Global Terrorism Essay Example for Free

Global Terrorism Essay As mentioned in the module, countries such as Italy, France, Greece and the United States, at one time or another, gave in to terrorists in what was aptly termed as â€Å"political concessions†. It is, however, my personal opinion that it was the United States who suffered the most from the ramifications of such concessions, setting the climax that culminated in the attack at the World Trade Center. From the very words of an American president, the United States as a matter of policy, does not negotiate nor compromise with terrorists : â€Å"Americans will never make concessions to terrorists- to do so would only invite more terrorism- once we head down that path there would be no end to it, no end to the suffering of innocent people, no end to the bloody ransom all civilized people must pay† (Reagan, 1985). The US Senate (1999) also declared that â€Å"†¦making concessions to terrorists is deplorable†. As history would recount, however, it was the same president who covertly authorized weapons sales to Iran to free American hostages held by a terrorist organization in Lebanon, against the opposition of the then Secretaries of State and Defense (Burns, 2002). In fact, this was the first of a series of many clandestine dealings of the US government with terrorist groups of different countries, in defense of what we call democracy and innocent people. While the US is hailed as a super power by practically all governments in world, the terrorists gained tremendous emotional advantage by forcing a super power in numerous instances to concede to their demands. This, somehow, drove the impetus for the terrorists to forward their interests and devise even more horrible schemes like the 9/11, to further advance their cause and humiliate the most powerful nation in the world. The terrorists have been putting the pressure on the US since the early 1980s, and the US has been allowing them. The terrorists have somehow, mastered their craft in the long run and the 9/11 attack was just an icing on the cake. Staerk (2007) contends that the only response to terrorism that legislators thought of was â€Å"to give more power to the state, and once given, that power will be hard to take back†. Thus, the terrorists were not only successful at humiliating a world power. They were also successful at creating impediments for democracy. Answer to Question No. 2. Definitely, western nations should have acted differently in the face of the Arab oil embargo. Their actions signified their helplessness and their acknowledgment of the importance of Arab oil. This might have even helped in advancing the interests of terrorism further since incarcerated terrorists then were freed for fear of reprisal, in terms of the new weapon which emerged during the mid 70s oil. Western nations should have been more steadfast in their conviction to protect their respective areas from terrorism. They should have brought the terrorists before the law and convicted them based on the crimes they perpetrated and not in terms of how their respective governments put pressure on the prosecuting countries. Western nations should have realized by now that the vaunted oil of the Arab world during the 70s is not that valuable a commodity now in the light of noticeable changes in the map of world oil supply since then, with important new sources of supply coming on stream from the North Sea, Mexico, China, Alaska, and Russia (Perry, 2001). Western nations, particularly the United States should have foreseen that the Arab oil embargo then was a bluff. Shlaes (2001) shares the same opinion and calls the US stance during the mid 1970s as â€Å"old-fashioned oil diplomacy†. Shlaes considers it a greater danger for such â€Å"old-fashioned oil diplomacy† to hinder the U. S. and its allies from combating the threat posed by many Middle Eastern regimes against democracy and world peace. Zycher (in Shlaes, 2001) believes that the real threat, then and now, is that the U. S. national security policy is being designed based from an erroneous insight regarding oil. If the U. S. , either alone or with its allies, succeeds in breaking free with its anxiety over the phantom oil weapon, it will be in a better position to evaluate whether to go easy or take action in chasing and destroying the terrorists. Answer to Question No. 3. I am going to start my argument with a quote from British statesman William Gladstone that â€Å"Justice delayed is justice denied†. Hence, my personal position with respect to this query is : â€Å"under no circumstances should the rights of citizens be curtailed†, even in the name of so called â€Å"general welfare†. Since the rights of citizens, especially the civil liberties, are mandated by the constitution, reducing these rights even only for a specific period of time is unjust. The longer these rights are reduced, the longer justice is denied. Let me, however, support my position with similar positions from the authorities in the field. David Cole (in Soto, 2007), a law professor, believes that denying anyone his basic human rights is wrong and that it undermines the legitimacy of an otherwise legitimate effort. Davis and Silver (2002) disclosed that even though 84 percent of Americans are very concerned or somewhat concerned about a future terrorist attack on the United States, a majority of them are unwilling to relinquish civil liberties in exchange for enhanced security. Majority of the respondents were generally unwilling to bestow the government broader powers to combat terrorism if those powers meant limiting traditional constitutional protections. The American Civil Liberties Union (2003) stressed that anti-terrorism policies that infringe on basic rights whether ethnically-based roundups of innocent persons, or intrusive surveillance of peaceful political activists not only make America less free, but more vulnerable to terrorism. And finally, from two great US statesmen : â€Å"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety† (Franklin, n. d. ); likewise, â€Å"The enlargement of liberty for individual human beings must be the supreme goal and abiding practice of any western society† (Kennedy, n. d. ). References American Civil Liberties Union. (2003, March 20). How Patriot Act 2 Would Further Erode the Basic Checks on Government Power That Keep America Safe and Free . Retrieved January 7, 2008, from http://www. aclu. org/safefree/general/ 17346leg20030320. html. Burns, A. (2002). No Concessions to Terrorists = Arms for Hostages. Retrieved January 6, 2008, from The Truth is Stranger than Fiction: http://teaching. arts. usyd. edu. au/history/hsty3080/3rdYr3080/IranContra/Design/Iran. htm. Davis, D. , Silver, B. (2002, April 23). MSU Study Shows Americans Unwilling to Trade Civil Liberties for Enhanced Security. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from Michigan State University: http://newsroom. msu. edu/site/indexer/471/content. htm. Franklin, B. (2006). Civil Rights. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from Culture of Peace Iniitiative: http://www. cultureofpeace. org/quotes/civilrights-quotes. htm Perry, G. L. (2001, October 24). The War on Terrorism, the World Oil Market and the U. S. Economy. Retrieved January 6, 2008, from Brookings: http://www. brookings. edu/papers/2001/1024terrorism_perry. aspx. Reagan, R. (1985, June 18). No Concessions to Terrorists = Arms for Hostages. Retrieved January 6, 2008, from The Truth is Stranger than Fiction: http://teaching. arts. usyd. edu. au/history/hsty3080/3rdYr3080/IranContra/Design/Iran. htm Shlaes, A. (2001, December 6). Threat of an oil embargo on the U. S. is a bluff. Retrieved January 6, 2008, from Jewish World Review: http://www. jewishworldreview. com/ cols/shlaes120601. asp. Soto, A. (2007, December 6). Panel discusses state of civil liberties. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from The John Hopkins News-Letter: http://media. www. jhunewsletter. com/ media/storage/paper932/news/2004/04/16/News/Panel. Discusses. State. O

Ethics/Legal/IEP Essay -- essays papers

Ethics/Legal/IEP Essay In the treatment of those individuals labeled as disabled, be it physically, mentally, or a combination thereof, we are faced with many challenging ethical questions. The first and foremost of these is, what is ultimately, â€Å"the right thing to do.† While we may or may not agree on the answer to this question, as well as those that follow, many advances have been made in our society to deal with disabled individuals in the most humane and ethical way possible. What is the right thing to do? Is there an ultimate resolution? In 1975, Public Law (PL) 94-142 was passed. This law has several parts, each pertaining to a different aspect of discrimination, or nondiscrimination, of disabled persons. This law was passed in hopes of avoiding not only the horrific scenarios found in Nazi propaganda films such as Selling Murder, but further to guarantee all disabled individuals a fair chance at life: to live to the fullest extent of their capabilities and fulfill their potentials. In the film, Selling Murder, Nazi officials convey to the public that disabled people are a threat to the world community, and that they are living a â€Å"life without existence.† It goes further and says that not only should those who are disabled be quarantined and banished from society, but for their own sake they should be sterilized, and ultimately killed. Labeling the mass deaths of disabled persons â€Å"mercy killings,† the film explains how they, the disabled, are unable to function as â€Å"real† human be ings, and that if they had the mental facilities to make the choice, they would choose death over such a menial existence. Showing gruesome photos of the severely physically disfigured, the propaganda seeks not only to convince, but to scare the masses into agreement. On the other hand, films such as Regular Lives demonstrate the ability of disabled individuals not only to survive, but to flourish and better their communities through their own efforts. It demonstrates the necessity to include disabled students in any and all ways possible in order to help them adapt to a social environment as normal as is possible. PL 94-142 states that all disabled students are guaranteed a FAPE (free and public education). With this comes the formulation of an IEP (individualized education plan). This grants students a goal guided objective list for their education. The ... ...ther teacher or administrator to explain evaluation results to those involved. Why does it matter? What is the relevance/necessity of making moral judgments when formulating a course of action? Disabled people have been discriminated through time. They have been played as Jesters for entertainment, banished as havens for evil spirits, and massacred simply for being different. They have been subject even to sterilization, seen as people unfit to breed. We are forced to ask ourselves- why then, does it matter? Hardman states on page 52, â€Å"Social justice and equality for all people should be of paramount importance in the design and delivery of all curricula.† Fair and equal treatment of disabled persons matters because they, like all other citizens of this country, are people. They are born in this country with the guarantee that they will be granted â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† With this in mind, it is our moral and ethical obligation to â€Å"hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are [indeed] created equal.† This country was founded on these beliefs, and as we continue our progress forward with laws such as PL 94-142, we support this creed.

Regression Model

IntroductionA regression model with one explanatory variable is called a Simple linear regression, that is it involves 2 points: single explanatory variable and the response variable which is the x and y, coordinates in a Cartesian plane and finds a linear function a non-vertical straight line that, as precisely as possible it explains the dependent variable values as a function of the independent variables. The term simple refers to the fact that the response variable y is related to one predictor x. The regression model is given as Y=?0+?1 + ? and they are two parameters that are used estimate the slope of the line ?1 and the y- intercept of the line ?0. ? is the random error term.BackgroundRegression analysis is a vital statistical method for the analysis of medical data. It makes it possible for the recognition and grouping of relationships among multiple factors. It also enables the recognition of prognostically relevant risk factors and the calculation of risk scores for individual prognostication, this was made possible by English scientist Sir Francis Galton (1822–1911), a cousin of Charles Darwin, made significant contributions to both genetics and psychology. He is the one that came with regression and a pioneer in using statistics in a study of living organism. In his study the data sets that he considered consisted was the heights of fathers and first sons. He wanted to find out whether he can predict the height of a son based on the father height. Looking at the scatterplots of these heights, Galton saw that the was relationship which was linear and increasing. After fitting a line to these data using the statistical techniques, he observed that for fathers whose heights were taller than the average, the regression line predicted that taller fathers tended to have shorter sons and shorter fathers tended to have taller sons.PurposesSimple linear regression could be for example be purposefully when we Consider a relationship between weight Y (in kilograms) and height X(in centimeters), where the mean weight at a given height is ?(X) = 2X/4 – 45 for X > 100. Because of biological variability, the weight will vary for example, it might be normally distributed with a fixed ? = 4. The difference between an observed weight and mean weight at a given height is referred to as the error for that weight. To discover the relationship which is linear, we could take the weight of three individuals at each height and apply linear regression to model the mean weight as a function of height using a straight line, ?(X) = ?0 + ?1X . The most popular way to estimate the parameters, intercept ?0 and slope ?1 is the least squares estimator, which is derived by differentiating the regression with respect to ?0 and ?1 and solving, Let (xi , y i ) be the Ith pair of X and Y values. The least squares estimator, estimates ?0 and ?1 by minimizing the residual sum of squared errors, SSE = ?(y i – ? i)2, where y i are the observed value and ?i = b0 + b1xi are the estimated regression line points and are called the fitted, predicted or â€Å"hat† values. The estimates are given by b0 = ¯y – b1  ¯x and b1 = SSXX / SSYY, and where  ¯Xand  ¯Y are the means of samples X and Y, SSXX and SSYY being their standard deviation values and r = r(X,Y) being their Pearson correlation coefficient. It is also referred to as Pearson's r, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, is a measure of the linear between two variables X and Y Where X is the independent variable and Y being the Dependant variable as stated above. The Pearson correlation coefficient, r can take a range of values from -1 to +1. A value of 0 suggests that there is no association between the two variables X and Y. A value greater than 0 indicates a positive association that is, as the value of one variable increases, so does the value of the other variable. Before using simple linear regression analysis it is always vital to follow these few steps: Choose an independent variable that is likely to cause the change in the dependent variable Be certain that the past amounts for the independent variable occur in the exact same period as the amount of the dependent variable. Plot the observations on a graph using the y-axis for the dependant variable and the x-axis for the independent variable review the plotted observations for a linear pattern and for any outliers keep in mind that there can be correlation without cause and effect.ImportancesSimple linear regression is considered to be extensively useful in many practical applications and methodologies. Simple linear regression functions by assuming that the variables x and y have a relationship which is linear within the given set of data. As assumptions are and results are interpreted, persons handling the analysing role in a such data will have to be more critical because it has been studied before that there are some variables which inhibit marginal changes to occur while others will not consider being held at a fixed point. Although the concept of linear regression is one complex subject, it still remains to be one of the most vital statistical approaches being used till date. Simple linear regression is important because it has be wildly being used in many biological, behavioural , environmental as well as social sciences. Because of its ability to describe possible relationships between identified variables independent and dependent , it has assisted the fields of epidemiology, finance, economics and trend line in describing significant data that proves to be of essence in the identified fields. More so, simple linear regression is important because it provides an idea of what needs to be anticipated, more specially in controlling and regulating functions involved on some disciplines. Despite the complexity of simple linear aggression, it has proven to be adequately useful in many daily applications of life.

Benefits And Problems Of Group Decision Making - 1649 Words

Hayley Barker 15064941 Understanding Managing People - Shahida Choudhary Discuss the benefits and problems of group decision-making in organisations. Intro: definition Body: BENEFITS: The first benefit of group decision-making could be that there is a majority to influence; as the group can all discuss make decisions formally as a group they are happier. As decisions usually are not made until the group has formally discussed and made a decision, all members of group have time to make decisions and contribute ideas to meetings. Thus creating a positive working synergy and an increased efficiency as people are motivated to work had due to their ideas that have contributed. LOOK FOR THEORIST. However, not all employees are†¦show more content†¦Each of the group members ideas can bounce off one another to overall create the perfect idea that suits most aspects of the contributions of the group. It also takes into account the broad scopes of experience as newer individuals may create different ideas that have not been influenced by working in the company for a longer period of time. If longer serving employees take over sometimes this can hinder ideas as th ey are focusing on the norms in which the group may usually follow. Group decision making is also a good training ground for new employees. This is by introducing them into group decision making in ways such as meetings. This is an advantage as it starts new employees off in a new environment where they listen to other peoples ideas in order to generate ideas of their own. This will give new employees a better understanding of what they need to look for on group projects thus forming an independent mind set in which they can generate innovative ideas of their own. Additionally, it also gives a ‘balanced perspective’ as the organisation is getting more feedback from individuals due to the structure of the group. This means one idea that an individual may have considered to be a brilliant idea; another group member may highlight issues that other individuals may not have noticed. As all group members are mandated to give feedback this means you