Gay Marriage Opinion Essay Example for Free

Gay Marriage Opinion Essay Mainwaring goes on to argue that because â€Å"Only a little more than 53%† of the signers were Republican, and the rest an assortment of parties, gay marriage is a â€Å"common, mainstream concern†, to be shared among citizens of all backgrounds. Mainwaring defends the signers of this petition, stating that because they signed an anti-gay marriage petition, their actions cannot be chalked up to homophobic motives. He says that â€Å"the vast majority simply view ‘marriage’ as an immutable term that can only apple to heterosexuals†, and that â€Å"’we’ shouldn’t mess with [the term marriage]†. I mentioned before that Mainwaring’s opinion on this topic is considerably unique. This is because he himself is, in fact, gay. It was not only the fact that Mainwaring decided to mention this, but also the juxtaposition of this statement that was mildly infuriating to me. To me, placing the fact that he is gay directly after his statements defending the people who signed the petition is a bit like an African-American saying â€Å"I think blacks should be subject to a lower standard of living than whites†¦and it’s okay for me to think this because I’m black! If a black person were to say this today, this would be considered socially unacceptable from nearly every person in this country, and it should be the same for Mainwaring and all other gays. It’s extremely difficult for me to even begin to wrap my head around how Mainwaring can even have this opinion. How he can blatantly undermine the oppressed minority he has categorized himself into, simply because â€Å"we should not attempt to force into an old construct something that was never meant for same-sex partnerships† is appalling. Mainwaring believes that simply because the term â€Å"marriage† has meant one thing for the past two hundred years, it simply cannot be open to interpretation, like many other dated laws. So many different sections of the constitution have been twisted and bent toward various opinions, just as the following should be. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The argument that Mainwaring is trying to make is ill-supported and weak. It is less credible that the late 1920’s â€Å"Separate but Equal† mantra, considering civil unions, which Mainwaring proposes for gays, are in no way even close to being equal to a â€Å"traditional† marriage. Before the Civil Rights Movement, many people were raised to believe that blacks were meant to be inferior. However, as awareness arose, people began to realize that this simply is not true; under the eyes of the law, there should be virtually no difference between a black person and a white person. Likewise, there should be no difference between a gay or a straight couple. A civil union is in no way a reasonable alternative for gays, and if us as Americans were to make that statement the new â€Å"traditional†, there one day in the future may be no limits on the term â€Å"marriage†.

my sister :: essays research papers

â€Å"The Life of Susan snow† susan snow was born on January 28, 1975. Her birth brought double the joy to her family who just minutes before had rejoiced upon the birth of her identical twin sister, rachelle. She was a small premature baby born nearly five weeks early and remained in NYU Medical Center for a week under careful scrutiny. Her father and four older siblings eagerly anticipated her arrival at home. The family resided in brooklyn, where they still make their home, and susan joined them there. She was named susan bella after her paternal great aunt and great great grandmother. susan had soft brown hair and big blue eyes that sparkled with personality, despite her young age. After five long months of incessant crying, she finally became an enjoyable and fun loving baby. susan attended a local school for her preschool and elementary school years. Throughout her school years, susan excelled in all subjects, although her talkative nature often got her into trouble. She was so popular with her classmates, that at one point when the classes were switched, her friends left no stone unturned to get her back into their class. She enjoyed switching classes with rachelle and performing other mischievous tricks to fool the teachers that only twins can pull off. Her supreme intelligence was one of the reasons she was chosen as English Editor of her eighth grade yearbook and editor of the grade newspaper. Shani spent her summers in the catskills where she was adored by campers and counselors alike because of her sunny disposition. At age thirteen, she began attending camp snob and spent four thrilling summer’s there.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  susan decided to attend H B High School in brooklyn and is currently enjoying her third year there. She is known as a conscientious student who loves to have a great time. There she likes being in the same class as rachelle, for the first time since kindergarten. One may think that these circumstances would provoke competition between them, but susan is not affected by competition at all. On her days off she likes sleeping late, shopping, and spending time with friends. She also takes great pleasure in curling up in bed with a good book. susan is involved in various projects throughout the community and loves helping her family and friends in their times of need. She sleeps at her grandmother’s house during the week so as not to leave her grandmother alone.

Pip and his Journey to becoming uncommon Essay

He shows it to Joe, who thinks it’s magnificent, but when Joe tries to read it all he can say is â€Å"J. O. JO. † (44) Pip is surprised, and then asks Joe if he can actually read. Joe replies that he can so Pip gives him a book, but again the only thing Joe can say is, â€Å"J. O. JO. † (44) Pip has looked up to Joe all his life, but now realizes how common Joe is. Pip is determined to teach Joe how to read, in order to make himself feel more uncommon, although Joe is happy with his simple blacksmiths life and doesn’t want to change it. This is one example of Pip trying to make everyone around him uncommon for his own use. Later in the book, Joe is invited to Miss Havisham’s house with Pip. Joe gets all dressed up and is ready to go, and Pip realizes that Joe isn’t himself when he is dressed up. While the two are at Miss Havisham’s house, she begins asking questions of Joe, but instead of replying to Miss Havisham, Joe replies to Pip. It appears that Joe feels Pip is a higher class than he is. Pip’s goal is to make Joe uncommon, but by exposing Joe to his own commonness, Pip made Joe feel even more common. Pip’s plan to make Joe uncommon backfires. Pip does not hesitate to take advantage of people and opportunities if it will help him on his journey to becoming uncommon. He is always looking for a way to push himself further up in society, and when he finds one, he takes advantage of it. Pip makes several visits to Miss Havisham’s house, every time becoming more and more attracted to Estella. Pip is attracted to Estella because of what the relationship would do to his social status. â€Å"I have particular reasons for wanting to become a gentleman. † â€Å"You know best, Pip, but don’t you think you are happier as you are? † (114) He realizes that if he were to marry Estella, he would be rich and high class. With that marriage, Pip’s main goal in life would be completed. Pip also takes advantage of Biddy. Pip thinks that in order to become a gentleman you have to be educated. He knows that Biddy is very smart, and tries to use her to educate himself. Pips fixation with becoming uncommon leads him to use the people he knows as a step up in the ladder of society. In the beginning of the novel Pip is given a choice. Pip can either take the crooked or the straight path. It is his encounters with people of both higher and lower class that push him towards the crooked path. Pip’s encounters with people of a higher class make him feel jealous, and his encounters with people of a lower class make Pip feel common. Pip’s reactions to these encounters are to push himself further up in society, regardless of whom he hurts along the way. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Great Expectations section.

How does the Simpsons Contravene the Guidlines for Children’s Television? Essay

Violence, alcoholism, sex, oh, and yellow people! Yes, I’m talking about the cartoon comedy The Simpsons. Now entering its 19 year on television the cartoon is enjoyed by all ages, indeed all ages! The controversial show arises many questions not only about some of the divisive jokes, cult horror and bad language used but the question that divides a lot of frequent and infrequent viewers of the show; is The Simpsons suitable to be show during children’s TV time? The never aging family consists of the unconventional father, Homer, perfect housewife/mother, Marge, insurgent son, Bart, intellectual daughter, Lisa, and baby Maggie. Both father and son portray ever growing problems within society; in many episodes Homer finds himself strangling Bart as a punishment yet, child abuse is a massive problem and with out realising I find myself laughing. Its not until I think about what Homer has actually done is when I kick myself for it. And Bart is always getting in trouble and in some cases leads a rebellion all over Springfield. Okay, why is that funny and think of your children, if they see their parents laughing at that what’s to say they might re-enact Bart’s ‘teachings’? Will you be laughing then? Moving swiftly on, the cartoon regularly releases a new episode (mainly at Halloween) called ‘Tree House of Horrors’. In one of these degrading and preposterous episodes the family act out some famous scenes from a very hellish horror film; originally a book by Stephen King, The Shining. For anyone who knows this film it includes the father going insane and savagely murdering his whole family. What sort of image is this portraying to your children? The young children who watch The Simpsons go to bed with the thought in their mind that their Dad could go cerebral. When we think it’s all over and are trying to leave the imaginary, stereotypical, demoralizing world of the yellow Americans we are quickly bashed back in with another degrading and inhumane part of the show†¦ Itchy and Scratchy. The show within a show has its own theme tune and being based on violence it also has its own share of blood and gore. Although, cartoon blood is not terrible it is still not very enjoyable for young children.

DBQ on women essays

DBQ on women essays The 17th and 18th centuries saw the beginning stage of the womens movement towards intellectual and social equality with men. Women were weaker physically, bore children as well as nurtured them. The economics and culture of Europe at this time were strongly influenced by religion and resulted in prejudiced acts against women. The dominating religions of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries reinforced women roles as mothers, wives, and homemakers. Women were considered the weaker sex both physically and mentally. Men and most women assumed that because women gave birth and produced milk for their infants, God intended that their place be in the home. The traditional male ego, as well, did not allow for women to compete with them. Males thought their place was to rule, fight wars, provide income, teach and be the head of his family. Women were not accepted in academics, politics, church leadership (in most religions), business, or the military. Despite these prejudices, women saw an opportunity in the sciences. As a subject based on observations and deductive reasoning some sciences did not necessarily require a comprehensive academic background. Since most women were deprived of the more advanced education that men received, it was an ideal field for them to begin their pursuit of equality. As a result, a growing number of women actively participated in scientific research in chemistry, astronomy, biology, botany and medicine. In documents two and five the womens interests in science, as well as their need for some sort of education were expressed. Document five simply explains that women, as well as men, can hold an interest, as well as succeed in science. In document two, written by Marie Meurdrac, a French scientist, the statement was made that minds have no sex, and if the minds of women were cultivated like those of men, they would be equal to the minds of the latter. It explains a key fac...

Make Your Own Crystal Geode

Make Your Own Crystal Geode Natural geodes are hollow rock formations that contain deposits of crystals. Assuming you dont have a geological timeframe to obtain a geode and dont want to buy a geode kit, its easy to make your own crystal geode using alum, food coloring, and either plaster of Paris or an eggshell. Crystal Geode Materials Alum (found with spices in the grocery store)Hot waterFood coloring (optional)Plaster of Paris (found in hobby shops) or an eggshell Prepare the Geode There are a couple of ways you can go here. You can crack open an egg and use the rinsed shell as a base for your geode or you can prepare a plaster of Paris rock: First, you need a rounded shape in which you can mold your hollow rock. The bottom of one of the depressions in a foam egg carton works great. Another option is to set a piece of plastic wrap inside of a coffee cup or paper cup.Mix a small amount of water in with some plaster of Paris to make a thick paste. If you happen to have a couple of seed crystals of alum, you can stir them into the plaster mixture. Seed crystals can be used to provide nucleation sites for the crystals, which can produce a more natural-looking geode.Press the plaster of Paris against the sides and bottom of the depression to make a bowl shape. Use plastic wrap if the container is rigid, so that its easier to remove the plaster.Allow about 30 minutes for the plaster to set up, then remove it from the mold and set it aside to finish drying. If you used plastic wrap, peel it off after you pull the plaster geode out of the container. Grow Crystals Pour about a half cup of hot tap water into a cup.Stir in alum until it stops dissolving. This occurs when a little alum powder starts to accumulate at the bottom of the cup.Add food coloring, if desired. Food coloring does not color the crystals, but it does color the eggshell or plaster, which causes the crystals to appear colored.Set your eggshell or plaster geode inside a cup or bowl. You are aiming for a container that is a size such that the alum solution will just cover the top of the geode.Pour the alum solution into the geode, allowing it to overflow into the surrounding container and eventually cover the geode. Avoid pouring in any undissolved alum.Set the geode in a location where it wont be disturbed. Allow a few days for the crystals to grow.When you are pleased with the appearance of your geode, remove it from the solution and allow it to dry. You can pour the solution down the drain. The alum is essentially a pickling spice, so while it isnt exactly good for you to eat , it isnt toxic either. Keep your geode beautiful by protecting it from high humidity and dust. You can store it wrapped in a paper towel or tissue paper or inside of a display case.

Assessment Action Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Assessment Action Plan - Assignment Example To ensure the success of the Software Upgradation Project, it is important to partner with the best consultants in the Industry that have successfully implemented projects pertaining to migration from old versions of Windows to Windows Vista and from old versions of Word to Word 2007. It is understood that any software will never be 100% complete from the perspective of the Business Requirement Specifications and also the Word 2007 Application will serve as the lifeline of the business post implementation the way the current versions of Word are critical to business. The selected consultant is expected to have a sound track record, an experienced implementation & customization team, and a sound Project Management methodology. In order to assess if the consultants have genuinely worked upon such migration projects in the past, the following shall be verified: The process of verification shall be called the "Desktop Review". Overall such documents and records would be requested for verifications only and then returned back after the convincing exercise is completed. These documents & records are their intellectual properties and hence shall not be retained. The objective is to carry out an in-depth convincing exercise. ... (d) Does the consultant possess adequate documents & records that can be showcased to verify the in-house R&D efforts to build internal expertise and competencies The process of verification shall be called the "Desktop Review". Overall such documents and records would be requested for verifications only and then returned back after the convincing exercise is completed. These documents & records are their intellectual properties and hence shall not be retained. The objective is to carry out an in-depth convincing exercise. In addition to verifying these documents about the consultants, we plan to speak to the customer references provided by the consultants using a questionnaire. The consultants are expected to present a clear plan on what requirements are already mapped with their current competencies/track record and how the rest would be fulfilled. It is important to clearly identify the areas where a feasibility of implementation doesn't exist. The project management team of the consultant is expected to have adequate experience in bringing to table these finer details to enable the internal project committee to verify the acceptance by going back to the business requirement specifications and analyze the impacts on business of the infeasibility of certain requirements which cannot be met by the consultants. Detailed Assessment Action Plan: Before a contract is awarded to the final selected consultant, a number of parameters pertaining to the consultant and their competencies shall be evaluated. It is hereby proposed that the Project Committee would list down all parameters that can influence the decision, assign a weighting to each