global IPv6 unicast addresses.Sites can be merged without renumbering of the Local IPv6 addresses.Sites can change their provider-based IPv6 unicast address without disrupting any communication within the Local IPv6 addresses.Has a well known prefix that allows for easy filtering at site boundary.Can be used for in-site realistic Private Networks.If accidently leaked outside of a site via routing or DNS, there is no conflict with other addresses.DisadvantagesIt is not possible to route Local IPv6 prefixes on the global Internet. Consequentially, it is necessary to have the default behaviour of site border routers to filter these addresses.There is an extremely low probability of non-unique locally assigned addresses. This risk can be ignored for all practical purposes, but it still leads to a theoretical risk of clashing addresses.RecommendationsThe Unique Local Address format is recommended for several reasonsAllows networks to be combined or privately interconnected without creating any address conflicts or requiring renumbering of interfaces using these prefixesIf accidentally leaked outside of a network via routing or DNS, there is no conflict with any other addressesISP independent and can be used for communications inside of a network without having any permanent or intermittent Internet connectivityWell known prefix to allow for easy filtering at network boundariesIn practice, applications may treat these addresses like global scoped addressesis desig ned for Addressing isolated networksPersistent local-context addresses (independent of provider-based addresses)VPN (Virtual Private Network) styled interconnection of local network contextsPrivate addresses in terms of routing scopeGlobal addresses in terms of uniqueness

Skin Deep :: Self Image Beauty Essays

Skin DeepWe drove all the way down to New Jersey. We usually book NY/NJ trips for Korean grocery shopping and long weekends. It was a perfectly nice March day outbrisk, but sunny, with just enough tenderness for a light jacket. This was my dads idea. I was pretty against the whole thing, but I decided to give it a try it wouldnt suffering to try, would it? Ever since I was young I have had scars on my face from a severe case of chicken pox. The doctors worried that my face would be scar much worse than it is. They gave my parents two optionssand my skin down to create smooth skin which could potentially cause worse scars and redness in raw temperatures, or do nothing and hope that the scars would disappear over time. My parents, hoping for the best, went with the latter choice. And some 18 years later, my father questioned this decision. Dr. Grace Kim got her bachelor of science in biology from MIT in 1995. My father found her office advertisement in the Korean community newspap er. She shared her office in Inglewood, NJ with two other(a) doctors whose degrees from prestigious universities hung like graffiti on the walls. The office was softly lit and had a sort of Zen themed feel to it with bamboo shoots, rocks, stone tables, all classily done. The magazines spread across the rock table tops were plastered with skinny young Korean girls with perfect chins and tiny frames. I could sound out the words on the underwrite ooh-manz sen-suh or Womens Sense. The door opened and my name was called. My scars never really bothered me. I can remember the few instances when someone had noticed them and asked near them. But having someone specifically appointed to sit, stare, examine, and evaluate what your biggest problem areas are is not the highest rung on the self-esteem ladder. There are some old age I dont even notice my scars then again, there are days they seem to pop off my face eclipsing my otherwise stimulate complexion. Dr. Kims remedy for my scars was to cut the more noticeable ones using a very precise eyelet cut, stitch, then after healed, use laser technology to smooth the scarring from the stitches. Each eyelet cut would cost $200 and with my condition could cost over $2000. But before any services could be rendered, her scoopful line of skin emulsifying products must be used 6 weeks prior to surgery.

Discrepancy in Media Coverage Essay -- Communication, Influence on Peop

Discrepancy in Media reportageNameCourseCollegeTutorDateDiscrepancy in Media CoverageMore boys than girls indulge in sports activities in school. This has become a huge source of concern. Male students take active part in sports activities. Girls on the new(prenominal) hand shun such activities. thither has been a link amidst media coverage and the indulgence of girls in sporting activities in schools. This is primarily because television and otherwise(a) media show sports as a preserve of men. As a result there are few egg-producing(prenominal)s in the sporting activities on media. Hence female students never develop role models to ape in sports. Boys find some(prenominal) sources of, motivation to participate in sports. However, the discrepancy in media coverage is getting break with time. There is a realization of the importance of balanced attention with regard to gender in sports programs. Therefore there are increased efforts to ensure that several sport program s show women participating in games. This will lead to a better perception of sports by girls. Eventually, girls will change their spatial relation about sports. The paper takes a keen look at the entire perspective of media coverage and its corresponding effect on the participation of girls in sports activities. Media forums have always been instrumental in preparing a platform for the activities of the society. With regard to sports, it has been often been perceived as a preserve of males. Therefore, supporting programs in television and other forms of media have always featured males. Hence females have been left out. According to my experience as a specialist in the development of children, there is a need for a very positive and active partnership as far as the care of a chi... ...ke sure all of them are on the same page. To instill the culture of working together, Employers should establish that teams are groups that collaborate and share skills in effort to reach common objectives and goals that benefit the overall operation of the company. Every worker should have a different rough idea of what makes a good team. To run and operate efficiently, communication should be open between the employees and the management of the firm. When all of these are implemented, maximization of business values is almost guaranteed. Therefore, the presentation of media has a lot of influence on how people perceive reality. There have been several efforts to put an end to the discrepancy in media. As a result, there has been a significant change in the manner of presenting sports in media outlets. As a matter of fact, media discrepancy is getting better.

Virtual Reality :: essays research papers

When a sound source is visible and auditory cues battle with visual cues, mass always predominates over audition. When a sound source presents no visible cues, the most important role of vision is in the monitor of head movements. The visual field provides important feedback about the nature and degree of head movement so that deliberate disturbance to the visual field causes meaningful disruption in the ability to localize and invisible sound source. This is essential in ensuring the success of practical(prenominal) reality. All the applications of the technology of television have been dominated by entertainment. Because of this, the vast majority of televised scenes have been of familiar landscapes domestic rooms churches courtrooms and even the open prairie. In each case, the viewer is able to bring a vast amount of his or her experience to bear in interpreting the missing third dimension. However, as applications of television broaden to include queers for molecular mold ing programs for surgery for instance, the televised scenes become unfamiliar and interpretation of the depth cues become more difficult. Just as in the cinema, the human eyes persistence of vision means that we experience consecutive still images as a continuously flowing moving image. But, despite constant development in video display technology (better colour, higher definition images etc.), all television systems present a completely flat 2-D image. Therefore, it is essential to understand various techniques used by virtual reality engineers to ensure a realistic visual stimulation. Depth Enhancement TechniquesMany applications of television technology, which would benefit from conventional 2-D display to 3-D systems, are deprived of this transformation due to other considerations. Nature has solved the lack of binocular vision in animals not equipped with two forward-facing eyes by furnishing them with a mechanism for extracting depth information from motion parallax cues. Huma ns cannot do this without artificial aid and so require the assistance of video depth enhancement systems exchangeable the Pulfrich Effect and Depth Enhanced Vision (DEV). The Pulfrich Effect is named after a nineteenth century discoverer who noticed that if a neutral density penetrate is placed over one eye, a swinging pendulum reckons to swing in an ellipse. Depending on the direction of motion, objects on a video screen also appear to recede into the screen or advance out of the screen. This effect is due to the filter that causes the brain to process two identical retinal images at unlike speeds, which results in motion parallax being misinterpreted by the nervous system.

Doubling in Kyds The Spanish Tragedy :: Spanish Tragedy Essays

Doubling in Kyds The Spanish Tragedy The Worlds Classics version of Kyds the Spanish Tragedy has more than fifty-three roles*. This number can go a lot higher depending on the exact number of plural parts the director decided to allot. In other words, the script may read simply nobles, or attendants and the reader can not be completely sure of the number of people referred to. If the performing company was limited in players, there may be only ii knights but if the director had a large cast he may send in six. This means, after working on the double possibilities for three weeks, I can not be one hundred percent sure of which characters were played by whom because I do not contend exactly how many parts I am trying to fill. Add that to the fact that there are some parts which only show up once in the whole play and share the stage with only one person. These particular roles can be played by almost anyone in the cast. thitherfore, I paired up as many roles as I thought were nec essary and left the rest to find an purchasable player to reward them. In order to pair up some of the parts, the minimum number of players needed to be known. This will determine how many cast members had to be available not just for doubling but for staging the scene with the most roles at one time. This would be scene four in Act one. There is a minimum of twenty-two roles that need to be filled. Minimum because there are three plural roles Spanish nobles, Trumpeters, and Attendants (Kyd, 2), which means at least two of each, and sixteen roles with individual titles. Thirty-one roles were then left to be divided amongst the cast as double parts and, in some cases, triple parts. These be roles can not just be handed out randomly though. There are two basic guidelines used to determine who gets what parts (1) An instrument must play the same role throughout the entirety of the play and, (2) Two characters meeting in a scene can not be played by the same actor since it is im possible for one player to be in two different places at the same time. (unixg.ubc.ca) The attached chart shows all the meetings of characters in The Spanish Tragedy.

The theatrical works of 5C Athens represent a very significant advance on Homers Iliad :: Ancient Greece Greek History

The theatrical kit and boodle of 5C Athens re boon a very significant advance on Homers IliadIt is sticky to compare the works of Aristophanes and Homer, and make a decision as to whether or not Aristophanes plays are more locomote than Homers writing, as they serve a several(predicate) purpose and are told conpletely differently. Aristophaness stories are meant to be performed in the form of a play. Homers Iliad is an epic, and through his language the reader can only picture the scene. They cannot be compared as such, but we whitethorn pass judgment on whether the works of Aristophanes has advanced in quality, in relation to Homers Iliad. Literature reflects the circumstances of the times by providing a social and policy-making commentary. This commentary is represented by Aristophanes, one of the trump known tragic and comic poets of the fifth and fourth century B.C. As Hellenic society became more sophisticated a new type of poesy arose among the Greeks. Unlike Homer, auth ors of this lyric poetry sang not of legendary events but of present delights and sorrows. This new note, personal and passionate, can be seen in the works of Aristophanes, in which the contrast between the new values and those of Homers heroic age is sharply clear. By the fifth century B.C. in Athens, two distinct forms, tragedy and comedy, had evolved. acceptation from the old familiar legends of gods and heroes for their plots, the tragedians reinterpreted them in the light of the values and problems of their own times. Comedies were vulgar and lively. there were no laws against libel or obscenity in Athens, so political satire became a favorite subject of the comedians. Aristophanes, the most famous comic-dramatist, brilliantly satirized Athenian democracy as a mob led by demagogues. A favorite target of his was the political leader Cleon - he based several of his plays about him. Yet he also put intelligent messages between his jokes. For example, in his play Lysistrata, the women of Greece stop the Peloponnesian War with a sex boycott, refusing to sleep with their husbands until they represent to end the fighting thus, he could advocate peace and womens rights in the alike(p) story. By allowing such coarse humor even in difficult times, the Athenians may have shown us why Athens remained a cultural nerve centre after its best years ended they were never afraid of the truth, and could always antic at themselves.The theatrical works of 5C Athens represent a very significant advance on Homers Iliad Ancient Greece Greek HistoryThe theatrical works of 5C Athens represent a very significant advance on Homers IliadIt is difficult to compare the works of Aristophanes and Homer, and make a decision as to whether or not Aristophanes plays are more advanced than Homers writing, as they serve a different purpose and are told conpletely differently. Aristophaness stories are meant to be performed in the form of a play. Homers Iliad is an epic, and through h is language the reader can only picture the scene. They cannot be compared as such, but we may pass judgment on whether the works of Aristophanes has advanced in quality, in relation to Homers Iliad. Literature reflects the circumstances of the times by providing a social and political commentary. This commentary is represented by Aristophanes, one of the best known tragic and comic poets of the fifth and fourth century B.C. As Greek society became more sophisticated a new type of poetry arose among the Greeks. Unlike Homer, authors of this lyric poetry sang not of legendary events but of present delights and sorrows. This new note, personal and passionate, can be seen in the works of Aristophanes, in which the contrast between the new values and those of Homers heroic age is sharply clear. By the fifth century B.C. in Athens, two distinct forms, tragedy and comedy, had evolved. Borrowing from the old familiar legends of gods and heroes for their plots, the tragedians reinterpreted them in the light of the values and problems of their own times. Comedies were vulgar and lively. There were no laws against libel or obscenity in Athens, so political satire became a favorite subject of the comedians. Aristophanes, the most famous comic-dramatist, brilliantly satirized Athenian democracy as a mob led by demagogues. A favorite target of his was the political leader Cleon - he based several of his plays around him. Yet he also put intelligent messages between his jokes. For example, in his play Lysistrata, the women of Greece stop the Peloponnesian War with a sex boycott, refusing to sleep with their husbands until they agree to end the fighting thus, he could advocate peace and womens rights in the same story. By allowing such coarse humor even in difficult times, the Athenians may have shown us why Athens remained a cultural center after its best years ended they were never afraid of the truth, and could always laugh at themselves.