Mobile Phone Technology

Mobile phones and the network they operate under vary significantly from provider to provider, and country to country. However, all of them communicate through electromagnetic radio waves with a cell site base station, the antennas of which are usually mounted on a tower, pole or building.

The phones have a low-power transceiver that transmits voice and data to the nearest cell sites, usually not more than 8 to 13 km (approximately 5 to 8 miles) away. When the mobile phone or data device is turned on, it registers with the mobile telephone exchange, or switch, with its unique identifiers, and will then be alerted by the mobile switch when there is an incoming telephone call. The handset constantly listens for the strongest signal being received from the surrounding base stations. As the user moves around the network, the mobile device will "handoff" to various cell sites during calls, or while waiting (idle) between calls it will reselect cell sites.

Cell sites have relatively low-power (often only one or two watts) radio transmitters that broadcast their presence and relay communications between the mobile handsets and the switch. The switch in turn connects the call to another subscriber of the same wireless service provider or to the public telephone network, which includes the networks of other wireless carriers. Many of these sites are camouflaged to blend with existing environments, particularly in scenic areas.

The dialogue between the handset and the cell site is a stream of digital data that includes digitized audio (except for the first generation analog networks). The technology that achieves this depends on the system that the mobile phone operator has adopted. The technologies are grouped by generation. The first-generation systems started in 1979 with Japan, are all analog and include AMPS and NMT. Second-generation systems, started in 1991 in Finland, are all-digital and include GSM, CDMA and TDMA. Third-generation networks, which are still being deployed, started with Japan in 2001, are all digital, and offer high-speed data access in addition to voice services and include W-CDMA (known also as UMTS), and CDMA2000 EV-DO. China will launch third 3G technologies on the TD-SCDMA standard. Each network operator has a unique radio frequency band.

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Quality Management Organizations And Awards

The International Organization for Standardization's ISO 9000:2000 series describes standards for a QMS addressing the principles and processes surrounding the design, development and delivery of a general product or service. Organizations can participate in a continuing certification process to ISO 9001:2000 in order to demonstrate their compliance with the standard, which includes a requirement for continual improvement of the QMS.

ISO 9000:2000 provides guidance on Quality principles and on the common language used by quality professionals. ISO 9004:2000 provides guidance on improvement methods. It can be seen that neither of these standards can be used for certification purposes as they provide guidance, not requirements.

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is a competition to identify and recognize top-quality U.S. companies. This model addresses a broadly based range of quality criteria, including commercial success and corporate leadership. Once an organization has won the award it has to wait several years before being eligible to apply again.

The European Foundation for Quality Management's EFQM Excellence Model supports an award scheme similar to the Malcolm Baldrige Award for European companies. In Canada, the National Quality Institute presents the 'Canada Awards for Excellence' on an annual basis to organizations that have displayed outstanding performance in the areas of Quality and Workplace Wellness, and have met the Institute's criteria with documented overall achievements and results.

The Alliance for Performance Excellence is a network of state, local, and international organizations that use the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria and model at the grassroots level to improve the performance of local organizations and economies. Network for Excellence is the Alliance web site; browsers can find Alliance members in their state and get the latest news and events from the Baldrige community.

Street Names Of Prescription Drugs Which Are Abused

As drug abuse or selling of illegal drugs is illegal, people call different drugs with their street names. Few street names of most common prescription drugs are:

Depressants

• Barbiturates: barbs, reds, red birds, phennies, tooies, yellows, yellow jackets
• Benzodiazepines (except flunitrazepam): candy, downers, sleeping pills, tranks
• Flunitrazepam: faorget-me pill, Mexican Valium, R2, Roche, roofies, roofinol, rope, rophies

Opioids and Morphine Derivatives

• Codeine: Captain Cody, Cody, schoolboy; (when mixedwith glutethimide) doors and fours, loads, pancakes and syrup
• Fentanyl: Apache, China girl, China white, dance fever, friend, goodfella, jackpot, murder 8, TNT, Tango and Cash
• Morphine: M, Miss Emma, monkey, white stuff
• Opium: big O, black stuff, block, gum, hop
• Other opioid pain relievers (oxycodone, meperidine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, propoxyphene): oxy 80s, oxycotton, oxycet, hillbilly heroin, percs ,demmies, pain killer, juice, dillies

Stimulants

• Amphetamines: bennies, black beauties, crosses, hearts, LA turnaround, speed, truck drivers, uppers
• Cocaine: blow, bump, C, candy, Charlie, coke, crack, flake, rock, snow, toot
• Methamphetamine: chalk, crank, crystal, fire, glass, go fast, ice, meth, speed
• Methylphenidate : IF, MPH, R-ball, Skippy, the smart drug, vitamin R

Anabolic steroids: Roids, juice

Arguments For And Against Drug Prohibition

The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is the common means of controlling the perceived consequences or natural right of drug use. Prohibition of drugs has existed at various levels of government or other authority, from the middle Ages to the present.

Islamic countries mostly prohibit the use of alcohol. Many non-Islamic governments levy a sin tax on alcohol and tobacco products, and restrict alcohol and tobacco from sales or gifts to minors. Other common restrictions include bans on outdoor drinking and indoor smoking. The United States, Finland, Canada, and the USSR also instituted alcohol prohibition in the first half of the 20th century. While most drugs are legal to possess, many countries regulate the manufacture, distribution, marketing and sale of some drugs, for instance through a prescription system. Only certain drugs are banned with a "blanket prohibition" against all use. However, the prohibited drugs generally continue to be available through the illegal drug trade. The most widely banned substances include psychoactive drugs, although blanket prohibition also extends to some steroids and other drugs. Many governments do not criminalize the possession of a limited quantity of certain drugs for personal use, while still prohibiting their sale or manufacture, or possession in large quantities. Some laws set a specific volume of a particular drug, above which is considered ipso jure to be evidence of trafficking or sale of the drug.

The cultivation, use and trade of psychoactive and other drugs has occurred since prior to civilization's existence. Religious governments probably began to criminalize drugs' possession and trade in the Middle Ages, and such legislation has continued until the present day, by both religious and non-religious governments. In the 20th century, the United States led a major renewed surge in drug prohibition called the "War on Drugs." Although the present War on Drugs is a modern phenomenon, drug laws have been a common feature of human law for several hundred years. Today's War on Drugs bears many similarities to earlier drug laws, particularly in motivation.

Motivations claimed by supporters of drug prohibition laws across various societies and eras have included religious observance, allegations of violence by racial minorities, and public health concerns. Those who are not proponents of anti-drug legislation characterize these motivations as religious intolerance, racism, and public healthism.