Lgbt Issues

LGBT Issues LGBT issues really caught my attention. I was never cared or thought about people are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender until I took this class. What really caught my attention was Paula’s story. That was very touching, and I felt bad for her. And I realized that probably many people have most likely gone through what she went through; especially with your family. Your family are the ones who love you and are always suppose to be there for you and when they are not there for you when you really need them at a time like that.In your lecture, on November 17th, you discussed about sexual orientation. Not only is it a sexual attraction but also a spiritual connection, as well as an emotional and romantic attraction. It is not the same as sexual behavior because it deals with feelings and emotions. This ranges on a scale from exclusive homosexuality to exclusive heterosexuality. The scale is called the â€Å"Kinsey Scale† from 0-6. Zero meaning heterosexualit y and six meaning homosexuality. There has been a struggle for equality for many years. Through gender, race and now sexual orientation.Still to this day there are the struggles of gender and race, such as for African Americans and Women, but it has gotten better. Now the main struggle is for the lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender. The struggle for equality, such as marriage. I am now starting to realize that why should a person be judged on whom you are attracted to, or whom you connect with? I know I would not want to be judged that way. Also, if you love someone and you are willing to spend the rest of your life with them and make a family and you are willing to marry them, then go do it.No one should have the right to tell you who to marry. As it says in this article, â€Å"The Semantics of Marriage Equality†, written by Steve Kleinedler, he argues, â€Å"When asserting that marriage has always been solely a union between one man and one woman, our adversaries tro t out old dictionary definitions to support their claims. The job of dictionaries is primarily to describe how language is used, not to dictate how it should be used. † Still to this day people are fighting for the same sex marriage. A recent article in The New York Times, â€Å"New York State Senate Votes Down Gay Marriage Bill†, written by Jeremy W.Peters. had said that The New York State Senate rejected a bill on this past Wednesday that would have allowed same sex marriages. The vote was 38 to 24. The gay rights organizations have steered almost up to $1 million into the New York legislative races to boost the support for the bill to be passed. He said that the senators who had voted against had explained by saying, â€Å"the public was gripped by economic anxiety and remained uneasy about changing the state’s definition of marriage. † They believe that the problem is â€Å"dead† in New York at least until 2011, when a new legislature will be in stalled.Now reading about all these articles and hearing stories, such as Paula’s I now feel bad and understand where they are coming from. I may not fully understand since I am not a lesbian or bisexual, but I now have an understanding of what people are going through. I do not have any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender friends, so I never understood or really cared about the situation, but now I do. Whenever I found out that someone was gay or lesbian or even bisexual I would honestly stop talking to him or her, I do not know why, but that was my reaction.Now I want to make friends with them, it would not hurt. I am not saying that I am going to go out and try to make friends, but if I do happen to come across and meet someone who is gay or lesbian or ever transgender I would like to give them a chance to be my friend. I think if my parents knew they would not be happy about it, but I think maybe I can make my parents realize that it is okay. They are normal people like anyone else. Spending time with someone does not turn you gay, because some people may feel that way.Like when we had a discussion in class about gay and lesbian parents, and some people had felt if the parents were gay or lesbian that the child sexual orientation would be homosexual as well. Which is not true. It is something inside of you that you cannot control. I honestly believe it is something that you are born with, you just cannot help it. I hear stories about people whom if they could change their sexual orientation and become heterosexual they would, so they would not have to go through the pain that some people put them through.I enjoyed learning this topic in class. At first I was not so pleased that we would be talking about it, but Paula’s story caught my interest and that is when I decided I wanted to do my paper on LGBT issues. Works Cited New York State Senate Votes Down Gay Marriage Bill. The New York Times. 2 Dec. 2009. 1 Dec. 2009. http://www. nytimes. co m/2009/12/03/nyregion/03marriage. html? _r=1. The Semantics of Marriage Equality. Advocate. 24 Nov. 2009. 1 Dec. 2009. http://www. advocate. com/News/News_Features/The_Semantics_of_Marriage_Equality/.

To Toll or Not To Toll

Various public facilities have important uses aside from revenue generation of the government. Like the tollgates, these facilities serve for the conduct of checkpoints, safety for the commuting public and substantially generate government revenues. On the contrary, tollgates are also criticized as the bottlenecks of traffic as vehicles lined up at the maximum or minimum performance of the tollkeepers. In the State of Connecticut, the Federal state and local governments plans reinstalling tolls on its highways. Several perceptions insinuate that causes of road accidents were due the absence of tollgates.It could be for the reasons that tollgates would slow down the speed of approaching vehicles as tollkeepers manning the traffic congestion from entry and exit lanes. This position paper will discuss and examine several points of considerations relating the reinstallation of tollgates in the State of Connecticut. Discussions It has been earlier reported in the 1980s that the removal of toll booths in the State of Connecticut have subsequently attributed to several road accidents that accounted about seven people who crashed and died at the Stratford tolls.In brief, Connecticut had more than 100 private turnpikes which were built from the period 1790 to 1850. The popularization of automobiles in the mid-20th century resulted to renew toll-backed financing to finance highways. In the 1990s to early 2000, technology plays a vital aspect in toll innovations through the introduction of electronic toll collection machines. Based on the May 10th 2009 news item ‘Toll proposals to be discussed at Thursday hearing’ by Martin B.Cassidy from the electronic publication of The Advocate, the Chairman of the Transportation Strategy Board Kevin Kelleher stated that â€Å"all the tolling concepts would use an EZ-Pass system†, referring to the system that would collect or tabulate fees from cars traveling at a speed of 55 miles per hour and up (1). Corey Sipe (2 006) in his article at Associated Content electronic publishing has discussed the analysis of James J. Fazzalaro of the office of Legislative research which cited that one-way gateway toll fees at $1. 00 could generate $58 million in revenues (1).Meanwhile, the web site of BethelRepublicans. Org (2009) has published ‘Opposed to Tolls on I-84 in Danbury’, implying that toll should not only be implemented to generate revenues but also to promote efficiency. Further, it reported that Connecticut Republican Senator Michael McLachlan pointed out on the issue of traffic congestion during a forum held at Western Connecticut State University on March 26th 2009. As cited from the article of BethelRepublicans. Org (2009), it quoted Senator McLachlan who said that â€Å"drivers are trying to avoid the I-84 tolls by rerouting in community areas† (2).In which case, rerouting in the residential community areas congest the traffic of small roads in Danbury and residents could b e prone to accidents. It may be acknowledged that Senator McLachlan has raised a considerable point not only on the issue of traffic situation but as well the public safety, in which could pave the way in the implementation of the tolling system. Despite the concern of Senator McLachlan, it was also pointed out that travel time, gas consumption and toll fees could be an added expense to reconsider (2).Indeed, many motorists tend to shorten their travel time and avoid the additional expenses for gas and toll fees. Moreover as previously covered in the article of Martin B. Cassidy (2009), the implementation of congestion pricing addresses the issue of efficiency. According to Cassidy (2009), the South Western Regional Planning Agency Executive Director Floyd Lapp commented that the state should use congestion pricing (1). It can be explained that â€Å"congestion pricing† is the process of charging distinctly separate toll rates on â€Å"peak or off-peak† travel time sch edules.Also, the toll rates can be implemented in two ways, namely â€Å"static pricing† is attained in periodic intervals on a monthly or quarterly basis with published toll rates adjustments, while â€Å"dynamic pricing† can be implemented by using â€Å"electronic traffic sensor system† to monitor the volume of traffic and automatically adjust the toll rates. Early this year, the Associated Press in its electronic news has published ‘Report Pending on Highway Tolls in Connecticut’ with reference to the $1 Million research contract which was engaged by Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board (CTSB) with Cambridge Systematics, Inc.(CSI). The Associated Press has implied the result of the research-study could be the turning point to realize the seemingly idyllic yet pending developments on the tolling project implementation. However, the Associated Press quoted that â€Å"it is still doubtful whether the CTSB would be supportive of CSI’s f indings and propositions† (1). On the following month after the comments of Associated Press, the year 2009 report of the Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (CSI) was then submitted to Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board (CTSB).The report which entitled: ‘Connecticut Electronic Tolling and Congestion Pricing Study’ was an independent technical study that formulated the strategic and feasible options in the implementation of the toll project. To generally describe the report, it contained variable conceptual framework on how the toll project can be effectively implemented and efficiently perform for public good, together with financial indicators that indicates the cost benefits of the state.Overall, the report has extensively presented the financial viabilities that comprised the operational components. As cited, the CSI report has highlighted the following findings (2): †¢ The New Toll Express Lanes require construction of new lanes and tolling, such as expre ss lanes: A-1: Interstate 95 (Branford to Rhode Island State Line), and A-2: Interstate 84 (Waterbury to New York State Line);†¢ Conceptually, every users pay toll in spite of the occupancy levels and types of vehicles; †¢ Neither access strip would produce traffic congestion, estimating from 6. 2 to 13. 8 percents decline of vehicles for every hour of delay, which shall be implemented at â€Å"I-95 and I-84† toll projects within one year period exclusive of new lanes. CSI (2009) has further presented the estimated revenue generation within a 30-year target, as shown in the illustration below:

Analysis of the Film American Beauty Filmed in 1999 Essay

Analysis of the Film American Beauty Filmed in 1999 - Essay Example â€Å"American Beauty† is a remarkable achievement in several ways. Despite having somewhat traditional cinematography, the artistic accomplishments of this movie in other aspects of film making and its following critical acclaim (including all of the awards that it won upon its release) led directly to widespread commercial success. Many aspects of the cinematography of â€Å"American Beauty† are somewhat traditional while avoiding cliche – at very least they are very far from experimental in any real way. The film, for instance, follows the rule of thirds nearly dogmatically, always maintaining action along the imaginary lines that would divide the screen vertically and horizontally. It tends to avoid extreme close-ups and distant medium shots while focusing on close ups and long shots, which all conspire to give this film something of a classical Hollywood look. This traditional Hollywood look that pervades the movie is useful, however, in differentiating the ‘produced’ aspects of the movie which has a generally negative tone, focusing on emotions and ideas such as despair, and ugliness, from other aspects of the film which focus on the polar opposite of these ideas, namely hope and beauty. Hope, one of this films major themes, is consistently connected a certain kind of shot: aerial shots of the suburbia in which the central family of the show lives. These aerial shots, frequently featuring excellent narration by Kevin Spacey, usually focus on the chances of life to expand beyond the mundane and reach into the ethereal. These shots are especially effective because they invoke an otherworldly quality, almost of a being in an afterlife looking down benevolently onto the town. By evoking the afterlife these shots give an underlying feeling of hope and possibility in the crowd. These shots, by departing so drastically from more traditional Hollywood cinematography, draw attention to themselves and their departure from the darke r themes of the rest of the movie. This departure from the traditional Hollywood style for the purpose of aerial shots has one other major parallel in the film, the classic and oft referenced (and mocked) handheld shots of a bag blowing through the breeze. These shots focus on beauty that can be found anywhere in the world, even in the most basic events throughout life. The shots are not only of bags blowing in the wind, but also show one of the main characters, Jane Burnham, portrayed by Thora Birch, disrobing and exposing her breasts to another person for the first time. This openness and beauty juxtaposes her general shyness and awkwardness, showing that even in her somewhat un-perfect packaging beauty can be found. The use of a grainy and unsteady handy-cam to display these signs of beauty, contrasting the high quality shots of ugliness not only draws attention to the shots, but also highlights a final of the film’s major themes: conflict and juxtaposition. One of the ess ential aspects of â€Å"American Beauty† is that there are incredible amounts of contrast within everything from characters (such as a homophobic gay man) to the world itself, which is both ugly and beautiful. Beauty displayed by an ugly handycam video contrasts with ugliness from a high quality video camera to show the essential conflict between opposing

Discussion Board 8, Chapter 10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board 8, Chapter 10 - Essay Example But our group leaders had a tendency to challenge our abilities. They would often ask us how we knew something was too complex without even trying to accomplish the instructions for the experiment. Our leader chose to validate our concerns by understanding our point of view and then negotiated with us regarding how we could complete the chosen experiment. That is how we would find ourselves working out the â€Å"complex† instructions and actually getting the work done. Then we would find out that it was never too â€Å"complex† at all. Then there was the time when I was part of the school dance committee. Our theme was 80s retro. The cost of our decorations were beginning to skyrocket and our class president would often remind us that our budget was running low. Luckily, we were a highly creative bunch in the group who knew that just because something was expensive, that did not mean we could not have it. Rather, it just meant that we would have to improvise instead, and improvise we did. By getting everyone involved in finding a solution to the problem, the result was a highly cooperative group that managed to pull off a school dance that looked expensive on a shoestring

Competition law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Competition law - Essay Example An exclusive distribution system is whereby a company, (manufacturer) grants exclusive rights of its products and/or services, to another company1. The most common form is when a single distributor acquires exclusive rights to market a product in a specific territory. Exclusive distribution limits sales to one dealer or to one distributor in a given market. Take the example of Sealy, a company that manufactures high quality mattresses and beddings products. In 1967 entered into an agreement to have its products distributed under the Sealy name and trademark, however the condition was that the companies to take up the distribution of the products were not to; 1. Be engaged, in contract, to any other company and not to distribute any other products whether beddings or not. 2. Sticking to a precise territory of sale and not to out of their allocated and agreed upon jurisdiction. The courts in the USA agreed to the terms that were being offered to the distributing companies by the manufa cturing company Sealy and termed then ‘horizontally correct’. This is because they looked at the substance rather than the form. This is the same as that of the Lolo Cars PLC and a hypothetical car distribution company called Zeek in Germany’s capital city Berlin2. The two decide to come to an exclusive distribution agreement of the sports cars. Zeek is located in Berlin, and it is limited to the boundaries of the city. The following will be the nature of the agreement; Lolo Cars PLC shall not be involved directly or indirectly in the sale, or even offer to sell its sports cars in Berlin. This is because it is an area exclusively under the authority of Zeek. This is evident in the American-Japan agreement on the sale of laser printers manufactured in Japan and sold in the USA. The Canon LPC laser printer is manufactured by a Japanese company but is distributed by Eastman Kodak Company in USA and is even rebranded as Hewlett-Packard and Corona data Systems. Zeek i s not allowed to sell the sports cars from Lolo Cars to any other part outside Berlin, and this is because it is aregion that has been demarcated for it. Advertisement of the sports cars outside Berlin is also not allowed. Zeek is also not to supply other products within Berlin that are assumed to be competing with the products of Lolo Cars. That means that Zeek cannot sign another agreement contract with another sports cars manufacturing company, especially if it should supply those cars within Berlin.Zeek should place a written order of the number of the cars that they would like (Roger & Culloch 314). This not only brings about transparency in the activities between the two firms but also gets rid of any form of fraud, and hence brings about responsibility. Lolo CarsCompany can change the price list of its sports cars only once in a year, and should give a written notice of sixty days to Zeek. This is because Zeek needs time to be able to inform their already established clientel e about the changes in the prices. Zeek shall use commercially reasonable efforts to promote the sale. Lolo Cars Company should first pass these efforts. If Lolo Cars does not agree with the methods of marketing and advertisement, then Zeek will not use it. These efforts also mean that they will train their own personnel that will be used tomarket and

Case study about international expansion Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

About international expansion - Case Study Example Ruth’s Chris did not consider this approach. Out of the four markets that the company operated internationally, the company noted that the current dining experience it offers its clients would be appropriate for new markets without risking confusion or dilution about the brand. In terms of penetration, Ruth’s Chris considered the option of adding more restaurants in the same market. Plans for implementing this strategy were underway, particularly in the case of new restaurants present in Canada. Nonetheless, the major drawback for affecting this approach is that the restaurants would not be able to offer ubiquitous serves compared to fast food establishments, such as McDonalds. Furthermore, it would not be possible for even for the world’s biggest cities to accommodate more than six steak houses owned by Ruth’s Chris. In terms of market development, the company aims at adding similar restaurants in different markets. This approach is obvious in terms of in creasing the revenue of Ruth’s Chris in four global markets, including Hong Kong, Canada, Taiwan, and Mexico. These franchisees would be profitable and provide testimony to the company (Sagepub, 2015). The diversification approach is the riskiest one for Ruth’s Chris to implement. By introducing new types of restaurants in different markets, the company would be forced to make major investments in the establishment of stores. In addition, the new stores would be different from the mother company, confusing the customers about the operations of the company. For instance, those customers who are loyal to the brand would perceive the different establishments differently, leading to loss of clients. As a result, the company would end up making losses, bringing down the overall competitiveness of the company in the global marketplace. To attract clients, Ruth’s Chris needs to come up with a strategy that would be appealing to different types of clients with different

Chapter question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chapter question - Essay Example This is because the different stages of a process involve different scopes that require application of different theories. The transtheoritical theory however offers a framework for application of the different theories, appropriately, at each stage of a process (Butler, p. 43). The key stages in TTM are â€Å"pre-contemplation,† â€Å"contemplation,† â€Å"preparation,† â€Å"action,† â€Å"maintenance,† and â€Å"termination† while the key stages in PAPM are being unaware and unengaged about an issue, â€Å"deciding about acting,† â€Å"acting and maintenance† (p. 45). The two models are similar in a number of common stages such as acting and maintenance. They however also have differences in the stages. Pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, and termination stages in TTM for instance do not exist in PAPM. Similarly, some stages in PAPM such as a person’s preliminary unawareness or un-engagement by the subject matter, the process of deciding to act or deciding not to act do not exist in TTM. The Transtheoritical Model and the Precaution Adoption Process Model therefore have both similarities and differences in their stages of implementation (Butler, p.