Understanding Mental Illness Essay Example For Students

Understanding Mental Illness Essay Understanding Mental Illness Essay: Means for Lifting the Stigma As a victim of the debilitating mental illness clinical depression, I have a first hand knowledge of the terrible stigma attached to seeking medical help for this and similar problems. When the diagnosis was made, I told no one that I was seeing a psychologist. I feared what people would think of me and how they would react to one of their friends seeing a shrink. Because mental illnesses are not well known and even less well understood, people tend to fear them. People who may be afflicted with mental illnesses often shy away from treatment because they fear that they will be labeled crazy or sent to an institution. We will write a custom essay on Understanding Mental Illness specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now I think that the stigma attached to mental health care could be easily lifted if regular psychiatric examinations were instituted, much the same as regular physicals. As people are exposed to the illnesses and begin to understand their origins and ways to help, this fear of people afflicted with the diseases should shrink (ha ha) and eventually disappear. As our country moves from a society made up of mainly manual laborers, to a society of white-collar workers, Americans find themselves with more and more leisure time. Often, if everything is going well in the world, society will look for problems to take the place of those that have been eliminated. For example, during the past ten years, Americans have had few really big problems, there have been no close to home wars, the economy is doing well, and unemployment has been dramatically down. Because of this, people have had large amounts of free time and energy, which was previously spent trying to work out larger problems and issues. For many people, this time is spent looking within themselves and often noticing things within their personality and psyche that would have been overlooked by earlier generations (onhealth.com/ conditions/cause). Statistics of today would lead one to believe that the occurrence of these illnesses has increased, however; awareness and the willingness of the victim to receive help has increased instead. There is less of a stigma attached to seeking mental health care than there has ever been before in this country. People are more willing to recognize and obtain help for their problems instead of ignoring them and going on with their lives as if nothing is wrong. With the continual exposure of the general public to these diseases, society is sure to place even a lesser degree of shame on the sufferer and his or her family. Mental illnesses can be devastating to not only the sufferer, but also the sufferers family and friends. Early detection and prompt administration of treatment help in the overall treatment of the mentally ill. If you or someone you know suffers from a known mental illness, dont ignore it, get help. Early detection is the key to fixing the problem quickly and easily. Works Cited Robb, Martin and Jerome Kroll. The Reality of Mental Illness (Cambridge University, 1986 New Standard Encyclopedia (1990) Mental Illnesses vol. 11. Chicago, Illinois Standard Education Corporation. 2000 Depression.com Internet http://www.depression.com accessed July 25, 2000 2000 On Health Internet Mental Illnesses. http://www.onhealth.com/conditions/ resource/conditions/item483 accessed July 25, 2000 2000 Health-Center Internet Mental Health. http://www.health-center.com/mental health/bipolar accessed July 25, 2000 2000 Health-Center Internet Mental Health. http://www.health-center.com/mental health/schizophrenia accessed July 25, 2000 . Understanding Mental Illness Essay Example For Students Understanding Mental Illness Essay Understanding Mental Illness Essay: Means for Lifting the Stigma As a victim of the debilitating mental illness clinical depression, I have a first hand knowledge of the terrible stigma attached to seeking medical help for this and similar problems. When the diagnosis was made, I told no one that I was seeing a psychologist. I feared what people would think of me and how they would react to one of their friends seeing a shrink. Because mental illnesses are not well known and even less well understood, people tend to fear them. People who may be afflicted with mental illnesses often shy away from treatment because they fear that they will be labeled crazy or sent to an institution. We will write a custom essay on Understanding Mental Illness specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now I think that the stigma attached to mental health care could be easily lifted if regular psychiatric examinations were instituted, much the same as regular physicals. As people are exposed to the illnesses and begin to understand their origins and ways to help, this fear of people afflicted with the diseases should shrink (ha ha) and eventually disappear. As our country moves from a society made up of mainly manual laborers, to a society of white-collar workers, Americans find themselves with more and more leisure time. Often, if everything is going well in the world, society will look for problems to take the place of those that have been eliminated. For example, during the past ten years, Americans have had few really big problems, there have been no close to home wars, the economy is doing well, and unemployment has been dramatically down. Because of this, people have had large amounts of free time and energy, which was previously spent trying to work out larger problems and issues. For many people, this time is spent looking within themselves and often noticing things within their personality and psyche that would have been overlooked by earlier generations (onhealth.com/ conditions/cause). Statistics of today would lead one to believe that the occurrence of these illnesses has increased, however; awareness and the willingness of the victim to receive help has increased instead. There is less of a stigma attached to seeking mental health care than there has ever been before in this country. People are more willing to recognize and obtain help for their problems instead of ignoring them and going on with their lives as if nothing is wrong. With the continual exposure of the general public to these diseases, society is sure to place even a lesser degree of shame on the sufferer and his or her family. Mental illnesses can be devastating to not only the sufferer, but also the sufferers family and friends. Early detection and prompt administration of treatment help in the overall treatment of the mentally ill. If you or someone you know suffers from a known mental illness, dont ignore it, get help. Early detection is the key to fixing the problem quickly and easily. Works Cited Robb, Martin and Jerome Kroll. The Reality of Mental Illness (Cambridge University, 1986 New Standard Encyclopedia (1990) Mental Illnesses vol. 11. Chicago, Illinois Standard Education Corporation. 2000 Depression.com Internet http://www.depression.com accessed July 25, 2000 2000 On Health Internet Mental Illnesses. http://www.onhealth.com/conditions/ resource/conditions/item483 accessed July 25, 2000 2000 Health-Center Internet Mental Health. http://www.health-center.com/mental health/bipolar accessed July 25, 2000 2000 Health-Center Internet Mental Health. http://www.health-center.com/mental health/schizophrenia accessed July 25, 2000 . Understanding Mental Illness Essay Example For Students Understanding Mental Illness Essay Understanding Mental Illness Essay: Means for Lifting the Stigma As a victim of the debilitating mental illness clinical depression, I have a first hand knowledge of the terrible stigma attached to seeking medical help for this and similar problems. When the diagnosis was made, I told no one that I was seeing a psychologist. I feared what people would think of me and how they would react to one of their friends seeing a shrink. Because mental illnesses are not well known and even less well understood, people tend to fear them. People who may be afflicted with mental illnesses often shy away from treatment because they fear that they will be labeled crazy or sent to an institution. We will write a custom essay on Understanding Mental Illness specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now I think that the stigma attached to mental health care could be easily lifted if regular psychiatric examinations were instituted, much the same as regular physicals. As people are exposed to the illnesses and begin to understand their origins and ways to help, this fear of people afflicted with the diseases should shrink (ha ha) and eventually disappear. As our country moves from a society made up of mainly manual laborers, to a society of white-collar workers, Americans find themselves with more and more leisure time. Often, if everything is going well in the world, society will look for problems to take the place of those that have been eliminated. For example, during the past ten years, Americans have had few really big problems, there have been no close to home wars, the economy is doing well, and unemployment has been dramatically down. Because of this, people have had large amounts of free time and energy, which was previously spent trying to work out larger problems and issues. For many people, this time is spent looking within themselves and often noticing things within their personality and psyche that would have been overlooked by earlier generations (onhealth.com/ conditions/cause). Statistics of today would lead one to believe that the occurrence of these illnesses has increased, however; awareness and the willingness of the victim to receive help has increased instead. There is less of a stigma attached to seeking mental health care than there has ever been before in this country. People are more willing to recognize and obtain help for their problems instead of ignoring them and going on with their lives as if nothing is wrong. With the continual exposure of the general public to these diseases, society is sure to place even a lesser degree of shame on the sufferer and his or her family. Mental illnesses can be devastating to not only the sufferer, but also the sufferers family and friends. Early detection and prompt administration of treatment help in the overall treatment of the mentally ill. If you or someone you know suffers from a known mental illness, dont ignore it, get help. Early detection is the key to fixing the problem quickly and easily. Works Cited Robb, Martin and Jerome Kroll. The Reality of Mental Illness (Cambridge University, 1986 New Standard Encyclopedia (1990) Mental Illnesses vol. 11. Chicago, Illinois Standard Education Corporation. 2000 Depression.com Internet http://www.depression.com accessed July 25, 2000 2000 On Health Internet Mental Illnesses. http://www.onhealth.com/conditions/ resource/conditions/item483 accessed July 25, 2000 2000 Health-Center Internet Mental Health. http://www.health-center.com/mental health/bipolar accessed July 25, 2000 2000 Health-Center Internet Mental Health. http://www.health-center.com/mental health/schizophrenia accessed July 25, 2000 Words / Pages : 577 / 24 .

The Tragedy of the Vietnam War essays

The Tragedy of the Vietnam War essays The Vietnam War is considered by most to be a mistake for many reasons. Many victims emerged from the war and especially for the soldiers who participated in it, it was simply wrong. Many of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam entered Vietnam with unclear directives and returned from Vietnam transformed and displaced. Many individuals have chosen to express how the Vietnam War was a tragedy from many angles. Through books, images, and movies, the memories of Vietnam are filled with pain and regret. These expressions are beneficial because they create within us a sense of understanding for what is often termed indescribable. One of the most powerful tools for expression is writing. Tim O'Brien, author of the book, The Things They Carried, vividly recounts what Vietnam did to him and those with whom he served. His stories about the transformations he witnessed offer proof that the war was indeed a mistake. For example, he tells us about how Norman Bowker was a gentle person, but as a soldier, he carried with him the thumb of a dead Vietcong boy. Another example of how the war changed individuals is when Rat Kiley shot the baby buffalo. We are told that Kiley stroked the buffalo's nose and then shot at it repeatedly. He shot it in the knee, its back and legs; he shot off an ear. "It wasn't to kill; it was to hurt," O'Brien tells us. (O'Brien 78) Kiley was reacting to losing his best friend, Curt, who stepped on a land mine and died. In the unknown land of Vietnam, Kiley found no other way to express his feelings. We can understand the extreme pressure the soldier was under when O'Brien tells us that "Rat Kiley was crying. He tried to say something, but then cradled his rifle and went off by himself" (79). O'Brien is able capture moments of emotional collapse that result from extreme conditions. O'Brien writes of what he saw, "We had witnessed something essential, som...

Spanish Verbs Comprender vs. Entender

Spanish Verbs Comprender vs. Entender Both comprender and entender are usually translated as to understand, and in many cases - in fact, most of the time - you can use them interchangeably. However, there are some subtle differences in how they may come across. Differences Between Entender and Comprender The main difference between the two verbs when they mean to understand can be seen in the saying Te entiendo, pero no te comprendo, which obviously makes little sense if you try translating it as I understand you, but I dont understand you. Perhaps a better way of understanding this sentence would be something like I understand the words youre saying but I dont understand what you mean. Comprender, then, can suggest a deeper type of understanding. If you speak with an accent and want to know if youre getting your words across, for example, you might ask:  ¿Me entiendes? But if what youre looking for is whether the listener understands the implications of what youre saying, the question  ¿Me comprendes? may be more appropriate. In real life, though, these differences may not be all that distinct, and you may hear one verb used when the above guidelines suggest using the other. For example, I know exactly what you mean could be translated as either Te comprendo perfectamente or Te entiendo perfectamente (the latter appears to be more common) and the same goes for Nadie me comprende and Nadie me entiende for Nobody understands me. In other words, as a Spanish student you neednt worry too much about which verb to use in most contexts. As you hear and use the two verbs, youll pick up on whatever subtle differences exist between them in your locality. Note that comprender can also have the meanings to cover, to enclose or to include (and thus have a meaning related to the English word comprehensive rather than to comprehend, both of which come from the same Latin source). Example: El territorio de la provincia comprende tres regiones bien diferenciadas. (The provincial territory includes three distinctive regions.)  Entiende cannot be substituted in this sentence. Sample Sentences Using Entender and Comprender Here are examples of these two verbs in use: Si yo quiero comprender a alguien, no puedo condenarlo; debo observarlo, estudiarlo. (If I want to understand someone, I cant judge him; I need to observe him, study him.)Todavà ­a no puedo entender de lo que se me acusa. (I still cant understand what Im being accused of.)Mis padres comprendà ­an que esta era mi personalidad y no trataron de cambiar mi modo de ser. (My parents understood that that was my personality and didnt try to change how I was.)Si hubiera entendido el frà ­o que iba a sentir, no me hubiera depilado. (If I had understood how cold it would feel, I wouldnt have shaved.)Comprendemos perfectamente las dificultades y errores que se cometen en una lucha tan larga. (We understand perfectly the difficulties and mistakes that are made in such a grand struggle.)La pelà ­cula la entendà ­ a medias; hay ciertas cosas que se escapaban a mi comprensià ³n. (I didnt completely understand the movie; there are certain things that eluded my understanding.)Solo los sabios lo comprendern. (Only the wise will understand it.) Creo que son pocas las personas que lo entienden como realmente es. (I believe that few are the people who understand it as it really is.) Using Entender With Prefixes Entender, although not comprender, can be combined with prefixes to form several other verbs, although none are in widespread use. Malentender can be used for to misunderstand, although both entender mal and misinterpretar are more common. Malentendà ­ algo y me ayudaste a entenderlo. (I misunderstood something and you helped me to understand it.)Es una broma que muchos malentendieron. (It is a joke that many misunderstood.) Desentenderse can be used to refer to the avoiding of understanding, intentionally or otherwise. Poco a poco me desentendà ­ de las partituras y empecà © a improvisar. (Little by little I ignored the sheet music and began to improvise.)Nuestros là ­deres se desentienden del nuevo escndalo econà ³mico. (Our leaders are looking the other way from the new economic scandal.) Sobrentender (sometimes spelled sobreentender) refers to complete understanding. Sobrentiendo que no soy adicto y que no he substituido una droga por otra. (I know full well I am not an addict and that I havent substituted one drug for another.)Espero que sobrentiendas el costo de tus acciones. (I hope you completely understand the cost of your actions.)

Corporate Restructuring of RBS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Corporate Restructuring of RBS - Essay Example Many organizations these days are practicing corporate restructuring to make the optimal use of their resource. Some organizations have found that corporate restructuring is necessary for enhancing the business profitability, while other businesses have not been very successful in restructuring. This has resulted in debates over whether the corporate restructuring is really beneficial or whether it is only a myth. This paper is going to look at the both sides of corporate restructuring and will conclude with the final word on the impact of Corporate Restructuring on the financial position of an organization. The major objective behind any restructuring program is to achieve the organizational efficiency. Corporate Restructuring schemes are designed keeping in mind the enhancement in productivity of the workers, cost control elements and any other objectives that are going to maximize the shareholder’s wealth. Conventionally it was thought that corporate restructuring improves the performance of a company’s shares on the stock market. This hypothesis was rejected by a recent study. It was revealed that announcements relating to Corporate Restructuring of an organization did not yield abnormal returns for the stockholders. Hence, Corporate Restructuring does not change market sentiments about the organization immediately. The change in financial performance only occurs if it is found that the corporate restructuring has enhanced the organization’s use of resources and there has been an increase in the profitability of the firm. (Bowman & Singh, 1993) Another study done on the group of hospitals revealed that Corporate Restructuring is not positively correlated with increase in financial position and performance of an organization. Other factors such as size of the organization, number of employees and target market are more likely to be the main difference between financially strong and a financially weak organization. The results of this stu dy may lack reliability because it was cross-sectional research containing data of only one year. In the long-run Corporate Restructuring forces might be more efficient and have an impact on profitability of the organization. But to be on the safe side we can say that Corporate Restructuring is not correlated with the profitability of the organization in the short-run at least. (Clement, A'unno, & Poyzer, 1993) The paper is going to examine the impact of Corporate Restructuring on the market of an organization. The results of the studies indicated that the smaller and more centrally concentrated organizations are better in strategic decision making. In the period of 1990s, many organizations with diffused investment subsidiaries and stakes lacked any attention from the investors and hence there was a lot of focus on downsizing strategies during that period. The study also focused that blockholder investment is necessary for the stability of organization and firms with blockholder in vestment are efficiently configured. Hence, it is better for the organizations to downsize and try to maintain blockholder organizational structure in order to safeguard against uncertainty. Many organizations are downsizing because over-diversification is doing more harm than good and investors have realized that the correct way of making money is by investing large sums in a single organization to achieve growth. (Bethel & Liebieskind, 1993) A

Racism in the United States Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Racism in the United States - Research Paper Example All other races at one point exhibit racist tendencies towards the Caucasians and among themselves. As far as the government is concerned there is no racism as the law is quite clear that it is illegal. As compared to earlier times of slavery and periods before the 1960s (when civil rights movements were most vocal), open racism has subsided in a huge way. Its form has also changed to be more covertly and technically portrayed than before. The education system, the justice system, health sector and the corporate sector in the United States are some sectors where many feel racism still exists. Immigration issue has also played a role towards racism. Campaigns against and for immigration have on numerous occasions centered on racism. These are some of the issues that lead to the discussion as to whether racism still exists in the United States since they touch on the lives of many. Racism in the US still exists but in a more subtle way as compared to yesteryears and past centuries, and it is manifested in all races not just Caucasians versus all others. Racism puts those being discriminated against in positions of uncertainty and sheer difficulty. Racists work towards ensuring the system is water tight to prevent success of the minority groups. Minority groups are blocked from fully participating in the education system, health system, corporate sector and other realms of social development, for example, politics. These scenarios are quite well depicted in Ellison’s Battle Royal. The author here tries to portray the life of an ordinary but eloquent and learned African American back in the early 20th century. At first the story informs that the young man is optimistic that, with his talent and education, the society will accommodate him. The society here means the whites in the boy’s community, and this is clearly illustrated when he says, â€Å"I visualized myself as a potential Booker T. Washington† (Ellison 939). The state of social affairs is also deduced from humility being the key point in his speech. The story further depicts the hard position in which racism put African Americans by stating that the audiences at the battle royal were divided on whether the fighters were to look at the naked girl dancing in front of them. This scenario saw a portion of the audiences order the fighters to look at the girl while the other portion ordered them not to do so owing to the belief that it is a taboo for an African American to stare at the nakedness of a white woman. The author stated â€Å"some threatened us if we looked and others if we did not. On my right I saw one boy faint† (Ellison 940). This taboo among many others, mostly in the Southern States, was meant to distant other races from marrying the whites and as tools to harass African American men. The Southern states has such high levels of discrimination against African Americans that even after the Civil Rights marches, many still lost their lives and a gr eat deal of their properties including houses all for in the name of white women pursuance. The minority groups have for decades received promises of better lives and a bigger share of the national cake with no tangible evidence of these promises’ fulfillments. This is depicted by the fact that the gold coins are only made of brass thereby showing deception toward the African Americans. It is also clear that the African Ameri

Aquired Dyslexia :: essays research papers

DISCUSS SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH RESEARCH IN ADULT AQUIRED DYSLEXICS HAS ENHANCED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PEOPLE READ. The use of language is one of the most complex tasks the human brain must carry out. The way in which children acquire language is studied very carefully. This acquisition is enhanced by teaching from skilled language users, but in itself acquired by the child’s own observation and learning. For this reason the acquisition of spoken language is perhaps more well documented then the taught acquisition of reading skills. It is hard to determine how the human brain deals with the task of reading the written word. It can not be determined by introspection or studying the human brain in action as this is not possible. The way Psychologists and Neuroscientists have developed to determine hoe humans read is to observe people who have suffered some form of brain damage and have thereby incurred some form of reading disability. This disability is known as acquired dyslexia. From the study of such patients several variations of a basic model have been developed to highlight the way in which the written word is processed in the brain. The model is subdivided in to two main processing routes, the Non Lexical Route and the Lexical route. A model produced based on theories from Coltheart (1981) shows that there are several routes to speech production in the brain. The eye first identifies the printed word. In the adult skilled reader the eye does not move in a smooth pattern but actually jumps to certain focus points in a sentence the brain itself actually fills in the missing words. It does this by top down processing in which the brain applies words to the sentence to make the overall meaning correct. The eye does not move smoothly but actually jumps from point to point. The term given to the period when the eye is stationary and focused on a particular point is called a fixation. It is at these fixations when the eye takes up the information. The jumping movements are known as saccades. Javal (1887) first used this term. This jumping in saccades allows information to be processed faster. However it is believed that little or no information is taken up during a saccade. This is known as saccadic suppression. Dodge ( 1900) and Holt (1903). In addition to this saccadic motion it has been discovered that in readers of English the perceptual span of the visual field is greater to the right of the fixation point. Aquired Dyslexia :: essays research papers DISCUSS SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH RESEARCH IN ADULT AQUIRED DYSLEXICS HAS ENHANCED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PEOPLE READ. The use of language is one of the most complex tasks the human brain must carry out. The way in which children acquire language is studied very carefully. This acquisition is enhanced by teaching from skilled language users, but in itself acquired by the child’s own observation and learning. For this reason the acquisition of spoken language is perhaps more well documented then the taught acquisition of reading skills. It is hard to determine how the human brain deals with the task of reading the written word. It can not be determined by introspection or studying the human brain in action as this is not possible. The way Psychologists and Neuroscientists have developed to determine hoe humans read is to observe people who have suffered some form of brain damage and have thereby incurred some form of reading disability. This disability is known as acquired dyslexia. From the study of such patients several variations of a basic model have been developed to highlight the way in which the written word is processed in the brain. The model is subdivided in to two main processing routes, the Non Lexical Route and the Lexical route. A model produced based on theories from Coltheart (1981) shows that there are several routes to speech production in the brain. The eye first identifies the printed word. In the adult skilled reader the eye does not move in a smooth pattern but actually jumps to certain focus points in a sentence the brain itself actually fills in the missing words. It does this by top down processing in which the brain applies words to the sentence to make the overall meaning correct. The eye does not move smoothly but actually jumps from point to point. The term given to the period when the eye is stationary and focused on a particular point is called a fixation. It is at these fixations when the eye takes up the information. The jumping movements are known as saccades. Javal (1887) first used this term. This jumping in saccades allows information to be processed faster. However it is believed that little or no information is taken up during a saccade. This is known as saccadic suppression. Dodge ( 1900) and Holt (1903). In addition to this saccadic motion it has been discovered that in readers of English the perceptual span of the visual field is greater to the right of the fixation point.

Diana – Cover Up or Accident?

Example of a Persuasive Speech : Diana Diana – Cover up or Accident? There are many conspiracy theories surrounding the death of the beloved Princess Diana. I would firstly like to say that these are not my opinions but facts and quotations that I have found in books or on the Internet. Since the Princess' death in 1997, there was immediate pressure from the public towards the Royal family, and towards MI6. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]The first conspiracy theory is that the death was faked. The story goes that fed up with the constant intrusion into her private life by the media, Diana, aided by the resources of lover Dodi, staged a spectacular ‘death', in a hope that she could retreat to a life of privacy. A plan that went horribly wrong, leading to her death. But would this idea be possible? My view: No. Diana was famous all over the world. In this day and age it would not have been possible to avoid the press – Diana and Dodi would have known this all too well. Also, she loved her sons. In this plan she would have had to leave them. To me this theory is not what happened The second conspiracy theory is that of the evidence – one that stands out in particular for me. A) Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones still lives, but testimony from Mercedes auto experts says that it would have been almost impossible for anyone to have survived a crash in the tunnel in a car going at 121 mph. Maybe, as driver Henri Paul's lawyers claim, the car was not going that fast. Maybe the crash was faked by the army-trained Rees-Jones who had previously deposited Diana and Dodi elsewhere. My view: Highly unlikely. If the bodyguard was to set up the accident, why be in the car at all? If he had set up the accident I am sure he would have set up an excuse/alibi to not be in the vehicle. And as is commonly known now, he was the only one wearing a seatbelt – the fact that this saved his life seems most likely to me. B) Dodi's usual driver was not used. Mystery still surrounds Henri Paul, the security officer, who stepped in at the last minute to drive the Mercedes S-280. It took a full two days for his name to be revealed, for instance. Co-workers at the Ritz Hotel say he kept himself to himself and never socialised with them. One version of this conspiracy has it that Paul simply did not exist, another that he was quickly whisked away from the hospital after being declared dead by doctors in cahoots with the Al Fayed family. My view: We know for a fact that the drivers were changed, but there is no solid evidence to say why. Also, surely the Al Fayed family had more than one driver. If I was them I would want to know the person driving me in my car. Wouldn't you? Now finally from the evidence: C) Just six hours before she died Diana let slip to Daily Mail reporter Richard Kray that she was about to withdraw completely from public life. My view: A funny one – but is the reporter just looking for a cheap story or has he got the proof? The truth is still unknown. The final conspiracy is the most popularly believed. That the British MI6 killed her. Some say that she was the target; some say that it was Dodi. Here's the evidence: Rogue elements in the British Secret Service decide that Diana is a threat to the throne, and therefore the stability of the state. They take her out. As for Dodi, business enemies of Dodi and his father Mohammed Al Fayed assassinate Dodi, with the death of Diana; a magnificent cover for their peration. My views are exactly that, and you should make up your own minds. But there is a mountain of evidence to say that The Lady Diana's death was no accident. Either way, the people of Britain have demanded answers for ten years now – after coming close, then having all the evidence stolen! Will we ever find out? My final view on this is, that as long as the people responsible don't wan t us to, then no, we will never find out the truth. Getting Civil I am against the government sanctioning same-sex marriages. Am I intolerant? Am I homophobic? Am I part of a fundamentalist religious sect of some sort? What if I tell you that I am against the government sanctioning marriages between a man and a woman as well? Am I against marriage? Am I an anarchist? Am I insane? Actually, I believe I have the sanest solution to the whole marriage debate and I don't hear anyone talking about it. My solution is to leave marriage where it belongs – in religious and private institutions. What business is it of the government to sanction relationships between consenting adults? Why is it up to the government to define what a marriage is? Why should the government be involved in promoting or discouraging particular types of relationships? We are a free country so why is it up to the government to tell us how we, the citizens, can define our relationships and which ones are acceptable in their eyes and which ones are not? My contention is that unless relationships chosen by consenting adults of their own free will endanger other individuals, the government has no business sanctioning them or preventing them. Am I saying that the government has no role in personal relationships? Well, not exactly. Legal arrangements are necessary for the purpose of expeditiously dividing property and providing for custody of any children resulting from a relationship if the relationship ends. Through legal arrangements, the rights of all involved can be protected. That's why I believe that all legal partnerships between two people who have committed to each other should all be civil unions in the eyes of the government. Whether these relationships are called marriages or not is up to religious institutions and the individuals themselves. pic][pic][pic]I have a friend who is a lesbian. The woman she loves is Dutch and they got married last summer in Holland where it is legal. I saw the pictures. They were happy, joyful. Their families and friends attended the ceremony and support them in their commitment to each other. They have a house together. They have jobs and pay taxes. They participate in civic activities. They are enjoying life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. B ut what if their families did not support their choice and their commitment to each other? If something were to happen to one of them, either a life threatening illness or even death, by law, the family could prevent the partner from being involved in making decisions for her loved one's care or even the arrangements for a funeral. Unless prior arrangements were made, the benefits of being a legal couple would not apply to these two committed partners who make every bit as much of a contribution to society as any heterosexual married couple does. I have a friend who has two children with her partner. If their partnership were to dissolve, it is possible that the woman who actually gave birth to the children could bar the other woman, the woman that the children have always known as their mother from having any contact with them. The non-birth mother would have no rights. Are the children's rights protected here? Some people argue that allowing same-sex couples to have civil unions would result in an undue financial burden on society, primarily because of the benefits that currently apply to married couples that would now have to be extended to same-sex couples. So are we trying to prevent people from having equal rights to save a few bucks? To me, that's like saying we should not have allowed women the vote because it would increase the cost of elections. Some people are concerned that allowing same-sex couples the legal rights of a civil union would require religious institutions to marry them. There would be no such requirements. Churches and other religious institutions would be free to exercise their beliefs and traditions as they have always been. Two people who love each other should be able to commit to each other and be protected by law in the relationship and in the case that the relationship ends. Any children who are the result of the relationship should have their rights protected as well. In my opinion, all people who want to have legal recognition of their committed status should have the option of a civil union and that all people joined in a civil union should have equal rights regardless of their gender. Whether a name is given to that union beyond the legal one should be up to religious institutions and the individuals themselves, not the government.