Implementation of Wireless Receiver Algorithms

Implementation of Wireless Receiver Algorithms Figure 1 System Specifications (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 2 Message format (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 3 Non-coherent receiver (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 4 Coherent receiver (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 5 Receiver Front-End (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 6 Frequency response of a passband filter (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 7 Band-pass filter response Figure 8 Band-pass filter input/output Figure 9 Implemented DPSK demodulator (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 10 Low-pass filter input/output Figure 11 Optima sample time diagram Figure 12 Symbol with 40 samples (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 13 Early-Late sample at an arbitrary point (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 14 Early-Late sample at the maximum point of power (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 15 Early-Late symbol synchronization input/output Figure 16 Result of non-coherent receiver detection Figure 17 IQ Downconverter (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 18 Sine and cosine table graphs Figure 19 Index control flow (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 20 Filter comparison (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 21 Down-conversion: x3I vs. x3Q counter clockwise Figure 22 Down-conversion: x4I vs. x4Q counter clockwise Figure 23 x6I vs. x6Q Figure 24 Averaging approach to overcome the jitter (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 25 Code to solve the jitter Figure 26 Principle of the differential detector (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 27 Constellation without Phase Offset (dI Vs dQ) Figure 28 Result of coherent receiver detection using differential coherent demodulator Figure 29 BPSK and DPSK BER comparison (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 30 Costas Loop algorithm (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 31 Costas loop: yQ vs. yI Figure 32 Message obtained using Costas loop Figure 33 BER comparison of different modulation schemes and techniques (Sklar, 1983) This project is focused on implementing and coupling several functional blocks that will allow us to detect, extract and decode a wireless message that is being broadcasted in the Merz lab of computers. In the following sections, we will find the implementations of coherent and non-coherent receivers. In the section 1 we define the basic background knowledge that will be commonly used in the posterior phases of the report. We define the basic structure and features of the transmitter as well as the message format that the system is intended to detect. Finally, we define what is a coherent and a non-coherent system and provide a classification about the different techniques. In the section 2 we will analyse the non-coherent receiver implementation from the message acquisition, going to the filter section, signal scaling and refinement, using a DPSK demodulator to define the probable symbols represented, then establishing a synchronization for the symbol and finally presenting the message obtained. The section 3 will focus in the realization of a coherent receiver, considering two possible variations on this type of implementation: the first will be developed using a differential coherent demodulator, in this technique we will not recover the carrier signal. The second implementation of this receiver, will be done using a carrier recovery technique, which is in this case a Costas Loop Algorithm. Some common blocks are done in all the possible implementations that were carried out during this project: the first is the receiver front-end which is the responsible to acquire and prepare the signal for the posterior processing. To recover the symbol synchronization, we use a technique called early-late gate, this will let us know what is the most convenient instant of the time to sample the signal. For the case of coherent signal, we must adapt this technique to apply it separately for the signal I (in-phase) and Q (quadrature). The section 4 contains analysis, conclusions and discussions of the results obtained during the realization of the phases. The last sections of the report detail the references used for further explanations and the different programs used for implementing each block. In each section, we include little further explanations that could be referred to understand the steps and details that have been done in the corresponding section. 1. Background knowledge 1.1. Aims and objectives The focus of this project is to demonstrate the implementation and the behaviour of data links using Radio Frequency as media and different techniques. Basically, we use two techniques: coherent and non-coherent implementations. A further explanation of these techniques will be done in the following sections. A second implementation of a coherent receiver will be carried out by using a phase recovery technique with the Costas Loop and coupling the posterior phase to this block. The specifications of the system to be implemented could be defined as a set of blocks connected as follows: Figure 1 System Specifications (Tsimenidis, 2016) Where the transmitter has been already implemented, therefore the work will be carried out in the receiver algorithm to obtain the final data, which of course must be in a human readable format. We also must consider that the format of the message that is being broadcasted wirelessly in the Merz lab has the following format: Figure 2 Message format (Tsimenidis, 2016) 1.2. Digital modulation The digital modulation process refers to a technique in which the digital representation of the information is embedded in a signal, a carrier typically a sinusoidal signal, in such a way that this information will modify an established parameter of the signal. We can define a sinusoidal carrier in a general way as a signal that will correspond to the equation: Where the information could be embedded in this will be called amplitude modulation, if the parameter this will be called frequency modulation and finally the phase modulation will be obtained if we embed the data in the expression. Regard to the symbol this is called the angular frequency, it is measured in radians per second, this is related to the frequency (f) expressed in Hertz by the expression. 1.3. Coherent and non-coherent detection Considering the receiver side, we can classify the demodulation or detection based on the use of the carriers phase information in the process of information recovery. In the case that the receiver uses this information to detect the signals it will be called coherent detection, and non-coherent detection otherwise. This are also called synchronous and asynchronous detection, respectively. Coherent Non-Coherent Phase Shift Keying (PSK) Diferential Phase Shift Keying (DPSK) Frecuency Shift Keying (FSK) Frecuency Shift Keying (FSK) Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) Continuous Phase Modulation (CPM) Continuous Phase Modulation (CPM) Figure 3 Non-coherent receiver (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 4 Coherent receiver (Tsimenidis, 2016) 2. Non-coherent receiver 2.1. Receiver Front-End This segment of the non-coherent receiver will consist of the first two blocks, which are common for both coherent and non-coherent implementations. Figure 5 Receiver Front-End (Tsimenidis, 2016) The first block is the responsible to take a sampled input expressed as bits, represent it as a float number and then normalise it to a range +/- 1.0. The second stage applies a bandpass filter to the signal, this will attenuate the parasites components of frequency that could contaminate the signal that we received. Figure 6 Frequency response of a passband filter (Tsimenidis, 2016) To design the passband filter we must consider the following information: let = 4800 Hz, data rate = 2400 bps and sampling frequency = 48000 Hz. These assumptions, led us to the following results: Lower passband cut-off frequency: = = 3600 Hz Upper passband cut-off frequency: = + = 6000 Hz Lower stopband cut-off frequency: = = 1200 Hz Upper stopband cut-off frequency: = + = 8400 Hz The implementation of the filter will be done using the sptool command of Matlab, using the above defined values as parameters for the filter. The following figure shows the result obtained in the realization of the lab, considering the number of filter coefficients of 101. Figure 7 Band-pass filter response Figure 8 Band-pass filter input/output 2.2. DPSK demodulator To implement the non-coherent detection, we are going to use a DPSK demodulator, which was previously categorized as a non-coherent technique. The DPSK demodulator will take advantage of two basic operation that occur on the transmitter: the first is the differential encoding, and the second is the phase-shift keying. In the transmitter, the signal will be advanced in phase, with respect to the current signal, if the symbol to be sent is 0, and the phase will be preserved if the bit corresponds to 1. In the side of the receiver, we have memory that will be able to compare the phase of two successive bit intervals, i.e. it determines the relative difference in phase of these two, determining the correspondent symbols without the need of having information about the phase of the signal in the transmitter. Figure 9 Implemented DPSK demodulator (Tsimenidis, 2016) The FIR matched filter block will correspond to a low-pass filter, this is required because the demodulation process, as it is a multiplication between two sinusoidal signals, will generate a low-band signal and a high-band signal, where the second one should be filtered. 2.3. Symbol synchronisation The symbol synchronisation, also called symbol timing, is a critical process that consists in the continuous estimation and update of information of the symbol related to its data transition epochs. This is a critical process that must be conducted to keep the communication accuracy in acceptable levels. Broadly speaking, the synchronization techniques could be classified in two groups: open-loop and closed-loop. The chosen technique for this project corresponds to the Early-Late Symbol Synchronization which is a closed-loop type. The most popular technique is the closed-loop synchronization because Open-loop synchronizer has an unavoidable nonzero average tracking error (though small for large SNR, it cannot be made zero), a closed-loop symbol synchronizer circumvents this problem.(Nguyen Shwedyk, 2009) The corresponding results of the output of the demodulator are the following figures, these corresponds to the signals before and after the signal is filtered with the FIR low-pass filter. Notes: The curve in blue corresponds to the signal containing the high-frequency parasite component, and the curve in red shows the result of filtering the high frequency component, i.e. this is the output signal of the filter. The symbol correspondence is: symbol 0 for positive numbers, and symbol 1 for negative magnitudes. Figure 10 Low-pass filter input/output 2.3.1. Early-late Symbol Synchronization (Reed, 2002) The algorithm Early-late used for synchronization is supported by the idea that the sample of a symbol must be taken in the time where the energy is maximum, this will warranty a minimum error probability. This algorithm exploits the symmetry of the signal, neglecting the distortion and noise. Considering the following figure, we can see that the optimal time to take the sample, identified as T, should be in the halfway between two points T0 + d and T0 d, if the power in the T0 + d and T0 d is, ideally, the same. Figure 11 Optima sample time diagram Suppose the following figure shows a symbol, we can notice that if we take an arbitrary sample, e.g. n=3 and depending on the thresholds, could be wrongly interpreted as 0, however the most appropriated value is 1. Figure 12 Symbol with 40 samples (Tsimenidis, 2016) With a buffer size of 20 registers, we can notice that in the following figure the power levels of the signal for n=0 and n=19 are different, then we need to move the whole buffer one space to the right. Figure 13 Early-Late sample at an arbitrary point (Tsimenidis, 2016) If we continue with the iteration and we follow the rules described in the flow diagram, we will converge in a finite number of iterations, where we can see that the result is located as expected, this could be seen in the following figure. Figure 14 Early-Late sample at the maximum point of power (Tsimenidis, 2016) The results of the application of this algorithm for our case are shown in the following figure: Note: The signal in red is the input of the early-late symbol synchronization block and the signal in blue is the value of Em that will finally determine the value that the symbol is representing, in each case. Figure 15 Early-Late symbol synchronization input/output 2.4. Frame synchronisation As was stated in the in the background section, the message frame will begin with the characters ++++ and the message has 72 bytes encoding the message using a ASCII characters. Therefore, this section will deal with two tasks: (1) Detect the message preamble and (2) Decode byte per byte of the data contained in the payload. After the preamble section, we will detect 576 bits, corresponding to the 72 bytes that correspond to the ASCII characters. These characters will be dumped into an executable file that will then show the message that has been detected and decoded. The specific implementation of the algorithm is attached in the appendix section of this report. 2.5. Results and evaluation The result of applying the steps described in the sections from 2.1 to 2.4, we obtain the message, getting the result showed in the next figure: Figure 16 Result of non-coherent receiver detection 3. Coherent receiver The coherent receiver, also called synchronous receiver, implies certain degree of agreement or knowledge about parameters used in the transmitter side. For the case of the project, we have a signal of type DPSK, i.e. the codification is contained in the variation of the phase of the signal. 3.1. IQ Down-converter The aim of this component is to decompose a complex signal in terms of its in-phase and quadrature elements. To achieve this decomposition, we are going to perform the implementation using lookup-table oscillators, i.e. that for a given signal in-phase and quadrature components will be obtained by using the definitions given by: Figure 17 IQ Downconverter (Tsimenidis, 2016) Upon these definitions, the components that we obtain could be represented in two separated graphs, each one of them representing a different component table. Figure 18 Sine and cosine table graphs As for the index control of look-up table, we decide to use for loop to generate x2I[n] and x2Q[n], storing and transporting data to corresponding files as x2I.h and x2Q.h. These files will be used later to perform the conversion of values. Figure 19 Index control flow (Tsimenidis, 2016) After understanding the principle, we defined all of variables and initialized them to zero inside the main, and select the appropriate value of some variables such as state_mf, coeffs_mf and N_mf.Same as the picture over, the original data from bandpass output is also separated into two filters: Matched Filter I and Matched Filter Q, and the coefficients of the filters are the same with the original one. The benefit of using the lookup-table oscillators (setting x2 into x2I and x2Q) is to decrease the time of simulation because of the lower required sampling rate.ÂÂ   We can use via lookup table method to call them from x2I.h and x2Q.h, so that we can use it more efficiently in Matlab instead of shifting itself. And then, we multiplied x1 to x2I[n] and x2Q[n] one by one by using another for loop and got x3I and x3Q.Besides,the code of matched filter had been given by tutors and got x4I and x4Q. {x4I=fir(x3I,coeff_mf,state_mf_I,N_mf);ÂÂ   //match filter I } {x4Q=fir(x3I,coeff_mf,state_mf_Q,N_mf);ÂÂ   //match filter I } Figure 20 Filter comparison (Tsimenidis, 2016) We monitored and recorded x3I and x3Q in PicoScope and print screen. The wave of them spinning fixed at the origin point so three of these blows were selected to describe this wave batter. Figure 21 Down-conversion: x3I vs. x3Q counter clockwise After this, we can visualize the outputs of each one of the filters, now we are going to plot in the figure x4I and x4Q, obtaining: Figure 22 Down-conversion: x4I vs. x4Q counter clockwise 3.2. Symbol synchronization After IQ down-converter, the next stage is symbol synchronization. To achieve this, we create x5I[n] and x5Q[n] and sent x4I, x4Q one sample at the time. The procedure that we should do in this section is similar to the one seen in the non-coherent detection, however we must consider two buffers instead of one, one for I and other for Q parts. The sum of the above established energies will correspond to the energy that can be seen as the total energy of the signal, which is similar to lab of the symbol synchronization for the non-coherent receiver. The corresponding calculations to obtain the signals after the symbol synchronization process are defined as: Then, plotting the results obtained, we see the following figure: Figure 23 x6I vs. x6Q Due to synchronization problems, we threated the jitter that was causing these inconsistences using the averaging approach, as described in the follows: Figure 24 Averaging approach to overcome the jitter (Tsimenidis, 2016) Figure 25 Code to solve the jitter 3.3. Differential coherent demodulator In this section, we will implement a differential detector, also called a differential coherent demodulator. Figure 26 Principle of the differential detector (Tsimenidis, 2016) At first, we declare and initialize appropriately the required variables and define .In this differential detector, need to multiply ,1 symbol delay by . N N=1 N=2 N=3 After this, we defined x6I_prev and x6Q_prev to deal with this problem and let x6I_prev and x6Q_prev denote the values of x6I and x6Q from the previous symbol. It is very important to initialize them to zero at the declaration because we know . (Tsimenidis, 2016) x6I_prev=x6I; x6Q_prev=x6Q On the same time, dI contains the first two terms which stand for the In-phase part and dQ which contains the last two terms which stand for the Quadrature part. Hard decision is then achieved by deciding whether the dI value is positive or negative, with a negative value indicating that a logic 1 was transmitted which might be used in the next step that is frame synchronization and message detection. Now we obtain the plot showi

Why Is English Considered a Global Language?

Why Is English Considered a Global Language? Abstract This project aims to show us why the English known as a global language and why other languages do not have this ability. Also introduce some other languages such as Chinese that can be replaced with English and their capability of being a global one. Key words: english , global , language , capability. Introduction We all are able to communicate freely with one language to people all around the world. A single language would help to reduce misunderstanding and miscommunication. People will need to learn this one world language, whichever that may be, but we will also never forget older languages completely. It means that we can use both of them at same time for the several reasons. We use our mother tongue in our country (home town) and use second language (global language) for communicate with people that don’t know anything about our mother tongue or for some other reason like job, travel, migration and †¦. . Global language A language is called a â€Å"global language† when it achieves the official position and education preference in every nation, that language will finally come to be used by more people than any other language. The essential reason to make a language global or international is the power of its people. The power includes the power of military, politic and economic. Military power, political power and economic power are the three essential factors to make a language global and to keep its status (Culpepper, 1997). What does the global language do? When a new language is introduced to new communities, and a new better life is achieved by the new language, it makes people prefer to use the language than their own language. In turn, the low frequency of using particular language may cause the language to disappear. This was true when English was introduced to academic life (Kaplan, 2000). If the language is no longer the key in communication, it will not live anymore. People will forget it. Many factors cause to the death of the languages that cannot known as global language like War, revolution, economic development or urbanization (Kaplan, 2000). But the development of some areas, like aviation, tourism and banking can be help to be as a global. English English is universal language. It is the worlds second native language, the formal language in 70 countries, and English-speaking countries are accountable for about 40% of worlds total GNP. English can be used everywhere with educated people around the world. It can be used in media, cinema, pop music, TV and †¦for anyone who knows English (Bond, Michael, 1751). From Old and Middle English, English was spoken early in the last one thousand years. Examples of language written at that time, such as the works of Chaucer (mid to late 1300s) are useful in supervising linguistic evolution over the last thousand years. In these works, often spellings will be indistinguishable, but once pronounced phonetically, are understandable to modern English speakers (Sapir, Edward, 1871). Why English is the Most Widely Used Language in the World? 1-Some people may disagree that â€Å"English is the world’s most important language.† It is definitely the world’s most widely used language. It is spoken by a number of people 800,000,000 by a conservative appraise 1,500,000,000 by a liberal appraise. It has official status in over 60 countries. 150 million people use English fluently as a foreign language. English is also the language of international air traffic control, and the principal language of world publishing, science and technology (Crystal 2001). 2- In the postcolonial world, English is often used outside the domestic area, discussions of the links between English and Anglo culture may even seem repulsive. Speakers of English—in Britain, the United States, and elsewhere—discussions of possible links between English and Anglo culture may also seem to be best avoided (Quirk et al. 1985). 3- English is also important in business. 84% of companies want English as a foreign language; only 32% require French (Felberbauer 1996). In the Austrian job market, English is pay heed to as a basic qualification; therefore not knowing English may be a conclusive deficit. In Austrian businesses which operate internationally the internal use of English is not so much a feature as it is in Scandinavia (Dension 1981). According to research conducted by Stockinger, secretaries, for instance, are expected to be able to hold telephone conversations in English while technicians have to be able to read technical literature in English (Stockinger 1995). The Significance of Learning English: English may not be spoken language in the worlds, but it is an official language in a large number of countries. It also very important for whom works in global workforce because English is the language of business in world, so it had become necessary for people to speak English. Another reason for learning English is that many of the worlds top films, music and books are published and produced in English. Therefore by learning English, you will be able to have a great understanding. And also most of the content produced on the internet is in English. So knowing English will allow you access amount of information which may not be otherwise available. Chinese The Chinese language is the oldest language in the world with six thousand years of history. Chinese character inscribing has been found in turtle shells dating back to the Shang dynasty(Reid, Thomas, 1890). Chinese phonetics is very complex, making the learning of the language a far more difficult role than learning English (Simon-Vandenbergen, Anne-Marie, 1937). The written language is a common form of communication. Even though people are not able to orally communicate in different district, they are able to understand each other in writing (Saltman, Michael, 1903). Chinese is already the most widely spoken language in the world, but that is because of the large population of China (Aleksandr, 2001). Chinese is not suspended to pass English as a global language. The Chinese economy is strong enough to raise the cause and popularity of its language, just like the English did. But, it is possible that China economy is a result of its ability to conform to others’ languages and way of work rather than the task of the Chinese language on other countries (Spevack, Marvin 1985). In business, Chinese is the most useful language like English. Transacting business matters using a common language is essential for camaraderie building but also for the speed and effectiveness of your negotiations (Thompson, 1998). France French represents different cultures around the world. It is used on five continents, in more than fifty countries. French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations and the official language of the Olympic Games (Vera. 2004). It provides the base for more than 50% of the modern English vocabulary, which improves presentation on standardized tests. French is supported by over 35 years of research and has been proven to be successful with students of all races, economic status and levels of English expertise (Quinn, Naomi. 2002). The importance of French has economic importance for major economies in the world, For example, French is the official global language of Canada, which performs major trade deals with the US. The knowledge of French for traders to such countries becomes all the more important (Jeremy. 1999). Being the second most taught language after English and having a readership and with the number of its students, French is absolutely the language to know these days. With English, French is the only other international language; being spoken in 5 continents (Steven. 2002).France has not lost its level of development in language. France is still a highly respected country, and still one of the top romantic languages in western civilization. The United Nations communicates have only two languages: French, and English. There are parts of Africa where French is still the native language, along with several islands. Test: I did a test on two groups. Group 1, who decided to learn English as second language Group 2, who decided to learn French as second language. I asked same question from two groups. Here are the questions and answers: Question 1: why are you choosing this language to learn? Group 1 à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¨ we choose this language because it is an international language and is more important than other language to learn. Group 2 à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¨ because nowadays some other language such as French comes to high level in international position and it may know as global language instead of English. So we try to learn it to be modern and update with worlds language changing. Question 2: How much do you want learn this language? Do you want to learn just for being good at conversation or more than it? Group 1 à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¨ No, not just for conversation. We try to use it in our daily life such as reading English books, articles and watching English movies. Looking for medicine news in the internet and †¦ Group 2 à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¨ yes actually we learn it to make conversation, greeting and understand what people say. Result à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¨ nowadays we choose language instead of English just because of communicating, making conversation and understanding what other says. But we choose English to learn for several important reasons. As I mentioned before, we use English to being able to surf the internet, read the international book and magazine, being aware of news around the world and †¦ Conclusion We result that it is no surprise that English is becoming the language for international communication. English is the most widely spoken language of the world because of the power the United States in economic and politic. English is the mother tongue of 380 million people, and it is used worldwide by the newspapers, magazines, scientists, businessmen, and politicians. One billion to 1.5 billion people around the world presently speak English. It is the most widely language in 70 countries (J. Draper. 1994).Globalization at the end of the twentieth century is occurring through the media, and technology, thus affecting languages worldwide (Sebesta , 1996). In my idea, languages have fallen and risen with the military and economic growth of a nation. Western culture has a large influence to keep it raise and use these power to impose the word for being as a global language. References STIG HJARVARD (2008). How the Media Contribute to the Spread of English. The Globalization of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge university press. Nguyen Thuy Nga (2008). English A global language. Hanoi University press. Journal of Science, Foreign Languages 24 (2008) 260-266. Woody Allen (1968). Language is acquired, whining is learned. Second language acquisition. Harlow: Pearson. David Crystal (2003). English as a global language. Cambridge: Cambridge university press Zuliati Rohmah (2000). English as a global language. Tierney, J (2009). Language diversity and its importance for cognitive science. The myth of language universals. 32, 429–492 Jean Aitchison (2001).progress or decay? Language change. Bambridge: Cambridge university press (2001).5, 3-20 Danie Spich tinger (2003). The Spread of English and its Appropriation. Wien university press. (2003). Cornelia Hamann (1986). How Language comes universal. Language Acquisition. Journal of Memory and Language 33, 19-38. Pinker, S. Bloom, P. (1990). Natural language and natural selection. Behavioral  And Brain Sciences 13 (4): 707à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 784.

Essay --

By giving restrictions on how to create knowledge from the arts and natural sciences we limit the knowledge available that is attainable. Ethical judgment is when we determine whether an action is morally permissive or acceptable. This can vary across time periods and certain cultures. Therefore, we limit our acquisition of knowledge by closing ourselves off to knowledge that some societies might be more accepting of. This pertains to natural sciences and the arts due to the fact that there will be different perceptions with what is morally acceptable towards what should be produced or not. This leads to the knowledge issue: to what extent do ethical considerations limit natural science experimentation and research and the way the arts are created? In the arts, there is rarely a universal agreement with what should be considered ethical or not. However, in natural sciences, there are more universal agreements that limit the methods that carry out the production of knowledge. Considering that the arts can limit our acquisition of knowledge when it is censored due to the possible negative outcomes it has, is it possible for a piece of art to be immoral? Artwork itself cannot be considered moral or immoral. It is a person’s sense perception of what is presented before him/her that impacts their reaction and makes them decide whether the artwork is immoral or not. The spectator will see the art differently than the artist. Maybe the piece was not vulgar to the artist because he/she views it differently and creates a representation of what they were picturing. Either way, everyone has different interpretations and impose their judgments on the artwork, which leads to them limiting the knowledge they could be accumulating. For example... ...ictly seen when we limit the way we produce it. Our way of leading us to the answer of an experiment, or fabricating an artwork, has many restrictions that we need to think through before putting it out there. We also are hurt from acquiring a better understanding of a work by letting ourselves be influenced by others’ moral judgments. We keep ourselves from advancing and discovering valuable information because the stigma around it states that it is unethical. Art could be more valuable or enlightening if everyone kept an open mind and attempted to understand what it represented. Certain scientific experiments could have already solved life-threatening diseases if no one focused on the means of how it was obtained. All these ethical judgments have been limiting us on how to generate more knowledge that would benefit our future or help us better understand our past.

Bethel School District Vs. Fraser :: essays research papers fc

Bethel School District vs. Fraser This case involved a public high school student, Matthew Fraser who gave a speech nominating another student for a student elective office. The speech was given at an assembly during school as a part of a school-sponsored educational program in self-government. While giving the speech, Fraser referred to his candidate in what the school board called "elaborate, graphic, and explicit metaphor." After his speech, the assistant principal told Fraser that the school considered the speech a violation of the school's "disruptive-conduct rule." This prohibited conduct that interfered with the educational process, including obscene, profane language or gestures. After Fraser admitted he intentionally had used sexual innuendo in the speech, he was told that he would be suspended from school for three days, and his name would be removed from the list of the speakers at the graduation exercises. Fraser's father brought action against the school board in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. He alleged the suspension and punishment were a violation of his son's First Amendment right to freedom of speech. The father sought injunctive and monetary damages under 42 U.S.C. of 1983. The district court awarded the student $278 in damages, $12,750 in litigation costs and attorney's fees, and ordered the school district not to prevent the student from speaking at the commencement ceremonies. The school district appealed the decision, arguing that the speech had a disruptive effect on the educational process. The school district said it had an interest in protecting an audience of minors from indecent speech in the school. The school board believed it had the right to control language that was used during a school-sponsored activity. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the judgment of the district court. The district court found the disruptive-conduct rule unconstitutionally vague and broad, and that withdrawal of the student's name from the graduation speaker's list violated the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment because the rule did not mention such removal as a likely sanction. The court made the case that nothing in the Constitution forbids the states from insisting that certain forms of expression are unfitting and subject to sanctions. (Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 1969) The court affirmed that students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."(Tinker) If the student had given the same speech off the school premises, he would not have been penalized because government officials found his language inappropriate.

Shakespeares Macbeth - Responsible for His Own Destruction :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Macbeth:   Responsible for His Own Destruction      Ã‚   Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, is the tragic tale of the character Macbeth, a virtuous man, corrupted by power and greed. This tragedy could be explained two very different ways. One explanation is that the tragic hero, Macbeth, is led down an inescapable road of doom by fate. A second explanation is that there is no "outside" force working against Macbeth, which therefore makes him responsible for his own actions and inevitable downfall.   The text of the play seems to imply that Macbeth is indeed responsible for his own actions, actions provoked by an unwillingness to listen to his own conscience, the three witches, and his own ambition.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, Macbeth ignores the voice of his own psyche. He knows what he is doing is wrong even before he murders Duncan, but he allows Lady Macbeth and greed to cloud his judgment. In referring to the idea of the murder of Duncan, Macbeth first states, "We will proceed no further in this business"(I.vii.32). Yet, after speaking with Lady Macbeth he recants and proclaims, "I am settled, and bend up/Each corporal agent to this terrible feat"(I.vii.79-80). There is nothing supernatural to be found in a man being swayed by the woman he loves, as a matter of fact this action could be perceived as quite the opposite.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Second, the witches have to be dispelled as a source of Macbeth's misfortune before the latter theory can be considered. It is admittedly strange that the weird sisters first address Macbeth with, "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee Thane of Cawdor!"(I.iii.49), a title that not even Macbeth is aware he has been awarded. Even stranger is the third witch calling to Macbeth, "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter"(I.iii.50)! However as stated by Bradley, "No connection of these announcements with any actions of his was even hinted by [the witches]"(232).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some are still not convinced, however, of the witches' less than supernatural role; nevertheless, Macbeth appears throughout the play to be completely aware of his actions, as opposed to being controlled by some mystic force. The effect of the witches on the action of the play is best summarized by these words: while the influences of the Witches' prophecies on Macbeth are very great, it is quite clearly shown to be an influence and nothing more (Bradley 232).

It’s the End of the Worldand I Feel Fine Essay -- essays papers

It’s the End of the Worldand I Feel Fine It’s the End of the World†¦and I Feel Fine! (The role of intellectuals in the creation and justification of nuclear weapons.) In Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Sidney Lumet and Stanley Kubrick question the relationship between technology and humanity by emphasizing mankind’s tendency to create machines that cannot be adequately controlled. By blatantly revealing the absurdity of game theory (Mutual Assured Destruction as a reasonable deterrence for nuclear war), both directors call into question the dominant pro-Cold War American ideology. One of the most quintessential aspects of this ideology includes the drive for constant technological advance and strategic superiority. Without the brainpower of the scientists and intellectuals who dedicated their lives to the extension of technological power and the study of international conflict, the Arms Race would certainly not have been possible. These academics not only became the architects of atomic weapons but they were also faced with justifying the use of these nuclear bombs, and creating a th eoretical framework within which nuclear warfare might be appropriately (and rationally) conducted. Within this context, one noteworthy parallel between Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove is the existence (in both films) of a single intellectual genius that actively perpetuates the â€Å"science† of nuclear advancement and strategy. Indeed, through the characterizations of Professor Groeteschele and Dr. Strangelove, both Lumet and Kubrick examine the prominent role of intellectuals (both scientists and theorists) in the creation and justification of nuclear warfare. Ultimately, both Lumet and Kubrick reveal the problems with relying solely on science and mathematics to resolve international conflict, thus suggesting that modern warfare requires a more humanistic, ethical definition of right and wrong. Both Fail Safe and Dr Strangelove serve as moralizing responses to the dominant American Cold War culture, rhetoric, and political policy. In his article titled â€Å"Dr. Strangelove (1964): Nightmare Comedy and the ideology of Liberal Consensus,† Charles Maland identi fies the dominant American cultural paradigm (during the Cold War) as â€Å"the Ideology of the Liberal Consensus.† Maland maintains that the Ideology of the ... ...ocosm of possible nuclear disasters, both directors choose to include a character that embodies the contemporary ‘nuclear intellectual.’ Indeed, scientists and theoreticians (like Groeteschele and Strangelove) played a prominent role in defining and perpetuating the new Cold War culture. These academics not only became the architects of nuclear bombs but they were also faced with creating a viable theoretical framework within which the use of these weapons would be both recommended and justified. However, both Kubrick and Lumet suggest that in order to apply their brilliance towards mass destruction and death, intellectuals must give up a portion of their humanity, becoming increasingly more like the devices they create and defend. The mutual catastrophes that occur in Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove show the inevitability of human weakness and scientific fallibility. Through the development of Professor Groeteschele and Dr. Strangelove, both Lumet and Kubrick illustra te the catastrophic possibilities of relying solely on science and mathematics to resolve international conflicts. Ultimately, modern, high stake warfare requires a more humanistic, ethical code of right and wrong.

Student Athletes Should Not Be Paid Essay -- College Sports

Student Athletes Should Not Be Paid In the world of college athletics there are endless topics discussed daily and most pertain to money. An issue that falls under this category includes the heated debate involving whether or not student athletes should receive money. Many people say student athletes should receive compensation according to their specific needs because they spend so much time earning their scholarship and have no time to work. On the other hand, the stronger argument is student athletes should not be able to acquire additional funds in order to help aid them through college. An athlete knows what he or she is involving themselves in before any money issue is even brought up. Signing a letter of intent shows that they understand this. But people still feel the opportunity to work a job while competing in a sport is virtually non existent in a division one atmosphere, and therefore athletes need money. When looking at all angles, those that feel athletes should be paid usually have the same arguments. They think because athletes have minimal free time and a lot of the school’s revenue is produced by them, this qualifies athletes to a portion of money. For instance, football and men’s basketball have proven over the years to make the most money for most universities. In fact â€Å"Since 1965, the NCAA increased its revenue by 8000 percent and CBS signed a contract through the year, 2002, for $72 million to cover the NCAA tournament. (â€Å"For Years† par. 5) With these kinds of numbers produced by college athletes many suggest they need to receive a little back. It’s a reasonable thought since athletes are responsible for such an enormous amount of cash flow. The NCAA is often compared to a business and a bu... ...a university and playing a sport at the same time was supposed to be easy or profitable. If a law was to pass regarding college athletes receiving money many things would be different in the future. A major concern involves recruiting. Universities allowed to pay players would be able to buy recruits persuading them to attend the school offering the most money. It’s almost like a free agent in professional sports. Attending the school with the most to offer decreases the likelihood of a fair playing ground for all of college athletics. As a result certain schools would be major powerhouses and it would stay this way forever. Although there are some schools considered powerhouses now, the odds of a school with complete domination would be much more likely. Overall if student athletes begin to get paid, collegiate sports will become corrupted.