TEN WEIRD PHYSICS THEORIES

There are a lot of interesting theories in physics. Matter exists as a state of energy, while waves of probability spread throughout the universe. Existence itself may exist as only the vibrations on microscopic, trans-dimensional strings. Here are some of the most interesting theories, to my mind, in modern physics (in no particular order, despite the enumeration).

Wave Particle Duality

Matter and light have properties of both waves and particles simultaneously. The results of quantum mechanics make it clear that waves exhibit particle-like properties and particles exhibit wave-like properties, depending on the specific experiment. Quantum physics is therefore able to make descriptions of matter and energy based on wave equations that relate to the probability of a particle existing in a certain spot at a certain time.

Quantum Probability & the Measurement Problem

Quantum physics is defined mathematically by the Schroedinger equation, which depicts the probability of a particle being found at a certain point. This probability is fundamental to the system, not merely a result of ignorance. Once a measurement is made, however, you have a definite result.

The measurement problem is that the theory doesn't completely explain how the act of measurement actually causes this change. Attempts to solve the problem have lead to some intriguing theories.

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

The physicist Werner Heisenberg developed the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which says that when measuring the physical state of a quantum system there's a fundamental limit to the amount of precision that can be achieved.

For example, the more precisely you measure the momentum of a particle the less precise your measurement of its position. Again, in Heisenberg's interpretation this wasn't just a measurement error or technological limitation, but an actual physical limit.

Quantum Entanglement & Nonlocality

In quantum theory, certain physical systems can become "entangled," meaning that their states are directly related to the state of another object somewhere else. When one object is measured, and the Schroedinger wavefunction collapses into a single state, the other object collapses into its corresponding state ... no matter how far away the objects are (i.e. nonlocality).

Einstein, who called these influences "spooky action at a distance," illuminated this concept with his EPR Paradox.

Unified Field Theory

Unified field theory is a type of theory that goes about trying to reconcile quantum physicswith Einstein's theory of general relativity. The following are examples of specific theories that fall under the heading of unified field theory:

• Quantum Gravity
• String Theory / Superstring Theory / M-Theory
• Grand Unified Theory
• Loop Quantum Gravity
• Theory of Everything
• Supersymmetry

The Big Bang

When Albert Einstein developed the Theory of General Relativity, it predicted a possible expansion of the universe. Georges Lemaitre thought that this indicated the universe began in a single point. The name "Big Bang" was given by Fred Hoyle while mocking the theory during a radio broadcast.

In 1929, Edwin Hubble discovered a redshift in distant galaxies, indicating that they were receding from Earth. Cosmic background microwave radiation, discovered in 1965, supported Lemaitre's theory.

More Info

Dark Matter & Dark Energy

Across astronomical distances, the only significant fundamental force of physics is gravity. Astronomers find that their calculations & observations don't quite match up, though.

An undetected form of matter, called dark matter, was theorized to fix this. Recent evidencesupports dark matter.

Other work indicates that there might exist a dark energy, as well.

Current estimates are that the universe is 70% dark energy, 25% dark matter, and only 5% of the universe is visible matter or energy!

Quantum Consciousness

In attempts to solve the measurement problem in quantum physics (see above), physicists frequently run into the problem of consciousness. Though most physicists try to sidestep the issue, it seems that there is a link between the conscious choice of experiment and the outcome of the experiment.

Some physicists, most notably Roger Penrose, believe that current physics cannot explain consciousness, and that consciousness itself has a link to the strange quantum realm.

Anthropic Principle

Recent evidence shows that were the universe just slightly different, it wouldn't exist long enough for any life to develop. The odds of a universe that we can exist in are very small, based on chance.

The controversial Anthropic Principle states that the universe can only exist such that carbon-based life can arise.

The Anthropic Principle, while intriguing, is more a philosophical theory than a physical one. Still, the Anthropic Principle poses an intriguing intellectual puzzle.

Briton becomes first Western Tibetan Buddhist monk to die from self-immolation

A Briton has become the first Western Tibetan Buddhist monk to die by self-immolation, dousing his head and clothes with petrol at a monastery in southwestern France.

Tonden, 38, whose name at birth was David Alain, had been training for the past five years in the Nalanda monastery near the southwestern village of Labastide-Saint-Georges. The secluded monastery's 25 monks, including five Britons, are currently in retreat.

Horrified colleagues rushed into the garden of the quiet monastery, which is surrounded by rolling farmland, at 4.50pm on Thursday afternoon, after spotting their orange-robed, shaven-headed colleague burst into flames on the lawn.

They were powerless to help and by the time the emergency services arrived, Tonden had died.

Monks and local police said they were unsure whether Tonden had been depressed and committed suicide or that it was a political statement.

But given international events of the past week, the timing of his demise could not have been more significant.

Tonden died on the day that the Chinese Communist Party enacted its once-in-a-decade leadership change, with Xi Jinping taking over from Hu Jintao.

In the past week alone, at least nine Tibetans were reported to have self-immolated in protest at what they say is religious and cultural repression by the Chinese authorities.

In all, 74 Tibetans have now set themselves on fire since 2009 demanding freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, who has been in exile since 1959.

Tonden was keenly aware of the Dalai Lama's plight, having met the spiritual leader last year when he visited the monastery

He also met the Dalai Lama's sister in September when she came to Nalanda and its nearby meditation centre, Vajra Yogini, which receives lay people.

Despite the timing, the office of the public prosecutor in Castres, said: "Nothing in the investigation allows us to confirm that it is linked to the events in Tibet."

Michel-Antoine Andreani, number two of the Tarn gendarmerie said the idea a Tibet-linked protest was the "first that sprung to my mind" when he was informed of the self-immolation.

But he told The Daily Telegraph: "Given the information we have gathered so far, the individual was psychologically fragile and during his training was having difficulty coming to terms with all the obligations and vows that his position demands."

The five Buddhist precepts urge against harming living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication.

The monastery, an hour's drive northeast of Toulouse, is described on its website as "a unique monastery for Western monks in the Tibetan Geluk tradition".

The entrance to the beautiful location warns visitors: "Retreat in progress. Nalanda monastery is completely closed to all visitors except by appointment."

A lone monk praying by a gold-topped stupa – the structure used for meditation – smiled but declined to speak. The monastery stands at the end of a long drive lined with pine trees adorned with hanging crystals and Buddhist prayer flags of blue, white, red, yellow and green that were last night swaying in the evening breeze.

Standing outside waiting for the undertaker, its director, the venerable Losang Tendar, said: "We don't know at this stage whether he acted for personal or political reasons and cannot comment due to an ongoing police investigation."

"What I can say is he never once spoke about such an act. He gave no warning and left no note. I also can say that nobody was with him at the time." Beside him, Francois Lecointre, a monastery spokesman, said: "We are like his Buddhist family and it's a huge shock for the whole community that nobody could have predicted," he said.

"We have of course followed the events in Tibet, but until now it was simply inconceivable that it would happen here in the West."

He was adamant that "Buddhism proscribes all forms of violence including against oneself. That is very clear in Buddhist teachings."

While police try and piece together the motives, others warned that frustration against Chinese repression of Tibetan Buddhists is threatening to spill over in the West.

"I actually defriended someone on Facebook recently who was threatening to self-immolate to draw international attention to what is going on," said Kate Saunders at the International Campaign for Tibet.

"As far as I know he did not go ahead with it, but it was not the same person".

On Friday, the political leader of Tibetan exiles called for international support for his people's struggle against Chinese rule.

Speaking to support groups from 40 countries at a meeting in Dharmsala, the Dalai Lama's headquarters, Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay said: "Tibet is a litmus test for China and the world. By supporting Tibet, the international community will clearly show what they stand for."

"By not supporting us in our non-violent struggle, the world will send a wrong message to all oppressed people of the world."

Beijing insists it has boosted living standards in minority areas and treats minorities fairly.

Another self immolation in TIbet (80th since 2009)

DHARAMSHALA, November 23: In confirmed reports coming out of Tibet, another Tibetan set himself on fire late last night in an apparent protest against China’s continued occupation of Tibet. The Tibetan man, the 80th to self-immolate inside Tibet since 2009, has been identified as Tamding Kyab. “Tamding Kyab, 23 years of age, set himself on fire on November 22 at around 10 pm (local time) in the Kluchu region of Kanlho, eastern Tibet,” exile Tibetans hailing from the region told Phayul

. “After local Tibetans recovered Tamding Kyab's charred body this morning, they carried it to his home." Monks from the nearby Shitsang Monastery have been performing prayers at the deceased's home and also carried out the last rites today. A nomad, Tamding Kyab was earlier a monk at the Shitsang Monastery, where currently his younger brother is studying. The charred body of Tamding Kyab placed under a photo of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Tamding Kyab passed away in his self-immolation protest against China's rule on November 22, 2012. Tamding Kyab frequently spoke out the ongoing self-immolation protests and expressed his desire for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

 "Whenever he heard of a self-immolation protest, he used to say, "How I wish I could also sacrifice my life" and often stated that without the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet, there is "no difference between living and dying" in this world," the same sources said citing contacts in the regions. The same day, Lubum Gyal, 18, passed away after setting himself ablaze in Dowa town of Rebkong, eastern Tibet following heightened restrictions and the implementation of a five-point notification issued by Chinese authorities giving stern orders “to punish self-immolators and their families; even those who had offered condolences and prayers to the bereaved family members and relatives.” The alarming escalation in self-immolation protests has already witnessed 18 Tibetans set themselves on fire in the month of November alone, making this the deadliest month since the protests began. Thousands of Tibetans, including school students, have carried out mass protests and rallies demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile. Earlier this month, local Chinese authorities in Kanlho (Ch:Gannan) imposed a “near-total information blockade” in the region following seven self-immolations in the past month. Local authorities clamped down on the Internet and mobile phone lines, imposing an indefinite ban on the sale of mobile SIM cards on three known shops in Sangchu, while restricting the sale of petrol and other flammable liquids in towns and villages in the area. Also in the region, local Chinese authorities posted notices last month, offering 50,000 Chinese Yuan (US $ 7,913) for information on “the sources of scheming, planning, and instigating” self-immolations. The exile Tibetan administration has maintained that the reasons for the self-immolations are self-evident: political repression, economic marginalisation, environmental destruction, and cultural assimilation. “The blame and solution for the present tragedy in Tibet lies entirely with Beijing,” Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the elected head of the Tibetan people, said earlier this month. “We firmly believe that an end to repression will effectively end the cycle self-immolation.”

If you wish to help make a difference the following link will take you to another one of my blog pages which contains a link to sign a petition for a free tibet, it already has 511 signatures but we need many more
http://interesting-theories.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/join-cause-for-free-tibet.html

Missing Tibeten monk feared dead!!!

HE'S MISSING AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HIM IS SICK, PRAY THAT HE IS OK AND STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

DHARAMSHALA, September 20: A Tibetan monk who has been missing since February this year is now feared dead as a result of the severe beatings he received from Chinese security personnel.

Tsering Gyaltsen, 40, a monk from the Drango Monastery, was severely beaten and detained by Chinese security forces amid the crackdown that followed the January 23 protest in Drango in eastern Tibet.

Dharamshala based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said that Gyaltsen was severely beaten by security forces and then taken to a hospital in Kardze on February 9.

The group in a release Wednesday quoted an unnamed source as saying that Gyaltsen suffered a broken spine from the beatings and died the same day at the hospital.

"Tsering Gyaltsen died the day he was hospitalised because the doctors could not treat the injuries he suffered during the police beatings," TCHRD said. "In addition to broken spine, he must have received other serious injuries."

In May 2012, more than four months after Gyaltsen's disappearance, his family and relatives had carried out his last rituals after sources in the hospital confirmed his death.

However, Chinese authorities have neither confirmed the death nor revealed the monk's whereabouts for the past eight months

TCHRD said that Gyaltsen’s colleagues at the Drango Monastery and his family members had approached the County Public Security Bureau office a number of times to inquire about his condition and whereabouts. 

“The PSB officers have so far maintained that they have no knowledge about the case.”

Hundreds of Tibetans had come out on the streets in Drango on January 23, the first day of Chinese new year, calling for Tibet’s freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile. Chinese security personnel retaliated by firing indiscriminately at the unarmed demonstrators, killing and injuring scores of people.

Following the protests, Chinese authorities led a large-scale manhunt for suspected demonstrators – killing, arresting, disappearing, and passing heavy sentences on suspected demonstrators. 

The Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration has said that since the peaceful protests in Drango, China has maintained a “strict and repressive” presence in the region.

“Since the peaceful protest against the Chinese government in Kham Drango, Chinese military personnels have maintained a strict and repressive presence in the area,” CTA said. “Scores of Tibetan monks and lay persons were arrested arbitrarily during the protests and sentenced to various prison terms.”

negatives and positives of communism.

-American version-

Positives of communism: The government protects you. The government takes care of your needs. Society is safe.

Negatives of communism: The government must know what you are doing. When you are doing it. The government is watching you. You must have permission to go water skiing. Also, the government decides where the money goes, to whom the money goes, and a lot of the time they end up sending a ton of the countries money to themselves and their buddies, in other words, rich aristocrats.

-Corrected version-

The answer above is not "Communism" in it's true meaning, The answer above goes for "Dictatorship" and "Totalitarianism, the true meaning of "Communism" is by definition "From the people, for the people." There is no ruler in a "Communist" society, and in this term, "Communism" never has, and never will exist.

Positives of communism: Seems like a great Idea.

Negatives of communism: Doesn't TRULY exist.

Reason being, all humans have the want, and most times, the power to be the ones who call the shots. In a small town, it COULD work, just keep drunkie in line and working as hard like everyone else. In a country, it will not work at all, do to people taking advantage of the economic structure and taking more for less.

Who will lead the revolution?

As you are now aware of the issue concerning Tibet and it's suppression (if not check out my previous post) Its now time that the Tibetan need a leader. Someone who can lead them to freedom.

A major issue has risen since my last post and that's the fact the Chinese government are planning on building a three billion  pound theme park in Tibet. Yet again they are destroying more of Tibetan culture and we need to stop this. More of this issue can be read here http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/06/china-plans-theme-park-tibet

So as more and more of Tibet is being suppressed and its traditions and cultures are being further destroyed there needs to be an uprising. Now the dangers of a Tibetan rebelling are very bad it can lead to imprisonment or death in some cases so it's in need of a saviour protected by a powerful embassy such as USA or UK. When this person can finally stand up against the bad things the Chinese are doing to Tibet and can rally all the people not just in Tibet but the entire world to follow him/her then Tibet can be made better and can be restored back to its original self.

The revolution is needed right now but who will step up to the mark?
can you cement your name in world history forever by starting the rebellion?
Will it be you that everyone owes a debt of gratitude too?

Too many people here on earth

We are over populating our planet!!!

Already on our planet there are over 6 billion people living here. 98% of them using essential fossil fuels and power sources. We are already running out of oil so how can we continue to meet the demands of the world population in 2050 when the population is estimated to raise by at least 12 billion. Its estimated to raise by 2 billion in first world countries which are more developed and by 10 billion in third world countries such as Africa, middle east, etc.

Even food supplies for countries in the far east are running low. There would be too much demand for food, oil, gas, electric and even alternatives such as wind farms and solar panels wont be efficient enough. There needs to be a cap down on all of this. The people living in countries where education is extremely poor such as Africa and Middle east need  better education to learn of disease and infection and medicines and hygiene so there children live longer and less child birth takes place. Contraception methods need to be enforced in them countries so childbirth rates are reduced. If the world gets out of control then the law which is in China needs to be enforced worldwide of only 1 child per family. It keeps the economy stable, and the population at a constant rate. Obviously they have the exceptions acceptable such as if twins are born then there is no consequences but if you have two children or more which are non- twins then a huge fine is issued .

KEEP THE POPULATION DOWN TO SAVE THE EARTH AND IT'S RESOURCES

Join the cause for a free TIbet

FREE TIBET

A topic which is unknown about by many or frankly not enough people give a damn. I want to raise awareness of the issues presented in this.

Tibet was occupied by China and ever since that the Chinese have forced the Buddhist holy leader the 14th Dalia Lama to live in exile in India. This has caused a stir in the Buddhist community and gives a huge amount of dissent from Buddhists to Chinese politics.

The Chinese communist politicians are exploiting the culture of the peaceful Tibetan people. They are trying to change their education guidelines and induce new policies. The Tibetan people want separation or at least a joint party between Tibet and China not just China. However the Chinese will not allow this and many Tibetans have tried to state their point. Tibetan students have set themselves on fire to demonstrate their message. But a big problem is trying to get your message across. People who express their free Tibet ideas on Chinese land have been known to be imprisoned or even killed.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/26/tibetan-protester-on-fire-india

A truly saddening fact is that the communist Chinese have put restrictions on what the rest of the Chinese population sees so they don't know how bad this actually is so now we need to raise awareness for everyone for the sake of the people. Its no use a few celebrity's holding a sign saying free Tibet that makes no difference to the circumstances. We need to get the world involved so now is the time to be part of something bigger than yourself and make a difference for the benefit of these human beings. Lets start a revolution. You don't have to do much but please have the decency to sign the following petition it only takes a minute. I plead of you . thank you

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/free-tibet.html

Should we bring back the death Penalty

 

The Death Penalty

Most of us know what the death penalty is but for those who don't it is a method where criminals are "humanely" put to death in one of five ways. Hanging, Firing squad, Gas chamber, Electric Chair and lethal injection. In some states of America the death penalty still stands for serious offenders however its always done with lethal injection as its the only method with no pain. For a more detailed look into these methods and to see which states still go for it and a database of all executions check out the following link
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/methods-execution

There are pros and cons for the death penalty as there is with any debatable topic. 
The pros and cons are listed from http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002000

1. Physicians at Execution

PRO Death Penalty	CON Death Penalty
1. Morality
PRO: "The crimes of rape, torture, treason, kidnapping, murder, larceny, and perjury pivot on a moral code that escapes apodictic [indisputably true] proof by expert testimony or otherwise. But communities would plunge into anarchy if they could not act on moral assumptions less certain than that the sun will rise in the east and set in the west. Abolitionists may contend that the death penalty is inherently immoral because governments should never take human life, no matter what the provocation. But that is an article of faith, not of fact. The death penalty honors human dignity by treating the defendant as a free moral actor able to control his own destiny for good or for ill; it does not treat him as an animal with no moral sense." Bruce Fein, JD Constitutional Lawyer and General Counsel to the Center for Law and Accountability "Individual Rights and Responsibility - The Death Penalty, But Sparingly," www.aba.org June 17, 2008	CON: "Ultimately, the moral question surrounding capital punishment in America has less to do with whether those convicted of violent crime deserve to die than with whether state and federal governments deserve to kill those whom it has imprisoned. The legacy of racial apartheid, racial bias, and ethnic discrimination is unavoidably evident in the administration of capital punishment in America. Death sentences are imposed in a criminal justice system that treats you better if you are rich and guilty than if you are poor and innocent. This is an immoral condition that makes rejecting the death penalty on moral grounds not only defensible but necessary for those who refuse to accept unequal or unjust administration of punishment." Bryan Stevenson, JD Professor of Law at New York University School of Law "Close to Death: Reflections on Race and Capital Punishment in America," from Debating the Death Penalty: Should America Have Capital Punishment? The Experts on Both Sides Make Their Best Case 2004
2. Constitutionality
PRO: "Simply because an execution method may result in pain, either by accident or as an inescapable consequence of death, does not establish the sort of 'objectively intolerable risk of harm' [quoting the opinion of the Court from Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U. S. 825, 842, 846 (1994)] that qualifies as cruel and unusual... Kentucky has adopted a method of execution believed to be the most humane available, one it shares with 35 other States... Kentucky's decision to adhere to its protocol cannot be viewed as probative of the wanton infliction of pain under the Eighth Amendment... Throughout our history, whenever a method of execution has been challenged in this Court as cruel and unusual, the Court has rejected the challenge. Our society has nonetheless steadily moved to more humane methods of carrying out capital punishment." Baze v. Rees (529 KB) US Supreme Court, in a decision written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Apr. 16, 2008	CON: "Death is... an unusually severe punishment, unusual in its pain, in its finality, and in its enormity... The fatal constitutional infirmity in the punishment of death is that it treats 'members of the human race as nonhumans, as objects to be toyed with and discarded. [It is] thus inconsistent with the fundamental premise of the Clause that even the vilest criminal remains a human being possessed of common human dignity.' [quoting himself from Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238, 257 (1972)] As such it is a penalty that 'subjects the individual to a fate forbidden by the principle of civilized treatment guaranteed by the [Clause].' [quoting C.J. Warren from Trop v. Dulles, 356 U.S. 86, 101 (1958)] I therefore would hold, on that ground alone, that death is today a cruel and unusual punishment prohibited by the Clause... I would set aside the death sentences imposed... as violative of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments." William J. Brennan, JD Justice of the US Supreme Court Dissenting opinion in Gregg v. Georgia (347 KB) July 2, 1976
3. Deterrence
PRO: "Common sense, lately bolstered by statistics, tells us that the death penalty will deter murder... People fear nothing more than death. Therefore, nothing will deter a criminal more than the fear of death... life in prison is less feared. Murderers clearly prefer it to execution -- otherwise, they would not try to be sentenced to life in prison instead of death... Therefore, a life sentence must be less deterrent than a death sentence. And we must execute murderers as long as it is merely possible that their execution protects citizens from future murder." Ernest Van Den Haag, PhD Late Professor of Jurisprudence at Fordham University "For the Death Penalty," New York Times Oct. 17, 1983	CON: "[T]here is no credible evidence that the death penalty deters crime more effectively than long terms of imprisonment. States that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates or murder rates than states without such laws. And states that have abolished capital punishment show no significant changes in either crime or murder rates. The death penalty has no deterrent effect. Claims that each execution deters a certain number of murders have been thoroughly discredited by social science research." American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) "The Death Penalty: Questions and Answers," ACLU.org Apr. 9, 2007
4. Retribution
PRO: "Society is justly ordered when each person receives what is due to him. Crime disturbs this just order, for the criminal takes from people their lives, peace, liberties, and worldly goods in order to give himself undeserved benefits. Deserved punishment protects society morally by restoring this just order, making the wrongdoer pay a price equivalent to the harm he has done. This is retribution, not to be confused with revenge, which is guided by a different motive. In retribution the spur is the virtue of indignation, which answers injury with injury for public good... Retribution is the primary purpose of just punishment as such... [R]ehabilitation, protection, and deterrence have a lesser status in punishment than retribution." J. Budziszewski, PhD Professor of Government and Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin"Capital Punishment: The Case for Justice," OrthodoxyToday.org Aug./Sep. 2004	CON: "Retribution is just another word for revenge, and the desire for revenge is one of the lowest human emotions — perhaps sometimes understandable, but not really a rational response to a critical situation. To kill the person who has killed someone close to you is simply to continue the cycle of violence which ultimately destroys the avenger as well as the offender. That this execution somehow give 'closure' to a tragedy is a myth. Expressing one’s violence simply reinforces the desire to express it. Just as expressing anger simply makes us more angry. It does not drain away. It contaminates the otherwise good will which any human being needs to progress in love and understanding." Raymond A. Schroth, SJ Jesuit Priest and Community Professor of the Humanities at St. Peter's College Email to ProCon.org Sep. 5, 2008
5. Irrevocable Mistakes
PRO: "...No system of justice can produce results which are 100% certain all the time. Mistakes will be made in any system which relies upon human testimony for proof. We should be vigilant to uncover and avoid such mistakes. Our system of justice rightfully demands a higher standard for death penalty cases. However, the risk of making a mistake with the extraordinary due process applied in death penalty cases is very small, and there is no credible evidence to show that any innocent persons have been executed at least since the death penalty was reactivated in 1976... The inevitability of a mistake should not serve as grounds to eliminate the death penalty any more than the risk of having a fatal wreck should make automobiles illegal..." Steven D. Stewart, JD Prosecuting Attorney for Clark County Indiana Message on the Clark County Prosecutor website accessed Aug. 6, 2008	CON: "...Since the reinstatement of the modern death penalty, 87 people have been freed from death row because they were later proven innocent. That is a demonstrated error rate of 1 innocent person for every 7 persons executed. When the consequences are life and death, we need to demand the same standard for our system of justice as we would for our airlines... It is a central pillar of our criminal justice system that it is better that many guilty people go free than that one innocent should suffer... Let us reflect to ensure that we are being just. Let us pause to be certain we do not kill a single innocent person. This is really not too much to ask for a civilized society." Russ Feingold, JD US Senator (D-WI) introducing the "National Death Penalty Moratorium Act of 2000" April 26, 2000
6. Cost of Death vs. Life in Prison
PRO: "Many opponents present, as fact, that the cost of the death penalty is so expensive (at least $2 million per case?), that we must choose life without parole ('LWOP') at a cost of $1 million for 50 years. Predictably, these pronouncements may be entirely false. JFA [Justice for All] estimates that LWOP cases will cost $1.2 million-$3.6 million more than equivalent death penalty cases. There is no question that the up front costs of the death penalty are significantly higher than for equivalent LWOP cases. There also appears to be no question that, over time, equivalent LWOP cases are much more expensive... than death penalty cases. Opponents ludicrously claim that the death penalty costs, over time, 3-10 times more than LWOP." Dudley Sharp Director of Death Penalty Resources at Justice for All "Death Penalty and Sentencing Information," Justice for All websiteOct. 1, 1997	CON: "In the course of my work, I believe I have reviewed every state and federal study of the costs of the death penalty in the past 25 years. One element is common to all of these studies: They all concluded that the cost of the death penalty amounts to a net expense to the state and the taxpayers. Or to put it differently,the death penalty is clearly more expensive than a system handling similar cases with a lesser punishment. [It] combines the costliest parts of both punishments: lengthy and complicated death penalty trials, followed by incarceration for life... Everything that is needed for an ordinary trial is needed for a death penalty case, only more so: • More pre-trial time... • More experts... • Twice as many attorneys... • Two trials instead of one will be conducted: one for guilt and one for punishment. • And then will come a series of appeals during which the inmates are held in the high security of death row." Richard C. Dieter, MS, JD Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center Testimony to the Judiciary Committee of the Colorado State House of Representatives regarding "House Bill 1094 - Costs of the Death Penalty and Related Issues" Feb. 7, 2007
7. Race
PRO: "[T]he fact that blacks and Hispanics are charged with capital crimes out of proportion to their numbers in the general population may simply mean that blacks and Hispanics commit capital crimes out of proportion to their numbers. Capital criminals don’t look like America... No one is surprised to find more men than women in this class. Nor is it a shock to find that this group contains more twenty-year-olds than septuagenarians. And if — as the left tirelessly maintains — poverty breeds crime, and if — as it tiresomely maintains — the poor are disproportionately minority, then it must follow — as the left entirely denies — that minorities will be 'overrepresented' among criminals." Roger Clegg, JD General Counsel at the Center for Equal Opportunity "The Color of Death: Does the Death Penalty Discriminate?,” National Review Online June 11, 2001	CON: "Despite the fact that African Americans make up only 13 percent of the nation’s population, almost 50 percent of those currently on the federal death row are African American. And even though only three people have been executed under the federal death penalty in the modern era, two of them have been racial minorities. Furthermore, all six of the next scheduled executions are African Americans. The U.S. Department of Justice’s own figures reveal that between 2001 and 2006, 48 percent of defendants in federal cases in which the death penalty was sought were African Americans… the biggest argument against the death penalty is that it is handed out in a biased, racially disparate manner." National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) "NAACP Remains Steadfast in Ending Death Penalty & Fighting Injustice in America's Justice System,” NAACP website June 28, 2007
8. Income Level
PRO: "The next urban legend is that of the threadbare but plucky public defender fighting against all odds against a team of sleek, heavily-funded prosecutors with limitless resources. The reality in the 21st century is startlingly different... the past few decades have seen the establishment of public defender systems that in many cases rival some of the best lawyers retained privately... Many giant silk-stocking law firms in large cities across America not only provide pro-bono counsel in capital cases, but also offer partnerships to lawyers whose sole job is to promote indigent capital defense." Joshua Marquis, JD District Attorney of Clatsop County, Oregon"The Myth of Innocence,” Journal of Criminal Law and CriminologyMar. 31, 2005	CON: "Who pays the ultimate penalty for crimes? The poor. Who gets the death penalty? The poor. After all the rhetoric that goes on in legislative assemblies, in the end, when the net is cast out, it is the poor who are selected to die in this country. And why do poor people get the death penalty? It has everything to do with the kind of defense they get. Money gets you good defense. That's why you'll never see an O.J. Simpson on death row. As the saying goes: 'Capital punishment means them without the capital get the punishment.'" Helen Prejean, MA Anti-death penalty activist and author of Dead Man Walking "Would Jesus Pull the Switch?,” Salt of the Earth 1997
9. Attorney Quality
PRO: "Defense attorneys... routinely file all manner of motions and objections to protect their clients from conviction. Attorneys know their trial tactics will be thoroughly scrutinized on appeal, so every effort is made to avoid error, ensuring yet another level of protection for the defendant. They [death penalty opponents]... have painted a picture of incompetent defense lawyers, sleeping throughout the trial, or innocent men being executed. Their accusations receive wide media coverage, resulting in a near-daily onslaught on the death penalty. Yet, through all the hysteria, jurors continue to perform their responsibilities and return death sentences." California District Attorneys Association (CDAA) "Prosecutors' Perspective on California's Death Penalty,” www.cdaa.org Mar. 2003	CON: "[A] shocking two out of three death penalty convictions have been overturned on appeal because of police and prosecutorial misconduct, as well as serious errors by incompetent court-appointed defense attorneys with little experience in trying capital cases. How can we contend that we provide equal justice under the law when we do not provide adequate representation to the poor in cases where a life hangs in the balance? We, the Congress, must bear our share of responsibility for this deplorable situation. In short, while others, like Governor Ryan in Illinois, have recognized the flaws in the death penalty, the Congress still just doesn't get it. This system is broken." John Conyers, Jr., JD US Congressman (D-MI) Hearing for the Innocence Protection Act of 2000 before the Subcommittee on Crime of the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives June 20, 2000
10. Physicians at Executions
PRO: "Accepting capital punishment in principle means accepting it in practice, whether by the hand of a physician or anyone else... If one finds the practice too brutal, one must either reject it in principle or seek to mitigate its brutality. If one chooses the latter option, then the participation of physicians seems more humane than delegating the deed to prison wardens, for by condoning the participation of untrained people who could inflict needless suffering that we physicians might have prevented, we are just as responsible as if we had inflicted the suffering ourselves. The AMA [American Medical Association] position should be changed either to permit physician participation or to advocate the abolition of capital punishment. The hypocritical attitude of 'My hands are clean — let the spectacle proceed' only leads to needless human suffering." Bruce E. Ellerin, MD, JD Doctor of Oncology Radiation at Sierra Providence Health Network Response letter to the New England Journal of Medicine regarding an article titled "When Law and Ethics Collide — Why Physicians Participate in Executions," by Atul Gawande, MD July 6, 2006	CON: "The American Medical Association's policy is clear and unambiguous... requiring physicians to participate in executions violates their oath to protect lives and erodes public confidence in the medical profession. A physician is a member of a profession dedicated to preserving life... The use of a physician's clinical skill and judgment for purposes other than promoting an individual's health and welfare undermines a basic ethical foundation of medicine — first, do no harm. The guidelines in the AMA Code of Medical Ethics address physician participation in executions involving lethal injection. The ethical opinion explicitly prohibits selecting injection sites for executions by lethal injection, starting intravenous lines, prescribing, administering, or supervising the use of lethal drugs, monitoring vital signs, on site or remotely, and declaring death." American Medical Association (AMA) "AMA: Physician Participation in Lethal Injection Violates Medical Ethics," press release from the AMA website July 17, 2006
PRO Death Penalty	CON Death Penalty

So what do you think? should the death penalty be brought back worldwide? Should it be used for all crimes or just serious ones. Let me hear you air your opinions.