Religious Perspectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Religious Perspectives - Essay Example As such, each forbids evil and enjoins good. That is the crux of any similarity in their perspectives. They seem to disagree on the very reason for the sermon. Popular observance of some holidays in honor of individuals is the main point of ideological contention between the speakers. The announcer leans toward approval while implying Shaykh Mahmud was somehow opposed (Windows, 109). He embraces the legendary remembrance of individuals. He focuses on the fallibility of scholars especially how they could inadvertently thwart good in their nearsightedness (Windows, 110). Shaykh Mahmud's sermon was a pretty standard "Be fair to others and praise your Maker" sermon. He did not explicitly oppose anything of the sort (Windows, 110 - 116). His non-mention of Sidi 'Abd ar-Rahman 'Uthman ash-Shahawi could be interpreted as a rejection of the proceedings Each speaker establishes a distinct position on how they believe Islam should be performed. The announcer approaches the celebration in terms of the overt observance of a holiday born in modern legend and appeals mostly to logic. Shaykh Mahmud approaches it in terms of the esoteric message appeals mostly to Qur'an and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SWS). One may infer certain points about the different ways that some contemporary Muslims think about Muslim devotional practices.

Intelligence Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Intelligence Analysis - Assignment Example Revelations have been put forward by experts amidst the lack of evidence to prove it. They have only been major suspicions with no supportive evidence. In the midst of these allegations, the western media has built up pressure by its view on Iran. A mock US aircraft carrier has been the source of media frenzy in the West with claims that its purpose was to initiate â€Å"black propaganda† and a means to signify mistrust. On the other hand, Iranian media clarified what it was stating that it was just a movie prop. In the continuing face of the ongoing negotiation over Iran’s contentious nuclear program, allegations that have long been running under have come into the limelight. The allegations are that Iran is a major player in the acts of terrorism targeting Western nations. However, analysts say that it has never gotten much of the U.S. government’s attention at all. The issue is quite intriguing as the two, Iran and terrorists are deemed enemies, but on the other hand, in the eyes of the West, terrorism provides a platform for the two to work in association. These allegations have been put forward by the 9/11 investigating commission, Canadian investigators with the commission recommending that the U.S. government investigates further the ties between Iran and al –Qaida and the investigators alleging that two men involved with plans to derail a train had been receiving guidance for al – Qaida members in Iran. All these have been allegations. However, the only U. S. government to present a concrete case linking Iran to terrorism is the Treasury Department that connected an Iran – based terrorist as a main al – Qaida facilitator (Seldin, Iran’s Ties To Terror Shadow Nuclear Talks). As for the manner in which Western media views Iran, Iran is portrayed in a negative manner. CNN claimed that the mock carrier been built Iran is been done intentionally at a time when negotiations are ongoing over

The Need for Privatization Essay Example for Free

The Need for Privatization Essay Every paycheck 7.65 percent is taken out for a retirement program, after the employer kicks in, a total of 12.4 percent of what you earn goes to the government to fund your retirement. The government system offers minuscule returns by anyones measure and the system is expected to go bankrupt as soon as 2014. If a private company had these problems, no one would invest. But, this is a mandatory program, Americans have to stay in this system and are forced to invest in its fated future. Social Security is one of the biggest disasters of American history. In a country that was founded on the principles of Capitalism and free markets, this socialist program limits peoples pursuit of happiness. Percent Who Believe Social Security Will Not Be There When They Retire All under 6560% Generation X70% Baby Boomers69% Social Security is an un-funded pay-as-you-go system. The idea is fundamentally flawed and follows the design of the famous illegal pyramid schemes. Many people claim that the constitution provides a social safety net, because the preamble of the constitution states that the government should promote the general welfare of the people. The constitution then goes on to list the enumerated powers of the state. Nowhere in the list does it say that the government should provide a retirement of healthcare for the people. If the founding fathers wanted these programs, they would have provided a way to pay for them. The rate of savings in the United States is 26 percent of Gross National Product; the country of Chile saves 30 percent of their GNP. With these two countries saving close to the same amount for their future, you would expect both to have similar results for retirees. The United States Government run pay-as-you-go system provides meager results as compared to even the least progressive private investment. The  Country of Chile used to have the same system the US currently uses, but decided to let people invest their own money how they choose in the open market. Chileans pensions are 70 to 100 percent higher than under the old government system since the switch to a private solution. The Chile system says that a person must contribute at least ten percent of their wages to the retirement program. Many workers contribute more than the ten percent that is required. In a private retirement system, people are free to choose what is best for them. Josà © Pià ±era, who is Chiles minister of labor, says: A worker can contribute more than 10 percent if he wants a higher pension or if he wants to retire early. Individuals have different preferences: some want to work until they are 85; others want to go fishing at 55, or 50, or 45, if they can. The uniform pay-as-you-go social security system does not recognize differences in individual preferences. In my country, those differences had led to pressure on the congress to legislate different retirement ages for different groups. As a result, we had a discriminatory retirement-age system. Blue-collar workers could retire at 65; white-collar workers could retire more or less at 55; bank employees could retire after 25 years of work; and the most powerful group of all, those who make the laws, the congressmen, were able to retire after 15 years of work. Opinion of Social Security Reforms The privatized Chilean system is obviously working better than the current US system. Many critics claim that the switch to a private system would be difficult to do. Chile, Mexico, Britain, and Australia have all successfully made the switch to a non-government system. All four of these countries are now striving under their new private retirement systems. The main problem cited in privatizing social security is how to pay the people that have paid into the program their whole life. There is an easy solution to this. The American Government has many programs that it does not have to provide under the Constitution. The government could easily abolish unnecessary arms such as the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Education. The government  also has excess assets that could be sold to support the people who have been forced to be dependent on Social Security. Social Securitys website lists the number of agency field offices at 1,300; thats a lot of office space, and a lot of bureaucrats that wouldnt need to be paid. If countries like Mexico and Chile can change over to privatized retirement systems, the United States will have no problem replicating their success. Josà © Pià ±era, Chiles minister of labor, described how the transition to a private system was made: The real transition cost of the system is the money the government ceases to obtain from the workers who moved to the new system, because the government is committed to pay the pensions of the people already retired and of those who will retire in the future. That transition cost can be calculated. In Chile it was around 3 percent of gross national product. How we financed it is another story. It will be done differently in each country. Suffice it to say that even though governments have enormous pension liabilities, they also have enormous assets. In Chile we had state-owned enterprises. In America I understand that the federal government owns a third of the land. I dont know why the government owns land, and I dont know the value. Nor am I saying that you should sell the land tomorrow. What I am saying is that when you consider privatizing Social Security, you must look at assets as well as liabilities. I am sure that the U.S. government has gigantic assets. Are they more or less than the liabilities of the Social Security system? I dont know, but the Cato project on privatizing Social Security will study that. In Chile we calculated the real balance sheet and, knowing there were enough assets, financed the transition without raising tax rates, generating inflation, or pressuring interest rates upward. In the last several years we have had a fiscal surplus of 1 to 2 percent of GNP. Opinion of Privatization Plan Strongly Favor38% Somewhat in Favor31% Lean in Favor4% No Opinion12% Lean Opposed2% Somewhat Opposed6% Strongly Opposed6% DK2% The future for Social Security looks grim, but there is some hope for privatization. The Republicans currently want private Social Security, and George Bush said Dont treat Social Security like its a federal program. In February of 1997 the Oregon state senate passed a resolution requesting that the state be allowed to opt out of the Federal Social Security program to start their own private retirement system. As people begin to see that the national program is going bankrupt, there will be great political pressure on congressmen to enact a new program. Medicare/Medicaid is another Federal program that is in great need of reform. Medical costs account for fourteen percent of our Gross Domestic Product. The current system decreases competition and skyrockets prices for medical care. The heavily regulated heath care business is restricted in not only getting cutting edge treatments to patients, but also in how they see patients. The American Medical Association limits the number of medical students accepted to Universities and decrease competition. There is never an ad in the help wanted section of the newspaper looking for doctors. When was the last time you heard of a doctor collecting unemployment? Government regulations also limit what non-doctors can do. Its easy to see that its doesnt take a PHD to do an annual checkup or to fix a broken bone. Regulations hurt Americans and drive up healthcare. With Medicare, there is a price put on procedures. An experienced doctor gets just as much as the recent med school graduate for doing open-heart surgery. The experienced  doctor is unable to make his own prices. These practices discourage competition and are bad for America. Canada and Britain both have socialized health care systems. The programs cost more than the semi-capitalist American system, but polls seem to show that citizens in those countries enjoy them. The care in these countries is mediocre and there is not much cutting edge medicine being done because there is no incentive to. There is also no incentive for doctors to perform to the best of their ability. Canadian patients cross the boarder to seek care at the Cleveland Clinic and when Margaret Thatcher needed surgery, she crossed the Atlantic to get help. The wait for cancer radiation in Canada is three to six months, twelve to twenty two months for a new plastic hip. Federally run programs will never be as cost effective or efficient as those run in the private sector. Time will tell as to whether Social Security and Medicare will fall out of Federal hands, but common knowledge of Economics shows that more competition breeds more innovative and less expensive solutions.

Antenna Technology Wireless

Antenna Technology Wireless Definition Antenna is an electronic device mostly known as transducer that is designed to receive and transmit electromagnetic waves and can be very effective in the telecommunication systems. It was the most neglected section of all the personal communication systems. But with the rapid evolution of the technology, communication is expected to be transmitted and received quickly and with fewer errors whether it is through wireless networks or otherwise, thus antennas can solve this problem. Actually it is not the Antennas which are smart but the smart system that makes it work are smart. Smart antennas consists of many other antennas which when combine together would produce or receive signals faster and more efficient. Normally this set of antennas is called MIMO which means multiple inputs -multiple outputs. . Beamforming is a technique where signals are processed and send to the direction of the receiver or vice-versa. The signal is either a fix pattern or adaptive pattern that is modified to make maximum usage of signal. Background Smart Antennas can be referred as a new technology which is used with the mobile communication, but in fact the first Smart Antennas were introduced to use by the government in the military application in 1960s. The transmission of the signal used directed beams to avoid environmental interferences such as noise and at the same time hiding transmitted data from enemies. During those days the antennas structure was very large and it was time-consuming to calculate the exact transmission rate and correctness of the signal. In 1987, the concept of wireless communication has been invented by Marconi and since then there has been an extensive and continuing increase in the use of mobile communication. Newer technologies and approach were explored and deployed and when the latest one that is the Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA) has been emerged it brings a promising future to the wireless communication. SDMA is based on the use of Smart Antennas and researchers have worked on this technology to apply it on personal communication. Types of Smart Antennas There are two main types of Smart Antennas Switched beam is the simplest structure of Smart Antennas; it forms fixed multiples beams to serve users in a predefined way. The signal gives its best performance by switching from one beam to another when the user of the mobile moves through their cell. The table below shows how this approach works: But the problem with this beam occurs is the user is not in the middle of the main beam. The other type is the Adaptive Array Antennas. It is the most advanced approach of the Smart Antenna System as it automatically adjusts the beam with the condition of environmental factor that is the movement of the user and any interferers. Furthermore it also identifies, track and reduce any interfering signals and it maximize the signal radiation in the direction of the mobile user. The adjustment is attained the incoming signal is multiplied with complex weights and then summing them together to obtain the desired radiation pattern. Categories of Smart Antennas The Smart Antennas fall into three categories SIMO, MISO, and MIMO. Single-Input and Multiple-Output (SIMO) uses a single antenna for transmission to be received by multiple antennas in wireless communication. A benefit of this category is that the antennas are combined to reduce errors and improve the transmission distance but in some cases this gives rise to problem with multipath effect. As discussed in SearchMobileComputing, 2005 website when an electromagnetic field (EM field) is met with obstructions such as hills, canyons, buildings, and utility wires, the wavefronts are scattered, and thus they take many paths to reach the destination. The late arrival of scattered portions of the signal causes problems such as fading, cut-out (cliff effect), and intermittent reception (picket fencing). In digital communications systems such as wireless Internet, it can cause a reduction in data speed and an increase in the number of errors. Thus two or more antennas as transmitted can solve this problem. Multiple-Input, Single-Output (MISO) means that there are multiple antennas to transmit but a single antenna to receive. This has practically the same benefits and limitations as that of SIMO, but this technology has widespread application in Digital TeleVision (DTV), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) and mobile communications. Multiple-Input, Single-Output (MIMO) used multiples antennas for transmitters and as well as receiver for wireless communication. Antennas which were not a great subject of discussion recently become the most important category in wireless communication. Especially when Researchers finally proved that with MIMO antennas system there are lots of advantages such as greater receiver gain, increased data rates, larger network throughput, and improved reliability through antenna diversity. IEEE 802.11n wireless standard which is expected in 2009 uses MIMO to increase maximum speed to 100 Mbps and beyond, double the 802.11a and 11g wireless standards. This article was extracted from Techworld.com which clearly shows the use of MIMO system in wireless communication. Cox, 2008 says that â€Å"MIMO has made its way into chipsets and could be in WLAN devices by year-end. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project, a collaboration of telecom standards groups, is also evaluating MIMO techniques for use in cellular networks. MIMO doubles the spectral efficiency compared with that of current WLANs. So far, the only company with MIMO chipsets is Airgo Networks, which launched its products in August 2003. MIMO is unique because it multiplies bandwidth by essentially providing multiple channels between devices, says Ben Manny, director of the radio communications laboratory in Intels corporate technology group.† MIMO can be classified into three categories Precoding, Spatial Multiplexing and Diversity Coding. Precoding is multi-layer beamforming to support MIMO radio system. It is used for single-user MIMO or multiple-user MIMO in a linear or non-linear algorithm. Spatial multiplexing is a way to transmit and separate high rate signal into multiple lower rate streams and each stream is transmitted from a different transmit antenna in the same frequency channel. Diversity methods is a single stream (unlike spatial multiplexing) to transmit data and is coded using techniques called space-time coding. Overview Architectures of Smart Antenna (MIMO) One of the biggest problems in wireless telecommunication is fading and inter-symbol interferences as shown in the diagram, below. Fading refers to the distortion of intensity over certain propagation media and Inter-symbol interference (ISI) occurs when there is reflection caused by other remote objects. The transmitted signal, at the receiver end are overlapped and delayed. To overcome this problem we use MIMO architecture, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation and Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) coding. MIMO operate in two modes diversity mode and spatial multiplexing mode to solve the problem. Diversity Mode The use of two or more antennas that are spaced sufficiently apart such that they can receive signals from independent signal paths are involve in a Simple Receive Diversity. A basic way to select an optimal receive antenna from an array of antennas is Selection Combining, whereby the receiver switches to another antenna whenever it detects weak signals or a high noise level from the current receiving antenna. More sophisticated techniques such as Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC) receive on multiple antennas simultaneously and apply advanced signal processing algorithms to combine the different versions of the received signals to maximize SNR and minimize receive errors. Selection Combining and MRC can be implemented on just the receive side of the link as shown in the figure below. (Video54, 2008, p3) Spatial Multiplexing Mode In rich multipath environments with multiple uncorrelated signal paths as figure 5, Spatial Multiplexing (SM) allows the sender to transmit different portions of the user data on multiple paths in parallel to increase capacity. The target receiver must implement a corresponding de-multiplexing algorithm to recover the original information stream from multiple antennas. In an ideal multipath environment, SM can increase the capacity of a single frequency channel linearly with the number of transmit antennas used. (Video54, 2008, p4) Figure 5: Spatial diversity (Video54, 2008, p4) Spatial Multiplexing requires the same multiplexing algorithm on both sides of a communications link. Therefore it is not interoperable with existing 802.11a/b/g devices. Until 802.11n is defined, only SM client and SM network devices from the same vendor can communicate with each other. (Video54, 2008, p4) In contrast, Selection Combining and Maximum Ratio Combining are diversity techniques that can be implemented on just one side of a communications link; therefore they can benefit all existing 802.11a/b/g devices even when diversity is only implemented on the Access Point. (Video54, 2008, p4) Thus the above explanation shows how MIMO which is being a category of Smart Antennas is designed. Benefits/Limitations of Smart Antennas Benefits Smart Antennas System, being one the latest technology in progress has brought lot of benefits. It serves as a dual purpose that is while enhancing the signal quality; it also increased the reuse of the frequency. The benefits are in more details below: As Smart Antennas receive signal from several antennas, this increase the power for higher gain of signal. The Antennas also focuses on the communication device which allows the range of operation and the service by the antennas to increase. Thus reducing the cost by lowering the amplifier costs, power consumption and result in a higher reliability. To be more precise, with Smart Antennas the network providers will not require as many antennas/base stations to provide coverage. (Lehne et al. 1999, p. 5) Furthermore, Smart Antennas provide the facility to reuse the frequencies which can increase the number of users. This also add to the factor of cost reduction, that is if more users are on the same frequency there will be less operating cost for purchasing the frequency space. Interference will also be suppressed with the introduction of the Antennas system. The transmission pattern will be generated directly as before it was radiated from all the direction and increases interferences. Thus the suppression will also increase the ability to reuse and achieve a better coverage. With Smart Antennas signal are transmitted while targeting the communication device which can also be used to determine the accurate geographic information of the device. This can allow network providers to offer new services to the devices for example guiding emergency services to the location or the locality information. This system also increases security, as radiation of the signal is direct and not as in the traditional way when it was omni-directional. If someone wants to intercept the transmissions they would need to be at the same location or between the two communicating devices. (Gadh et al. 2003) Moreover, with the frequency reuse there in an increase in the bandwidth as Smart Antennas provide diversity. The adaptive array utilize multi-path signal to reach a device and reduce the effective delay spread of the channel and allowing higher bit rates to be supported without an equalizer. And as Smart antennas are not a new protocol or standard, it can easily be integrated with existing non smart antennas and devices. Limitations As all other system, Smart Antennas also has some constraints. Lots of faults or problems can occur which can be very hard to diagnose as Smart Antenna is much more complicated than the traditional one (Lehne et al. 1999, p. 5). And also though there will be a reduction in the cost factor with the frequency reuse when the system is already implemented but while implementing this complex system, they are far more expensive than the traditional antenna. Furthermore due to the antenna arrays which are utilized by smart antenna systems, they are much larger in size than traditional systems. This can be a problem in a social context as antennas can be seen as ugly or unsightly. (Lehne et al. 1999, p.6) Smart Antennas need to have the best location to operate because of the direct radiation and not as the traditional one. For example in a road context, smart antennas are better situated away from the road, unlike normal antennas which are best situated along the road. (Lehne et al. 1999, p . 6) Need of Smart Antennas Smart Antennas has been required to accommodate with the future of mobile communication that is to significantly improve the performance of wireless performance and increase the number of users. So Spatial Division Multiple Access (SDMA) which is a satellite communication mode has exploited this technology to optimize the use of radio spectrum and minimized cost. SDMA also known as SDM (spatial-division multiplex) has also used Smart Antennas or adaptive array to adjust dynamically with the changing traffic and the user requirements by providing frequency reuse and antennas that are highly directional, unlike the previous wireless system like FDMA, TDMA or CDMA. Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) was the first generation of wireless networks communication. FDMA technique was a basic technology in analog that was used by the Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) and was the most widely technology installed in mobile phone in North America. FDMA assigned each channel to only one user at a time and is also used in the Total Access Communication Systems (TACS). But The Digital-Advanced Mobile Phone Service (D-AMPS) which also uses FDMA adds TDMA to get three channels for each FDMA channel, tripling the number of calls that can be handled on a channel. (Sanchez, 2003) Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) was first used BY D-AMPS then Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) in 2G cellular system, and Personal Digital Cellular (PDC). Each of them implements TDMA differently and in incompatible way (Search Networking, 2006). TDMA is a channel access method to share medium network and used in digital mobile communication dividing signal into three time slots in order to increase the amount of data that can be carried. It also allows multiple stations to share the same transmission medium while using only the part of its bandwidth they require. TDMA is used for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) and also in the satellite system and combat-net radio. (Wikipedia, 2008) Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) refers to the second generation (2G) and third generation (3G) wireless communication. It can be said to be an alternative to TDMA and FDMA, but CDMA has a much higher bandwidth than the data being communicated in contrast with TDMA which divides access by time and FDMA divides by frequency. CDMA is a form of multiplexing, which allows numerous signals to occupy a single transmission channel, optimizing the use of available bandwidth and also allows roaming (Search Telecom, 2007) but it does not guaranteed the future of mobile communication and this is where SDMA arise and become the solution. Conclusion Even though Smart Antennas has some limitations, it has proved that it is the latest technology to bring an excellent future to wireless communication. With the adaptive array system the communication would be clearer with better signal and also the frequency reuse is of great advantage to cost reduction. Furthermore, MIMO is one of the latest discussed and the IEEE 802.11n wireless standard is expected in 2009. So it can be concluded that Smart Antennas has a great future. References Web ProForum Tutorials Smart Antenna Systems http://www.iec.org/online/tutorials/acrobat/smart_ant.pdf Date accessed 15/04/08 Wikimedia Foundation, Inc (2008) Smart Antennas, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Antennas, Date accessed 18/04/08. TechTarget (2004) Smart Antenna http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci1026138,00.html Date accessed 18/04/08. Paulraj (2008) Smart Antenna Research Group http://www.stanford.edu/group/sarg/ Date accessed 20/04/08. CDMA Development Group (2008) Smart Antennas http://www.cdg.org/technology/cdma_technology/smart_antennas/index.asp Date accessed 24/04/08. Shetty, K.K (2004) Chapter 1 Introduction http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-04092004-143712/unrestricted/Ch_1introduction.pdf Date accessed 24/04/08. Cugnin, A (2008) Smart antennas http://broadcastengineering.com/hdtv/smart_antennas/ Date accessed 30/04/08. Georg zur B, Thomas C Smart antennas: A design alternative http://www.eetasia.com/ARTICLES/2005FEB/B/2005FEB16_RFD_TA.pdf?SOURCES=DOWNLOAD Date accessed 05/05/08. Kassner, M (2008) /a>Whats MiMo? http://wedothatradio.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/mimo-mike-kassner/ Date accessed 09/05/08. Cox, J (2008) Which smart antenna system will win? http://www.techworld.com/mobility/features/index.cfm?featureid=396 Date accessed 15/05/08. WTEC Hyper-Librarian(2000) Smart Antenna Advantages http://www.wtec.org/loyola/wireless/06_04.htm Date accessed 21/05/08. Hall, D (2007) Smart Antennas http://www.robotification.com/content/view/13/ Date accessed 22/05/08. Sanchez, R.W (2003) FDMA http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci213959,00.html Date accessed 24/05/08. TechTarget (2006) TDMA http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci214175,00.html Date accessed 24/05/08. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc (2008) Time division multiple access http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Division_Multiple_Access Date accessed 24/05/08. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc (2008) Code division multiple access http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDMA Date accessed 24/05/08. TechTarget (2007) CDMA http://searchtelecom.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid103_gci213842,00.html Date accessed 24/05/08. Intel Journal (2006) MIMO Architecture for Wireless Communication http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/2006/volume10issue02/art07_MIMO_Architecture/p06_mimo_systems_ofdm_ldpc.htm Date accessed 25/05/08. Video54 (2008) Mimo and Smart Antenna Techniques for 802.11a/b/g Networks http://www.edsl.com.au/ruckus/whitepapers/smart-antennas.pdf Date accessed 25/05/08.

Gay marriage ethics

Gay marriage ethics Introduction The issue of civil rights for gays and lesbians, one in particular marriage; although many religious conservatives wish it would, will not go away. One of the reasons, for this is that the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down state anti-sodomy laws as unconstitutional and in light of the Michigan state Supreme Courts ruling that prohibiting marriage between same-sex couples violates their constitutional rights. Marriage has always been a huge part of human relationships. It is seen as the coming together of a man and a woman, the bonding two people together for emotional support, moral support and economic well being as well as the rearing of children. Most of society looks at marriage as a holy union of just one man and one woman. Does marriage have to be between just a man and women? This paper will examine both sides of the civil rights and moral dilemma that is facing the United States today. Identifying the Problem The issue of -gay marriage is one that has been very much in the forefront of public discussion in recent years, with states granting, then withdrawing marriage licenses to gay couples, wrangling over legislation as to whether to grant full marriage rights or establish domestic partnerships, and trying to come to grips with how to balance differing of public opinions on the subject, which are passionately at odds in some areas. Some believe that giving gay couples the full benefit of marriage will take away from the traditional marriage, while others feel they ought to have nothing less. Same-sex couples are denied their civil rights, such a making medical decisions for their partners in an emergency. Some of which have not been in contact with their families for years, hospitals are legally bound by state law to contact their next of kin for direction on issues pertaining to the health of the patient when their partner is right there. Even when wills and POAs (Power of Attorney) are made, they are sometimes fought by the family and overturned by a court. Is this right, morally or ethically? Married couples can not testify against their partner in a court of law, but gay partners do not get the same right. Another civil right is this fair? Clarify Concepts Giving way to legal acceptance to gay marriage would hurt society on a number of levels. First, legal identification of gay couples would legitimize morally wrong unions. Further,gay marriage would in the end fail marriage as the basis of an established society. Since gay unions cannot produce children through ordinary and proper procreation, such unions do not add to the survival of the human race. Furthermore, it is immoral to legitimize gay unions because it is not in the best interests of the children who might be adopted by gay couples. These children would be lacking of either the awareness of fatherhood or motherhood. Because cohabiting homosexuals can make use of various legal provisions to protect their rights, there is no need to allow gay couples the legal status of marriage, especially since such a change would threaten the common good. (Burns, 2002) There are many religious arguments and protests that are against gay marriage. Among these are the belief that gay couples are unnatural, marriage is sacred and a sacrament, the primary purpose of marriage is procreation, and marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman. Many point to biblical scripture when arguing against gay marriage. Most religious opponents to gay marriage cite two passages from the Old Testament as proof of their point-of-view. The first of these is Leviticus 20:13: If a man lies with a man as one who lies with a woman, both of them have done what is repulsive. They must be put to death (Burns, 2002). Possible Solutions to the Problems Our society here in the United States needs to have more of an open mind when it comes to sexual preferences. The gay and lesbian community has been struggling for years for civil rights. We need to consider their right to be married whether in a civil ceremony or a church of their choosing. They should be allowed the same rights as any other American citizen. We should do this because it is the right thing to do. Our Pledge of Allegiance is under God with liberty and justice for all, not for who we choose. Religion should not dictate our morals or who should be allowed to marry. Civil liberties should dictate our morals and the quality of life for our people where we are all considered equal no matter what our religious, social, financial or political views are. We can also develop a Domestic Partnership into law for gay and lesbian citizens as another solution. This would allow homosexuals to be recognized as legal partners by each state and give them the same rights and responsibilities that heterosexuals have always claimed. Lets look at some of the arguments against gay marriage to see how they stand up. Solutions may be found by these by seeing that some of them just do not stand up..If the arguments do not make since then there must be a solution. Examine Assumptions and Points of View Opposition of gay marriage say that marriage is for the creation of children, if that is the case then why are couples that are infertile allowed to marry? Also should post menopausal woman and men who are impotent divorce because they can no longer procreate? How do they explain this? This does not make a good argument against gay marriage. (Bond,2008), Legalizing gaymarriagewould have a negative effect on the concept of monogamy in marriage. Homosexual advocates disagree that access to marriage will encourage gays and lesbians to conform to traditional monogamy in committed relationships. It is more likely that opening marriage to homosexuals will allow them to legitimize non monogamy, civil partnerships unrelated to sexual or romantic relationships, and polyamory (sexual relationships among more than two people). Without monogamy as a founding principle, marriage will no longer provide a stable and healthy setting for families and especially children to thrive. If gaymarriage is legalized, the institution of marriage will be deprived of monogamy and thus any hope of permanence.( Kurtz 2005) I believe that this is a fallacy based on scare tactics, somewhat like the Bush administration idea of going to war with Iraq. There have been legalized gay marriages in other states and other countries for years; would there not be news about polygamy and the non-monogamy because of gay marriage? The biblical passage in Corinthians 6:9-10 Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanders nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God (Bible). After gaymarriage, what will become of marriage itself? Will same-sex matrimony extend marriages stabilizing effects to homosexuals? Will gaymarriage undermine family life? A lot is riding on the answers to these questions. But the medias impulsive labeling of doubts about gaymarriage as homophobia has made it almost impossible to debate the social effects of this reform. Now with the Supreme Courts ringing affirmation of sexual liberty in Lawrence v. Texas, that debate is unavoidable (Kurtz, 2005). Gay marriage causes offense to everything religion stands for. What or whose religion does this stand for? Christian religion yes it does and also Islam and Judaism, but a Buddhist sect in Hawaii does support the right of gay marriage (Bidstrup 2009). Gather Information The opposition of gay marriage is based on misunderstanding of what homosexuality really is. There are stereotypical views about gay relationships, that they are promiscuous, and cannot form a lasting relationship. I am sure that they are no different than straight relationships. We have promiscuous and lasting relationships. It sometimes human nature, especially among young people who are not ready to â€Å"settle down† its not based on if you are gay or straight. So what is marriage for? Modern marriage is, of course, based upon traditions that religion helped to codify and enforce. But religious doctrine has no special standing in the world of secular law and policy, the Christian nation crowd notwithstanding (Rauch, J 1997). If we want to know what and whom marriage is for in modern America, we need a sensible secular doctrine. Many people believe that gays have a choice in being who they are, and it is only about sex. They can choose to be with a member of the opposite sex if they want to be. Homosexually is based on mutual attraction, affection and love; the same as heterosexuals. It is no different than being white, black, or Chinese it is the way you are born. Gay marriage is morally wrong and violates the sanctified institution of marriage. This is said by the Bible. The United States and American law is supposed to be separate from the church; this is from one of our founding fathers Thomas Jefferson. Therefore it is not right for someone to use the Bible to say what is to be made into law (Bidstrup 2009).. Gay couples are not morally able to raise children but, it is morally right for child molesters, murders, and convicted felons are allowed to marry and create and raise children. Why are the same people who oppose these rights to gay couples not against this, it happens every day. There are not studies that have determined that gay couples raising children caused them any harm, Can the same be said be said by child molester? Moral Reasoning Gay marriage principles are, in my opinion, no different than those in a heterosexual marriage. They want the same thing in a marriage that anyone does that chooses a partner for life. Their values are the same, they are loyal to their partners, are monogamous. They participate in family life, committed to their neighborhoods and communities by making them a better place to live. They serve on their school boards, volunteer in the community, they are good citizens, just like their heterosexual counterparts, making their communities a better place to live (Bidstrup 2009). One of the benefits of the heterosexual society as well as the homosexual community for gay marriage is the participants are not involved in promiscuous sex. This slows down the spread of sexually transmitted diseases; by the way know no sexual orientations. I am a supporter on gay marriage, I believe in all equal rights for all people no matter race, gender, or sexual preference. I believe in the separation of Church and State. It should have no bearing on our laws and moral reasoning when it comes to making our laws; as long as our rights do not infringe on our fellow citizens rights. Most public officials place their hands on the Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution. They dont put their hands on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible (Bond J., 2008). I think that religion and scripture are used to keep gay marriage from becoming legal. Our government uses religion when they think it is necessary for their advantage. That is wrong. The Bible was written long ago, there are so many contradictions in it and I believe that it was meant for the time it was written in and for a specific people. In our society today there are several injustices that are more important that our law makers should be concentrating on than opposing gay marriage. Let us move forward. Consequences When and if gay marriage is passed they will receive the same benefits of heterosexual couples. They will enjoy the same contented lifestyle that a two income family has. In todays economic society it most often takes two incomes to keep up with the middle class. The social benefits will be sharing insurance benefits, healthcare, tax filing as a joint couple, joint ownership, and ability to make medical decisions for each other. Social Security, property inheritance, and family medical leave and military disability benefits are just a few more that heterosexual marriage couples have. The argument about homosexuals not being able to procreate, although partly true, lesbian can certainly procreate by artificial insemination, and that they could harm children by raising them shows no scientific evidence. Gay marriage would increase adoptions; there are many children that are in need of homes by loving parents and extended families. This would be a positive step for children that do not have a home. One of the most successful approvals for gay marriage is that they will no longer be second class citizens by being on the lower part of the social standing. The homosexual community should no longer have to be denied their equal civil rights. We are all created equal and that includes everyone, it is not based on our sexual preference. If gay marriage is legalized they will no longer be subjected to narrow-mindedness every day. Bidstrup, S. 2009, Gay Marriage, The Arguments and the Motives, Retrieved March 1, 2010. http//www.bidstrup.com/marriage.htm Bond, Julian. Opposing Same-Sex Marriage Discriminates Against Gays. Opposing Viewpoints: Discrimination. Ed. Jacqueline Langwith. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Baker College. 28 Feb. 2010 Burns, K. 2005 Congregation for The Doctrine of The Faith. Gay Marriage Should Not Be Legal. At Issue: Gay Marriage.. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Baker College. 28 Feb. 2010 Kurtz, Stanley. Gay Marriage Threatens Families. At Issue: Gay and Lesbian Families. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Baker College. 28 Feb. 2010 Rauch, J., Society Has a Compelling Interest in Allowing Gay Marriage, Current Controversies: Gay Rights, San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997, Retrieved March 2, 2010, Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale, Baker College

The National Market for Cellular Phone Service Essay -- Business Econo

Figures Unreadable The National Market for Cellular Phone Service The national cellular market is undoubtedly one of the nation’s most expansive markets. In 2003, wireless revenues totaled to over $100 Billion; nearly one percent of the United States GDP. Since wireless has emerged, the typical buyer has expanded from the average middle/upper-class adult to teenagers, elderly, and business consumers. 20% of American teenagers own cell phones, explaining why Virgin Mobile was founded to specifically target young consumers1. There is certainly a large market for business consumers, as many carriers advertise business solutions even in retail outlets. Altogether, it’s estimated that 50% of Americans own cell phones, yielding a consumer base of approximately 147 Million customers2. Although there are over 300 registered national wireless firms, there are only a select few that compete in the entire national market3. The industry’s largest corporation is Verizon Wireless with a 2003 annual revenue of $22.5 Billion and a base of 40.4 Million customers. Sprint PCS, T-Mobile, and Nextel also have growing nationwide networks. Many competitors, although well known, only have coverage areas in sections of the United States. Alltel, for example, only offers service in the south and midwest. Until recently, Cingular had coverage areas in only the southeast and western parts of the United States. Its recent merge with AT&T wireless, though, will expanded its network to what some speculate will become the largest nationwide network. Since we are considering the market for national cellular service, we will consider only the ones with complete nationwide service: Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS, T- 1 Brome 2 Brian and Tyson .. ...escoop.com/>. Burden, Eric. Personal interview. 6 Dec. 2004. Cingular. . Leslie Cauley, and Paul Davidson. â€Å"Cingular, AT&T deal gets an OK from Justice.† USA Today Oct. 2004: Money, Pg. 03b. Marshall Brian and Jeff Tyson. â€Å"How Cell Phones Work.† Article. . Nextel. . T-Mobile. . Taylor, John B. Economics. Boston: Houghton, 2004 RadioShack. . Sprint PCS. . Verizon Wireless. . â€Å"What is the difference between analog and digital cell phones?† Article. . Wireless Advisor. . Yahoo Finance. .

The First Latina to Conquer Hollywood Essay -- Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes

Hollywood has not always been accepting of Latinas. Current stars Salma Hayek, Eva Mendes, and Penà ©lope Cruz follow in the footsteps of pioneering Dolores Del Rio. Lauded as â€Å"The Princess of Mexico", Del Rio was a star whose allure captivated legendary figures Orson Wells, Marlon Brando, Elvis Presley, and Frida Kahlo. Fast friend Marlene Dietrich labeled Dolores, "The most beautiful woman in Hollywood. She has better legs than Dietrich and better cheekbones than Garbo". A beauty that lead to wild rumors of an orchid petal diet, or that Del Rio slept 16 hours a day to maintain her loveliness. Sadly, in a fundamental way, Del Rio’s talent became a prisoner of her splendor. Del Rio’s life was not always glamorous, born in Durango, Mexico, in 1905, she was the only daughter of Jesus Jacques and Antonia Lopez-Negrete. Her father was the director of the Bank of Durango, but the family lost their wealth in the Mexican revolution. A forced relocation to Mexico City, when Dolores was five, quickly reestablished the familial standing in society. Little Dolores studied at prestigious Liceo Franco Mexicano convent (taught by French nuns), gaining a lifelong passion for literature, dance, and art. A debutante’s life came at a price; for the 16 year-old Dolores it was an arranged, loveless marriage to lawyer Jaime Del Rio. Jaime was 18 years her senior, his family one of the oldest and most influential in Mexico. Their wealth allowed for a European honeymoon, where they were invited to dine with the Spanish Royal family. The honeymoon morphed into a three year romp, with Dolores delighting in voice and dance lessons at stately Madrid and Paris schools. In 1921, the couple returned to Mexico City, Jaime intent on advancing his career whil... ...e best dramatic female performance in Del Rio’s honor. Vestiges of Del Rio remain in America, such as a statue at Hollywood-La Brea Boulevard in Los Angeles, honoring ethnic leading ladies of the cinema, featuring Del Rio with Mae West, Dorothy Dandridge and Anna May Wong. Del Rio also has a star on the iconic Walk of Fame, located on 1630 Vine Street. Author Salvador Novo gave a perfect, if unintended, eulogy a year before her death. â€Å"With Dolores Del Rio we are in the presence of a case in which extraordinary beauty is only the material form of talent. She has been gifted with grace, and fresh and vibrant nimbleness that, being natural, seems exotic.† Time had finally caught up to the ageless beauty, which she herself never a vain person had never worried about. "So long as a woman has twinkles in her eyes, no man notices whether she has wrinkles under them."