Transmission control protocol

Transmission control protocol Comparisons and Evaluation of TCP versions Tahoe, Reno and NewReno Abstract There is been several numbers of transmission control protocols proposed for the past several decades. These proposed TCP versions have been widely acceptable and used in packets switched network. In this paper we will present an overview of Transmission control protocol, discus different versions of transmission control protocols which are current used, explore the challenge faced when deploy these TCP versions and finally compare and evaluate these TCP versions. Index Terms Transmission control protocol (TCP), TCP Tahoe, TCP Reno, TCP Vegas, TCP NewReno, slow start, fast retransmit, fast recovery and congestion avoidance. I. Introduction Transmission control protocol (TCP) is a connection oriented protocol which was designed to facilitate reliable and secure end-to-end communication between to device in a packet switched network [1]. The reliable communication between devices is achieved by TCP through process of assigning sequence number to every packet that is transmitted and record the time used to transmit packets between source and destination, further to that, TCP protocol require Acknowledgment of receiving packets from destination host to complete communication. By using this mechanism transmission control protocol is able to detect the packet lose, damage, duplication or received out of order and be able to correct them or retransmit. Transmission control protocol also use sliding window control mechanism to control the number of packets sender device can send at one time and keep regulating this number for any further changes in a network. This is achieved by requiring the destination device to acknowledge the receiving of all packets sent by sender. This number is usually telling sender device the number of approved packets can be transmitted before get permission to increase or decrease. There are different types of transmission control protocols which were proposed in order to try to improve the transportation of packets in a packets switched network. Some of these TCP versions which were proposed are including TCP Tahoe, TCP Reno, TCP NewReno, TCP Sack and TCP Vegas. II. TCP Tahoe This is a type of TCP version which was proposed to improve the original TCP protocol which was mainly based on assumption that packets lose is only caused by congestion in the system [2][3]. The original TCP protocol used to follow go-back-n automatic repeat request model which was able to detect loss of packets from timeout, retransmit only if there is packet loss and receiver host govern the window control packet flow in order to prevent packet overflow at receiver buffer. This protocol did a little to reduce the congestion if the two end-to-end devices were in different networks or data packet are required to go through a router to get to other end or go through a slow link. In the process of trying to improve the original TCP three traffic management mechanisms slow start, congestion avoidance and fast retransmit were introduced to the original TCP and the new TCP version was named as TCP Tahoe. Slow start Most of the original transmission control protocols were used to start connection followed by sender start injecting several packets to the network until sender reaches the window size allowed by receiver [4]. This approach can work fine if end-to-end devices are within a single Local Area network but in a fast and slow link network with multiple local area networks this approach can encounter problems which may resulted into rapidly reduction of TCP connection network throughput. In order to avoid these problems of throughput reduction slow start mechanism is used in a TCP Tahoe. Slow start operating mode always starting injecting packets into a network with window size of initial value of one then waits for its acknowledgement before increases its window size value. When sender receive the acknowledgement that the packets was received by destination then it increase its congestion window to two and send two packets, if acknowledgement received for these two packets, sender increase its congestion window size to four. Slow start mechanism keep increases its window size every time it receive its acknowledgement of previous sent packets exponentially until it reaches its maximum threshold value and enter congestion avoidance mechanism. By using slow start mechanism TCP Tahoe reduce the rate of congestion in a network. Congestion Avoidance Congestion Avoidance (CA) is another control mechanism used by TCP Tahoe to gently inspect the network for spare capacity [5]. TCP Tahoe enters into congestion avoidance mode when the value of congestion window size is greater than the value of slow start threshold otherwise TCP Tahoe continues working in a slow start mode. If packets loss is detected in the network then TCP Tahoe algorithm will automatic assume there is congestion somewhere in the network, using this assumption TCP Tahoe change its slow start threshold value to half of its current value and set the congestion window size to its initial value and start slow start again. Slow start and congestion avoidance are two independent algorithms with each have their own objectives; but when congestion occurs in the network TCP Tahoe is required to slow down its rate of sending packets into the network by call upon the slow start mode of operation to get thinks going again. Fast retransmit One of the problems with TCP timeout-triggering retransmission mechanism is that the timeout period can be relative long. Subsequently if there is any packet loss in the network, it will take long period of time before sender retransmit the loss packets hence increases end-to-end delay [6]. In order to solve this long timeout period retransmission problem TCP Tahoe uses fast retransmit mechanism to resend any loss packets. It doing so by allowing sender to use so called duplicate Acknowledgements to detect packet loss well before the timeout event occurs. Fast retransmit operating mode in a TCP Tahoe can be triggered when three or more duplicate Acknowledgments are received by sender in a row. If this occurs then TCP Tahoe will perform retransmission of what is assumed to be missing packets without the need to wait for packets retransmission time to expire. During this period of fast retransmit TCP Tahoe adjust its slow start threshold to half of current value and enters the slow sta rt mode of operation and set the congestion window back to its initial value of one. TCP Tahoe problems Due to automatic set back to slow start mode of operation with initial congestion window of one every time packet loss is detected we see TCP Tahoe does not prevent the communication link from going empty. Hence this may have high cost in high bandwidth product links. III. TCP Reno TCP Reno has all three mode of operation integrated into TCP Tahoe like slow start, congestion avoidance and fast retransmit, but in addition to that TCP Reno modify the fast retransmit mode of operation to form fast recovery mode of operation[7]. TCP Reno enters into fast recovery mode of operation when sender receiving three duplicate acknowledgments. Fast recovery operates by assuming congestion is serious in a network if the packets loss is detected due to timeout. If this is true then fast recovery mode set TCP Reno congestion window size to its initial value and enters into slow start mode of operation. But if the congestion is detected due to duplicate acknowledgements then TCP Reno assume the network congestion is not serious. If this is true fast recovery mode set TCP Reno congestion window size to half of its current value and enters congestion avoidance operating mode instead of slow start mode. By entering congestion avoidance mode of operation TCP Reno prevent the commun ication link from going empty after packet loss by avoiding slow start. TCP Reno problems TCP Reno only performs better when there is single packet drop from window of data, because it cannot detect multiple packets drops from single window of data. Due to this if there is multiple packet loss from single window of data then TCP Reno is required to wait for timeout to retransmit the second packet which has been lost, subsequently TCP Reno over high packet loss network does not perform well, it almost works just like TCP Tahoe. IV. TCP NewReno TCP Reno has all the key algorithms found in TCP Reno but in addition to these algorithm TCP NewReno modify the fast recovery algorithm in order to solve the problems of TCP Reno of not be able to detect multiple drop of packets in a single data window [8]. TCP NewReno enters fast recovery mode of operation just like TCP Reno when it receive 3 duplicate acknowledgement, but unlike TCP Reno, TCP NewReno does not exit from fast recovery mode of operation until all the packets which are not acknowledge by the time fast recovery was entered are acknowledged. After receiving acknowledgments of all outstanding packets TCP exit fast recovery mode of operation and set congestion window size to its initial value and finally enters the congestion avoidance mode of operation to get thinks going again. TCP NewReno problems TCP NewReno suffers from the fact that it is taking one round trip time (RTT) to detect each packet loss. Therefore TCP NewReno can only work out which other packet have been lost when sender receive the acknowledgement of first retransmitted packet. V. TCP SACK TCP Reno only work better when there is single loss of packets in a single data window and does not work better when multiple packets get dropped in a single data window without going into timeout retransmission. TCP Sack was implemented in order to solve this problem by improve retransmission efficient when multiple packets losses occurs [9] [10]. It is doing this by introducing Sack option field in a TCP Sack which is used to report out of order block of data which have been received correctly by destination device. Therefore instead of retransmit all non acknowledgment packets TCP Sack retransmit only packets which are missing. Similar to TCP Reno, TCP Sack enters fast retransmit mode of operation when sender receive three duplicate acknowledgements. The sender in TCP Sack retransmits packet losses then reduces its congestion window to half before exit fast recovery only when it receive acknowledge that all outstanding data packet have been acknowledged. VI. TCP VeGAS TCP Vegas is one of the most sophisticated transmission control protocol which uses packets delay to determine the rate at which sender send packet rather than using packet loss as discussed in TCP Tahoe, Reno, and NewReno [11]. It uses the initial increase packets Round Trip Time value to detect the congestion in the system instead of using packets loss. TCP Vegas achieve this by using the following techniques. * More Accurate Round Trip Time (RTT) Calculation * New mechanism for deciding when to retransmit * Modified congestion window sizing mechanism * Modified congestion detection and avoidance mechanism VII. SIMULATIONS In this section we are going to simulate small network using different TCP versions in order to evaluate their performance and see their actual difference between them. The simulation will be carried out between two fast network nodes connected via a slow link. The diagram below shows all the link bandwidth capacity and delays. Source Destination (0)- (1) - (2) - (3) 10Mbps 6ms 1Mbps 10ms 10Mbps 6ms From the diagram above packets was sent from network node 0 to network node 3 via node 1 then node 3 and finally arriving at destination node 3. Tiny acknowledgement packets then were sent back to receiver via the reverse route. Expected bottleneck was form between node 1 and node 2 due to different link speed between node 0 and node 3. The queue discipline used in our simulation was DropTail with the maximum queue size of 8 packets. The simulation also was set to support one way traffic from node 0 to node 3 therefore tiny acknowledgments packets were expected not to be discarded on their way back to sender from receiver. This simulation is intended to support evaluation of TCP traffic control mechanisms such as slow start, congestion avoidance fast retransmit and fast recovery. The simulation was run for 10.5 seconds and the following value was recorded every 1 second and observed throughput in (Mbps) and window size as a function of time. After finish running this simulation gnu-p lot tool was used to display the following results. TCP Tahoe Results From the two diagrams above we see from 0 seconds to 2 seconds TCP Tahoe was in slow start mode of operation, when it got to about 0.4 seconds we see the first packet loss occurs and immediately TCP Tahoe reset its congestion window size to half of its current size (see 3). We also observe the throughput reduced to almost zero when packet loss occurs this is because when packet loss happens TCP Tahoe is required to stop sending packets and go back to slow start phase before start sending packets again hence no transmission. We also see from 2 second onwards TCP Tahoe enters congestion avoidance mode of operation, whereby TCP Tahoe allow the congestion window size to increase exponentially until packet loss occur then go back to slow start mode to start transmission again. TCP Reno Results In 4 and 5 we see TCP Reno enters congestion avoidance mode of operation with fast retransmission from 2 to 10 seconds but at 0.4 second we TCP Reno enters fast retransmission then at 0.6 second come out of fast retransmission and go back to slow start mode of operation which is the same as TCP Tahoe this is because TCP Reno cannot detects more than two one packet loss in a single data window. We also see every time packets loss happens throughput is reduced to almost zero, this is because of the same reason explained above. TCP NewReno Results 6 and 7 show that TCP NewReno enters fast retransmission/ fast recovery mode due to packets loss which occurs around 0.4 seconds and never come out of this mode of operation because it was able to detect multiple packets loss in single data window unlike TCP Reno. But from 2 seconds onwards TCP NewReno behaves the same as in TCP Reno. TCP Sack Results 8 and 9 also show TCP Sack is preventing the communication path from not going empty after packets loss happens at 0.4 seconds by entering fast retransmission mode of operation and not come out until all packets sent in a single data window acknowledge. TCP Sack works the same as TCP NewReno but use selective acknowledgment to retransmit the loss packets. TCP Vegas Results In 10 and 11 we see TCP Vegas manage to achieve the network high bandwidth this is because TCP Vegas uses sophisticated traffic control algorithms to anticipate the congestion of the link rather than reacting to congestion. We also see at 0.1 second TCP Vegas enters slow start mode of operation and packet loss start occurring around 0.6 immediately after packet loss detected TCP Vegas set its window size to 8 packets and at the same time reduce its throughput to 0.5Mbps. From 1 to 10 seconds we see TCP Vegas maintain steady congestion window size of 8 packets and the throughput was increased to 1Mbps which was the maximum throughput set for our simulation. VIII. CONCLUSION In this paper we present an overview of different TCP versions, discuss different traffic control algorithms used by different TCP versions and discuss in general what TCP is. We see these TCP versions perform different depending to network environments. We see TCP Tahoe and TCP Reno perform better when network environments are not of high loss packets while TCP Sack was slight perform better than TCP Tahoe and TCP Reno. We also see TCP Vegas was one of the best TCP Version compare to all versions discussed in this paper. In our simulation we see TCP Vegas was able to reach the maximum throughput and maintain this state for more than 8 seconds of our simulation, this is because TCP Vegas is much more robust over loss packets network and it can detect and retransmit loss packets much earlier than others. The work presented in this paper provides a means of compare and evaluate different transmission control protocol versions. References [1] DARPA, RFC793-Transmission Control Protocol, 1981, cited 6 November 2008, available from http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc793.html. [2] B.Sikdar, S. Kalyanaraman, K.S.Vastola, Analytic Models for Latency and steady-state throughput of TCP Tahoe, Reno, and Sack, 2003 pp 959-971, cited 4 November 2008, available from http://delivery.acm.org.ezproxy.kingston.ac.uk/10.1145/970000/966005/p959-sikdar.pdf?key1=966005key2=4143536221coll=ACMdl=ACMCFID=9935467CFTOKEN=88833439 [3] DARPA, RFC793-Transmission Control Protocol, September 1981, cited 6 November 2008, available from http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc793.html [4] W.Stevens, RFC-TCP Slow Start, Congestion Avoidance, Fast Retransmit. Network Working Group, January 1997, cited 6 November 2008, available from http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2001.html [5] W.Stevens, RFC-TCP Slow Start, Congestion Avoidance, Fast Retransmit. Network Working Group, January 1997, cited 6 November 2008, available from http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2001.html [6] James F.Kurose, Keith W.Ross, Computer Networking: A Top down Approach, 3rd ed. Boston, Pearson, 2004. [7] M. Allman, V.Paxson, W.Stevens, RFC2581-TCP Congestion Control. Network Working Group, April 1999, cited 3 November 2008, available from http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2581.html [8] S.Floyd, T.Henderson, RFC2582 -The NewReno Modification to TCPs Fast Recovery Algorithm, Network Working Group, April 1999, cited 1 November 2008, available from http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2582.html [9] M.Mathis, J.Mahdavi, S.Floyd, A.Romanow, RFC2018 -TCP Selective Acknowledgements Options, Network Working Group, October 1996, cited 1 November 2008, available from http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2018.html [10]Kelin Fall, Sally Floyd, Simulation-based Comparisons of Tahoe, Reno and SACK TCP, Vol.26 No.3,July 1996, cited 31 October 2008, page 5-21; available form http://delivery.acm.org.ezproxy.kingston.ac.uk/10.1145/240000/235162/p5-fall.pdf?key1=235162key2=9083536221coll=ACMdl=ACMCFID=9935467CFTOKEN=88833439 [11] S.Brakmo, L.L. Peterson, TCPVegas: End to End Congestion Avoidance on a Global Internet, vol. 13, 1995 page pp 1465-1490, available from http://delivery.acm.org.ezproxy.kingston.ac.uk/10.1145/200000/190317/p24-brakmo.pdf?key1=190317key2=8457936221coll=ACMdl=ACMCFID=9935467CF

Affection and Control :: essays research papers

Affection and control by parents is important in a child’s life. All parents should have both of these qualities. However, the level of affection and control are different among adults of the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Affection is needed by parents to their children. Affection is caring, and caring is needed by all kids. Comfort is wanted by every child. I feel that high affection has to be shown by parents. My parents care about me and are involved in almost everything I do. When I’m feeling down about anything, I can turn to them for help. Feeling comfortable to talk out problems, or even just speak about great accomplishments, is what I do with my parents. My parents are people who will always love me, who I can always lean on, and will always be by my side. An example is if I do badly on a test on a particular day. They will tell me either that I studied and put my maximum effort in, or I have to work harder. Some situations may be more serious, but they help me on any level. They are always there to help and advise me on what I should do. It’s not a false statement to say that parents who show their children high affection succeed for the most part. Statistic ally, this is known, and I feel the same way currently as a young adult.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Control is another attribute that parents need to instill for their family and children. Control is a quality all parents value differently. Some parents want to control their children a great deal, while others don’t have much control over their kids at all. I feel that my parents are right in the middle of high and low control. Things that I do everyday are sometimes limited by my parents, while other times they are lenient with me. They are adults, have much more experience than me, and that is why they have certain opinions on different issues, which I value. An example is my curfew. My parents set a time that I can stay out until for the weekends. I conversed with my parents about the issue by telling them how I feel, but they are the ones that ultimately make the decision. By setting a reasonable time to try to satisfy me, but also instill some rules, they make the choice based on what they know, hear, and want.

Religion’s Effect on American Policies

America is a country that is characterized as being a nation with multiple cultures, multiple ethnicities, and multiple religions. Plurality in all aspects of American society’s classifications is something that is espoused by most Americans. Numerous individuals with different backgrounds come together on American soil to form and make up the nation that is established on equality and democracy. Inclusion of all the diverse backgrounds present within this democratic society is the main goal of most American social institutions. Religion is one of the main aspects of an individual’s background that influences his or her behavior and analysis about life. Religion in America goes beyond an individual’s everyday life. (Minkenberg, 2) In fact, religion even affects the numerous American policies conceptualized by the government. Religion is such a potent force that its effect on American policies is not even dependent on the rate of citizens that attend churches for the different religions present in the United States. Minkenberg, 2) This means that religion is able to affect change in US government policies despite possible increases or decreases in religious Americans over given periods of time. The effects on American policies are not a result of the country becoming more religious as a whole but rather on the strength of religion itself as an entity enforcing change in political systems. (Minkenber, 5) There are many who emphasize their disagreement with religion’s effect on American pol icy. These individuals believe that religion should not be allowed to affect government policies so strongly or at all. However, it is this paper’s argument that religion should is not a necessary aspect of policy-making and that religion affecting American foreign policy should not be acceptable or encouraged. A presentation of the valid arguments with regard to this thesis will be made. Counter arguments will also be presented and refuted in order to provide a clear view into the fact that religion is indeed one of the crucial factors to be considered by America’s policy-making bodies. Before establishing why religion is not an important aspect of American policies, it should first be established that religion is in fact affecting the said policies.A Study on Religion and the Role of It on People and Media†¦. One clear example is given by the policies made during the administration of President George W. Bush. Despite the fact that America is experiencing a decrease in church-goers, it is measured to be more religious than equivalent Western countries in Europe. This is evidenced by its housing of more than 200 television channels for evangelism. (God and American diplomacy, 33) Religion is seen to take a role in the government’s policy-making decisions through the highly religious character of the President, himself. The United States’ stand on Israel is a clear case of Christianity becoming the driving force behind foreign policies. Instead of considering the interests of America, as a whole, the drive is largely to expand Christianity and to establish its hold on a nation like Israel. (God and American diplomacy, 33) Sam Harris in his book The End of Faith stresses that religion, specifically Christianity, has affected America in terms of sex and drug policies. Policies such as those against abortion are clear examples of the effects of religion on American policies. Harris goes on to critique such policies as being the main factors behind America’s moving towards a formation of a theocratic society, a society believing that its course is determined by a divine being. Religions role in America must not be equated to its role in a theocratic society. (God and American diplomacy, 33) This is a clear inability to separate church from state, one of the most essential aspects of American society. This is also a clear argument against religion’s evident role in American policy-making. Another clear argument against religion affecting American policies is based on the fact that America is a multi-cultural nation. It houses numerous different religions. Not all religions have the same positions and beliefs regarding policies. (God and American diplomacy, 33) As a result, when religion is allowed to affect US national and international policies, only a few of the total number of religions in the country are represented. It is only those religions with the loudest voices in America or those with members in the upper echelons of power that are able to affect changes in policies. This is no longer democracy or equality at work. However, there are those who posit that religion is in fact necessary in the development and implementation of American policies. One of the arguments for religion to be considered in policy-making lies on the fact that America’s relationship with other nations may be based on such religious foundations. A number of the international conflicts occurring today are largely religious in nature or are motivated by religious traditions. (Minkenberg, 4) One clear example is the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11. Miles, 23) Although there are many reasons behind the said attack, there is no doubt that religion played a role. Miles (35-37), indicates that a strengthening of American foreign policy towards a confirmation of US religious freedom would show countries, such as those the September 11 terrorists were associated to, that America does not pose a religious threat on anyone. Protection of the country through a portr ayal of its acceptance of all religions with equal regard via the mechanisms of American policies is said to be very much a necessity in a world that is largely classified by religious traditions and belief system. However, espousal of religious freedom does not equate to allowing religion to dominate American policies. Also, this logic assumes that if other nations are shown that religion is widely accepted in America, other points of conflict will be foregone. Religion may be one of the motivations behind international conflicts but it is not a primary factor behind the said conflicts. Addressing economic and political factors would be more prudent as opposed to simply allowing religion to take free reign. Also, religion is shown to only be useful to policies when taken at this angle: America has numerous religions. We accept them all. This is not the true form of religion’s effects on American policy and does not even begin to address the numerous global implications of the weightier religion-based policies of America such as those made regarding Israel. Another argument states that religion is actually a very potent source of adaptive social change. Patrick Fagan states some of the social benefits that are derived from religion in his article Why religion matters even more: the impact of religious practice on social stability. He indicates that through religion, marital happiness and stability are increased, parent-child relationships are strengthened, educational aspirations and achievement are increased, physical health is improved, well-being and happiness are increased, crime rates are lowered, and community-cohesion is strengthened. In Why religion matters even more: the impact of religious practice on social stability, Fagan indicates that the separation of church and state simply meant that a single state-approved church could not be allowed to exist. He imposes his ideas that the government, especially Congress, should educate themselves with regards to the benefits to be derived from religion and its practice. He also stresses that policies should be made with religion in mind and that data on religion’s potency should be included and considered in debates and discussions regarding American policy. Because religion is effective in creating social change in empirical studies conducted in the community-level, it should thus be considered for policies whose implementation will involve an entire nation’s population. The main problem with Fagan’s account of religion and then his recommendations for its use in policy-making is that the success of religion’s success on marginal issues will not equate to its success in essential issues. (God and American diplomacy, 33) Just because religion was shown to have a high value in practices and regulations set for smaller populations doesn’t mean that it will be able to give an equal value for policies and rules set for the entire nation of America. Read also Analyze the Ways in Which British Imperial Policies Also, because it was able to generate positive feedback for areas such as marriage, crime, and community cohesion, it does not mean that religion will be able to generate adaptive ideas for the more complex issues of the same area. These issues may include homosexual marriages, death penalty imposition, and community governance. For more complex matters as the latter, religion is no longer relevant and allowing it to become a factor in such policies would not only be foolhardy but would even be dangerous in the long run. Also, religion’s application on a small scale with individuals practicing only one type of religion does not indicate that it will have equal applicability in a nation that has numerous different religions. The separation of church and state does include that no specific state-ordained church must exist. However, the reasons and thinking behind such a separation are deeper than simply allowing for religious freedom. Considerations such as oppression of the minority and inability to account for all the beliefs and principles of the collection of religions in America were also made. It is clear that religion is indeed affecting American policies. This change is not warranted and should not be condoned. Policy-makers should take an active stand for the separation of church and state. Policies with religion as one of its factors will, in the end, prove to be biased and geared towards the betterment of only one part of American society. Government decisions should be based on more economic, political, and democratic norms. America is a country that is characterized as being a nation with multiple cultures, multiple ethnicities, and multiple religions. Plurality in all aspects of American society’s classifications is something that is espoused by most Americans. Numerous individuals with different backgrounds come together on American soil to form and make up the nation that is established on equality and democracy. Inclusion of all the diverse backgrounds present within this democratic society is the main goal of most American social institutions. Religion is one of the main aspects of an individual’s background that influences his or her behavior and analysis about life. Religion in America goes beyond an individual’s everyday life. (Minkenberg, 2) In fact, religion even affects the numerous American policies conceptualized by the government. Religion is such a potent force that its effect on American policies is not even dependent on the rate of citizens that attend churches for the different religions present in the United States. (Minkenberg, 2) This means that religion is able to affect change in US government policies despite possible increases or decreases in religious Americans over given periods of time. The effects on American policies are not a result of the country becoming more religious as a whole but rather on the strength of religion itself as an entity enforcing change in political systems. (Minkenber, 5) There are many who emphasize their disagreement with religion’s effect on American policy. These individuals believe that religion should not be allowed to affect government policies so strongly or at all. However, it is this paper’s argument that religion should is not a necessary aspect of policy-making and that religion affecting American foreign policy should not be acceptable or encouraged. A presentation of the valid arguments with regard to this thesis will be made. Counter arguments will also be presented and refuted in order to provide a clear view into the fact that religion is indeed one of the crucial factors to be considered by America’s policy-making bodies. Before establishing why religion is not an important aspect of American policies, it should first be established that religion is in fact affecting the said policies. One clear example is given by the policies made during the administration of President George W. Bush. Despite the fact that America is experiencing a decrease in church-goers, it is measured to be more religious than equivalent Western countries in Europe. This is evidenced by its housing of more than 200 television channels for evangelism. (God and American diplomacy, 33) Religion is seen to take a role in the government’s policy-making decisions through the highly religious character of the President, himself. The United States’ stand on Israel is a clear case of Christianity becoming the driving force behind foreign policies. Instead of considering the interests of America, as a whole, the drive is largely to expand Christianity and to establish its hold on a nation like Israel. (God and American diplo macy, 33) Sam Harris in his book The End of Faith stresses that religion, specifically Christianity, has affected America in terms of sex and drug policies. Policies such as those against abortion are clear examples of the effects of religion on American policies. Harris goes on to critique such policies as being the main factors behind America’s moving towards a formation of a theocratic society, a society believing that its course is determined by a divine being. Religions role in America must not be equated to its role in a theocratic society. (God and American diplomacy, 33) This is a clear inability to separate church from state, one of the most essential aspects of American society. This is also a clear argument against religion’s evident role in American policy-making. Another clear argument against religion affecting American policies is based on the fact that America is a multi-cultural nation. It houses numerous different religions. Not all religions have the same positions and beliefs regarding policies. (God and American diplomacy, 33) As a result, when religion is allowed to affect US national and international policies, only a few of the total number of religions in the country are represented. It is only those religions with the loudest voices in America or those with members in the upper echelons of power that are able to affect changes in policies. This is no longer democracy or equality at work. However, there are those who posit that religion is in fact necessary in the development and implementation of American policies. One of the arguments for religion to be considered in policy-making lies on the fact that America’s relationship with other nations may be based on such religious foundations. A number of the international conflicts occurring today are largely religious in nature or are motivated by religious traditions. (Minkenberg, 4) One clear example is the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11. (Miles, 23) Although there are many reasons behind the said attack, there is no doubt that religion played a role. Miles (35-37), indicates that a strengthening of American foreign policy towards a confirmation of US religious freedom would show countries, such as those the September 11 terrorists were associated to, that America does not pose a religious threat on anyone. Protection of the country through a portrayal of its acceptance of all religions with equ al regard via the mechanisms of American policies is said to be very much a necessity in a world that is largely classified by religious traditions and belief system. However, espousal of religious freedom does not equate to allowing religion to dominate American policies. Also, this logic assumes that if other nations are shown that religion is widely accepted in America, other points of conflict will be foregone. Religion may be one of the motivations behind international conflicts but it is not a primary factor behind the said conflicts. Addressing economic and political factors would be more prudent as opposed to simply allowing religion to take free reign. Also, religion is shown to only be useful to policies when taken at this angle: America has numerous religions. We accept them all. This is not the true form of religion’s effects on American policy and does not even begin to address the numerous global implications of the weightier religion-based policies of America such as those made regarding Israel. Another argument states that religion is actually a very potent source of adaptive social change. Patrick Fagan states some of the social benefits that are derived from religion in his article Why religion matters even more: the impact of religious practice on social stability. He indicates that through religion, marital happiness and stability are increased, parent-child relationships are strengthened, educational aspirations and achievement are increased, physical health is improved, well-being and happiness are increased, crime rates are lowered, and community-cohesion is strengthened. In Why religion matters even more: the impact of religious practice on social stability, Fagan indicates that the separation of church and state simply meant that a single state-approved church could not be allowed to exist. He imposes his ideas that the government, especially Congress, should educate themselves with regards to the benefits to be derived from religion and its practice. He also stresses that policies should be made with religion in mind and that data on religion’s potency should be included and considered in debates and discussions regarding American policy. Because religion is effective in creating social change in empirical studies conducted in the community-level, it should thus be considered for policies whose implementation will involve an entire nation’s population. The main problem with Fagan’s account of religion and then his recommendations for its use in policy-making is that the success of religion’s success on marginal issues will not equate to its success in essential issues. (God and American diplomacy, 33) Just because religion was shown to have a high value in practices and regulations set for smaller populations doesn’t mean that it will be able to give an equal value for policies and rules set for the entire nation of America. Also, because it was able to generate positive feedback for areas such as marriage, crime, and community cohesion, it does not mean that religion will be able to generate adaptive ideas for the more complex issues of the same area. These issues may include homosexual marriages, death penalty imposition, and community governance. For more complex matters as the latter, religion is no longer relevant and allowing it to become a factor in such policies would not only be foolhardy but would eve n be dangerous in the long run. Also, religion’s application on a small scale with individuals practicing only one type of religion does not indicate that it will have equal applicability in a nation that has numerous different religions. The separation of church and state does include that no specific state-ordained church must exist. However, the reasons and thinking behind such a separation are deeper than simply allowing for religious freedom. Considerations such as oppression of the minority and inability to account for all the beliefs and principles of the collection of religions in America were also made. It is clear that religion is indeed affecting American policies. This change is not warranted and should not be condoned. Policy-makers should take an active stand for the separation of church and state. Policies with religion as one of its factors will, in the end, prove to be biased and geared towards the betterment of only one part of American society. Government decisions should be based on more economic, political, and democratic norms. References Anonymous. â€Å"God and American diplomacy.† Economist, 366(2003): 33 Business Source Premier. EBSCO. 18 April 2008 Fagan, Patrick F. â€Å"Why religion matters even more: the impact of religious practice on social stability.† 18 December 2006 Heritage Foundation. 18 April 2008 Harris, Sam. The End of Faith. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005. Miles, Jack. â€Å"Religion and American foreign policy.† Survival, 46(2004): 23-37 Minkenberg, Michael. â€Å"Religious effects on immigration policies.† Paper presented at the ECPR 32nd Joint Session of Workshops, Uppsala, March 2004.

Colonial Slavery essays

Colonial Slavery essays Slavery had begun on an economical basis, however by the late seventeenth century racial discrimination sculpted the American slave system. Slavery throughout the 1607 and 1775 grew in the southern colonies due to many economic, agricultural, and social factors. Englands southern mainland colonies, such as Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia were dominated by a plantation economy in which profitable stable crops were the rule (mainly rice and tobacco). Slavery was present in all these plantation colonies. Rice was an exotic food in England, however rice was grown in Africa. Therefore, Carolinians were soon paying paramount prices for West African slaves that were experienced and supposedly well skilled in rice cultivation. Chesapeake tobacco growers responded to the falling prices by planting more and bringing more product to market, therefore increasing the need for labor. Conversely, families formed to slowly, Indians quickly died when in contact with whites (due to disease), and African slaves were too expensive. Consequently, England had an excess of yeoman farmers willing to sacrifice themselves as indentured servants just for employment and its benefits in the colonies. During this period Chesapeake pl anters brought about 100,000 indentured servants to the region by 1700. Drastic change came in the 1680s when rising wages in England caused the diminishment of individuals willing to sacrifice for a new life in America. In 1698 the Royal African Company lost its crown-granted monopoly on carrying slaves to the colonies, triggering enterprising Americans to invest on the profitable slave trade. Slaves primarily executed the sweaty labor of clearing swamps, grubbing out tress, and other unskilled tasks of such. The Africans agricultural skill and their immunity to malaria made them the idyllic laborers on the hot and swampy rice plantations. In the deepest S ...

The Everyday Blues

The Everyday Blues The Everyday Blues The Everyday Blues By Erin When I was a reporter for a small daily newspaper back in the late 90s, I had an editor whose biggest pet peeve was the misuse of the word everyday. His peeve has followed me into my professional life, and I cringe a little every time I see it being used improperly. Everyday, the single word, is an adjective describing something that happens daily (an everyday occurrence), or is common or usual. For example: Because I was going to be doing messy work, I wore my everyday clothes instead of my work clothes. Many people use the word everyday when they mean to use every day. When the two words are used separately, they are synonymous with each day. I eat peanut butter for lunch every day. Mistakes involving the use of the word everyday are common. Even famous musicians are guilty! Take Elvis Costello and his 1983 hit Everyday I Write the Bookits right there in the title: And Im giving you a longing look Everyday, everyday, everyday I write the book Of course, Mr. Costello meant to say Every day I write the book. But the mistake is forever immortalized. Going back a little further, we have the 1958 hit Everyday by Buddy Holly making the very same error: Everyday, its a gettin closer, Goin faster than a roller coaster, Love like yours will surely come my way As in the previous example, were talking about something thats happening each day, not describing something thats ordinary or common. When is it a-gettin closer? Every Day. Keep this difference in mind, and stop making this simple error an everyday occurrence! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Is She a "Lady" or a "Woman"?What is the Difference Between Metaphor and Simile?30 Words for Small Amounts

Harmful Effects of Anti-Shia Discrimination Assignment

Harmful Effects of Anti-Shia Discrimination - Assignment Example Discrimination against the Shi’a has led to their inability to practice their religion, which has caused resentment towards their Sunni counterparts, as they are denied their right to worship. For example, Chehab in Sunni vs. Shia: All You Need to Know claims that â€Å"Jordanian tribes have banned Shi’as from paying homage at the historical grave site of a prominent Shi’a imam† (13). ...This led to protests in which over fifty Shi’a members either were killed or went missing. The Shi’a Muslims are also disallowed to access religious centers such as mosques, forcing them to perform their prayers on Friday in their houses (Chehab 13). This means that Shi’a Muslims, despite being part of the broader Islam family, are second-class religious citizens in most Muslim dominated countries. They are treated no differently than Christians, who are discriminated against in the same way and might as well be without religion. This has all the hallm arks of an irreversible religious war if unchecked. In addition, all able-bodied Muslims are required to visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime, which is one of Islam’s five pillars, to perform the Hajj. Although this event is supposed to count as one of the most intense religious times in the Muslim calendar, a group of Shi’as who were on a pilgrimage was arrested in 2009 by the Saudi religious police. This was part of Sunni Muslims,’ particularly the Wahhabi sect’s, aim to â€Å"purify Islam of any innovations or practices that deviate from the seventh-century teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions† (Giritlioglu 1). The incident resulted in one of the pilgrims, a fifteen-year-old boy, being shot in the head and chest, while a Shi’a sheik was knifed by an unknown person in the back for being what he termed as a rejectionist. Allowed to continue, such actions can only lead to reprisal attacks in Shi’a majority count ries, resulting in a never-ending cycle of violence.

Contract Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Contract Law - Essay Example Since Standard Contracts display an inherent certainty, they leave no scope for ambiguity. The Supplier who has made the Standard Contract (Employers, Banks, Investors and other such people) can impose their own clauses. They impose their own clauses and are adamant about any proposed change by the client. What makes provisions in agreements â€Å"standard† is the failure of the client to negotiate them and the willingness of those artists to accept such an off-putting reply that something is â€Å"standard.† ( IVAN HOFFMAN, B.A., J.D.) There are of course many provisions that should be included in any thorough agreement even though many of those provisions and their internal components remain fully negotiable. But at the very least, money points, royalties, advances, reserves should be considered as fully fair game in all deals. Other agreed terms, whilst not mandatory, have been subject to agreement between the negotiating parties nationally and should not therefore n eed amending in any way at local level. There are only a small number of terms which will be particular to each practice and which will need to be tailored to reflect the agreement. In the present scenario there is precious little that the client can do. There are not too many legal instruments could be provided to the client against the supplier, who has prepared the Standard Contract. As a rule, the standard conditions are valid in most circumstances.