Is War Ethical Essay

The question, is war ethical, should always be the first question asked and the first question answered before engaging in such a world altering, life changing endeavor. One must be sure that purpose of war is to bring peace. â€Å"That its essential aim is always peace, so if peace is forthcoming in any guise, it is morally critical for all parties to seek a return to a permanent peace rather than a momentary lapse of war† (Moseley). Unfortunately, this is not the mindset of Falcon, one of the charters in The Sirens of Baghdad. He is militant; consumed with Thanatos and with an â€Å"appetite for destruction† (Hedges 251) towards the American troops; Falcon in the event below is determined to deceive and poison the minds of his brethren against the Americans troops. The event with Falcon takes place at the barbershop in Karfr Karam. Falcon and the elders of the town are gathered there, discussing the capture of Saddam by the American force in Iraqi. After some of the elders expressed their gratitude for the Americans capturing Saddam. Falcon takes this opportunity to place his seeds of doubt. He tries to unethically persuade his brethren. He expresses to them that the Americans had no right to go after Saddam and insists that it was the people of Iraqis responsibility. He believed it was because of every Iraqi’s cowardice that Saddam tyrannized them. He references this when he said, â€Å"People have the kings they deserve† (Khadra 32). He then expressed that Saddam may have been a monster but added that he was their monster. Falcon went on to explain that Saddam was one of them and shared their blood. He added that Saddam may have been a tyrant but he was Iraqi and therefore the Americans had no business touching or going after him. Falcon expressed that he would rather have Saddam still in power rather than the infidel American troops in Iraq. Falcon believed it was the Americans’ force, not Saddam that put Iraq in dire straits. Falcon says, â€Å"Look at what they’ve made of our country: hell on earth† (Khadra 33). Falcon’s behavior is fueled by Thanatos just as the behavior of the Islamic clerics was when they were determined to convert their countrymen into devout Muslims. â€Å"They spurned the decadence of the West including what the clerics condemned as the West’s loose sexual mores, drug use and thirst for sensual gratification†(Hedges 260). In that very moment Falcon was purposely lying to demoralize the American troops. He was trying to persuade his audience that the Americans did not come to free Iraq and bring peace. Falcon felt Saddam was an excuse to take Iraq’s resources and pillage their towns and cities. He tried to fill his audience’s minds with doubt and mistrust. He was unethically deceiving his community the same way real life insurgents behave in the Iraqi war. Tariq say’s, â€Å"More and more Iraqis were fooled by the insurgents’ propaganda, and the attacks aimed at Americans and their supporters increased. My country †¦ has suffered greatly from the insurgency, and we have lost many people who believed in the U. S. message† (Abandoned in Iraq). Falcon, just like the real insurgents in Iraq dedicated to their unethical war, chose an unethical path. He spread deceitful lies and led his brethren into the jaws of Tahantos instead of guiding them towards a life of peace and happiness. The next event in The Sirens of Baghdad is fueled by the insurgents’ use of deceitful tactics. In pursuit of their unethical war, they purposely caused innocent lives to be lost in order to create media propaganda to recruit the naive young men of Iraq. They dressed in civilian clothing and hid among the people. They used the innocent women and children for cover and human shields. â€Å"A populace†¦. held hostage by a group of ragged, starving ‘rebels,’ armed with filthy rifles and rocket launchers† (Khadra 76). Their actions and behaviors are very similar to those of the real insurgency and their unethical war in Iraq. An example of this is when they gave young school children realistic toy guns to play with at the very same check points their relatives work at with US troops. This was obviously done to cause innocent bloodshed which, in turn, will create some type of media propaganda for their cause. Specialist Raven Jenks says, â€Å"It’s to train the kids to use real weapons, and also to provoke us into killing civilians† (Iraq’s young Blood). The insurgency uses this unethical tactic to create media propaganda of war. This is for the sole purpose of causing despair and rage within the people of Iraq to brainwash them and turn them against the forces that are sent to help. In the event described below, Yassen is one of the first young men in the Sirens of Baghdad to be won over by this unethical war tactic. The event takes place in the cafe in Kafr Karma. Seeds of doubt and deception have already reached the minds of Kafr Karma’s youth about American troops. Before departing for Bagdad, Sayed, Falcon’s son, purposely left a parting gift of a television for Kafr Karam’s youth at the cafe. He did this in hopes the youth would not forget his message and â€Å"that the young men of Kafra Karam would not lose sight of their country’s tragic reality† (Khadra 74). Along with the seeds of doubt and deception already planted within the young men’s minds, this gift â€Å"proved to be a poisoned chalice† (Khadra 83). It served its purpose well. The youth were griped with the images of war and enraged by the lost of innocent blood shed of their people. They began to sway to the side of the insurgency unethical war; â€Å"applauding successful ambushes and deploring skirmishes that went wrong† (Khadra 84). The young men of Kafr Karam were growing closer to Thanatos everyday and the temptation to â€Å"honor false covenants †¦. and gender† (Hedges 250),such as Saddam, was taking affect. Fully aware of the unethical wrongs Saddam committed, the youth still began to further familiarize themselves with him. Their initial delight for his capture turned to frustration. One of the youth, Yaseen, felt the publicity portraying the capture of Saddam portrayed him as a rat; dirty, confused, unshaven, and exposed to the cameras of the world. Yassen took offense to this and announced â€Å"by humiliating him like that, they were holding up every Arab in the world to public opprobrium† (Khadra 84). Yassen was clearly won over by the insurgency’s propaganda and unethical chose to aid in spreading its lies and deceit. The insurgency’s seed of doubt and deception enforced by their media propaganda enforced their campaign for the loyalty (Hedges 250) and paid off. The insurgency gained a new recruit from Kafr Karam to join their unethical war. The final event described below from The Sirens of Baghdad is a fictional example of the ultimate insanity of the insurgency’s unethical war. The Iraqi insurgency preys on the young men and boys who have been submerse in violence; â€Å"the closest analogy may be to the Taliban in Afghanistan. They offer these orphans of war a different kind of family structure cemented by the bonds of Islam†(Iraq’s Young Blood). These young Iraqis want to belong but more importantly crave purpose. Their minds are impressionable, easy to manipulate and brainwash. Making them the perfect candidates to turn into suicidal human weapons. The event described below from The Sirens of Baghdad bear witness to this product of unethical war. The main character (the narrator) turns himself into human weapon. The final event takes place in Beirut, Lebanon. The narrator has been groomed by his cousin Sayed (a member of the insurgency) since his arrival in Baghdad form Kafr Karam. The narrator, who has longed to become a suicide bomber, now receives his chance. Fully aware of his cousin’s fate, Sayed still makes the unethical decision to offer the narrator the mission. Sayed says, â€Å"you wanted some action†¦. Well, the miracle has taken place†¦. mission is now possible† (Khadra 236). The narrator accepts the unethical mission. Delighted, but aware of the possibility the narrator may change his mind before the mission, Sayed makes the unethical discussion to manipulate his young cousin once again. He says, â€Å"Kafr Karam, the forgotten, will take its place in history† (Khadra 237). Those words send the narrator into a state of purpose and honor. This is evident when he says, â€Å"He had lifted me up into the ranks of those who are revered† (Khadra 237). The narrator has made the unethical choice to become a human weapon.

Make Hot Maple Syrup Ice Cream - Molecular Gastronomy

Make Hot Maple Syrup Ice Cream - Molecular Gastronomy Who says ice cream is a dish best served cold? Maybe you should try it hot. Heres a molecular gastronomy project that applies science to make hot ice cream. The key ingredient is methylcellulose, a polymer  that gels when its heated rather than chilled. Try hot maple ice cream on in an ice cream cone or perhaps top your waffles with it. Hot Maple Syrup Ice Cream Ingredients 150 grams (1-1/4 cup)  plain yogurt115 grams (1/2 cup) cream cheese50 milliliters (3-1/2 tablespoons)  maple syrup75 milliliters (5 tablespoons)  water20 grams (5 teaspoons)  sugar6 grams (2-1/4 teaspoons)  methylcellulose powder (Methocel food gum, SGA 150) If youre not a fan of maple syrup, make chocolate ice cream by using chocolate syrup instead of maple syrup. You could use other syrup flavors if you prefer. Lets Make Hot Ice Cream! In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cream cheese, and maple syrup. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil.Remove the saucepan from heat and whisk in the methylcellulose powder. Mix in the powder until the mixture is smooth.Whisk the two mixtures together until they are fully blended. This is your ice cream mixture.Refrigerate the ice cream at least 2-3 hours.When you are ready to serve the ice cream bring a pot of water to a simmer.Use an ice cream scoop to drop spoonfuls of the ice cream mixture into the hot water. You can drop multiple scoops into the pot, as long as there is room for them to remain separate.Let each scoop of ice cream simmer for 1-2 minutes.Use a slotted spoon or ladle to remove each maple syrup ice cream scoop. Drizzle on maple syrup, if you like. Enjoy it while its hot since this ice cream melts as it cools, rather than as it heats up. Do you want to try another molecular gastronomy project? How about making powdered olive oil.

Pharaoh Thutmose III and the Battle of Megiddo

Pharaoh Thutmose III and the Battle of Megiddo The Battle of Megiddo is the first battle that was recorded in detail and for posterity. Pharaoh Thutmose IIIs military scribe inscribed it in hieroglyphs at Thutmoses temple at Karnak, Thebes (now Luxor). Not only is this the first extant, detailed battle description, but it is the first written reference to the religiously important Megiddo: Megiddo is also known as Armageddon. The Ancient City of Megiddo Historically, Megiddo was an important city because it overlooked the route from Egypt through Syria to Mesopotamia. If an enemy of Egypt controlled Megiddo, it could block the pharaoh from reaching the rest of his empire. In approximately 1479 B.C., Thutmose III, pharaoh of Egypt, led an expedition against the prince of Kadesh who was in Megiddo. The prince of Kadesh (which is on the River Orontes), backed by the king of Mitanni, made a coalition with the heads of Egypts vassal cities of northern Palestine and Syria. Kadesh was in charge. After forming the coalition, the cities openly rebelled against Egypt. In retaliation, Thutmose III attacked. The Egyptians March on Megiddo In the 23rd year of his reign, Thutmose III went to the plains of Megiddo where the prince of Kadesh and his Syrian allies were stationed. The Egyptians marched to the bank of Lake Kaina (Kina), south of Megiddo. They made Megiddo their military base. For the military encounter, the Pharaoh led from the front, brave and impressive in his gilded chariot. He stood in the center between the two wings of his army. The southern wing was on the banks of the Kaina and the northern wing to the northwest of the town of Megiddo. The Asian coalition blocked Thutmoses path. Thutmose charged. The enemy quickly gave way, fled from their chariots, and ran to the Megiddo fortress where their fellows pulled them up the walls to safety. (Remember, this is all from the perspective of the Egyptian scribe writing it to glorify his pharaoh.) The prince of Kadesh escaped from the vicinity. The Egyptians Plunder Megiddo The Egyptians could have pushed on to Lebanon to deal with the other rebels, but instead stayed outside the walls at Megiddo for the sake of plunder. What they had taken from the battlefield may have whetted their appetite. Outside, on the plains, there was plenty to forage, but the people within the fortress were unprepared for a siege. After a few weeks, they surrendered. The neighboring chiefs, not including the prince of Kadesh, who had left after the battle, submitted themselves to Thutmose, offering valuables, including princely sons as hostages. The Egyptian troops entered the fortress at Megiddo to plunder. They took almost a thousand chariots, including the princes, more than 2000 horses, thousands of other animals, millions of bushels of grain, an impressive pile of armor, and thousands of captives. The Egyptians next went north where they captured 3 Lebanese fortresses, Inunamu, Anaugas, and Hurankal. Sources A History of the Ancient Egyptians, by James Henry Breasted. New York: 1908. Charles Scribners Sons.Ancient Records of Egypt: Historical Documents Volume II The Eighteenth Dynasty, by James Henry Breasted. Chicago: 1906. The University of Chicago Press., by Joyce A. TyldesleyHistory of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Vol. IV. by G. Maspero. London: Grolier Society: 1903-1904.A Gate Inscription from Karnak and Egyptian Involvement in Western Asia during the Early 18th Dynasty, by Donald B. Redford. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 99, No. 2. (Apr. - Jun. 1979), pp. 270-287.The Battle of Megiddo, by R. O. Faulkner. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 28. (Dec. 1942), pp. 2-15.The Egyptian Empire in Palestine: A Reassessment, by James M. Weinstein. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 241. (Winter, 1981), pp. 1-28.

Why Erlitou Is Known as the Bronze Age Capital of China

Why Erlitou Is Known as the Bronze Age Capital of China Erlitou is a very large Bronze Age site located in the Yilou basin of the Yellow River, about 10 kilometers southwest of Yanshi City in Henan Province of China. Erlitou has long been associated with the Xia or early Shang Dynasty but can be more neutrally known as the type site of the Erlitou culture. Erlitou was occupied between about 3500-1250 BCE. During its heyday (ca 1900-1600 BC) the city included an area of almost 300 hectares, with deposits in some places up to 4 meters deep. Palatial buildings, royal tombs, bronze foundries, paved roads, and rammed earth foundations attest to the complexity and importance of this early central place. The earliest occupations at Erlitou date to the Neolithic Yangshao culture [3500-3000 BCE], and Longshan culture [3000-2500 BCE] followed by a 600 year period of abandonment. The Erlitou settlement began about 1900 BCE. The city rose steadily in importance, becoming the primary center in the region by about 1800 BCE. During the Erligang period [1600-1250 BCE], the city decreased in importance and was abandoned. Erlitou Characteristics Erlitou has eight identified palaces,  large-scale buildings with elite architecture and artifacts, three of which have been fully excavated, the most recent in 2003. Excavations indicate that the city was planned with specialized buildings, a ceremonial area, attached workshops, and a central palatial complex enclosing two rammed-earth foundation palaces. Elite burials were placed within the courtyards of these palaces  accompanied by grave goods such as bronzes, jades, turquoise, and lacquer wares. Other tombs were discovered scattered throughout the site rather than in a cemetery precinct. Erlitou also had a planned grid of roads. An intact section of parallel wagon tracks, 1 meter wide and 5 meters long, is the earliest known evidence of a wagon in China. Other parts of the city contain the remains of smaller dwellings, craft workshops, pottery kilns, and tombs. Important craft areas include a bronze casting foundry and a turquoise workshop. Erlitou is known for its bronzes: the earliest bronze vessels cast in China were made in the foundries at Erlitou. The first bronze vessels were made expressly for the ritual consumption of wine, which was probably based on rice or wild grape. Is Erlitou Xia or Shang? Scholarly debate continues concerning whether Erlitou is best considered Xia or Shang Dynasty. In fact, Erlitou is central to the discussion concerning whether the Xia dynasty exists at all. The earliest known bronzes in China were cast in Erlitou and its complexity argues that it had a state level of organization. Xia is listed in Zhou dynasty records as being the first of the bronze age societies, but scholars are divided as to whether this culture existed as a separate entity from the earliest Shang or was a political fiction created by the Zhou dynasty leaders to cement their control. Erlitou was first discovered in 1959 and has been excavated for decades. Source: Allan, Sarah 2007 Erlitou and the Formation of Chinese Civilization: Toward a New Paradigm. The Journal of Asian Studies 66:461-496. Liu, Li, and Hong Xu 2007 Rethinking Erlitou: legend, history and Chinese archaeology. Antiquity 81:886–901. Yuan, Jing and Rowan Flad 2005 New zooarchaeological evidence for changes in Shang Dynasty animal sacrifice. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 24(3):252-270. Yang, Xiaoneng. 2004. Erlitou Site at Yanshi. Entry 43 in Chinese Archaeology in the Twentieth Century: New Perspectives on Chinas Past. Yale University Press, New Haven.

Literature review on work plac stress Lab Report

Literature review on work plac stress - Lab Report Example Being one of its pioneer teachers, she has developed a high quality preschool program that has gained recognition in the city. It has attracted several parents to enroll their children in school. Over the years, the preschool’s enrollees have multiplied, much to the satisfaction of the school owners. This rise in student enrollment has likewise raised the demand for more teachers and staff. The school owners and directress have entrusted Kelly with the role of training new teachers with the quality of teaching she is known for. She is likewise head of the Parent Involvement Program of the school. Her many duties at work, on top of preparing for her own preschool class and her homemaker role at home has been taking its toll on Kelly. For the past month, she has complained of recurrent migraines, stomach pains and general body malaise. Generally, stress is what one feels when the demands on his life exceed his ability to meet those demands. The stressor may be external, such as the death of someone close to the individual or a sudden change in activity level. Or, it may be an internal stressor such as an illness. In Kelly’s case, her stressors are: overload of work duties, work-life imbalance, her own personality traits and the personalities of the people she works with. The interplay of stressors and the consistent experience of high amounts in one’s life can often lead to burnout. The term â€Å"burnout† is a relatively new term, first coined in 1974 by Herbert Freudenberger, in his book, â€Å"Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement†. He originally defined ‘burnout’ as, â€Å"the extinction of motivation or incentive, especially where ones devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results.† (Scott, 2007) While burnout is not a recognized clinical psychiatric or psychological disorder, there are some similar features between burnout and diagnosable conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders or

Applying Research assessment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Applying Research assessment 2 - Essay Example This report deals with the research methodology of an article named â€Å"Blowing The Whistle on Police Violence† written by Louise Westmarland which was published in British Journal on Criminology in 2001. â€Å"This article highlights a number of issues related to the witnessing of ‘illegal’ police violence by researchers† (Westmarland, 2001). The researcher focuses on a very sensitive issue i.e. the violence committed by police. The main purpose behind this research was to make the general population including the higher authority aware of the violence propagated by police so that a mass awareness can be developed against it. This article uses the ethnology study to reason out the factors for these types of violence. It unfolds many facts regarding the various degree of violence. This report will discuss the research methodology applied by the researcher and the extent to which this methodology is feasible for this subject. The validity of the outcome of this research will undergo various critical studies and suitable recommendation will be discussed and analysed. Westmarland in his article has identified the specific behaviour of police that lead to violence in society. This research can be termed as the outcome of the ethnographic research. The researcher has devoted a considerable amount of time to study the police violence through the ethnological study. Westmarland has himself been a first hand witness to various situations as a fieldworker and therefore have seen the situation more clearly. The fieldworkers are appointed to observe the real life violence committed by police. To analyse the qualitative aspects like human behaviours the ethnographic research plays a very significant role. â€Å"One primary difference between ethnography as science and other social and behaviour science methods of investigating is that ethnography assumes that we must first discover what people actually do and the reasons they give for doing it before

Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Coursework - Essay Example The episode recaps are easier to understand, and are a more manageable size to study. However, they lack many details that are hard to find. For instance, in the Vietnam War episode, it might be easier to find information if there were tables or graphs of how many people on each side died, etc. The effects of some events, such as the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are not dealt with in enough depth to show how the people on the other side of the conflict suffered. The site could be improved with links to websites that cover the aftermath of the bombings as well as links to the aftermath of the Vietnam War. The site may also not quite convey the extent to which the Cold Wars potential for global nuclear annihilation gripped the lives of ordinary people, or the effects on generations who grew up believing there was likely no future to the world. Although, this is covered somewhat in the Cold War Memories section. The website would also be more interesting if it included more information on the Vietnam anti-war movement and the ways it was influential in changing the course of the nation. Likewise, an analysis of the effectiveness of nuclear disarmament efforts would be interesting. The most interesting parts of the website include the way that the causes of conflicts are given. It is easy to see what precipitated certain events, for instance, by studying the episodes in order, it is easy to see what events led to the Vietnam War. The interactive quizzes that test your Cold War knowledge, such as about culture of the time, are also interesting and fun. There are many facets to the impact of the Cold War on the United States. The competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union compelled both countries to a space race; the U.S. was inspired to be the first to land on the moon, and the U.S. space program received great support that it may not have otherwise. The Cold War also fueled a nuclear weapons arms race