The Fixer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Fixer - Essay Example This article will examine each of the actions taken by Alex Polizzi in different scenes that she visited. It has two seasons, each having six episodes. Season 1 Episode 1 In this episode, Alex Polizzi, an entrepreneur from the Courtyard Bridalwear, single handedly starts a campaign aimed at saving struggling families in the face of the prevailing tricky financial situations. Her first mission was on a Kettering based bridalwear business located in North Hamptonshire. A mother and her two daughters who are engaged in squabbles apparently run this business. Although, the business owner, Anne Preece has decided to remortgage her house to ensure that the business remains succeeds, a decline in profits is still evident. Besides, the business is obsolete, overstocked and seemingly weary. Furthermore, the frequent arguments by the daughters only help to worsen the situation. In order to save this situation, Alex must employ strategic business ideas in his endeavors to make the women reconsi der their feelings towards each other in the hope of turning the fortunes of the business. Apparently, conflicts form part of family businesses meaning that business managers must find appropriate strategies for dealing with them. Alex Polizzi indicates that an amicable relationship between the mother and her two daughters needs the development of formal management structures that would integrate standard practices and policies for managing their business. This would ensure that each person in the business has her duties and roles discretely defined. As a result, it would be simple to avoid cases of conflicts mainly caused by overlap of duties. Season 1 Episode 2 In this episode, Alex Polizzi focuses her attention to a family bakery owned by the Eades in Padstow Cornwall. This business enterprise is at the receiving end of low tourists visitations and holyday makers due to the winter situations that seem to affect business activities, as well as proceeds. Although, the business is o wned as a family, Elaine makes all the decisions of the business without the regard of her children, Luisa and Greg, who are both directors of the business. Subsequently, the business massively suffers from constant recriminations and arguments that slow its progression. It takes the intervention of Alex to instill business ideologies to Elaine’s husband and give him direction of running a business. Alex vehemently states that decision making at all levels should be an involving affair that requires participation of important stakeholders. This supposes that the mother and all her daughters must take part in the decision-making agenda. This would ensure that the decisions that are reached upon are all encompassing. An additional way of resolving such issues and ensuring that the business remains on course is ensuring that the members of the family who are involved in executing operations of the business are entitled to standard salaries. This will help minimize the rivalry in families when issues that pertain to finances arise. Season 1 Episode 3 In this episode, Alex Polizzi’s expertise comes in handy when she is called upon to help a furniture business located in Yeadon, West Yorkshire. Although the business has been in existence for more than three decades, it is now losing its customers at a very fast rate owing to its obsolete state. The Kettley’s Furniture Business also experiences communication breakdowns from its owners, John and

Museum paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Museum - Research Paper Example I choose this art because of its importance among the Egyptians. The Egyptians believed about life after death, I wanted to do more research on the art and understand why they Egyptians strongly believed in life after death. Also, wanted to know why they made the coffin to Pedi-Osiris. My curiosity to know the art features made me focus on the art. According to Witcombe, the Women from Willendrof art served as a fertility idol, which includes all the female body parts that are required for a woman to conceive and in nurturing children (3). Because of the art does not have feet, Witcombe argues that is, it may have meant to curtail the figurine’s power, that is to leave whatever responsibilities had been placed on her (8). It is because the art is also seen as a carving of an ancient goddess. If one were to ignore its religious function and fertility purpose, it could only be identified as a Stone-Age toy for a kid. However, this is unsatisfactory because of its artistic ability shown is sculpting her figure. The purpose for the coffin of the priest Pedi-Osiris art was to put Pedi-Osiris, who as a priest of the god Osiris (The Museum of Fine Arts). It severs the purpose that Egyptians believed in life after death. Since it was made in the similitude of the gods and goddess, Coffin of the priest Pedi-Osiris was to protect the deceased and help him overcome the obstructions in the journey ahead, as it would be dangerous. Placing the Women from Willendrof art, its purpose slightly changed, where looking at the art describe the beauty of a woman (Dobres 740). As opposed to these days how people view a beautiful woman as being slim, the prehistoric people appreciated the body of their women. In addition, how the breasts are big can depict that the woman can fully satisfy a young child breastfeeding. I did not see it as a religious figure, but as a symbol of fertility in prehistoric art. After seeing the Coffin of the

Early Childhood Curriculum Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Curriculum Essay While being in this course I have learned about the different curriculums, philosophies and theories. In this paper I will be discussing how to develop an appropriate curriculum for preschool children. This paper will include the following topics: the theories and/or philosophies of Montessori; concepts learned throughout this course, how to apply them into an early childhood classroom focusing on the understanding components to design a curriculum for a preschool classroom based on ages 3 to 5 year old children. First let’s discuss the philosophies of  both Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget. Maria Montessori ideas and beliefs are embedded throughout every early childhood program and her influence on our thinking about curriculum has been profound. She was a tireless child advocate and believed that all children deserve a proper education. Montessori insisted that through proper early education, underprivileged and cognitively impaired children could be successful if they were given a chance to learn. She was one of the first to establish a preschool for poor and mentally retarded children in Rome; these preschools were called â€Å"Casa  dei Bambini†, which translated in English as â€Å"Children’s House. † Dr. Montessori proposed that children that are at risk and the notion that society had a moral responsibility to devote resources to early child intervention. Our textbook states that. â€Å"Montessori embraced and expanded Froebel’s kindergarten concept; she felt that children were natural learners and should drive much of their own learning. She asserted that children should be grouped in multiage (2 ? to 5 years) classes to allow flexibility and opportunities for peer mentoring. Montessori developed an  extensive set of â€Å"didactic† materials and lessons designed to be attractive to children and used by teachers to teach specific concepts and skills. She adapted furniture to child size as a gesture of respect for the unique needs of early learners† (Jaruszewicz, 2012). I agree with her philosophy and theory, because children do need the freedom to learn at their own pace and not to be pressured to do what they see other children do. It is also important the classroom learning environment to be attractive so that it will draw the children to be there and learn new and exciting things. In order to use the teaching method, the teachers must be trained to work with all children and understand that no one child develops the same as another. The other philosopher that I will discuss is Jean Piaget. A contemporary of both Montessori and Dewey, Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget proposed a theory of cognitive development that initiated a constructivist view of curriculum (Jaruszewicz, 2012). Piaget conducted several experiments with young children that proved that their mental concepts are learned through trial and error experiences. Young children will continue to do  things that they have been told not to do, until the consequence of their actions has been reached. For example, when a parent tells their child not to stack the building blocks up too high or they will fall on them which could lead to them being hurt; the child continues to do that the same thing over and over again to see if what their parent said is true. Once the child has seen the building blocks fall over on them is when they have learned that they don’t need to do that. His work confirmed early learning as distinct from other developmental periods, implying, therefore,  that materials and activities for young children should reflect the idiosyncratic way in which they think and process stimuli (Jaruszewicz, 2012). Piaget proposed that cognitive development occurs in four different stages, three of which occur during early childhood. In the sensorimotor stage, infants and toddlers process experience and begin to coordinate movement through sensory exploration. Preoperational thinking of preschoolers emerges spontaneously, as they are internally motivated to make sense of their environment by testing ideas and theories in play and  exploration with materials (Jaruszewicz, 2012). Piaget and Montessori are the main philosophies that stood out to me in this course the most. Next I will discuss the Core knowledge preschool sequence curriculum and the areas inside it. With strong focus on challenging, but appropriate content, the Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence and Teacher Handbook is unique among early childhood programs. It outlines a cumulative and coherent progression of knowledge and skills in all developmental areas and integrates developmentally appropriate practices for both content and instruction. Using the core knowledge curriculum helps with creating appropriate activities that prepare the preschool age children to learn. Children are always ready to learn; as long as the teacher understands that, each child will be eager to learn in new and exciting ways. It is important for teachers to make sure that the information that they wish to teach the children in the classroom is appropriate and fun. The Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence Curriculum focuses on five different areas: Social Skills, Early Literacy skills in reading and writing, Mathematics, Science and Visual Arts. It is important for children to learn how to interact with other children their age early in their lives to develop their social skills. One of the many things I love about Montessori is that Montessori teachers see the whole child-developmentally, academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. There is a myth out there that says simply placing children in the same room and having them do activities helps them develop social skills. I disagree. Developing social skills needs to be a value in the classroom as well as modeled by the teachers/adults who are around  the children. Using manners, demonstrating what Montessori called Grace and Courtesy and always being respectful of the child are key ingredients to helping a child develop social skills. There are several ways to help expand children’s social skills. The activity that would be used to develop social skills would be to have the children sit in a circle on the floor, pass an object around each child to take turns telling the class something about them. Whether it is there name, favorite color, parents name, how many sibling they may have, etc. When are playing together in  the classroom they learn to take turns, shared things and playing with others in general helps them develop social skills. The development of language in early childhood classrooms is an umbrella for the Montessori curriculum. The teachers and parents consider activities on the shelves of the Language area as the heart of actual language learning. The techniques used in a Montessori classroom are different when it comes to teaching language and literacy. Teachers, parents, and administrators need to recognize communication as the foundation for the meaningful  development of language concepts and skills. Effective communication depends on authentic relationships between communicative partners. Teachers have the responsibility (actually, the opportunity) to develop and expand learning relationships with young children. This is truly the ultimate opportunity to make a difference. Seen in this light, conversations with young children on the playground, during field trips, on the way to the bathroom, in the midst of conflict resolution, during lessons, and countless other times create the context for the development of language skills. Relationships of trust are built between children and teachers and among peers. Classroom work further contributes to language concept and skill development within this context of meaningful communication. It is important to talk children especially infants constantly, so they can develop a strong sense of vocabulary. Children catch on to everything that they may hear. So it is definitely important to be cautious what language you use around children. Printed materials and images are strongly important in an early childhood classroom. These materials make the classroom attractive to  children as well as make them want to learn about what those images and books mean. Phonemic awareness is part of a balanced literacy program, and can be developed in several ways during shared reading and shared writing. Shared reading and shared writing typically occur during the language arts time block, but may also occur during content-area learning. On to my favorite subject any grade level or age is mathematics. In an early childhood classroom, teaching young children mathematics somewhat easy and in some cases not so much. Getting children ages three to four year olds to learn their numbers and one to one  correspondence can be a challenge, but it requires patience to teach the children the meaning of number awareness. Provide children with authentic, hands-on learning experiences-DO NOT USE WORKSHEETS. In preschool you should play to the childrens natural curiosities and look to your students interest to guide lesson planning. You are setting up children for a lifetime of learning and you should create excitement around what you. Also, the more hands on the activity is, the more learning styles you are engaging, and the more the child enjoys it the more they will  learn and retain! Create activities that children are actively involved in learning something new, such as how to count and recognize numbers. Numbers are not the only thing that children can learn that is related to mathematics. Shapes are how to perceive and recognize them are important as well. Teaching children about shapes and how many sides each one has involves numbers as well. Mathematics and Language go together because you are using vocabulary words to decide the shapes, numbers, etc. In conclusion, this paper touched on some important factors to help develop a  developmentally appropriate curriculum for preschool/pre-K age children. It is important to provide activities for young children and make sure the environment is a positive, warm and inviting one that children will want to come to school and learn new things. In this paper I discussed the standards for each core knowledge area to develop an appropriate curriculum for young children. References Jaruszewicz, C. (2012). Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Educators. In C. Jaruszewicz, Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Educators. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education.

Israeli Targeted Killings against HAMAS: Legality

Israeli Targeted Killings against HAMAS: Legality The Legality and Efficacy of Israeli Targeted Killings against HAMAS Extra-judicial killing is often referred to by the United States in the case of its enemies as â€Å"exporting terrorism,† and has gained special notoriety since its employment by the State of Israel in the years of the two Palestinian intifadas, or â€Å"uprisings.† The political assassinations and recent attempts by the Israeli government, disputed by many in the international community, are argued by Israel and the United States as legally sanctioned by Articles 2 and 51 of the United Nations Charter. Israel claims suicide bombings against its civilians have been curbed significantly by successful assassinations to which it fully admits, albeit each of these assassinations has resulted in â€Å"collateral damage† in the form of innocent bystander casualties. Others, such as Member States of the EU and the Arab League, have denounced Israeli assassinations as illegal. Whether or not the targeted killings were the factor behind the drastic reduction in suicide b omb and other terrorist attacks on Israeli citizenry is a point of major contention; several other factors including HAMAS’ calling of a hudna, or ten-year truce, in hostility and the construction of the separation wall along the UN-recognized â€Å"Green Line† demarcating Israeli from Palestinian land should be taken into consideration. One of Israel’s most impenetrable arguments in favor of the practice of targeted assassination is not deterrence, but rather preemption: â€Å"On November 9, 2000, Fatah leader Hussein Abayat was assassinated by fire from a helicopter, along with two women who were walking nearby. The killing initiated a new Israeli policy of publicly acknowledging assassinations—officially termed ‘targeted killings,’ ‘liquidations,’ and ‘pre-emptive strikes.’ This policy was premised on a set of interconnected justifications: 1) that Palestinians were to blame for the hostilities, which constituted a war of terror against Israel; 2) that the laws of war permit states to kill their enemies; 3) that targeted individuals were ‘ticking bombs’ who had to be killed because they could not be arrested by Israeli soldiers; and 4) that killing terrorists by means of assassination was a lawful form of national defense†[1]. The legality of Israeli targeted killings relies on a fine balance of situational interpretation of international law; while the Israelis never argue the validity of a law in the UN Charter, their political stance on the Palestinian territories often contrasts their approach in dealing with the Palestinians as a sovereign entity. Lisa Hajjar dissects the varied Israeli responses to intifada in her Courting Conflict: The Israeli Military Court System in the West Bank and Gaza, noting Israel’s relative position of morality and transparency in comparison to nations in similarly enduring conflicts. Hajjar notes that â€Å"what distinguishes the Israeli model from many other states embroiled in protracted conflict is that Israel does not repudiate or ignore international law†; â€Å"rather, it ‘domesticates’ international law by forging interpretations of its rights and duties in the West Bank and Gaza to accommodate state practices and domestic agendas†[ 2]. The Israeli government currently administers authority over the West Bank (referred to as â€Å"Judea† and â€Å"Samaria† in Israeli political circles), and since it controls Palestinian air space, borders, natural resources, and collects taxes from the Palestinian people, both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank would erstwhile be considered under Israeli sovereignty. However, the international community (which includes the UN) does not recognize the Israeli occupation, leaving the Palestinian situation somewhat in political limbo. The UN Charter, in Article Two, states â€Å"all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state†; since â€Å"Palestine† is not a state under international law, this aspect of Article 2 does not apply. However, the simultaneous objections by the UN in the past, including the passing of more than sixty resolutions of which Israel is currently in violation[3], do not apply as according to the same Article, nothing â€Å"shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement,† including the â€Å"application of enforcement measures† taken by any given member state. By these technicalities, Israel is not breach of international law, since few international laws can apply to the occupied territories (OT) which have yet to be recognized as a sovereign state. Article 51 adds that â€Å"nothing in the present charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security†; moreover, â€Å"measures taken by members in the exercise of this right of self-defense shall be immediately reported to the Security Council† in order to â€Å"maintain or restore international peace and security.† Israel is transparent regarding its attacks and since the Jewish state technically is not attacking the Palestinians as a whole (hence the phrase â€Å"targeted assassinations†), it is not in breach of the UN Charter. Given Israel’s membership in the UN and the absence of sovereignty on behalf of the Palestinians, no claim can be made to the contrary vis-à  -vis international law. According to Hajj ar: â€Å"Many states engage in practices that deviate from and thus challenge prevailing interpretations of international law. However, when powerful and dominant states like the US and Israel do so, this cannot simply be written off or criticized as â€Å"violations† because it produces an alternative legality. Contrary to the claims of both critics who take prevailing interpretations of international law as their point of reference and political realists who disparage the relevance of law, neither state ignores the law. Rather, both use laws and legal discourse to authorize and defend the legality of policies such as military pre-emption, indefinite incommunicado detention, abusive interrogation tactics, assassinations, and targeting of areas dense with civilians†[4]. The efficacy of the targeted killings is disputed from a purely number-oriented statistical study. According to The Alternative Information Center on Palestine/Israel and the Israeli human rights organization B’tselem, Israeli deaths spiked in mid-2002, decreasing steadily through 2006[5]. Three cases of successful targeted assassinations on HAMAS (an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, or â€Å"Islamic Resistance Movement†) to consider are those of former Izzedine al-Qassam (the militant wing of HAMAS) leader Salah Shehade in 2002, HAMAS spiritual founder and figurehead Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Yassin, and HAMAS co-founder Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, who was killed within months of replacing Sheikh Yassin as the organization’s head. Between the established spike in violence in 2002 and the assassination of both Rantisi and Yassin in 2004, several events transpired. Between the assassinations of Shehade in 2002 and al-Rantisi in 2004, the Israeli army engaged the Palestinians with an incursion into the intifada stronghold of Jenin and began the construction of the West Bank separation barrier. Though the physical number of casualties decreased, the number of attempted attacks did not subside until as recently as December 2006[6]. While the execution of figureheads such as those named above are undoubtedly a positive force in the dissembling of HAMAS and other terrorist organizations’ leadership, the question of whether they are an effective means of deterrence and prevention is another issue, especially given the religious component of suicide bombing in the OT and its culture of martyrdom. To some extent, the system of targeted assassinations has been â€Å"marginalized as extrajudicial executions (i.e. assassinations) have come to vie with prosecutions as means of punishment and deterrence for suicide bombings by Palestinian militants†; both â€Å"suicide bombings and assassinations have a history that predates the second in tifada, and both emanate from human rights claims—dystopian in the extreme—to kill to survive†[7]. Perhaps more contested from a legal standpoint than the act of targeted assassinations is the factor of innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire. The area most targeted by Israeli assassinations, especially by aircraft, is the densely-populated Gaza Strip whose population of approximately 1.3 million is estimated by many to be the most densely-populated region in the world. The case of Shehade is one of the more notorious in recent Israeli history, whose death sparked the protests of â€Å"tens of thousands vowing revenge†[8]. According to CNN and other sources, a squadron of F-16 jets dropped an armament of significant magnitude on the apartment building in which Shehade lived; sources claim the armament deployed weighed nearly a metric ton. As a corollary of the attack on the â€Å"three story building in which Shehade lived,† fifteen other people, including women and children, were killed in the residential complex[9]. Justifying the attack that killed the archite ct of attacks that resulted in the murder of â€Å"hundreds of Israelis,† the assassination of Shehade prompted speculation that Israel had to have been cognizant that an attack of such magnitude would certainly result in â€Å"collateral damage†[10]. Active awareness of civilian death as a measured loss in such an action prompts the question as to whether or not Israel should have been held accountable on the same counts as groups like HAMAS, despite the difference in the nature of the attacks. Hajjar, whose writings lean toward the side of the Palestinian cause, nevertheless concedes unconditionally that â€Å"suicide bombings and assassinations can by no means be considered equivalent except in their effects (death)†; while the two are not the â€Å"only forms of violence that characterize the exchanges during the Al-Aqsa Intifada, â€Å"together they illustrate with brutal clarity the human costs of unbearable justice and intractable conflict†[11]. I n order to adequately address Israeli culpability in targeted attacks, one must first put into larger context the timing of such attacks. Unlike the first intifada, the roots of the second are â€Å"entwined in the military court system, which has been a central setting for the conflict†[12]. The second intifada in particular marked the change in Israeli occupation of the OT, an expansion from a predominantly â€Å"law enforcement model to a war model†[13]. Since the attacks on both sides escalated in both nature and cost, the Israeli retaliatory actions also warranted a change in their degree of severity. The deterrent component of Israeli retaliation to the first intifada was surmised to have failed, given the reorganization of additional terrorist organizations that despite their political competition inside the framework of Palestinian government collaborated in their attacks on Israeli citizenry. There existed a perception that â€Å"the duration of the first int ifada had forced the Israeli government to make concessions to Palestinians and that these concessions, namely the redeployment from Palestinian population centers, had weakened the military’s ability to provide for Israeli security, creating a reliance on the Palestinian Authority that was ineffective in preventing suicide bombings and other types of attacks on Israelis†[14]. A low-intensity, small-arms confrontation, the first intifada was dwarfed by the weaponry and frequency of attacks inside Israel proper. Where the first intifada was characterized by stone-throwing at tanks, the second is today notorious for suicide bombs and gruesome lynching of Israeli settlers and soldiers. While deterrence may not have been achieved, the escalation in the degree of Israeli retaliatory measures and those of pre-emption undoubtedly carried with it the intent to assert Israeli military dominance. Targeted assassinations took place long before the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000. While the legal ramifications of such assassinations are as yet to be officially disputed, the moral indignation inside Israel and abroad has been considerable. Opinions clash over the morality of such assassinations, even among Israel’s populace. Detailed by Nachman Ben-Yehuda in Political Assassinations by Jews: A Rhetorical Device for Justice, targeted assassinations should hardly be a significant point of contention in the international community. Though assassinations may be equated with executions (albeit doled out without formal trials), targeted attacks are not murder. Ben-Yehuda points out that â€Å"a political assassination event is typically carefully planned and cold bloodedly executed,† despite the large numbers of â€Å"collateral damage† as previously mentioned[15]. Israel has done well in the past to point to its critics the fact that â€Å"at the risk of seeming to provide a ‘justification’ for political assassination events in the form of executions, one must be reminded that selecting the route of political executions was in fact taken by governments in different cultures as a useful and pragmatic tool†[16]. Unlike Syria’s Asad regime, which in 1982 massacred nearly 40,000 members of the Islamic Brothers following an assassination attempt on then-President Hafiz al-Asad, Ben-Yehuda is careful to make note of Israel’s use of targeted assassination in specific cases when no other course of action will spare its soldiers’ lives. He makes a point to note that â€Å"while it is inaccurate to assert that political executions were a major tool used by Israel, it was used whenever the decision makers felt that executions could achieve specific goals like revenge, or in preventing future occurrences of aggres sion and violence against Israel†[17] . Ben-Yehuda also observes how some equate â€Å"a government’s reliance on assassinations to a ‘desperate gambler’s stroke’†; political analysts have speculated that â€Å"assassination is the tactic of the resource-less† and that â€Å"a government which cannot pursue foreign policy by conventional means and uses assassins instead is likely to be a government so vulnerable that its weapons perform like boomerangs in the hands of the inexperienced†[18]. America has recently endeavored to use the Israeli model of late, adopting the tactic of assassination in 2002 â€Å"which had been prohibited by executive orders since 1977†[19]. Studying Israeli legal arguments, the US militarily justified its assassination of suspected al-Qaeda member â€Å"Ali Qaed Sinan al-Harithi and five others (including a US citizen) in Yemen by a pilotless drone†[20]. Unlike, Israel, however, the US violated Yemeni airspace, a questionable act given distinction in its targeting of an American citizen. Targeted assassinations executed by the United States should not be conflated as a purely Israeli export, however; missions that transpired in the Vietnam conflict’s notorious Project Phoenix â€Å"neutralized 8,104 Viet Cong cadres† and was considered so potent a practice that the â€Å"Saigon interior minister set goals for 1969 noting the United States’ hope for 33,000 neutralizations through the rest of the year†[2 1]. While Israel used assassinations as a relatively domestic tool and was met with criticism, the majority of the world remained silent for several reasons in the case of America’s Project Phoenix. First, Israel has yet to officially declare war, as such a declaration would imply the sovereignty of Palestine as a nation. Second, the US was embroiled in a conflict that would later claim in excess of 50,000 soldiers and countless hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese. As a preemptive measure, Phoenix was morally admissible due to the magnitude of the conflict and the fact that Vietnam, official or not, was a multi-national, regional conflict and full-blown war. It should be noted that even in war, however, â€Å"Phoenix had become known and increasingly controversial in the US, a problem that would never cease† and added to the long list of grievances the American public would take with the war in general[22]. Robert Freedman recalls the Israeli public opinion of targeted assassination, stating â€Å"public opinion in Israel is characterized by high levels of knowledge and personal involvement regarding issues of security and by low levels of perceived influence†; â€Å"the public relies on the leadership and is aware of its own ineffectiveness† despite such reliance[23]. An open society, Israel’s actions are not only carried out on behalf of the people, but are approved by the people. As per the international outcry abroad, those who defend Israel’s actions—namely states embroiled in similar conflicts such as Serbia, Cyprus, and Russia—remained staunch allies and knew the endorsement of Israel’s actions would lessen international reaction to their own respective situations. Among Israel’s political adversaries, however, the escalation of the violence in the second intifada, along with well-documented media coverage of bus and cafà © bombings, changed the character of international outcry significantly. Unlike the PLO’s activities in the late 1960s through 1980, HAMAS and its extreme tactics of suicide bombing after 2000 earned the Palestinian cause worldwide antipathy as well as scorn directed at the Israeli state. Such changes in threats, Freedman argues, precipitated changes in responses which varied in intensity. The escalation of targeted assassinations was a two-fold public relations strategy. On the one hand, it showed a change from the popular perception of Israeli indiscriminate fire on the Palestinian population, and on the other, it showed a general concern for IDF soldiers and law enforcement, starkly contrasting the willingness of HAMAS and Islamic Jihad to knowingly detonate and kill its own members. Freedman notes how â€Å"the Israeli response to the threats posed by the PLO, particularly during the height of its armed struggle in the 1968-1971 period, was based on a combination of admin istrative, economic, and military actions†[24]. The military component and predominance of assassinations reflects the difference between PLO secularist attacks and HAMAS-style religious branding, adding more weight to the conflict and another dimension of severity. To date, the Israelis have been able to continue in their targeted assassinations, owing to a combination of brutal Palestinian aggression as well as the language of ambiguity adhered to in the UN Charter. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ben-Yehuda, Nachman. (1993) Political Assassinations by Jews: A Rhetorical Device forJustice. Albany: State U of New York P. Freedman, Robert Owen. (1991) The Intifada: Its Impact on Israel, the Arab World, andthe Superpowers. Miami: U of Florida P. Hajjar, Lisa. (2005) Courting Conflict: The Israeli Military Court System in the WestBank and Gaza. Berkeley: U of California P. Hirst, David. (2004) â€Å"Obituary: Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.† [Online Resource] Available at:http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1175854,00.html. Prados, John. (2003) Lost Crusader: The Secret Wars of CIA Director William Colby.New York: Oxford U P. Rice, Edward E. (1988) Wars of the Third Kind: Conflict in Underdeveloped Countries.Berkeley: U of California P. Various. (2007) â€Å"Al-Aqsa Intifada Enters Sixth Year.† [Online Resource] Available at:http://www.alternativenews.org/aic-publications/other-publications/al-aqsa intifada-enters-sixth-year-20050929.html. Vause, John. (2002) â€Å"Israel Takes Heat for Gaza Airstrike.† [Online Resource] Availableat: http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/07/23/mideast/index.html. Various. (2004) â€Å"Hamas Chief Killed in Air Strike.† [Online Resource] Available at:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3635755.stm Watson, Geoffrey R. (2000) The Oslo Accords: International Law and the IsraeliPalestinian Peace Agreements. Oxford: Oxford U P. Note: UN Charter available at: www.un.org/aboutun/charter Footnotes [1] Hajjar 2006, p. 238 [2] Hajjar 2006, p. 243 [3] Hajjar 2006, p. ix [4] Hajjar 2006, p. 246 [5] http://www.alternativenews.org/aic-publications/other-publications/al-aqsa-intifada-enters-sixth-year-20050929.html [6] Hajjar 2005, p. 244 [7] Hajjar 2006, p. 236 [8] CNN 2002 [9] Ibid [10] Ibid [11] Hajjar 2006, p. 36 [12] Hajjar 2006, p. 235 [13] Hajjar 2006, p. 236 [14] Hajjar 2006, p .237 [15]s Ben-Yehuda 1993, p. 354 [16] Ben-Yehuda 1993, p. 318 [17] Ben-Yehuda 1993, p. 354 [18] Ibid [19] Hajjar 2006, p. 246 [20] Ibid [21] Prados 2003, p. 210 [22] Prados 2003, p. 214 [23] Freedman 1991, p. 269 [24] Freedman 1991, p. 47

The Latest Advances In Drug Manipulations Of The Immune System Essays

INTRODUCTION In order to provide a detailed analysis of recent pharmacological developments involving the human immune system, it is firstly necessary to introduce the innate and adaptive immune responses . Immunosuppressants and immunomodulators will be differentiated between and a selection of new and often experimental drugs belonging to each category will be provided. Specific drugs will be described including the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics involved with each type. The possible clinical uses will be alluded to along with details from recent research. INNATE IMMUNITY Innate immunity is the first line of defence and comprises physical (skin), biochemical (complement, lysozyme) and cellular (macrophages, neutrophils) mechanisms (Katzung, 1998). All these mechanisms are non-specific, anti-microbial agents which work in conjunction with adaptive immune responses to provide a more effective system (Downie et. al., 1995). ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY The adaptive immune system is split into two mechanisms: humoral immunity and cell-mediated immunity. A basic understanding of these concepts is necessary for the purpose of understanding the specific effects of different immunopharmacological agents. HUMORAL IMMUNITY Humoral or antibody-mediated immunity is associated with B-lymphocyte cells. Antigens are foreign molecules that initiate an immune response, they have inherent immunogenicity (Tortora & Grabowski, 1996). Upon contact with an antigen, B-cells divide to produce a clone of plasma cells capable of the production of antibodies. Antibodies are immunoglobulins, modified blood proteins with a specific action against antigens. Five main sub-types of immunoglobulins have been identified of which IgG is the most abundant in bodily fluids (Hopkins, 1995). Several cells are known to initiate the process of plasma cell differentiation and are known collectively as antigen presenting cells (APCs) (Waller & Renwick, 1994). Lymphokines The antigen on the surface of the APC triggers TH-cells to produce hormone-like lymphokines (Lessof, 1993). Lymphokines are cytokines, regulators of the immune reactions which are produced by lymphocytes. Examples of these chemicals include interleukins, interferon and tumour necrosis factors. Their action involves the regulation of the proliferation, differentiation and activity of leukocytes (Dale et. al., 1994). The na... ...nours/himmun.html">http://www.pharm.uwa.edu.au/aussie/honours/himmun.html Kahan, B. D. (1998) History of Immunosuppression AT <a href="http://surgery.uth.tmc.edu/organ_transplant/historyimmu.html">http://surgery.uth.tmc.edu/organ_transplant/historyimmu.html Nijkamp, F.P. & Parnham, M. J. (1999) Principles of Immunopharmacology AT <a href="http://www.springer_ny.com/catalog/np/mar99np/3-7643-5780-0.html">http://www.springer_ny.com/catalog/np/mar99np/3-7643-5780-0.html Schultze, J. & Johnson, P. (1999) A Stimulating New Target for Cancer Immunotherapy IN The Lancet vol. 354, Oct. 9, 1999, pp1225-1226 Stadtlander Drug Distribution Co. Inc. (1998) Investigational Immunosuppressants for Transplantation AT <a href="http://www.stadtlander.com/feature/immunosuppren.html">http://www.stadtlander.com/feature/immunosuppren.html Swope, V.B; Abel-Malek, Z; Kassem, L. M. & Nordlund, J.J. (1991) Interleukins 1 Alpha & 6 & Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha are Paracrine Inhibitors of Human Melanocyte Proliferation & Melanogenesis AT <a href="http://www.biosyna.com/patent.htm">http://www.biosyna.com/patent.htm

Colonization of America Essay examples -- American History Colonial Ne

Colonization of America Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled by people of English origin, by 1700 the regions have evolved into two new distinct societies. Why did this difference in development occur? When first English settlers began arriving in America in the 1700's they mainly settled in two regions - New England and the Chesapeake. Even though both groups of people were English by origin, they had developed two very different societies. Each group had it's own beliefs and expectations of what they will find in this new world, and the results of their settlement were very different as well. When the ship headed for Virginia left England in 1635, it was filled mostly with men in their twenties and thirties. The ship's name - "Merchant's Hope" very much explains the reason for which these people were heading to the New World. They were looking to find gold, silver and other riches there. Almost all of them had left their families in England to go forth with this opportunity for profit. These people did not think about permanently settling there, and very few of them had prepared for this trip as a whole. Over half of the people had died during the trip. Captain John Smith said "There was no talk†¦but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold†¦", (History of Virginia). This statement basically summarizes what was happening in Virginia after the ship had arrived. Even though there was no gold found, many people established such indus...

Padre Island

Jose Esquivel Professor Matthew Mayo English 1301 12 December 2012 Padre Island To catch a glimpse of the color wheel of flowers that is blossoming in the cool, brisk wind with the essences of freshness in the air. This can mean one thing, that spring has arrived and it is now that times to take the long awaited getaway to an island of fun in the sun. A place where memories are made, and worries are forgotten, the magnificent Padre Island. Padre Island extends roughly 130 miles along the South Texas coast; from Corpus Christi to Port Isabel, and has seen its share of Indians, pirates, hurricanes and many shipwrecks.You might have heard of South Padre Island or perhaps heard of Padre Island, but who is the Padre, and what connection does he have with the island? Padre Island got its name from Jose Nicolas Balli a Catholic priest from Spain who owned it for nearly thirty years. Padre is a word defined as a traditional form of address for Catholic priests. After being granted the island by King Carlos III Padre Balli established a ranch on this island raising over one thousand longhorn cattle, horses’ mules and sheep with his nephew Juan Jose Balli as foreman by his side.Aside from ranch raising Padre Balli also established cathedrals and missions to Christianize the Karankawa Indians and to serve the people who worked on the ranch. In 1821 Mexico won their Independence from Spain. During the revolution all of Padre Balli’s letters and exclusive right documents that gave him title to the island were lost or destroyed. Therefore, Padre Balli had to reapply this time to the Mexican government to confirm the titles of the island to him, only now he names his nephew Juan Jose Balli as partner. His request was granted December 1829.However, Padre Balli had died on April 15, 1829, eight months before his petition was approved due to a rupture cerebral artery. His nephew Juan Jose Balli continued to operate the ranch with his family. The saga started around 1938 when Gilbert Kerlin a graduate fresh out of Harvard law school was given a task that would change the course of history for the Balli’s. Mr. Kerlin arrived in South Texas with the instruction from his uncle, Frederic Gilbert, to purchase the barren stretch of sand that has since become a popular Texas beach Resort.It was then, when Mr. Kerlin received a tip that it may be possible to purchase the land from the Balli’s. He came across an individual by the name of Primotivo Balli who did not speak any English but was paid $750 to sketch out a family tree and to assist in rounding up the signatures of the island heirs. It was called to mind that the Padre Island heirs carefully copied down their addresses, and waited for a check that they were promised. In doing so Mr.Kerlin promised that he will give the Balli’s money from all the royalties and minerals that is hiding beneath the island, but Kerlin never handed the money over nor was he ever seen again by th e Balli’s. Meanwhile, Kerlin leased drilling rights to Padre Island and sold its sandy surface to developers. While Mr. Kerlin was earning millions the Balli’s struggled to make ends meet. Kerlin walked away with 61,000 acres and the Laguna Madre which is a band of water between the island and the mainland. For many decades the Balli’s have tried to get back what was rightfully theirs to begin with.Kerlin never came through on his promise to the Balli’s. The Balli’s have their theories as to why so many different lawyers all of the sudden would stop representing them. The Balli’s believe that Kerlin would pay the lawyers off so a trial would not take place. Of course there was no proof of this, however, it was always very coincidental how the lawyers would back out and not represent the Balli’s as it would get closer to trial time. Finally, in 1983 a San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli told Fred Balli of Ponca City, Okla. hat he was v ery interested in the case and wants to send them documents related to their claim. It is now year 2000 and descendants of the early owners of Padre Island gathered in the courtroom waiting for justice to be served. This long awaited lawsuit will determine whether or not they were scammed out of their land and riches. When Gilber kerlin now a 90-year-old retired lawyer took the stand he defended his decision not to give the Balli heirs any shares of the mineral royalties after his 1938 purchase. Kerlin stated on the stand, â€Å"The Balli’s did not own Padre Island when they sold it. Kerlin was speaking of when Santiago Morales bought the land form Juan Jose Balli, but what Kerlin did not know is that Morales suffered from buyer’s remorse and sold the land back to Juan Jose Balli, and there is documentation that can prove this fact. After many days of deliberation the jurors awarded the heirs $1. 2 million in lost property and oil royalties. The juror also found that Kerlin owes decade’s worth of income to about 300 Balli descendants for fraud and conspiracy. The battle is won but the war has just begun.Even though the jury’s verdict was in favor for the Balli’s this is just the first step in the final process of winning a lawsuit. Kerlin can very well appeal the decision and ony until that solution is exhausted nothing will be paid out to the family. After winning the decision in 2000 now it is five years later, and the time limitation of an appeal is over. It seems like a deja vu back in the Brownsville courtroom waiting for the jurors to release their decision. Waiting anxiously, in the courtroom filled with over 300 descendents of Padre Nicolas Balli.The Texas appeals court has upheld a decision to award mineral royalties from land on Padre Island to the balli heir compensation exceeding $50 million. At first glance it seemed that this battle to get the land back was unwinnable, but as the truth comes out the Baliiâ€⠄¢s won the war by simply out gunning their enemy with evidence proving that the Balli’s are the rightful owners to Padre Island. Throughout the trials and tribulations history had been made and the Balli’s were very happy that the courts had ruled in their favor.The Balli’s knew all along what the truth was and was glad others saw it too. This popular vacation spot has so much history behind it that no one ever thinks about what this island was really meant for or what went someone went through to get back what was taken from them. It is an honor to have met and known my wife’s grandfather Fred Balli the sixth generation Balli and was the last living heir of Padre Island. It is a privilege to know firsthand the Balli family and share in their successes with the sixty five year trial that was long overdue.My wife’s family is Balli and to hear the stories about Padre Island from Trudy Balli Morin a seventh generation Balli and the daughter of Fred B alli that at one point was a paradise lost, but then returned to its rightful owners is unbelievable. I leave you with this the ending of the chant that made history possible. â€Å"Across the valley, and across the sea, the bells will ring, Viva Balli! † Work cited Balli, Cecilia. â€Å"Return to Padre. † Texas Monthly Jan. 2001: 99+. Web Balli Morin Trudy â€Å"Who is Padre Balli and What Connection Does He Have with you? † Personal interview. 28 Nov. 2012 .