Burkitt Lymphoma Essay

Burkitt Lymphoma was mapped out in geographic distribution across Africa by Dr. Denis Parsons Burkitt (Huang 2005). This disease is a high grade B-cell neoplasm, which has two major forms: the endemic (i. e. African nature) and the non-endemic (i. e. sporadic nature). Burkitt Lymphoma is mainly found as childhood tumor, yet it is, also, observed in adult patients (Huang 2005). This Lymphoma type is one of the fastest growing malignancies in humans, and it has a high growth fraction (Huang 2005). Burkitt Lymphoma is a monoclonal proliferation of B lymphocytes that is characterized by small non-cleaved cells is appeared to be uniform in appearance (Huang 2005). It produces a diffuse pattern of tissue involvement. While under the microscope, this lymphoma is characterized by the presence of a â€Å"starry sky† appearance due to scattered macrophages with phagocyte cell debris; this is observed in other highly proliferate lymphomas, as well (Huang 2005). The African form of this lymphoma most often involves the maxilla or mandible and the involvement of abdominal organs, for instance the kidneys, ovaries, and retroperitoneal structures, but is somewhat less common (Huang 2005). On the contrary, the sporadic form involves the abdominal organs: distal ileum, cecum, and mesentery. The involvement of pelvic organs or facial bones is rare (Huang 2005). The majority of Burkitt Lymphomas carry a translation of the c-myc oncogene from chromosome eight to the immunoglobulin (lg) heavy-chain region on chromosome fourteen (t 8;14)or a light-chain loci chromosome two (t 8;2)or chromosome twenty-two (t 8;22) (Huang 2005). Within the African form of Burkitt Lymphoma, The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated strongly and the relationship in the sporadic form is less clear (Huang 2005). Epstein-Barr virus is associated in approximately twenty percent of sporadic cases. The rare cases in adult are usually associated with immunodeficiency, predominantly AIDS, respectively (Huang 2005). Some have reasoned, the host is unable to generate adequate T-lymphocyte response or Epstein-Barr specific cytoxic T-cells (Huang 2005). This subsequently results in excessive B cell proliferation. The lymphocytes have receptors especially for the Epstein-Barr virus and are the specific targets (Huang 2005). In the African form, the hosts are believed to be unable to increase a suitable immune response to primary Epstein-Barr infection. This is possible due to coexistent malaria or other infections that are immunosuppressive, also (Huang 2005). Burkitt Lymphoma is an extremely rare cancer in the United States, with only 100 new cases each year. However, Burkitt Lymphoma is endemic in many regions of equatorial Africa and other tropical regions between latitudes 10 ° south and 10 ° north. The frequency of this cancer in these endemic regions is 100 per million children (Huang 2005). The male-to-female ratio is 2-3:1, and the most common a in children is seven years of age is the mean in African, eleven years of age is the current mean outside of Africa (Huang 2005). Prior to aggressive therapeutic treatment program, children with Burkitt Lymphoma died rapidly. However, with a combination of chemotherapy and CNS prophylaxis the survival rate has increase to at least sixty percent; and patients with a limited disease now have a ninety percent chance of survival (Huang 2005). Patients with bone marrow and CNS involvement have a poor prognosis. Adults with the disease, especially those in the advanced stage, do more poorly than affected children (Huang 2005). In the African form, patients most often present swelling of the mandible and other facial bone with the loosening of teeth, and swelling of the lymph nodes, which have rapid growth below the mandible (Huang 2005). Patients who have the sporadic form are commonly presented with abdominal tumors that cause swelling and pain in the affected area; few patients have symptoms of bowel obstruction that is caused by tumor growth (Huang 2005). Burkitt tumors growth is tremendously rapid in nature, and patients have evident metabolic derangement and renal function impairment and may include epidural mass, skin nodules, central nervous system symptoms, and bone marrow involvement (Huang 2005). Rare cases of Burkitt lymphoma can present acute leukemia with fever, anemia, bleeding, and adenopathy (Huang 2005). Foremost indicators of Burkitt Lymphoma include soft tissue mass associated with involvement of the mandible, enlarged cervical lymph nodes, abdominal masses, and ascites (Huang 2005). Moreover, the exact cause and mechanisms of this lymphoma are presently unknown. It is important that Burkitt Lymphoma is distinguished from other abdominal tumors in childhood, such as Wilms tumor, neuroblastoma, and peripheral neuroectodermal tumor (Huang 2005). Also, within the bone marrow, B and T precursors and myeloid leukemia must be distinguished (Huang 2005). Systemic chemotherapy is the treatment for this lymphoma is all its stages. The survival rate ultimately depends on the stage at initial diagnosis (Huang 2005). Patients with a localized infection respond well to chemotherapy, with an excellent rate of survival. Cyclophosphamide therapy has been curative for eighty percent of children in Africa with the early stage of Burkitt Lymphoma (Brock 1996). The effect of cyclophosphamide is due to its metabolite phosphoramide mustard (Brock 1996). The metabolite is only formed in cells which have low levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase. The Phosphoramide mustard forms DNA cross links between and within DNA strands — this leads to cell death (Brock 1996). However, combination chemotherapy has improved treatment results. Intensive, short-duration, alkylator-based regimens are necessary for all patients with the sporadic form (Huang 2005). In patients with AIDS, Burkitt Lymphoma is in advanced stage at time of diganosis and tends to involve extranodal sites (Huang 2005). Furthermore, because of underlying immunodeficiency and leukopenia, these patients tolerate systemic chemotherapy very poorly. A patient’s expiration usually follows shortly after diagnosis (Huang 2005). A nine week regiment of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone was effective for early stages of the disease and a longer regimen included a combination with radiation (Link et al. 1997). The cure rate more than exceeded ninety percent with minimal toxicity. Therefore, a lesser-intensive therapy is under evaluation as a potentially effective means to steer clear of unnecessary toxicity for patients with early stages (Link et al. 1997). This may achieve similar cure rates obtained with prolonged treatment (Link et al. 1997). Vanderbilt Medical Center has reported results for patients with poor-prognosis non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, which includes Burkitt Lymphoma, using a high dose and short-duration combined chemotherapy comprising cyclophosphamide, etoposide, doxorubicin, vincristine, bleomycin, methotrexate with leucovorin rescue, prednisone (Huang 2005). Burkitt Lymphoma patients have a high risk of tumor lysis syndrome before chemotherapy is started because of rapid tumor cell turnover (Huang 2005). This is a life-threatening situation and should be anticipated and addressed to the patient prior to beginning treatment (Huang 2005). Treatment should be preformed at a proper facility with renal dialysis is available, predominantly for patients with progression of disease (Huang 2005). Treatment of recurrent Burkitt lymphoma is difficult. Bone marrow transplantation is the only hope of long-term survival for these patients (Huang 2005). Burkitt Lymphoma is a high grade B-cell neoplasm, which is highly endemic in Central Africa and sporadic throughout other countries (Huang 2005). This disease is the fastest growing malignancy in children. A combination chemotherapy is the most effect mode of treatment and has high cure rates within early stages, and the moderate cure rates for progressed patients (Huang 2005). References Brock N. (1996). The history of the oxazaphosphorine cytostatics. Cancer. 78:542-7. Link MP, Shuster JJ, Donaldson SS, et al. (1997). Treatment of children and young adults with early-stage non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. New England Journal of Medicine. 30 October 1997; 337(18): 1259-66. Huang, H, MD, PhD et al.. (2005). Burkitt Lymphoma. eMedicine. Date visited 19 April 2006. http://www. emedicine. com/med/topic256. htm

Meeting an old friend

A man is a Social Animal involved in the intricacies of every social behavior he is expected to involve in. The richness of his social behavior lies in his varied actions which he is expected to behave in the Society-among his family, peers, neighbors, and most sensuous of all friendship. But his mind is a very complex part of the body, which keeps involving the man into varied activities, 24 hours a day. In this hush and bush of your daily chores, one day you come across a person while you are in relax mood and enjoying the Exhibition in a Grand Hall at Park Avenue. He comes in front of you and suddenly speaks in a louder but a very friendly tone, hi, How are you? And you keep on looking at him. This gaze clearly states that you have been engaged so much in your personal affairs that you not only forgot him but also his name, and are now trying to recollect his name. He asked you, â€Å"How are you? And you replied decently, I am very well, fine, Thank You. And then he will say, â€Å"I was longing to meet you but could not get time,† and you will reply â€Å"Oh! how sweet of you, even I was longing to meet you but I got so involved in the pursuit of my career that I did not get time to meet you. It was so hectic in the office that I did not have a single minute to even breathe†. This dialogue dictates your etiquette, though you have forgotten the name of your friend with whom you have spend so precious moments of your life, still you are not trying to show that you have forgotten him. He is making out that you have forgotten him and he will say, â€Å"Hey! I think you have forgotten me, and why not, we are meeting after such a long time, so it is so natural that you may forget me.† I only remembered that we have studied together in school. He started talking of good old school days, when we enjoy a lot, have all the fun, played pranks on teachers and the crushes we had on the beautiful girls in our school and then he involves you so much in conversation that you forgot you don’t remember his name. All of a sudden from my mouth it comes out,   â€Å"Rick.† He stops laughing and began to stare at me. I smelled that something was wrong with the name. He in a very low voice says, â€Å"Hello, I am David, not Rick.†, then only the name strikes in my memory and   I start cursing myself, that he remembered my name and every little things about mine, whereas I completely forgot his name and on the top of it dared not accept the failure to recall his name. I wants to apologize but the words stopped flowing from mouth and I became speechless. He understands the position and to ease the situation, he starts laughing. I asks for his apology and he accepted to give on one condition that in future I would be honest while portraying my feelings. No doubt man feels very embarrassed if he forgets his old time friend but it is also true that with time generally memory fades in many human beings. This behavior in humans is explained by Rethinking Interference theory of G. E. Mueller and Pilzecker who claims that man has to involve in number of activities and his brain is thinking all the time.   With the passing time new experiences enter into the memory the older begin to erase because the process, which is involved in storing new memories generally disrupts the old consolidation processes, which could have traced the events of our lives remained in our memory storage. (Anderson Michael C, pp. 415-455). WORKS CITED Anderson Michael C. â€Å"Rethinking interference theory: Executive control and mechanisms of forgetting.† Journal of Memory and Language, 49(2003): 415-455 Brill A.A. â€Å"In The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (1901) By Sigmund Freud† Internet. Available: http://psychology.about.com/library/psychologyetexts/bl-everyday01.htm , July 30, 2007      

Anthropological Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anthropological Theory - Assignment Example The author goes into detail and examines extending of the interconnection and the relationships of such names and tries to place them into their reality. In his idea of interconnections, Eric Wolf states that the reification has led to the misconception of the fact about nations. He cites that nations have been taken as entities that existed independently of one another. However, in his idea of connections, Eric Wolf clearly outlines the relationship between nations dating back a long time ago. Eric Wolf cites the dangers of reification as being that of giving falsehood on the reality of humanity. He cites that there is a neglect of interrelationships between human beings. He gives examples of the spread of diseases from past to present, similarly, he cites the diffusion of people through slavery and servitude to justify his idea of connections. One other danger, Eric Wolf cites in his idea of connections is that reification has led to the misconception and division of disciplines. He gave examples to show how scholars of Sociology and political science split political economy. He cites these examples as misleading misconceptions from scholars. Eric Wolf critically examines social sciences split from political economy. He argues that political economy made sense since it justified the idea of interconnection. He points out that the treatment of independent states, for instance, the United States and Greece as static and in rival by stable internal interactions and control from outside has prevented us from understanding their relationships and confrontations, a fact inconsistent with his idea of interconnections. He further points out that the difficulty is further compounded with the imaginary arrangement and division of nations into blocks as well as civilization based categorizations. Such names like, the East and West, the civilized and developed west and the

Minorities and streotype Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Minorities and streotype - Research Paper Example The media has come under scrutiny for propagating a less than ideal portrayal of minorities in the country through their sitcoms, big screen movies, and newscasts. Television provides a ready stream of racial stereotypes that reinforce audiences’ perceptions about minority groups such as Latin-Americans, Asian Americans, and African Americans (Fuligni 43). A look at the character of Rajesh Koothrappali in the popular American Television show ‘the big bang theory’ represents a form of Asian American stereotyping. In the show, Rajesh Koothrappali gets portrayed as nerdy and socially dysfunctional. Koothrappali is so socially dysfunctional that he is unable to speak when in the company of women, even attractive ones. He is portrayed as being socially awkward and focused on his education endeavors. Further stereotyping of Koothrappali gets witnessed whenever he gets to meet any woman and the first question they ask him is if he is capable of speaking English. Koothrap pali’s parents also get portrayed as conservative and strict in the show. They nag him about marriage and they even go ahead to select for him several girls he should get to marry back in India. Further stereotyping gets portrayed through Koothrapali’s geeky and technological nature. Historically, Asian Americans frequently get typified as foreigners in television shows and Hollywood films. This minority group gets portrayed as performing mysterious customs and speaking broken English. The stereotypes of Asian Americans also get gender specific. Asian women get portrayed as dangerous or domineering women who are attractive sexually but also immoral. In war films, Asian women become portrayed as sex workers or prostitutes. In the media, Asian American men get personified as math whizzes, geeks, technologically ardent, and as non-masculine. Asian American men also get portrayed as domineering over their families and chauvinistic. A general stereotype of Asian Americans a lso portrays them as mostly doctors, engineers, or business persons (Fuligni 47). They also get portrayed as lacking fashion sense and thus dress conservatively. They often get portrayed as wearing non classy and ordinary clothing all the time. The media also portrays this minority group as looking almost identical and similar. This stereotype largely gets applied to East Asians of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and even of Indian descent. Lastly, Asians also get stereotyped as poor to the western world audience. The image portrayal of the character of Koothrappalli on the ‘big bang theory’ serves to maintain current stereotypes of Asian Americans. Koothrappali gets presented as part of the geek community in the comedy show. Together with his three scientist friends, he gets portrayed as a nerd and genius. Furthermore, he gets typified as socially awkward as he is unable to hold a conversation with women unless he gets drunk. Among his three scientist friends he is the only one who lacks a girlfriend too. His parents also get shown as conservative. In various episodes of the show, they get shown as insistent on him to get married to an Indian girl in keeping with their customs and traditions. His father appears to have the final say in most conversation between him and his mother too. The show also portrays Koothrappali as having a deep Indian accent whenever he speaks English. He becomes a constant target of ridicule among his friends about his friends who joke at him about his accent. His inability to speak to

Society and its Attraction to Jury Trial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Society and its Attraction to Jury Trial - Essay Example Furthermore, the individual jurors, chosen randomly, often face a lot of pressure in the form of intricate and lengthy case proceedings, which are unjustified and often lead to negative impact on the case outcome. There have been issues as regards the jury expertise on objectivity of decisions taken, as some experts argued that jury trials tend to be more emotional or sentimental (hence biased) in nature, rather than being logical, thus, attracting more than the due share of media and society attention.2 In fact, Penny Darbyshire describes the jury system as â€Å"an anti-democratic, irrational, and haphazard legislator, whose erratic and secret decisions run counter to the rule of law.†3 Such problems as pointed by the critics are inherent within the UK jury trial system, leading to demands for bringing in radical reforms in the UK legal policies and for abolishment of this many centuries old celebrated institution of criminal justice. The role of the juries within the legal system translates to the simple fact that legally unqualified people (the layman) are given significance within the highly specialised profession of law, and their assistance taken to provide justice to the public. The chief function of the jury is to listen to the facts presented during the case proceedings and based on these facts produce a verdict (in terms of case resolution within criminal/ civil cases), of guilty or not guilty. This essay will examine the role of the jury and explore the advantages and disadvantages of the system to seek whether Roskill had rightfully claimed that jury trials do not deliver justice, as they are more sentimental and emotionally driven, instead of being logical in nature, and tend to attract more media and society attraction than necessary. Discussion The jury system in UK Jury system in UK has been in vogue for more than 1,000 years, and according to some reports even existed before the Norman Conquest.4 The jury system, thus, always played a s ignificant part in balancing the British legal system. In the present legal scenario, jury independence is given a great deal of importance, where many feel that juries should not be meddled with or pressurised, while deciding a case. The position of the juries as the only arbiters in a case was evident in the famous Bulshell case of 1670, 5 and in the more recent R v Mc Kenna (1960).6 In both the cases, the independent roles of juries were highlighted, where they had acted separately from the judge, while taking a decision. While selecting a jury, an official at the Crown Court selects jurors randomly, from the official data system, and even though only a 12-member jury is needed for a case hearing, more members are generally selected, to provide for any absentee jury members.7 In England and Wales there are three forms of criminal offences, where ‘summary’ offences (ones considered as being of minimal seriousness) can be tried only at the Magistrates’ Court, wi th two to three magistrates in presence.8 Criminal offences that are more serious in nature and categorised as ‘

Trade and investment issues between China and other econmies Essay

Trade and investment issues between China and other econmies - Essay Example However, after 1978, the country has experienced actual growth of more than 9 percent annually. In the topmost years, Chinas economy grew more than 13 percent. For the last 15 years, the nation has increased its per capita income (Zhuli and Mohsin, par. 1). Furthermore, some experts are even predicting that in about 20 years, the economy of China will be larger than US. An IMF research team that recently examined the sources of Chinas growth reached a surprising conclusion. The constant productivity increase was the driving force behind Chinas economic boom. According to Zhulu and Mohsin (par. 5), productivity gains in the years 1979 to 1994 accounted for more than 42% of the growth of China. By the early 1990s, it had overtaken the capital as the most important source of that growth. A traditional development view in which capital investment takes the lead is marked from this. The productivity jump originated in the reforms of the economy begun in the year 1978. Additionally, the much earlier study on the development of the economy have suggested an important role of capital investment in the growth of the economy. It has also proposed a sizable portion of the recent growth of the country is in fact accredited to capital investment that has made China more productive. The meaning of this is that better technology, new machinery, and more infrastructure investment has helped China to raise its output. Higher productivity has performed the most recent economic miracle in China, Zhuli and Mohsin (par. 10) state. The countys productivity increased at a yearly rate of 3.9 percent during 1979 to 1994, compared with 1953-1978s 1.1 percent. Output growth productivity share exceeded 50 percent. Such explosive growth is outstanding. Chinas economic growth rate of almost 4 percent puts the country in a class by itself (Zhuli and Mohsin, par. 10). Pre and post-1978 China experts indicate that market-oriented reforms embarked on

Latino dropouts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Latino dropouts - Essay Example In 2000, about 530,000 Hispanic 16- 19 year olds were classified as dropouts, a percentage of 21.1. However, many of these were recently arrived immigrants who had not been in the US education system. So the actual figure for drop out of the US schools is about 15%. In 2000 the Latino dropout rate was three times greater than for non-Hispanic whites. The percentage of Latinos completing higher education has also consistently lagged behind whites and African Americans. It is also important to consider that the rate of dropouts could change at any time since some students presently enrolled in high schools can drop out at any time, and some drop outs could obtain their GED at any time in the future. Several factors have been suggested to explain the high rate of dropouts. The major factor has been the language, but Adam (2003)2 describes how researcher Saenz breaks down the factors into â€Å"individual factors, family-related factors and the structural level†. The individual factors have to do with the student’s own academic expectations and performance, peer pressure, generational status and acculturation. But one big effect comes from lifestyle where they are forced to become adults too early in life either through early pregnancy or having to help with looking after younger siblings. The strongest family factor seems to be the socioeconomic status of the family since having the resources to navigate the system makes a difference to the success of the students. The economic context in which the students and the school reside can place a strain on the family to keep up. Also the connection between the family, school and culture is important. The language plays a big part in this connection. Other school practices such as tracking, grade retention and unequal treatment of minority students all are common causes of dropout. Jones and Bou-Waked (2007)3 add to the discussion of the part that language plays in the dropout crisis. They noted that about

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 57

Art - Essay Example The dark paintings illustrates the dark moments that were being experienced at that time. The artist tried to bring out the real situation in his society. The picture shows the status quo of the time in Honduras . This was the period that the massacre happened and so the artist has tried to depict the real situation of how the leader was comfortably sited while the nation was at war. The picture captures the hearty vitality that the painting shows. Via strong and concrete auditory and visual images and through the strong measured rhythm, it reveals that situation was worse and yet leaders were not in control of it. th picture is ironical to the real situation as the leader was supposed to to be at ease at such an alarming war situation. The picture can be described mage that focuses on a painting of warfare where a community or village participates in an aggressive manner. . The picture utilizes onomatopoeia to try and make the painting appear real. It can be deduced that the annoying sounds in the paintings can be used to help describe the violent aspect of the situation as further as endorsed by the colors. The picture was intended to show critical moments and records of events and details of the history people’s life during that time. It intends to shade more light on the painting by showing that people preserve their hope and depict determination to persevere hard conditions. That is the message that is contained in this painting as presented by the painter. Through the work, it is easy to learn and understand more about war life of that period and the people who inhabited it.. The painter had in his mind a moral slant in that lust, anger and gluttony are vividly seen in the painting. More so, the picture reveals the painters intention of bringing out the message that despite having leaders, the situation was wanting. This picture cannot understand support its themes without referring to the art work because the theme

Better Asphalt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Better Asphalt - Essay Example Several major research projects have taken place and are currently in progress. The National Cooperative Highway Research Program has a major study currently underway to evaluate skid resistance. The study is not yet complete, but it does show promise in offering improvements in skid resistance through the use of finer grade aggregates. However, due to the fine grade of the aggregate, water may be slow to run off and create a wet condition hazard. Friction is created where the rubber meets the road. The composition of the open coarse grade and its components are a first consideration. The microtexture, the fine aggregate in an asphalt mixture, is most influential force creating the necessary surface friction between the pavement surface and automobile tires (Williams). Over time, the surface wears away and exposes the coarse aggregate. Coarse aggregate size becomes a major consideration on the surface to improve skid resistance. Recent tests in the United Kingdom has indicated that 6 to 10 mm chips at a 1.4 mm depth offered improved skid resistance at high speeds (United States Department of Transportation).

(Marketing Report)write a marketing report in the role of the Essay

(Marketing Report)write a marketing report in the role of the consultant to the Board of The Birmingham Library - Essay Example It is a 360 degree approach in marketing which enables the marketer raise brand awareness and subsequently brand experience though various touch points. However, electronic marketing can only be successful if it is accompanies with strategies influencing the customer perception from different touch points also, such as print media, advertising, television, outdoor media, etc. In the present report, a situational analysis has been done. E- Marketing has been taken as a strategy for branding and promotions of the newly established library in Birmingham. The target customers fall in the age group of 18-25 years. Since this generation is mostly customer savvy and addicted to internet and other social media activities, using electronic marketing to target these customers will be of sustainable advantage. SOSTAC format have been applied for the development of situation, objectives and strategies. From the specified strategies, tactics, applications and action plans have been recommended. A proper control analysis has been done to identify the future issues and recommended future strategies to control them. Introduction The Library of Birmingham is the new library that has recently completed its construction. Upon completion, this will replace the Birmingham Central Library, based in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The Library of Birmingham is the new extension of the Central Library having modern technology and state of art infrastructure. The new library is a 188 million pounds project. The central library was completed in the year 1983 and was opened for public in the year 1984. Central library is considered as one of the most popular and visited libraries of the country. With the opening of the new library, many new services will be launched. Since it is completely new establishment, most of the products and features of the library will be ungraded and advanced. E-Marketing A description of electronic marketing will be use for digital technologies and electronic devic es in order to sell and promote products and services. According to authors like Xing et al (2004) and McQuitty and Peterrson (2000), the percentage of people accessing the internet and involving in online data gathering about products and services has grown over the years. Business has grown all over the world with the advent of electronic marketing (Joines, Scherer and Scheufele, 2003) and it will create huge marketing opportunity for the organisations (Pollack, 1999; Hoffman, 2000). Electronic marketing can also be defined as an online channel through with customers and marketers enter into a transaction phase for sale and purchase, which benefits both parties. According to Meuter et al, (2000) internet marketing can be explained as a virtual platform where services and products existing as digital information can be exchanged with the help of channels which are informative. In this type of media, people and groups create, share and exchange ideas and information through online c ommunities and networks (Mangold and Faulds, 2009). Electronic media is different from traditional media in many ways such as reach, quality, frequency,

Aristotle - Biography Essay Example for Free

Aristotle Biography Essay Raphael portrays two of Greeces great philosophers as the focal point of his masterpiece The School of Athens. Aristotle has his hand pointing straight out as if he is declaring to Plato that truth is found right here around us. Aristotle was an excellent teacher who is considered to be the prince of philosophy and one of the worlds most influential thinkers of all time. Aristotle was born in 384 B. C at Stragyra in Thrace, on the north coast of the Aegean Sea. This was fifteen years after the death of Socrates and three years after the founding of Platos Academy. His father was the court physician and friend of King Amyntas of Macedonia. It is likely that Aristotles great interest in biology and science, in general, was nurtured in his early childhood. At the age of seventeen, Aristotle moved to Athens and enrolled in Platos Academy as a student of philosophy. He studied for over twenty years at the Academy until Plato died in 348 B. C. Throughout his time at the Academy, Aristotle became one of the top scientist and philosophers, and though he studied under Plato, he was not a Platonist. In fact, he would later criticize Plato and his various doctrines. After the mourning of Platos death had subsided, Speusippus seized power of the Academy. At this time Aristotle quickly left Athens and lived for a time in Assos and Mytilen where he was able to write, research, and teach. He did return, for a time, to Macedonia to tutor Philips son Alexander at his request. By the age of forty-nine, Aristotle had traveled back to Athens to found a school. Many historians believe this is when Aristotle began the most productive period of his life. His school was named the Lyceum, named after the groves where Socrates went to think and which was the sacred domain of Apollo Lyceus. The Lyceum had a fine library, an extensive collection of maps, and a zoo where Aristotle preformed much of his zoological research. . The school was located close to a long covered walk called in the greek peripatos. Aristotle would take his students on this long covered walkway where he conducted much of his teaching as they strolled along pondering many philosophical questions. As a result of this method of teaching, the students of the Lyceum were commonly referred to as peripatetics. Aristotle was only in Athens for twelve years when it was necessary for him to leave for political reasons to save his life. In 322 B. C. Aristotle died and his library was passed on to his successor, Theophratus. Aristotle is regarded as the first truly cosmopolitan thinker. He was interested in a plethora of subjects and gave significant contribution to many of them. He composed major studies of logic, ethics, and metaphysics. Today he is best renown for his work the Metaphysics and the Nichomachean Ethics. In addition to these major studies he also wrote on epistemology, physics, biology, meteorology, dynamics, mathematics, psychology, rhetoric, dialectics, aesthetics, politics, and philosophy. Choose any field of research and Aristotle probably studied it, select an area of human reason and he probably theorized on it. If all of his writings were published today they would fill fifty large volumes in print. Unfortunately, over the last two thousand years many of his writings have been lost. Only one fifth of his writings have endured time. What has been preserved are what many believe are Aristotles lecture notes and notes of his students that were not meant to be printed. These rough notes have been edited in a cut paste fashion in order to try to make sense of Aristotles profound thought. Aristotle philosophy is a development of Platos philosophy. Aristotle respected Plato but rejected the dualism that Plato passionately embraced and taught his pupils. Platos primary reality of the unchanging world existed separately from the world of particular things. Aristotle believed he was able to avoid this ambiguous ideal of two worlds and still communicate all the necessary concepts that Plato did. Metaphysically, Aristotle believed that every living being, except God, is a composite of two factors called form and matter. In Aristotles system of epistemology, he believes that the forms that Plato held unattainable actually exist as essential parts of the things that we asses through our senses. He believed that a human being is a holistic unit of both the body and soul. Aristotle specialized in classifying the many different components in the universe: humans, animals, plants, inanimate objects, etc. His work Catergories was his flagship in the organization of the world. He believed that humans were certainly in a classification of their own, and that human beings could be divided up into three dimensions, or more specifically, three dimensional thinking. The first dimension is productive thinking and refers to man as a maker; the second is practical thinking and refers to man as a learner and knower. All of the books that Aristotle wrote can basically be divided into these three categories. For example his book on poetry would be in the category of productive thinking; ethics would be in the category of practical thinking; philosophy, science, and metaphysics would be in the category of theoretical thinking. Aristotle can be credited with the creation of both the science and the philosophy of biology. His work in science involved the discovery of interconnections between characteristics of organisms. This led to the biological specialties of taxonomy and systematics. This evidenced that he was able to adapt his metaphysical and logical thought to that of the area of zoology. His application of thought to the experimentation makes him one of the founders of laboratory research. Aristotle was the first to create the study of deductive inference. His theory of syllogism, simply put, is a discourse in which certain things having been stated, something else follows of necessity of doing so. Aristotle believed that the laws of logic apply to more than just human thinking. He believed that these laws of being allow the understanding of the logical structure of the world. The premise to his logical system is the law of noncontradiction. Aristotle states in his law that It is impossible for the same attribute at once to belong and not belong to the same thing in the same relation. More simply would be that (B) can not be both (B) and non(b) at the same time in the same sense. This law cannot be proven but it must not be ignored. It is a universal core principle of human thinking. However, a caveat is necessary because the absence of a contradiction doesnt necessary guarantee truth. The world is in a constant state of change. Aristotle believed that changes could be natural or could be a product of human art. The four causes that Aristotle articulated answer the four questions that can be asked about anything. The four questions are (1) what is it? (2) what is it made of? (3) by what is it made? (4) for what end is it made? Aristotle four responses are the four causes: (1) the formal cause (2) the material cause (3) the efficient cause (4) the final cause. The biologist in Aristotle affected the way he observed the world. He observed everything going through change happens to something that is a combination of form and matter becoming something different or new. Teleology is the notion that the present could be understood by reference to the future. The nature of anything is linked to its telos, meaning its goal or final end. The final end of an object reveals its nature and this nature drives it to its goal. This idea is what Aristotle thought could explain many things from a fetus in the womb to an acorn from a oak tree. These four causes are a significant contribution to science in explaining nature Within the dimension of practical thinking is Aristotles view on ethics and how it relates to us not only as individuals but to the world as a whole. His views are contained in basically his two works called the Nicomachean Ethics and the Eudemian Ethics. The Nichomachean ethics is the better one of the two because it is clearer, it addresses more issues within the field of ethics, and it arguments are usually superior. Aristotle believes that everyone has an ultimate goal, and they pursue it by doing what they view as good. What a person views as good is ultimately what will bring them long-term satisfaction and happiness. He goes on too describe the soul of man and its various virtues. He believed that the soul could be divided into two characteristics: reason and desire. These two characteristics may conflict in the soul of a man when trying to make a decision. Aristotle believes that the more disciplined a man is the more reason will win when a decision is made. He believed that these virtues were innate in every man and not acquired in any fashion. Lastly, the way Aristotle viewed God was a product of how he viewed everything else. Aristotle was not a zealot when it came to religion. He believed there was a supreme being because he thought it would be impossible to explain some things. Aristotles view of God was more of a metaphysical necessity. Through his thought of telos he knew the world must have an ultimate cause and this cause must be God. Exposition I specifically like how Aristotle classified everything, and approached fields of study with common sense and practicality. He believed that humans are the highest classification, and I would certainly agree with that. I also agree that the three dimensions of man: productive, practical, and theoretical thinking, are basically the three main areas in life, but I also think that there are other areas on the side, and that everything can be categorized as concretely as he seeks to do. Aristotles ideas of the four different causes are very good. The hegemony of these causes communicate their fundamental value. His central idea that everything has a cause is true and very important. The deductive reasoning he used also helps to clarify things. I believe that the use of syllogisms should not be used to test if a belief is true. A worldview could pass a few tests but that doesnt prove that it is correct. Aristotles view of God is a disturbing product of his system. He is the victim of his own mind. He is a perfect example of how a philosopher may become trapped in his own system. He had made some presuppositions early on that had become the core of what he believed. As he progress in his thought he had to be consistent with what he had first believed and this necessitated him to plug everything into his presuppositions or mold that he had created. This resulted in God becoming an after thought of his life, instead of the focal point of his life. Aristotle had forgotten to place God into his system when it was in infancy. As a result of the complexity, he had to place his unknowable God in a box. Aristotle ethics of having an ultimate goal that provide your happiness is quite interesting. If your ultimate goal is to glorify God then you will find true happiness. John Piper would say that a Christian hedonist finds pleasure in being satisfied with the Lord to bring God the utmost glory. I do not, however, agree with Aristotles division of the soul. There are many problems in Aristotle system. In spite of the problems, his philosophy has affected just about everyone. I believe that the ideas of Aristotle not only influenced the ancient greeks, but also affected medieval philosophy, and modern philosophy. The prevalence of the contributions of Aristotle is ingrained in almost every discipline. Without the teachings of Aristotle the world would be years behind. We owe a lot to this man who gave his life in order to understand our existence and things that exist around us. Raphael painted Aristotle in the middle of his School of Athens for a reason. He must of known of the influence that Aristotle would posses on young minds for centuries to come. Works Cited Adler, Mortimer J. 1978. Aristotle for Everybody: Difficult thought made easy ,New York: Macmillian Publishing Co. Aristotle. 1980. Metaphysics I-IX, Harvard University Press. Barnes, Jonathan. 1996. Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction, New York: Oxford University Press. Cottingham, John. 1996. Western Philosophy: An Anthology, Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Fearn, Nicholas. 2001. Zeno and the Tortoise: How to Think like a Philosopher, New York: Grove Press. Honderich, Ted. 1995. The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, New York: Oxford University Press. Lennox, James G. 2001. Aristotles Philosophy of Biology, Cambridge University Press. Nash, Ronald H. 1999. Lifes Ultimate Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy, Zondervan. Stumpf, Samuel E. and James Fieser. 2003. Philosophy: History and Problems, McGraw- Hill Higher Education. Wilson, Fred L. Science and Human Values: Aristotle, http://www. rit. edu/ flwstv/aristotl1. html. Accessed 6 October, 2004.

Media Essays Media Violence Society

Media Essays Media Violence Society Media Violence Society Media violence has been one of our biggest problems in our community. Violence comes from every age, from a child to an adult. Violence has increased every year because people do not understand how important our life is and do not take it serious. Media violence occurs when people do not have common sense and do not take responsibility. There are couple cases that think that media violence causes society violence, and two against it. Most cases of media violence come from movies, games, and the influence people have on others, all of which have shown someone or something crucifying anything in its path. Those are some ideas about media violence throughout our society. There are two people whose lives were only about killing; it was as if it was in their nature. Stone’s most controversial film, â€Å"Natural Born Killers† was mimicked by murderers Ben Darras, and Sarah Edmondson. Darras and Edmondson have killed over fifty two people and, in the course of their actions have become media celebrities. Both of them have a history in their life that is unforgettable. The public made this inconclusive accusation despite the troubled past of both of the offenders. Oliver Stones said â€Å"Ben and Sarah are deeply disturbed youths with histories of drug and/or alcohol abuse and psychiatric treatment. Ben’s alcoholic father divorced his mother twice, and then committed suicide. Sarah carried a gun because she feared that Ben would attack her†. Obviously, there were many factors inducing their criminal behavior further more complicated than just watching a movie and doing what you have just seen. Many cases like this one have bee n pointing fingers at movies for the actions of disturbed youths, doing so is a ridiculous attempt to find a quick answer to an excessively complicated matter. Michael Zimecki believes that â€Å"ideas have consequences† and that is why the ideas expressed in a movie have a negative effect on society. To support his opinion he uses several examples of crimes that have been committed in the past and are similar to movie scenes. For example in 1993 a 9 year old girl was raped with a bottle at the beach by a group of juveniles, this incident was believed to be induced by the movie â€Å"Born Innocent† where a plunger was used to rape a victim. A boy from Pennsylvania died from imitating a movie called, â€Å"The Program†. He died in the center lane of a highway where he got ran over by a car. Michael Zimecki also uses a different approach to support his theory, he compares movies to pollution. He states â€Å"a polluter should not be allowed to escape responsibility for his actions simply because environmentally induced cancers are late-developing. Violence too, can fester for years†. Zimecki believes that societal violence is displayed excessively and needs to come to an end he asserts â€Å"the hour has come at last, and the rough beast that the poet William Butler warned about is already born†. Some kids think that it is â€Å"cool† to do what happens in the movies, but sometimes what happens in the movies is not safe. Movies can change people’s behavior and personality. Violent movies promote the minds of young kids who do not know what they are doing, but they get hurt in the process of poisoning their minds. Rated â€Å"R† movies that show killing and blood are the movies that kids are not suppose to see, but those kids that do are the ones that change because they think that it is â€Å"cool† to kill people, so they try it. Killing has lead to family separation, rising of violence with in the family, and in the society. That is what happens when these children try to do what they see without knowing if it is possible in real life. Gregg Easterbrook has been working for the New Republic for the past four years and has written magazines of beliefs and values. Easterbrook states that â€Å"movie and television violence has a serious effect on childrens propensity to behave violently later in life†. This theory has been question for years and it still is, but still many people have found connections between media violence and societal violence. At the age of nineteen is when the mind of children has developed enough to know that violence is never the answer and that all kids are doing is hurting them selves. Many kids below the age of nineteen may think that is normal to act in a violent way and becoming juvenile prisoners. There are many movies that people have seen that show a very high amount of violent and blood like the movie â€Å"Scream†. This movie starts by a teen girl watching her boyfriend getting punished. Thought out the whole movie students get hung, tortured and cut to death. Movies li ke this can encourage children to do the same thing since they find what they see very amusing. Many people have died from others mimicking what they have seen in the movies and have been killed or sent to jail for a very long time and won’t be coming out any soon. Maggie Cutler has seen media violence and has ideas of what has happened through out the years. Cutler said, â€Å"Media violence is a risk factor that, working with others, can acerbate bad behavior†. She affirms with the idea of aggressive and brutal matters that have multiplied within the United States. Crime rates of juveniles have decreased about thirty percent in the United States. The media has been reducing the principles for accepting profanity. Further more, Cutler points out that â€Å"given the overall juvenile crime count in 1997 the report implied, some 250 murders and 12,100 other violent crimes would not have been committed if it were not for the likes of Batman Beyond†. She comments that on August of 1999 a Senator reported that â€Å"television alone is responsible for 10 percent of youth violence†. Cutler believes that this subject is too complex to study conclusively. There are some facts and ideas of what our nation has turned into with in th e years. Scott Barbour strongly believes that media violence does not cause societal violence in teens. He supports his idea by stating that laboratory tests cannot be generalized to the real world. Barbour believes the teenagers’ results may be influenced by the adult researchers, he quotes Durkin associate of psychology â€Å"Even quite young children are good at working out what adults want them to do, or will let them get away with.† Another testing method he implies is invalid is correlation studies. Barbour suggests that the results cannot be taken into serious consideration because â€Å"it could just as reasonably be argued that viewing violent television programs is caused by the child’s preexisting tendency to be aggressive†. He also quotes Jonathan Freedman psychology professor at The University of Toronto when comparing boys’ tendencies to girls’ tendencies in relation to personality characteristics. Boys watch and play football more than girls do, and it is not because television influences them to, it is because of personality characteristics. Barbour believes that a child’s violent personality is induced by bad parenting. Stuart Fischoff is a professor of psychology at California State University, Los Angeles. Fischoff has studied media violence and real-world violence and cannot find a connection between them. Nothing states that media violence causes societal violence. He believes that anyone who studies media violence can have a thought of what people may do in the real world; it is not proven that everyone will do it. It is up to how people think, how they can take certain things, and if their common sense can change their life in a good way or ruin it by doing the wrong. Many people that are against media violence think that â€Å"The plethoric effluence of screen violence, murder and mayhem is an undisputed menace to society†. That is what the opposing side has to say against what many people think about media violence. In Conclusion, media violence has taken place since the day we were born, but it has grown by the years mostly because of the messages sent out to the public. Movies reach people who do not know what their purpose in life is, so they go do the first thing they like or see. It starts off by imitating a movie people enjoy, then killing people who have done nothing to you. It can also be that you have an immature mind that has not grown into what would let you realize common sense. People have observed and realized that our humanity has been taken over by what most people would find most entertaining but deadly to perform at the same time. Some people may think that media violence is not connected to societal violence because they have the proof that we have. That is why people think media violence has been one of our biggest tribulations in the world. Works Cited OConnor, Tom: Environmental Factors Contribute to Juvenile Crime and Violence. Juvenile Crime. Auriana Ojeda, Ed. Opposing Viewpoints ® Series. Greenhaven Press 2002. Cutler, Maggie: Research on the Effects of Media Violence on Children Is Inconclusive. Is Media Violence a Problem? James D. Torr, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press 2002 Fischoff, Stuart: â€Å"No link between media violence and youth violence has been established†, Opposing viewpoints: Media violence. Ed. Louis and Gerdes, San Diego: Greenhaven press 2002 Zimecki, Michael: â€Å"Violent Films cry a fire† in Crowded Theaters. From Patters for college writing (9th Ed.) Laurie Kiszner and Stephen Madell. Bedford/St. Martins Boston 2004. Page 612 Stone, Oliver: Memo to John Grisham: What’s next -â€Å"A movie made me do it†? From Patterns for college Writing (9th Ed.) Laurie Kiszner and Stephen Madell. Bedford/St. Martins Boston 2004. Page 607 Easterbrook, Gregg: â€Å"Media Violence Makes People More Violent†. At Issue: Is Media Violence a Problem? Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002

Impact of Private Military Companies on Security

Impact of Private Military Companies on Security What impact do Private Military Companies have on International Security? 1. Introduction 1.1. Scenes from Fallujah Towards the end of March 2004, the world bore witness to by now familiar scenes of blood-letting from Iraq. Pictures captured on this occasion by an Associate Press journalist (Mascolo, 2006) showed Iraqis celebrating the killing of two foreigners. Emaciated and hardly recognisable, their bodies hung over the bridge they had just a moment ago attempted to cross. Some 30 miles west of Baghdad, the notoriously restless town of Fallujah formed the backdrop to the ambush where, it emerged from later reports, two of those killed as well as the surviving men were all American nationals who had been tasked with escorting the transportation of foodstuff. When they fell into the trap, all four had been sitting in their car. Following gunfire they incurred the wrath of insurgents keen to seek revenge on whom they saw as unwelcome occupiers by torching their vehicle (Scahill, 2006). Two of them managed to escape in time but the other two, it seems, could not retreat, either because they were al ready heavily injured or were already dead. Even to this day the precise circumstances of what really had happened remain unclear, and it will probably remain so. What is clear, however, is that none of them – either the dead or the survivors – were bona fide soldiers operating in uniform. Belonging neither to the United States Army nor to any other army of the â€Å"coalition of the willing† stationed in Iraq, all four were, to all legal intents and purposes, â€Å"civilians†, who had, at least as it appeared initially, the gross misfortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. But on closer inspection one could discern that all four of them were employees of Blackwater, a private security company headquartered in Moyock, North Carolina (www.blackwaterusa.com). Founded only eleven years earlier to the incident, Blackwater symbolizes the growth of a new and booming sector of the military economy, which entrusts private companies with tasks that had previously been preserved for the state. Referring to the process of deregulation, which had made this possible, the founder of Blackwater, Erik Prince, explaine d by way of comparison that, â€Å"we are trying to do for national security what Fed Ex did for the postal service. Fed Ex†, he went on to say in an interview with the Weekly Standard, â€Å"did many of the same services the postal service did, better, cheaper, smarter, and faster by innovating [which] the private sector can do much more effectively† (quoted in Hemingway, 2006). What his company was doing, he claimed, was nothing dissimilar and, in fact, in the national interest too, since his employees would save the American ratepayers a substantial amount of tax. 1.2. The challenge of Private Military Companies For those who lived through the twentieth-century, where it was a given that state-instituted regular standing armies which recruited from its own people were entrusted with the nation’s security, this arrangement would strike an inconceivable note. Not even in the heyday of unbridled Victorian laissez-faire liberalism did the state feel the need to call upon publically-traded companies to look after its own geopolitical interests. Yet the self-confidence, expressed by Prince, in the capability of his private firm to provide a better service than the state cannot be pushed aside as mere marketing rhetoric. In 2003, for example, Blackwater, DynCorp and other private military companies (hereafter PMCs) turned over a more than impressive collective profit of 100 million dollars (Mlinarcik, 2006). If the prognosis of forecasters is any guide, this sum is set to double by 2010, making the military market a lucrative one and pointing to further deregulation. Limited to Iraq alone, w here the incident in Fallujah took place, there were at the last count some 60 private security firms operating in the country, with a total number of 20,000 personnel, or â€Å"contractors†, on their books. So ubiquitous have PMCs become that their size now even dwarf that of the British army, the second largest state-sanctioned contingent in the area. More importantly, PMCs have not limited their remit to support or mere logistics, situated far away from the field of combat, but ominously they now increasingly provide armed escorts, security in and around buildings and, if need be, take on roles which would normally be associated with soldiers in a regular army on fields of combat. Such a reliance on contractors moreover is set to escalate as states realise that outsourcing military responsibilities to these private firms, who typically hire experienced veterans of conflict, can be more effective as well as economical. Not least because of these attractions the United States government has taken out over 600 contracts in Iraq alone (Singer, 2003, 17). Such acts of outsourcing, it should be remembered, are not in themselves particularly unusual. Many states have had little qualms about taking on new spheres of responsibility while relinquishing others. Examples such as the postal service, transport and energy are recent industries that spring immediately to mind, and in which there have been notable, if at times controversial, successes. But the sanctioned use of force – the maintenance of security – has been an area that the state has traditionally monopolised. No modern political ideology, either left or right, has questioned the centrality of the state as unrivalled arbiters of peace, and herein lies the reason why the emergence of PMCs strikes the alarming cord it does. 1.3. State, security and PMCs Traditionally, it has only been the state which could, according to the classic definition provided by Max Weber, legitimise the use of power. Through its organs – in the shape of the police and army – the state enjoyed the exclusive right to control, suppress, exert and maintain security within and without (Elias 1997). Only if the state can show off it supreme and legitimate control within its territorial borders, Weber went as far as to say, could the state be worthy of its name (Weber, 120). External interference in the monopoly of the use of force, such as civil wars and organised criminal activity, would cast doubt on the viability of the state as enforcers of security. Crucially, Weber presupposed that â€Å"the exercise of violence can be ascribed to other groups and individuals only to the extent that the state itself permits it† (Weber, 131), a statement which further underscores the tight relationship between the state and its own security. By taking o ver this monopoly on security, then, the concern is that PMCs are mounting a challenge to the centrality of the state as sole and supreme arbiters of power. The very modus operandi, in other words,of the state appears to be threatened. For all of Weber’s brilliance as a thinker, such a classic definition could only have emerged during nineteenth century Europe, for it was the nation-state which reigned supreme at the time; but ever since then advances in modern technology and the movement of both people and information have conspired to limit how much authority states are allowed to wield. Responding to situations when individual states cannot act separately to solve security issues that are international or transnational, Krasner has pointed to moves by the United Nations to intervene in cases of humanitarianism, which incidentally not only emboldens the power of collective states to exercise force in the sphere of international relations, but also serves to limit the powers of states which fall foul of certain international laws. As President Roosevelt put it as far back as 1904: ‘Chronic wrongdoing or an impotence which results in a general loosening of the ties of civilized society, may †¦ ult imately requite intervention by some civilized nations’ (Krasner 1999, 181). While alarming, PMCs should therefore not be considered as complete replacements of the state. Compared to standing armies, which PMCs could not realistically or wholly replace, PMCs would only be entrusted on occasions where there is a demand for its services. They would be delegated select tasks which the state apparatus feels would be better performed when outsourced. Importantly, these firms merely temporarily receive a limited mandate to use violence which would otherwise revert back to the state once contract ends. Such an arrangement, however, can be a potential danger to security, and this is where the fault lines of debate lie. As the last sentences imply, private firms come to the business of war not to serve the national interest but the financial interest. Despite the example of certain companies working only for the US Army, and thus for the national interest, there is nothing that would stop them from serving other states if they thought they could maximize their own pr ofit. To that extent, it is almost exclusively the market that drives them. Such a difference worries some observers because, if PMCs were to choose to work for a rival country, for instance China, they would take knowledge and expertise that had previously resided with the United States for example. Since it is the market that guides them, it is far from out of the question that this will not happen. If not now then it could occur in the future. The question for some is not if – but when. More ominously, by contrast to standing armies, which receive regular supplies of weapons and training by the state, PMCs have as a rule their own cache of weapons that the state would not provide. Such a state of affairs have lead to legitimate concerns that they might fall into the wrong hands when companies are made bankrupt or when the PMCs themselves, having firmly established themselves as multi-national corporations with a global reach and ample resources, should chose to eat the hand that fed them. From a more operational point of view, the security dangers would be manifest on the ground. Employees of PMCs are not strictly-speaking soldiers who are organised hierarchically but are civilians who are only accountable for their actions through the contracts they have made with their clients. Communication problems between two culturally different entities on the field of combat could, it is feared, end up compromising security. Such worrying tendencies, described memorably by K ofi Annan as the â€Å"privatization of security†, if true, go to the heart of what the state is all about: its control over security (Holmqvist, 2005, 8). 2. Literature review 2.1. Popular representations of PMCs Private military companies today are keen to highlight the supportive and positive impact they have on international security. That they should do so is no surprise as corporations want to impress potential clients. To state that they help undermine security would be tantamount to business suicide. Such a reason explains why they are often vigorous in their denial of any criticism that they are in any way â€Å"mercenaries†. Even though firms such as the London-based Armor Group, have names to suggest otherwise, they do stress nonetheless they are in the business of delivering aid rather than unleashing threats to international security. Like most PMCs, the Armor Group is a listed company, headquartered in London, and trade shares in the city’s Stock Exchange as a bona fide business venture. More concretely, as one correspondent reported, it distributed between 2003 and 2007 a staggering â€Å"31,100 vehicles, 451,000 weapons and 410 million rounds of ammunition to the new Iraqi security forces, and items as varied as computers, baby incubators, school desks and mattresses for every Iraqi government ministry† (The Washington Post, 2007). As a publicly traded company, fully licensed by the Iraqi Interior Ministry, Armor Group even took casualties, partly because it decided to refrain from using particularly powerful weaponry for fear of collateral damage. Why? â€Å"[It] did not want to be perceived as a mercenary force† (The Washington Post, 2007). Such pains to present themselves as supporters of states in their bid to maintain security are often dismissed by commentators, fascinated in the phenomenon of PMCs, in favour of a narrative that spins secret plots and conspiracy theories that do little to contribute to the understanding of these companies as new and influential agents of international peace and security. In a recently published book, Blackwater: The Rise of the Worlds Most Powerful Mercenary Army, journalist Jeremy Scahill, for example, entirely commits his analysis to doing just this. Pointing to PMCs as mere mercenaries, he goes as far as to state they would be the tool of choice for an adventurous American President’s covert power schemes. Drawing from otherwise correct premises about the end of the Cold War and the increased need for military know-how, Scahill however slowly strays from this promising start by underestimating the historical developments and the complicated changes which have occurred in t he field of military services contracting. Ultimately, he ends up even ignoring the basic normative definition of â€Å"mercenary person† provided by Article 47 of the 1997 First Additional Protocol (FAP) to the Geneva Conventions. He also washes over numerous lawsuits initiated against Blackwater and other PMCs with reference to alleged safety violations leading to the death of several contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Enlisting the agenda-ridden and highly selective accounts of unnamed US soldiers who were â€Å"envious†, he pours scorn on the attitude of overpaid â€Å"private soldiers [who] whiz by in better vehicles, with better armor, better weapons, wearing the corporate logo instead of the American flag†(The Nation, 28 May 2007). In a similar vein, Publishers Weekly chose to portray private military contractors as â€Å"heir[s] to a long and honourable tradition of contract soldier[s],† providing â€Å"relatively low-cost alternatives in high- budget environments† (Publishers Weekly Editorial Reviews, 10 April 2007). Such portrayals of PMCs suggest contractors for these companies have an easy job. But this is far from the case. First, PMCs employees normally work in small teams which can neither count on close air support nor rely on artillery or mortar fire if backup were needed. The US government does not provide their ammunition, weapons systems or daily meals. Whatever they have or need to have (from their subsistence to the accomplishment of their mission) is privately shipped from the parent-country. Should anything happen, as it did in Fallujah, these personnel are on their own, and the odds during either a conventional fire fight or an ambush are far less in their favour. Second, one is not born a military contractor. Most of them have extensive military experience and/or law enforcement backgrounds, with years of training in special tactics and difficult environments. They worked hard to become the very marketable, final commodity that they represent today. It is not a â€Å"betrayal,â €  on their part, to honour their contract with the Armed Forces and then seek a more lucrative source of income. In addition, once these professionals have left their position (be it within the Armed Forces, a police department or other Federal or local government agency) all previous entitlements as far as life insurance (today in excess of $400,000), health benefits, family members coverage and combat zone tax exemption cease to exist. Although a one year-tour in the Middle East with Blackwater would earn a person with an experienced background between $80,000 and $110,000, this would not necessarily be an overriding incentive to go. Third, PMCs are a competitive work environment: good pay calls for knowledgeable, reliable individuals. The levels of professionalism are in general high, while open calls for concerted monitoring and a better regulatory system have further contributed to an effective screening of those applying for a position with all major military services prov iders (Burns, 2007). 2.2. Scholarly opinions of PMCs Such an excursion must undermine the promiscuous notion that PMCs are die-hards whose sole intention is to con their way into subverting international security. More serious students of international security by contrast have been more cautious and keen to acknowledge the complexity that is involved in assessing the nature of PMCs. From a strictly realist point of view, which assumes the principle of states as rational unitary actors, with their own security at their forefront of their hierarchy of needs, the delegation of power to contractors smacks of surrendering sovereignty per se, and in this sense political scientists of this school of thought would conclude that PMCs have a negative impact on international security. Most obviously this standpoint manifests itself in examples where weak states, â€Å"convulsed by internal violence†, have failed to â€Å"deliver positive political goods to their population† (Rotberg, 2003, 1), which is the reason why they may have to resort to the services of PMCs. Conventionally-speaking this would mean PMCs would compromise security. Yet the privatisation of defence and security, it has been argued, can actually play a positive role in countries which lack structures and technical expertise to achieve stability (Arnold, 1990, 170). By contrast to weak states’ traditional reliance on unpredictable warlords, it is pointed out, foreign military firms can, in fact, provide affordable and effective services to states on a low budget. Without the risk of further disrupting political and social equilibrium, PMCs would act as level-headed participants in conflict swayed less by emotional arguments than by the exclusive need to restore stability. Such an optimistic appraisal of PMCs is adopted by the foremost specialist on them, Peter Singer, who believes that weak states would benefit from their relationship with military companies. Responding to criticism that PMCs would be a drain on the host state’s resources, Singer claims that PMCs in this day and age do not need to secure a diamond mine or an oil fiel d to underwrite their operations – as mercenaries of old had perhaps done. In most instances, a more lucrative market is provided anyway by international emergencies where coalitions of states, large NGOs or international institutions would be willing to pay handsome rewards for their services (Singer, 2002, 190). Such a sentiment is echoed by Jonas Hagmann and Moncef Kartas who remark that â€Å"the shift from government to governance, the trend away from state-centric provision for public services such as security and towards network- and private sector-centric provision, allows international organisations to play a role in the regulation of security governance (Hagmann Kartas, 2007, 285-6). In this framework the calculated risk stemming from entrusting law enforcement activities to private contractors can have a positive outcome. International security is thus upheld. On the opposite front, scholars such as William Reno (2002) have argued that the increasing resort to military contractors would bring about two different but equally negative consequences. First, private firms run the risk of being seen as enforcers of a new order represented by a resurgence of neo-colonialism. That the attackers in Fallujah, described at the beginning of this investigation, did not discriminate between contractors and regular soldiers is perhaps a case in point. Second, the presence and operation of private security firms, which are given the monopoly to exercise violence, would only add to the corruption of local ruling elites. Such a danger would of course apply more to lowly developed countries than highly developed ones, but, it is pointed out, regimes would be keen to utilise foreign professionals in the furtherance of their own agendas, where PMCs would contribute to the worsening of domestic political stability and territorial integrity (Reno, 2002, 70). Such a gloomy assessment is also advanced by Paul Verkuil who warns that â€Å"reliance on the private military industry and the privatisation of public functions has left governments less able to govern effectively. When decisions that should have been taken by government officials are delegated (wholly or in part) to private contractors without appropriate oversight, the public interest is jeopardised† (Verkuil, 2007, 23). More and more government, Verkuil further observes, seem to favour recourse to outsiders, cashing in their own sovereignty as pawns in order to secure a solution to their more personal welfare. Similarly, Thomas Jà ¤ger and Gerhard Kà ¼mmel support the pessimistic view that sees the weakening of the state, especially in lowly developed countries. â€Å"The price for providing security for a beleaguered and cash-strapped government is exorbitant†, they announce, as those services cost â€Å"the contractual sum but also considerable parts of the st ate’s sovereignty† (Jà ¤ger and Kà ¼mmel, 2007, 120). Such pessimism has also been reflected in the work of Ronen Palan who bewails the commercialization of sovereignty. Pointing his finger at the expanding phenomenon of the offshore economy, which provides tax havens and financial facilities to large corporations and affluent individuals, Palan believes that a whole array of illegitimate activities are being staged today in those countries willing to give up on their security (Palan, 2003, 59). 2.3. Future development of PMCs More ominously, scholars such as Thomson see dangerous portents for the future. Even though it would be possible to see the state delegating power, he accepts, in practice â€Å"increasing numbers of African rulers are opting today for alternatives to bureaucratic, territorially bounded institutional arrangements† (Thomson, 1995, 217-218), and are finding in private contractors a critical tool in the furtherance of such design. In support of this thesis, William Reno highlights the â€Å"fragmented sovereignty of Liberian and Sierra Leonean ‘warlord’ political units, and the associated enclave cities of Freetown and Monrovia.† To support their authority these new units have hired foreign contractors—foreign firms and mercenaries—to perform services formerly allotted to state bureaucracies. Closely recalling Rotberg’s definition, Reno points out how these new political units assume the ambiguous status of â€Å"non-state organizations,à ¢â‚¬  profoundly divergent from the traditional norms of the bureaucratic state (Reno 1997, 493). Evidently, these non-states cannot produce societal advancement. They undermine economic development, lead to overlapping jurisdictions, promote conflicts among elites, and intentionally destroy bureaucracies† (Reno, 1997, 494), so as to allow the rulers to profit from the pervasive absence of government. Historically, mercenary groups have thrived in similar environments, but political ambiguity and ethnic-based conflicts are making the line between right and wrong almost impossible to draw between mercenaries and private contractors. More sophisticated, visible and publicly traded companies could, it is feared, one day be found working within these non-states, providing services that are legitimate per se, to far less legal entities. So far, no major private military or security contractor has lent its services to rogue states or actors not recognized by the international commu nity – but it remains a distinct possibility. From all this the implication is clear: does the emergence of PMCs present a real challenge to state security, even to the existence of the state itself? And what impact, if any, have PMCs had on international security? Do they help to undermine or bolster it? Such questions will be posed and answered in the course of this investigation. To do so it will be necessary to assess the extent to which PMCs present a challenge. First, the study will consider the theoretical arguments about sovereignty and security, placing discussion within the context of how the monopoly of violence came to be attached to the state. By doing so it should be possible to lay the foundations on which one can consider the extent of the threat posed by PMCs. Secondly, the study analyses the nature of PMCs themselves as a post-Cold War phenomenon. Taking care to differentiate between different types of organisations as well as discussing similarities ad divergences with armies, the investigation focuses on wher e PMCs should be situated, and considers the problem of where privatization begins and ends. Thirdly, the study looks more specifically at examples of PMCs in action from different parts of the world. All too often, theoretical discussion can be misleading. Dealing empirically with specific cases in the world’s hot spots in which PMCs have been deployed, it would be possible to ascertain the real effects of PMCs on the ground as well as on security in general. By incorporating all three elements – the theoretical/historical, analytical and empirical – it should be possible to reach in conclusion a more accurate understanding of PMCs and their real impact on international security. 3. History and theory of state sovereignty 3.1. State and security in historico-theoretical perspective Before discussion can turn to the extent to which PMCs pose a threat to international security, it would be useful to consider the actor they are supposedly challenging: the state. More specifically, one should reflect on the foundations on which the state monopolises power, question how it developed to do so, and discuss the recent changes to the relationship between the state and security. From a historical point of view, it would of course be possible to trace the existence of the state back as far as the ancient Greeks. Even so, it would be more common and appropriate to pinpoint the direct antecedents of the modern state to the Renaissance when Italy emerged having highly-organised city states. Most important characteristics of these fledging cities were their ability to possess standing armies, organise complicated bureaucracies and institute a rule of law to which the population would adhere. (Heller, 1934, 8). Such a process saw its completion during the eighteenth and nineteenth century, when control, helped by improvements in communications, extended over vast regions, at times spanning the globe. What was the key to this development was the amount of power the state could control. But for a long time power had been divided among different agents who would not necessarily obey the wishes of those in power. Even when Charlemagne, for instance, managed to conquer Europe during the medieval period, he could still not claim he was the most powerful man on the continent, since his Empire was ultimately subjected to recognition from Rome which could, in the figure of the Pope, refuse spiritual recognition. Power could also be left in the hands of the nobility, who for a long time kept peasants in perpetual servitude without the state being able to have a say in the kind of relationship that was forged between master and servant. Many city states, too, which boasted rich cultural and commercial pasts, could also resist the advances of larger states within their territory. Examples such as Florence, Venice, Hamburg and Bremen spring to mind as resistors of this trend, and it is hardly a coincidence that these proud cities for a long time evaded the dictates of administrative centres of Rome and Berlin, delaying the emergence of Italy and Germany respectively as modern nation states. What was crucially important in the eventual emergence of the state was the ability to control the income of the people it subjugated – or more simply: taxes. At the outset taxes were levied as a temporary measure to fight wars but they were eventually made permanent following the One Hundred Year War, which raged between 1337 and 1453. Such a protracted war made it evident that a constant supply of finance to survive and triumph. Such a need in turn meant the creation of a more sophisticated bureaucracy that could effectively collect tax and use it for war. During the early modern period, the contributions of trade and commerce added further to a bulging budget, and the process of urbanisation which made this possible meant that central administrative organs as well as ruling monarchs would reside in towns and cities as a result. More important for the purposes of this investigation was the treaty of Westphalia in 1648 which established the principle of sovereignty. From this time onwards the state gradually established itself as the exclusive form of rule. Most memorably under King Louis XIV, the â€Å"Sun King†, self-appointed monarchs consolidate the supremacy of the state over the Church, towns, people and economy to the extent that it could hardly be challenged. Even if the veracity of Louis’ famous quip – â€Å"L’etat, c’est moi!†- has been questioned, the statement succinctly conveys not only the self-righteousness of the King, but also the importance that was attached to the state itself. For without it the King could hardly cling onto power. Such moves naturally affected the nature of armies too. No longer would hired mercenaries do the job in prosecuting war – they had to be replaced by professional standing armies who would not, unlike mercenaries be fore them, switch sides depending on the way the wind was blowing. Much of the reason why PMCs are striking is because they seem to represent a throwback to a time when foreign nationals could join armies of other countries without this ever causing a stir or leading to doubt about their allegiance. Such a problem never really arose when absolute monarchs held sway. The crucial point was that soldiers should express their allegiance to the king or queen – to the individual head of the state – and that would be sufficient. But with the development of the nation-state, in which it was no longer necessarily to have monarchs for politics to function – circumstances changed so that citizens had to pledge allegiance to the state masquerading as the fatherland, to an abstract concept of the state no less. Such disinterest in the kind of ruler the state embraces has been the hallmark to why the state has successfully remained the central force that it is still today. Concretely it was the philosopher Thomas Hobbes who first realised the full extent of the powers of the state as well as the willingness of people to be subjugated to it. In his classic book Leviathan, written in 1651, he described the natural condition in which there is neither state nor law. Only natural law – or ius naturalis – is present where everybody is free to do what they want. Such a state of affairs leads to all pursuing their own narrow interests, so that it quickly descends into a â€Å"war against all† in which everybody would need to live in constant fear of attacks on their own property, family and life. It is to avoid this situation that people come together to give up some of their freedom in return for guarantees of stability under a contract with Leviathan. Strikingly the Leviathan that Hobbes envisaged had almost unlimited power. Even though Hobbes conceded that citizens had the right of protest, he believed the state had the absolute right to control without which the existence of the state would be compromised. 3.2. Delegation of state competencies Much of the reason why Hobbes invested in Leviathan such radicalism can be explained by the circumstances in which he found himself at the time he came to write his treatise. For it represented a time of the English Civil War, which raged between 1642 and 1649, during which time conflict took place between the King, Charles I and the Parliamentarians who challenged the right of the King to absolute power. Even though the Parliamentarians eventually triumphed, this did little to change the nature of the state, and the basic idea that under contract the state is given exclusive control over the use of violence, and thus the maintenance of security, is something that still lives on. For if the security of the people over whom the state rules is to be at

The Rational Choice Approach To Religions Behavior :: essays research papers fc

What Are The Main Strengths and Weaknesses of The Rational Choice Approach To Religions Behavior?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the pioneers of the rational choice theory has been Gary Becker. He states that this approach can be applied to all human behaviour, including religion. This approach has three assumptions. It assumes that people engage in maximising behaviour. When applying this approach to religion we are not concerned with money. We are concerned with the maximisation of personal benefits. When we make a decision we weigh up the costs and benefits and choose the option which offers the most benefit. Secondly, there are ‘markets that with varying degrees of efficiency allow the actions of different participants to function together efficiently.' Thirdly, prices and other market functions can affect demand and supply, controlling desires and affecting the actions of consumers. Becker explains that price is not described in money terms but as a shadow price. For example, muslims cannot drink alcohol.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This approach involves four theorems. Firstly, a rise in price reduces the quantity demanded. The example he gives is if people have to put more time and effort into having children then less people will do so. Secondly, a rise in price increases the quantity supplied, the example given is women in the labour market. Thirdly, competitive markets are more efficient then monopolistic markets and lead to the diversity of a product. Fourthly, a tax on the output of a market reduces that output eg the punishment of criminals is a tax on crime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finke and Iannaccone have applied this theory to religious behaviour and understand that the high degree of religion in America is attributed to the existence of a free market and therefore competition and diversification in religion. Finke argues that in a free market start up costs are low and this leads to new ideas and more diversity and therefore more chance of everyone finding a religion they like. Also in a competitive free market earning a living acts as an incentive to clergy to work harder and try to tailor their religion to suit the demands of the consumer. He also suggests that state monopolies are less efficient in the absence of competition and believes that state churches would therefore allow high costs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bruce highlights some weaknesses of this theory. He states that the early Christian church had very high startup costs eg persecution and this did not prevent the recruitment of new followers. On the other hand, according to the maximisation theory, the benefits must have outweighed the cost of the threat of persecution or no-one would have joined. Bruce criticises the theorem

Essay --

The KKK or Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1866 in Pulaski, Tennessee by former Confederate Soldiers. Some of the founders of this organization consisted of; Captain John Lester, Major James Crowe, and Richard Reed to name a few. Their main target at the time was blacks and any white person that stood with them. The Ku Klux Klan was the head of the racism movement in America. Being a hate group among minorities, they made them live in terror day in and day out. The KKK was the most feared group of people in the 1860’s. The Ku Klux Klan is better known for their bizarre costumes. They wore white robes with tall cone shaped hats that would cover their whole face except for their eyes, which was cut out. Even to this day, they follow the same dress code as they did when the organization was founded in 1866. Around 1920, the Ku Klux Klan started to burn wooden crosses in the yards of black residents in hopes they would instill enough fear that they would leave. The Ku Klux Klan also had billets that each member would hold. In 1866, when the Ku Klux Klan was founded, Nathan Bedford Forrest was the Grand Wizard of the Empire or also known as Imperial Wizard. Other than his military experience, he was not well educated, did not have experience in leading any type of people, and died not to long after the Ku Klux Klan was founded. The Ku Klux Klan Act was passed in 1871, which allowed the congress to arrest or prosecute any acts of violence that were held by the Ku Klux Klan or any form of terrorism against any individual. The Ku Klux Klan was declared unconstitutional in 1882 by the United States Supreme Court. Unfortunately, Ulysses S. Grant did not enforce the law due to many factors such as finances and it being difficult to prosecute a... ...icas’ history. Some see it as racism and hate among the KKK. Others like, the white supremacy groups, other KKK members, Neo-Nazis, and others that support and follow in their footsteps. One can’t help but to think about their ulterior motives. The KKK claims they are not racist but do not want African Americans, Hispanics, and any other race to join their alliance. Some of the KKK groups say they love but do not hate, yet they hate gays, bi-racial relationships, and we will be dammed to hell if we practice in such behaviors. They practice in what they believe in and that is making whites the superior race and although in the eyes of millions of Americans, it is wrong because we are supposed to accept everyone as they are. Regrettably, they believe only whites should exist, which sadly is protected in their constitutional rights of freedom of speech and expression.

Anthem :: Anthem Essays

Anthem As the novel opens Equality 7-2521 states that what he's doing is a sin. In his society it is a sin to do things that do not involve others, and the words he thinks and writes are for no one eyes to see or hear, but his own. In his society everyone thinks the same, and if you were to be the different one you would be sent to the palace of correction and detention. Equality 7-2521 actually had a mind of his own. As you can see Science fascinated him. For example in chapter 1 while it was dark Equality 7-2521 would sneak into a dark tunnel in which he would spend 3 hours doing scientific research, and experiments. He would also steal manuscripts from the scholars, and every night he would study. This went on for two years. The difference between Equality 7-2521 and his society is that he actually wanted to succeed, while the rest of his society would settle for what they were told to be. The "glass box", can also be referred as a light bulb. After countless nights of experi menting, Equality 7-2521 succeeds in connecting the power of electricity to re-invent the electric light. This invention that he came up with can benefit to society, but he doesn't know how to tell them. Remember, you can't do anything that others can't do. That was the philosophy that the society believed in. He figured that since the council wouldn't appreciate his work, he would rather show his invention to the scholars. When the World Council of Scholars arrives in his city, he will present to them, as his gift, the "glass box with the power of the sky." One night while Equality 7-2521 was working on an experiment in his tunnel, he totally lost track of time. He rushed out, and then the council questioned him on why was he late. Equality 7-2521 refused to answer and therefore he was sent to the palace of correction and detention. He was able to escape and retreat back to the tunnel. He found everything the same way that he had left it. He was then getting prepared f or the arrival of the scholars.

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 19

By the time we reached the Sutherlands', our horse's lips were covered in foam and its eyes were rolling back until they were ringed with white. â€Å"Not much of a racehorse,† he said carelessly, leaping down and giving it a pat on its neck. â€Å"Wouldn't surprise me if it dropped dead from the exertion.† I stepped out of the carriage, a putrid smell assaulting my nose as if the Thayers had taken up residence next to a slaughter yard. â€Å"I think he may already be dead,† I said gingerly. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. I had to be ready for whatever came next, be it Damon taking action against the Sutherlands or having to spend the night with my new bride. If that happened, it would be hard to keep my own promise of no more compelling humans†¦. Steeling myself, I headed for the door. â€Å"Not so fast, brother,† Damon said, putting a hand on my chest. Then he slipped it inside my waistcoat as lightly as a pickpocket, and pulled out the check Winfield had written me. â€Å"I'll be needing this,† he explained happily. â€Å"Oh yes. Money without the tracks,† I said bitterly. â€Å"Much less obvious than robbing a bank vault. So tell me, what about the cab driver? A dead man in the middle of the road – what about those tracks?† â€Å"Him? No one will notice him,† Damon said, obviously surprised by my interest. â€Å"Look around, Stefan. People die in the streets here all the time. He's no one.† Damon had become the type of vampire who had no problem with killing even when it didn't directly benefit him, and he committed murder at the drop of a hat. When I killed in my first days, it was always for thirst, or self-protection. Not for sport. And never simply for the kill. â€Å"Besides, it really, really irritated you,† he added with a grin. â€Å"And isn't that what it's all about?† He gave a little bow and indicated I should enter our new home first. Looking up at its beautiful gray walls and growling gargoyles, I wished no one had ever invited me in, that I had been forced to remain outside forever, a poor creature relegated to the park. And then somebody screamed. Damon and I both rushed in, practically tearing the door off its hinges in our effort to get through. Margaret was standing in the living room, white as a sheet, her hand over her mouth. And it was very obvious why. The entire place was spattered in what my spinning mind could only assume was black paint, until its smell hit my nose with the force of a truck: blood. Human blood. Gallons and gallons of it slowly dripping down the walls and congealing in pools on the floor. It threw me off guard, my vampire senses reeling from the sheer quantity. Damon held one hand over his face, as if trying to stifle the sensations, and pointed with his other hand. At first all I saw was a pair of stockinged legs askew on the rug, as if someone had too much to drink and fell down. Then I realized they weren't attached to a body. â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I whispered, sinking to my knees in horror. The bodies of Lydia, Bridget, Winfield, and Mrs. Sutherland were scattered around the room in pieces. The family I had married into to protect, the innocent humans I was trying to keep safe from Damon's psychopathic tendencies, were all dead. But they hadn't just been murdered – they had been torn apart and brutalized. â€Å"What did you do?† I growled at Damon, fury turning my eyes red and beginning the change. â€Å"What did you do?† I was going to rip his neck out. It was as simple as that. He was a monster, and I should have killed him long ago, long before he had a chance to destroy other people's lives. But Damon looked just as shocked as I felt. His ice-blue eyes were wide with unfeigned surprise. â€Å"It wasn't me,† he said. Margaret shot him a look that could have killed. The way he spoke it was as if he could have been him, just as easily – just not this time. â€Å"I believe you,† Margaret said softly, shaking her head in abject grief. I was surprised. Why, after all the questions, all the glares, all the arguments, why did she believe him now? Why, when she – again rightfully – assumed he was just after the money and had fled the moment the documents were dry, did she believe he wasn't the murderer? But oddly I believed him, if for no other reason than the callousness of his tone. As if she could read my thoughts, Margaret turned her eyes to me. â€Å"I can always tell when someone is lying,† she said simply. â€Å"It's a†¦ gift, I suppose.† I thought about what Bram had said – how Margaret had hurt him just by looking at him. I touched my ring, thinking of the witch, Emily, who'd cast a spell over it to protect me from the sun. Was it possible that Margaret had powers, too? I opened my mouth to ask her, but tears were leaking from her eyes. Now was not the time for an interrogation. Taking a deep breath I rose and went over to what was left of the bodies, trying to discover a clue or reason for the massacre. The other half of Mrs. Sutherland's body was sprawled on its belly next to the couch. One arm was stretched out, as if she were trying to get up, trying to crawl to her youngest daughter. Bridget's throat had been torn out and all of her limbs had been snapped in half. Her face was untouched, however. In death she looked like the little girl she really was, the soft rose of her cheeks slowly fading to an icy white, her lips opened slightly as if she were asleep. Her eyes, wide and green and clear as a china doll's, were still open in shock. I gently put my hand over her face and pulled her lids down. Lydia was frozen with a hand over her face, like an ancient Roman tomb carving, dignified even in death. I turned away from her ruined torso, the white bones of her back sticking through her cracked chest. Winfield looked like a big, slain animal, a buffalo brought down in its prime. There were surprisingly neat gashes down his side, like something had been trying to butcher him. Finally, I went over to Margaret and put my arms around her, turning her head so she wasn't staring at the scene of carnage anymore. She clung to me, but stiffened in surprise when my hand brushed the skin on the back of her neck. After a moment she pulled away. Shock seemed to slowly settle down over her features. She sank into a chair and regarded the room again, this time with a blank face. â€Å"They were like this when I arrived,† she began slowly. â€Å"I stayed at the Richards' longer than everyone else, looking for the two of you, trying to find someone who had seen you leave. Bram and Hilda and the usual gang had left earlier, planning some silly antics for your wedding night. A shivaree or something. I just assumed you two took off for Europe with your dowry.† â€Å"Europe,† Damon said thoughtfully. I glared at him. â€Å"The door was open,† she continued, â€Å"and the stench†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We fell into silence. I didn't know what to say or do. In ordinary, human circumstances, my first move would have been to get Margaret away from the house and call for help. â€Å"Did you call for the police?† I asked suddenly. Margaret met my gaze. â€Å"Yes. They'll be here soon. And they'll think it was you, you know.† â€Å"It wasn't,† Damon repeated. She nodded, not bothering to look at him. Her skin was milky pale, as if some of the life had gone out of her when her family had died. â€Å"I know, but you are not innocent, either.† â€Å"No, no, we are not,† Damon said in a distant voice, looking at Lydia's cold body. For a moment, his features softened and he looked almost like a human in mourning. Then, he shook his head, as if snapping himself out of a reverie. â€Å"Margaret, I'm sorry for your loss,† he said perfunctorily. â€Å"But Stefan and I must run.† â€Å"Why should I leave with you?† I challenged, the blood making my head spin, my thoughts whirling dizzily in my brain. â€Å"Fine, stay here, get arrested.† I turned to Margaret. â€Å"Are you going to be all right?† She gave me a look as if I was mad. â€Å"My entire family is dead.† Her voice quavered on the edge of sanity. I put my hand out and touched her shoulder, wishing I could say or do something. No one deserved this. But words wouldn't bring her family back. As Damon and I turned to go, the telltale clip clop of a police wagon pulling up in front of the house sounded, along with the firm orders of a chief directing his men. â€Å"Out the back,† I said. Damon nodded and we ran through the dining room and kitchen to the door that opened on the courtyard. My hand was just about to touch the doorknob when Damon grabbed me, finger to his mouth. He pressed himself up against the wall, indicating I should do the same. My predator's senses picked up what Damon had already figured out: There was a man, no, a pair of men, waiting silently outside with guns drawn, exactly prepared for us to escape that way. â€Å"I'll just quickly dispose of them,† Damon said. â€Å"No! Upstairs,† I whispered. â€Å"Window.† â€Å"Fine.† Damon sighed, and the two of us started to creep quietly up the servants' staircase. An explosive bang from the front hall made us freeze in our tracks. â€Å"You, upstairs, you and you, to the parlor!† A stern voice was barking orders. From the sounds of footsteps, an entire fleet of policemen was beginning to sweep through the house. Damon and I gave up any attempt at being quiet, storming up the stairs as fast as we could. There was a casement window at the top, which he threw open triumphantly, prepared to jump to freedom. Below, in the side yard, a dozen armed policeman stood, aiming rifles at the building. And with his drama, Damon had neatly alerted them all to our presence. Bullets began to fly. Though they would not kill us, they would slow us down. I threw myself to the floor, feeling the sting of lead graze my neck. â€Å"Coal chute,† I suggested. Without bothering to wait for an answer I streaked back downstairs with vampiric speed, my brother close behind. Police now swarmed all over the rooms on the main floor, but even those who caught a glimpse of us running to the cellar didn't quite know what they saw: blurry shadows, a trick of the eye. The darkness of the basement proved no problem for us, and in a split second we were in the coal room, behind the furnace. I forced open the tiny slanted door that led to the driveway and leaped out, turning to give my brother a hand. And that's when I felt the gun at my neck. I turned around slowly and raised my hands. A small crowd of New York's finest stood there, along with most of the neighborhood, who had come to watch the manhunt. Damon and I could, with little difficulty, have taken them all. And it looked like my brother was itching for a fight. I shook my head, whispering, â€Å"We'll draw far more attention resisting arrest right now.† The truth was, it would be far easier to escape later, when we didn't have a crowd gawking at us. Damon knew it as well as I did. Damon sighed a dramatic sigh and pulled himself out of the chute, leaping neatly to the ground. An officer strode forward bravely – but only once his men had our arms behind our backs and jostled us a bit, letting us know who was in charge. â€Å"You two are under arrest for grand larceny, murder, and anything else I can find that will have you hanging from a tree in Washington Square for the death of the Sutherlands,† the officer said through even, square teeth. They dragged us out, pushing more than was necessary. With shoves and a final kick each we were thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, and then the door was slammed behind us. â€Å"They were good people,† the chief hissed in Damon's face, through the bars. Damon shook his head back and forth. â€Å"I've had better,† he whispered to me. Through the bars of the wagon I stared back at the house I'd called home for the past week. Margaret stood framed in the doorway, her black hair stark against the glowing lights of the house. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she said something so softly that even my sensitive ears barely heard it. â€Å"Whoever did this will pay.†