Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Politics and the American People Essay

Being able to marry your most beloved one is the happiest and luckiest thing in this world. However, not everyone can do this because of the Defense of Marriage Act which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. Same-sex couples have to suffer a lot in order to fight for their rights and their happiness.Theyare denied equal access to all the benefits, rights, and privileges provided by federal law to married couples.If we think of it from a humanity standpoint, everyone has the right to pursue happiness. Therefore, same-sex marriage should be legal. The reason for making gay marriage legal is equality in citizenship. Despite their sexual attraction, homosexual individuals must be treated in the same way as everyone. They should not only have the same rights in housing, jobs, social benefits but also in marriage. Lately, a Republican Senate, Mark Kirk, has become the second Republican senator to endorse same sex marriage. â€Å"Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage. Our time on this earth is limited, I know that better than most,† Kirk said. â€Å"Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back– government has no place in the middle.† President Obama is also a supporter of gay marriage. â€Å"Not only is it right and fair, but also consistent with our Constitution,† he said. â€Å"It is very important for us to remember we’re a nation in which everybody’s supposed to be equal before the law.† President’s statement is the hope for LGBT, Les Gay Bisexual Transgender community, to be treated equally by the law. Legalizing gay marriage is the way to show support and sympathy to homosexual individuals. Most Americans who think same-sex relations are wrong believe being gay or lesbian is a choice. Those who do not think same-sex relations are wrong think being gay or lesbian is something people cannot change. Senator Rob Portman, from Ohio, a co-sponsor of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, now supports same-sex marriage after learning his son was gay. â€Å"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married,† he said. His son, Will, told his parents that being gay was not a choice, but the part of who he is, , and that’s who he’d been that way for as long as he could remember. Most of the homosexual individuals feel unconfident in front of the publicity due to the sexual attraction, and they feel lonely because of the isolation. Publicity should give them confidence for being who they are to lead on a bright life. Moreover, having a feeling for someone isn’t a sin. Hence, gender doesn’t matter in a relationship, gay couples also need support from the others. Generally, there’re a lot of people who oppose gay marriage because they think it’s weird and immoral. It’s rare, but doesn’t mean weird and unhappy. Homosexual individuals are just a small amount of us, but they are nothing different from us but their love to the same sex. They also take care of their partner well, love each other and live an ordinary life. How people can use immorality as an excuse to prevent the others seeking for their happiness?Let’s take Elton John and David Furnish as an example. John is the well-known musician who is used to addict to alcohol and drugs, but his partner, David, helped him to get rid of those dangerous addictions and live a better life. They formalized their relationship in December 2005, and they also adapted a boy in 2010. It’s the obvious proof that homosexual individuals can live a normal life as same-sex marriage legalized. In spite of one’s gender and sex’s attraction, everyone should be respected and treated equally in marriage. So, they can live a normal life and be happy with their beloved one. More and more Senate Democratand Republican support same-sex marriage. The battles over same-sex couples marrying still continues, and the number of Americans who support same-sex marriage is increasing. From what I see, if there’s any reason for fighting for gay marriage, they must be love, equal, sympathy and because we’re human.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

A Faithful Servant: the Ambition and Power of Thomas Wolsey

During the beginning of Henry VIII reign, the young and inexperienced new king was content with letting his father’s advisers continue to govern the realm from the security of the council. As Henry wasn’t interested in the responsibilities, namely regarding the political aspects and hard work that went into being the king, he let most of the trials and tribulations fall upon these selected councilmen, until one minister came to dominate over the rest. The Archbishop of York, Thomas, Cardinal Wolsey (1473-1530) seemed to take over when the members of Henry’s council began to retire or die off.This rise to power that the cardinal was experiencing, as well as his new found friendship with the king eventually lead to his very dramatic fall from grace due to the actions regarding the King’s Great Matter not suiting his position with the church. The Great Cardinal came from very humble beginnings in comparison to some of his counterparts. A son of a butcher and cattle dealer from Ipswich Suffolk, Wolsey secured a spot at Oxford on a poor boy’s scholarship. It was there that the young Wolsey decided to devote his life to God and joined the church.Due to his striking intelligence and organizational skills, Thomas moved up in ranks of the church rather quickly, starting as a chaplain with the archbishop of Canterbury, and then beginning the reign as royal almoner to King Henry VII. This newfound position gave Wolsey a seat on the Privy Council, which gave him an opportunity to show his driving ambition for power and his industrious nature to the king. When Henry VII succeeded his father in 1509, Wolsey continued his life at court and quickly outgrew his position as royal almoner.After very successful military campaigns in France, which garnered Henry the glory of defeating a powerful opponent as well as French land lead 1512-1514, the faithful servant was rewarded with leading these successful escapades with the title of Archbishop of York in 1514, as a way of Henry showing his gratitude and during the following year he was awarded with the prestigious cardinal’s hat by the pope. The gratitude’s that Henry bestowed upon Wolsey were numerous, which in turn made him one of the most hated men to hold any sort of high office in England.This hatred of Wolsey sprung from the fact that Wolsey, being a churchman was supposed to lead a relatively simple lifestyle. This however was not the case and Wolsey was quickly given the title of a notorious pluralist, which is that, he usually held more than one ecclesiastical position at once. Due to his friendship with the king, Wolsey was awarded the title of dean of Lincoln in 1509, then bishop of Lincoln in 1514, which coincided with his rise to archbishop of York. As was previously stated, Wolsey was given the title of Cardinal in 1515, and then in 1518 he was also granted the titles of abbot of St.Albans and bishop of Bath. Wolsey’s good fortunes continue d still when, in 1524, he exchanged the title of bishop of Bath for the wealthier see of Durham; and then finally gave up Durham for bishop of Winchester. Wolsey held many of these positions while maintaining his status of Archbishop of York, this favoritism that was being clearly showed by the king towards Wolsey made him many enemies. Holding many of these titles, show many historians the ambition that Wolsey had with his king, however he also had much ambition regarding his church standings.From 1518 onwards, Wolsey held the position of the pope’s personal representative, or legate, in the realm of England. However, it should be noted that the legate to the pope had an even higher ambition in that Wolsey wanted to be pope himself. During 1519 Despite having numerous enemies within Henry’s court, Wolsey retained the confidence and good graces of the king, until Henry decided to solicit an annulment to his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, so that he could marry the am bitious Anne Boleyn.To achieve the divorce, Henry looked to Wolsey once again, expecting the Great Cardinal to use his pull on Rome as well as with those powerful in England to gain the outcome that Henry expected. Bibliography Primary Sources â€Å"Act in Restraint of Appeals (24 Hen. VIII, c 12, 1533). † In Sources and Debates in English History, 1485-1714. Eds. Newton Key and Robert Bucholz. 2d. ed. Chichester: Riley-Blackwell, 2009. P. 41. â€Å"Articles against Cardinal Wolsey, signed by the Lords (December 1, 1529). † In Sources and Debates in English History, 1485-1714. Pp. 39-40 Cardinal Wolsey’s Report to Henry VIII on Proceedings in Star Chamber (ca. 1518). † In Sources and Debates in English History, 1485-1714. Pp. 37. â€Å"John Skelton, â€Å"Why Come Ye Not to Court? † (written 1522, pub. 1568). † In Sources and Debates in English History, 1485-1714. Pp. 38-39 â€Å"Venetian Ambassador Sebastian Giustiniani’s Report on C ardinal Wolsey (September 10, 1519). † In Sources and Debates in English History, 1485-1714. Pp. 37-38 Secondary Sources Bulcholz, Robert, and Newton Key. Early Modern England, 1485-1714. 2d ed. Chicester: Wiley- Blackwell, 2009.

Nike Cost of Capital Essay

Kimi Ford a portfolio manager at NorthPoint Group which is a mutual-fund management firm, is considering to buy some shares from Nike, inc even if it’s share price had declined from the beginning of the year, for the Northpoint Large-cap fund she managed which invested mostly in Fortune 500 companies and it was doing well despite the decline in the stock market over the last 18 months. Kimi therefore surveyed the results of Nike’s fiscal-year 2001which had been revealed a week earlier. Issues that caused a decline in market sales as revealed by the management of Nike 1. Revenues since 1997 had stopped growing but remained around $9. 0 billion. 2. The net income had fallen from $800m to $580m a decline of $220 million. 3. Nike’s market share in the U. S. athletic shoe industry had fallen from 48 percent in 1997 to 42 percent in 2000 (6% decline) 4. The issue of Supply-chain and strong dollar exchange rate also affected the revenue negatively. Nike’s Strategic plan to address the above issues 1. Increase revenues by developing more athletic-shoe products in the mid-priced range. 2. Push its apparel line which had performed tremendously well. 3. Exert more expense control on the cost side. 4. Nike’s executives expressed their interest to continue with the long-term revenue growth target of 8 to 10 percent and earnings-growth targets of above 15 percent. Although the management presented its plan to improve on its performance, there were mixed reactions from the third party analysts. Kimi Ford was also not satisfied with the Nike’s analysis therefore she decided that it was necessary to develop her own discounted-cash-flow forecast. She found that Nike was overvalued at the discounted rate of 12% at its current share price of $42. 09. She also did a quick sensitivity analysis which revealed that Nike was undervalued at discounted rates below 11. 17%. In order for Kimi to make a proper investment decision for her Fund, she asked Joanna Cohen to calculate the cost of capital. However there were some problems. Cohen’s calculation of cost of capital. She used single cost of capital for the apparel and footwear lines assuming that they are sold through the same marketing and distribution channels and are often marketed in other collections of similar designs. WACC (Weighted Average Cost of Capital) WACC is calculated using weighted averages of debt (Kd) and equity (We) Cohen used Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) to calculate WACC 0f 8. 4 % however, she used the book values yet weights should be based on the market value. Her result of $3,494. 5 for the Equity was wrong. The formula for calculating the Market value of equity is E = stock Price x Number of shares outstanding .

Monday, July 29, 2019

Property law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Property law - Case Study Example The individuals share equal ownership and have the same and undivided right to dispose or keep the property. It also creates the Right of Survivorship that provides that if one tenant passes away, the rest of the property goes to those who survive them (Hinkel, 2012). According to joint tenancy, Andy and Barney owned the same interest in the whole property with an equal share and the estate was vested for the period of their lifetime. In addition, both Andy and Barney enjoyed similar rights until one passed away. Under the right of survivorship, when Andy died, the remainder of the entire property was automatically transferred to Barney. However, there could be a catch since it is not clear whether Barney had recorded an affidavit as to the death of Andy. It is true that, upon the death of Andy, Barney had the right of survivorship that ensured Barney got the title to the entire property. The procedure is that, in Andy’s death, the title was to be transferred to Barney after t he recording of this affidavit, which describes the dead tenant and property, as well as an attached death certificate (Hinkel, 2012). I do agree with the advice, as long as the Barney had recorded the affidavit of death of Andy, who was the joint tenant. Adverse Possession In this case, I concur with the advice given. In adverse possession, a person can gain legal title through open, actual, continuous, and hostile possession of land to the owner’s exclusion (Jourdan & Radley-Gardney, 2010). In the case, such as this, where the possession is open and notorious, Ernst possessed the property openly in the middle of the property where the neighbors could see and act as all true owners of the land would. While occupying Barney’s land, Ernst did not do so secretly such as to have denied him any legal rights to the land. Ernst has actually improved the land by building a cabin and fencing it, which was demonstrative of open and notorious possession. Essentially, building hi s cabin there without any resistance is the most notorious and open possession. While it is true that Barney did not have knowledge of Ernst’s adverse use of his land, Ernst’s possession is so notorious and open that it is impossible the neighbors around the property have no idea of his living there (Jourdan & Radley-Gardney, 2010). It is not also possible to expect Ernst to give the land back even after he had been put on notice that the land will be reclaimed as shown by his behavior when Barney tried to access the property, which indicates that Ernst intends to keep possession. I agree that they should overlook the law of adverse possession. Bailment and Conversion I agree that Barney cannot be found liable for any charges requested for by the seller at the classic car show. Bailment involves the temporary placing by a bailor of control of personal property to the hands of a bailee for a particular purpose on which the two have agreed (Ashcroft & Ashcroft, 2011). In this case, Barney was the bailer while the valet was the bailee. Bailment is a contractual relationship because the two, either impliedly or expressly bind to act to specific terms. In this case, the valet only received control of the car while Barney retains an ownership interest. While the valet’s interest in the car, during the bailment period, was superior to that of Barney, he violated the agreement by exchanging Barney’s car and breaking their agreement. Once Barney was done with

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Polymerase chain reaction practical, Genetics Essay

Polymerase chain reaction practical, Genetics - Essay Example Currently, there are hundreds of different types of PCR are being used in different laboratories but the basic principle remains same. The overall process of PCR can be summarized as follows. 1) Mixture of all constituents of PCR like dNTPs, Primers (forward and reverse), Buffer and template DNA will be mixed in desired concentration. 2) The first step is amplification, where the temperature is set at 94C for 2-5 minutes for denaturation of double stranded DNA, a process called initial denaturation, 3) After initial denaturation, sample is kept for 30 sec at 94C for further denaturation, 4) After denaturation temperature is brought down to 55-60C for 30sec to allow annealing of primer with specific DNA site called annealing temperature. 5) The temperature is now brought up to the 72C for polymerase to start new DNA synthesis using primer as starting material. 6) After extension, the cycles are repeated for almost 30 times to get 230 copy of initial DNA template. Finally, after 3 cycl e extension is be performed at 72C for 5 min to complete any unamplified reaction. Figure 1 shows steps involves in PCR. Development of PCR and identification of DNA as signature molecules for individual leads to introduction of DNA based technique for establishment of parental relation and subsequently for crime and criminal detection. Based on DNA sequence of humans it was found that there are many places in entire DNA that are conserved nucleotide repeats and based on size or length of these sequences they are termed as micro and mini satellite (4). It was found that number of repeat in these sequences varies from person to person and inherited from parents to child makes it ideal choice for criminal identification. Later, this process was termed as DNA fingerprinting. Moreover, development of PCR made this technique more powerful and realistic compared to any other technique for criminal identification, since most of the time, the specimen obtained in the crime site is always in less quantity. This small part of body or body fluids like blood, sperm, saliva or even hair is sufficient to isolate DN A and then amplification with PCR make it possible to do different analysis on it. Here the aim of this experiment was to understand fundamental principle and use of polymerase chain reaction and based on that to understand how PCR is used in DNA fingerprinting based crime investigation and criminal identification 2. Methods: 2.1 Buccal DNA extraction: Ten ml, 0.9% saline solution was rubbed vigorously against the cheeks for 10 seconds. The sample (extract from the bucaal cavity) was then transferred into 15 ml centrifuge tube and centrifuged at 2000 g for 10 minutes for the pellet. Thereafter, 500 l of chelex beads were added into the pellet and resuspended with the chelex by pipetting in and out various times such that there are no visible clumps of cells. Five hundred microliter of the aliquot was transferred into 1.5ml microfuge tube and was boiled into a hot block at 100C for 10 mins. The sample was then spin for 30 secs top speed to spin down chelex. Fifty microliter of the fresh supernatant was transferred

Saturday, July 27, 2019

The 'colored revolutions' of Eastern Europe and their success factors Essay

The 'colored revolutions' of Eastern Europe and their success factors - Essay Example The egalitarian revolutions of 1989 in Central and Eastern Europe have been labeled as the conclusion of the "third wave" of worldwide democratization that instigated in Spain and Portugal in the mid-1970s. It is certainly alluring to see the breakdown of the Soviet territory as segment of a universal disintegration of autocracies. This opinion surely prejudiced how the democratic changeover in Eastern and Central Europe has been observed in the West (as the "end of history") as well as by some of its characters. Ten years after, nonetheless, even with widespread Western exertions at democracy advancement, the democratic current has rather withdrawn, leaving a depiction of accomplishments in Central Europe (along with in Latin America and fragments of Asia) counterbalance by hindrances in the earlier Soviet Union and the Balkans (but similarly in China and most of Africa) (Jacques, 2000). Body The examination of the consequences of domestic changes for the local system of international dealings should take place from the implication of the main factors and procedures, which formed the post-soviet space design in the last decade. The first amongst these is the procedure of state and nation-structuring in the Afresh Independent States. Fresh political leaders in the previous Soviet states had a particular image of their state-projects which, as a law, protected Euro-Atlantic ambitions and, in reality, detached relations with Russia as well collaboration in the post-Soviet region from the list of primacies in their foreign policy schedules. Secondly, these objectives, along with the fluctuations in Europe and its boundary, stemmed in the participation of outside troupes in the post-soviet district - US, EU, NATO, and the Western European countries, and, some local actors, i.e. Poland, Turkey, China, , etc. The third actor in the post-Soviet district was Russia, which was sign ificantly annoyed by the appearance by the above-mentioned influences in its Immediate Abroad, as Moscow had its own fairly dissimilar vision for the expansion of this region (Samokhvalov, 2005). Examination of the second upsurge of democratic evolution in Eastern and Central Europe’s â€Å"color revolutions† has inclined to emphasize on fundamental variables such as district dispersion, leadership policy, and popular demonstration. However it may be imprecise to label the post-communist dictatorial throughputs the area has seen as part of a â€Å"surge†; elongated-term variables such as state and event capability and the power of a country’s association to the West may apprehended shed light on why certain nations have observed such revolutions whereas others have not (Way, 2008). The discussion on the color revolutions is mainly about the comparative significance credited to dispersion versus certain main operational factors. Amongst these features is t he amount and influence of Western force, which fluctuates subject to the degree of connection to Western Europe as well as the United States. In the stumpy-association previous Soviet states, domestic powers—particularly, the strong suit of the mandatory state and political party—

Friday, July 26, 2019

The Case For, or Against, New Orleans Assignment

The Case For, or Against, New Orleans - Assignment Example 1). Expected Cost = Cost of Implementation + Cost of Major Flooding X Probability of Major Flooding Main flooding is described here as a hurricane with hundreds of approximated fatalities as a result of flooding, and the expense of key flooding consists of property destruction in addition to fatalities. The produce of the cost and the possibility of key flooding in Equation (1) comprise the anticipated loss or risk as a result of flooding: 2). Risk = Cost of Major Flooding X Probability of Major Flooding For the risk alleviation, option of bettering the levee system, procedures have been developed, and the erection cost is approximated to be around $15 billion. With a rate of discount of 5 percent and a supposed yearly cost of $0.25 billion to sustain the enhanced system, the overall cost for this option on a yearly basis is approximately $1 billion. We will presume that this option lessens the possibility of key flooding however, does not affect the cost of significant flooding if i t were to take place (Hallegatte, 2006). The anticipated yearly cost related with this choice is then: (Expected Cost) levees = $1 billion + $100 billion X (Probability of Major Flooding) levees If the possibility of significant flooding is minimized from 0.02 to 0.01 per year, then the anticipated cost for this option is similar to that for the status quo, $2 billion annually. For possibilities of significant flooding lesser than 0.01 per year, this option is favored to the status quo on the base of anticipated cost. For the risk alleviation substitute of bettering the preparation, alarming and migration system, the possibility of significant flooding is unaffected from the status quo: 0.02 yearly. As a result, the anticipated yearly cost for this option is: (Expected Cost) preparation = (Cost of Implementation) preparation + (Cost of Major Flooding) preparation X 0.02 per year. A dynamic that stabilizes the cost and gains of a selection of selections for risk alleviation, for inst ance, using up $0.75 billion annually on advancing the levees scheme and $0.25 billion annually on bettering the preparation, alarming and migration system, would probably be most favorable. In the same way, investing exclusively in the hard scheme (levees) devoid of taking into consideration the soft scheme (public preparation) would not expected to be the most favorable approach. A significant teaching from Hurricane Katrina is that the inhabitants and assets at risk are as much a segment of the Protection System of the Hurricane as the walls and levees (Hallegatte, 2006). 3). Mixtures of yearly cost and the expected cost for a significant flood related with the alleviation option of enhancing preparation, alarming and migration schemes where this option is favored against bettering the levee system (Hallegatte, 2006). The subsequent postulations are prepared in developing this plot: the cost of executing the â€Å"enhanced Levees† option is $1 billion annually, the anticip ated cost in the occurrence of a significant flood with the advanced levee scheme is $100 billion, and the odds of a significant

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Writing about Hospitality Industry Research Paper

Writing about Hospitality Industry - Research Paper Example With expectations built on prior basic research aided by an omnipresent internet spewing details with adventurous reviews, a revised marketing strategy focusing on the Price-Conscious, Hyper-Connected customer is but a priority. A multi-billion-dollar technology, E-Hospitality has provided an avenue of cultivating the ultimate customer experience, right from improved availability to accommodate travelers’ needs round the clock to the enlightening, participative forums where professionals share information in private chat rooms, with the possibilities of developing new friendships and/or business connections (Hatch par 3-4). The technology has enabled sharing of efficiency boosting experiences in terms of managerial capabilities, ethical dilemmas in the same, and ad targeting that reaches out directly to the travelers who are most likely to book reservations. The utilization of the innovative ideas is barely past the takeoff stage, with hotels sparingly replacing the traditional methodologies in their managerial aspects. The injection of advanced skills in technology into this particular industry is, however, fundamental in reducing costs [the main objective of business organizations] and conserving the world’s limited resources for a sustainable future (Nikolis par 2). Leisure professionals, therefore, have no choice but to adapt to the new reality to maintain