Homosexuality is abnormal.

Homosexuality is abnormal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Have you ever seen gay or lesbian people in public; in other words homosexuals? If you have, what is your opinion on the issue? Do you feel it is something normal or abnormal? Michael Levin strongly believes that homosexuality is an act that is absurd and abnormal. He states that homosexuality is abnormal and therefore it is unfavorable. He defends his opinion with several different arguments. In his first argument, he states that same sex intimacy is a misuse of sexual organs. Then he goes on to say that homosexuality causes unhappiness. In conclusion, he states that the act of homosexuality should never be taken into consideration to become legalized since it is something against human nature. I strongly agree with Levin on his point of view about homosexuality. In this essay, I will be discussing Levins arguments for the view that homosexuality is abnormal. What Levin means by the word abnormal is something that is biologically unnatural or in other words, against human nature. He doesnt mean that homosexuality is immoral or sinful; but for purely mechanical reason; it is a misuse of bodily parts. In his first argument, he states that misusing the bodys sexual organs could frustrate the intention of some purposeful agent. What Levin means by this is that if one is not heterosexual, he/she would be damaging their sexual organs which causes frustration and therefore, decreases happiness. He also points out that homosexuals are much unhappier than heterosexuals. His main argument on the misuse of body parts is on grounds of natural selection, which he believes is also connected to the unhappiness of homosexuals. Levin argues that a man and a womans private parts are made for each other. To prove his point true, he gives an example about a person named Mr. Jones wearing his teeth as a necklace around his neck instead of using his teeth for the use of chewing. In other words, his teeth are being used for ornamentation. Another example was about a man named Mr. Smith; he used his teeth for playing music; something I personally find troublesome to imagine! He concludes from these two examples that individuals who dont use their teeth for the reason of chewing will be selected out of the natural selection. In this example, he is comparing people who dont use their teeth for chewing to homosexuals; what he is trying to make clear is that homosexuals may be eliminated in the future from natural selection due to their misuse of their sexual organs. In other words, nature has created a specific job or function for every single body part. Therefore, the accurate use of body parts leads to happiness and the opposite is also true. In my opinion, this is obviously common sense. Levin states the example that the male sex organ is used to ejaculate semen into the female sex organ; by doing this, more offspring are produced and ther efore the family tree expands. So when a homosexual uses his sexual organ in a way to insert his penis into another males anus, no desires will be fulfilled, and no offspring will be produced; this causes unhappiness. The same is true for heterosexuals; but they wont be as unhappy as homosexuals. After this statement he says, There are after all genuinely jolly fat men. What he means by this phrase is that there really are fat people in this world that are extremely happy and have no problem with being obese. He is comparing this example to homosexuals and heterosexuals. For example, a lazy person might be happy at some point in his life to a certain standard, but he is likely to be less happy than someone otherwise like him who exercises. Levin believes that calling homosexuality involuntary does not place it outside the scope of evolution. Victims of homosexuality are not blameworthy, but it is absurd to pretend that nothing is wrong with them! Homosexual activists believe that ge netic causes exempt homosexuals from blame. What he means by this is that maybe homosexual people are born with traits that make them so. But this fact doesnt make this normal; there is still something wrong with them and in this case it is something absurd and against human nature. He believes that people should try to solve this problem or illness and should unquestionably defy this so called anomaly. This is why Levin strongly believes that homosexuality is abnormal. After Levin proved all his statements, he concluded that since the misuse of body parts is abnormal and will lead to unhappiness, then homosexuality can also be considered abnormal and that it leads to unhappiness as well. Therefore, we as a society should oppose homosexuality. Levin feels that if performing an action that is very likely to lead to unhappiness, then the state should not legitimize that action by granting a right to perform that act. The state should have no business encouraging actions that lead to unhappiness by creating rights or protections related to those them. Therefore, the state should not legitimize homosexual actions by granting a right to perform homosexual acts. Levin recognizes that even if there is a correlation between homosexuality and unhappiness, it does not follow that homosexuals should be denied rights under the law. However, Levin does worry that laws granting homosexuals the right to engage in sodomy (or to marry) would actually encourage homosexuality and thus those laws would increase unhappiness. He says that a state that suddenly grants a right to homosexuals might as well legitimize homosexual actions and thus encourage them. Its like saying lets make taking drugs legal. It causes unhappiness, suicides health pro blems, death and so on. Why would a government make something so bizarre legal? This is how Levin feels about the matter of homosexuality. One crucial test on Levins account is his prediction that homosexuals will continue to be unhappy even if people altogether abandon their prejudice against homosexuality. My opinion on this issue is very similar to Levins attitude. I personally believe that homosexuality is against human nature and should not be an act that is accepted in todays society. It is true that God made man for woman. The sexual organs of a male should only be inserted to the sexual organs of a female. If homosexuality was something normal, then God would have allowed offspring to be born from two male or two female partners. But as you can see, this is not true. Therefore, it is wrong and deviant. I disagree with the fact that homosexual people were born with homosexual genes which make them so. There is no such thing. They are just people that are confused or have mental problems. No one is born with genes that make them gay or lesbian and I strongly believe this. There may be people born with sexual deficiencies but this does not mean that homosexuality is an alternative solution for them. Levin is right to state that it causes unhappiness because that is true; but that sh ould not be the reason why homosexuality should be viewed as abnormal. Recently, the American Psychiatric Association announced Surely the time has come for psychiatry to give up the archaic practice of classifying the millions of men and women who accept or prefer homosexual object choices as being by virtue of that face alone, mentally ill. The fact that their alternative life-style happens to be out of favor with current cultural conventions must not be a basis in itself for a diagnosis. In my opinion, this is the beginning of a disaster in todays society. When this association announces something like this, its like they are saying that this is something that is normal and accepted in todays society and that the government should support this and give homosexuals rights just like the rest of the population. Some people may be wondering as to why I am making such a big deal about this matter. The reason I am so concerned is because this issue will have a negative effect on our ch ildren and our future society. By people accepting this would be a way of admitting that there is not a problem with being homosexual. Even though people may think that homosexuality is harmless, it actually is in fact extremely detrimental.

External Analysis of Computer Industry Essay

* Threat of new entrants: The threats from new entrants to the personal computer industry is weak to moderate due to the presence of dominant players reduces the entry of new players to immediately enter the market and establish their own brand. In such a competitive market, these companies have invested heavily on their research and development, customer service, and marketing departments which increased the competition between companies who are competing to build superior products. Due to increased standardization in operating system and microprocessors, it is easy for any new entrants to manufacture white-box personal computers. However, this would be low since the companies have created strong branding awareness. Some more reasons of why threats of new entrants are less are:- * Access to distribution channels: Being distribution channel most important in the PC industry, it is prerequisite to have a strong distribution network which is difficult to built for the new entrants specially in initial stages of competitive market. Weak distribution networks mean goods are more expensive to move around and difficult to reach end customers. The expense of building a strong distribution network positively affects Computer Industry. * Capital requirement: There is a high capital requirement in computer industry which means a company must spend a lot of money in order to compete in the market which is a big issue for new entrants to enter in this industry. * Product differentiation: It is difficult to make your product different from existing products offer in the market as it needs huge investments and R&D to get core competency in your product in the well settled industry with n number of large players with maximum market shares. * Switching cost: New entrants have to face high switching costs in this industry .High switching costs make it difficult for customers to switch from products they normally purchase, due to high costs. * Customers are loyal to existing brands: It takes time and money to build a brand. Existing brands have their brand image in the market and are able to make their loyal customers which makes difficult for new entrants to shift those customers towards them. * Patents limit new competition: Patents that cover vital technologies make it difficult for new competitors, because the best methods are already patented  and that is why they have spend a lot of time and money in inventing new technology to compete with existing technologies. * Bargaining power of Buyers * Dependency on distributors: Buyers in this industry has low dependency on distributors which makes them at powerful position and distributors have less bargaining power. * Limited buyer choice: In computer industry, customers have limited choices hence they end up paying more for the choices that are available which positively effects this industry. Limited Buyer Choice has a significant impact, so they shpuld put more weight to this for increasing their profits. * Product is important to customer: In this era, customers are tech savvy and ready to pay for best technologies. So, computer industry has an edge to charge more from customers by providing best products. * Large number of customers exists in this industry which makes it difficult for them to bargain more as no single customer have the bargaining leverage. * Bargaining power of suppliers * Competition from suppliers: High levels of competition among suppliers acts to reduce prices by producers which effects positively in the computer industry. * Concentration from suppliers: low concentration of suppliers means there are many suppliers with limited bargaining power and computer industry with high bargaining power. * Production inputs: In this industry, when critical production inputs are similar, it is easier to mix and match inputs which reduces supplier bargaining power and positively affects this industry to gain profits. * Inputs have less impact on costs: when inputs have less impact on costs, suppliers of the inputs have less bargaining power. * Volumes are critical to suppliers: In cases when volumes are critical to supplier, producer can threaten to cut the volumes to cut their profits which give producers more bargaining power. * Threat of substitutes: * Limited number of substitutes: A limited number of substitutes mean that customers cannot easily find other products or services that fulfill their  needs which is a good sign for Computer Industry. * Inferior substitute products: Inferior products means customers are less likely to switch from computer industry which helps in retaining their existing customers by providing best products. * Substitutes :PDA(Personal Digital assistant) Palmtops, handheld PC which is smaller than standard laptops. Smart phones, It is a phone that runs complete operating system software providing standardized interface and platform for application developers. So above substitutes can prove to be a threat to computer industry. * Rivalry from existing firms: The competition in personal computer industry is very intense and fierce. The five main manufacturers namely IBM, Dell, Apple, HP and Compaq are in competition to produce the least expensive and most efficient machine. Apple focuses more on innovation while Dell focuses on distribution channel and services, which create differentiation to some extent. Price competition has become severe in the industry as PC has become a more commodity-like product which drives the industry to embrace any cost-cutting measures in an effort to increase their decreasing profit margin. Quality of a personal computer is largely determined by the microprocessor and application system installed, the profitability and prosperity of the industry is dependent of the profitability and prosperity of these suppliers.

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 .

Suffering in King Lear - 2408 Words

About suffering they were never wrong, The Old Masters; how well they understood Its human position; how it takes place While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along. (W.H. Auden, ‘Musee des Beaux Arts’) Discuss some of the ways in which Shakespeare’s plays use the interaction and distance between their protagonists and surrounding minor characters to illuminate the ‘human position’ of suffering. This quote, taken from Audens poem Musee des Beaux Arts, deals with the incongruous nature of human suffering, an idea that we are provoked to think about when reading many of Shakespeare plays. However the play which comes to mind first when any reader of Shakespeare hears the word suffering is surely King†¦show more content†¦The uneducated minor character present at Gloucester’s torture is so deeply affected by the savage events that he rebels and challenges his own master. â€Å"Hold your hand, my Lord: I have served you ever since I was a child, But better service have I never done you Than now to bid you hold.† (3.7.75-78)[3] This quote also brings about how close the servant must feel to Cornwall, although socially distant from his master he has grown up with him and thus is a member of his extended family. Cornwall represents the major, upper class characters, whilst the attempted rescue and compassionate advice is done by a lower class, minor character. This action exemplifies the question of interaction with minor characters illuminating the human position of suffering. 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