The Conflict in the Balkans Essays -- War Violence Serbia Military Swi

The Conflict in the Balkans The conflict in the Balkans is interesting because for years, reporters and politicians have touted it as being the result of ancient ethnic hatred. The first phase of Yugoslavian disintegration can be attributed to the conditions of the people living in Kosovo, an autonomous province of Yugoslavia. In 1981, the socioeconomic conditions in Kosovo were far worse than those in the other republics of Yugoslavia. Poverty was rampant and unemployment was around twenty percent as compared to about two percent in Slovenia that same year. The standard of living in Kosovo was deplorable and whatever aid was given to the province by the federal government was mismanaged. Another significant problem with this particular province was that while the Serbs claimed the province as the â€Å"Cradle of Serbian Empire† because of a legendary battle and defeat that happened at Kosovo in 1389. The Albanians constituted approximately eighty percent of the population of Kosovo. In reality, Kosovo c ould be claimed more by the Albanian majority than by the Serb minority. Many of the valiant warriors who fought and died at the Battle of Kosovo were in fact Albanian warriors, a fact seldom acknowledged by the Serb leadership. The â€Å"Serb Empire† was not as grand and powerful as modern Serbia would contend. Relations between Albanians and Serbs were good in the Middle Ages. Under independent rule, the region was able to make available an Albanian curriculum and Albanian culture grew in importance. Economically, however, Kosovo was still suffering since whatever gains the economy made were outdone by the gains in population made by the Albanian Muslims. The power in Kosovo was vested in a small group of elite Albanians who did well at advancing national identity and improving education and other public works but who were poor at managing and maintaining a functional economy. Whenever federal funds were given to the province, those elites at the top either wasted the money on grandiose projects and ornate buildings or on their new and privileged lifestyles. In the late 1980’s, Slobodan Milosevic came to power in Serbia. His first actions were directed against Kosovo Albanian dominance in the province. He removed virtually all of the Albanian’s rights, their leadership role in government, their party, and their parliament. He further removed their control of ... ...t this help, something could be done against the police and army. The citizens could be taught to take a stand and protect themselves in a non-violent way. Having the knowledge that how you are living is not wrong and that the action by higher authority is not right, can make strength grow. The bottom line is that something needs to be done about the way citizens are treated in Albania. Maybe it isn’t the place for the USA to step in, but on the other hand we could help them. In the near future things need to change over there but it is going to be a feat to get through to them. Nothing is ever a guarantee but every try is worth it to the citizens. Works Cited CIA World Factbook 2000 Serbia and Montenegro 1999. http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sr.html Human Rights Watch. Yugoslav Military and Serbian Police Commit War Crimes in Kosovo 30 Jun. 1998. http://www.hrw.org/hrw/press98/june/kosov630.htm Malerba, Ainello D. â€Å"The Long Hard Road† The Washington Post July, 1995: 57-69 The U.S. Swiss Embassy Ustasha http://www.usis.usemb.se/nazigold/ustasha.html Visiglia, Michael A. Baltic Conflicts New York, New York: Workman, 1987

Deception Point Page 16

For the next sixty seconds, Marjorie Tench outlined why the President would be sending her to the CNN debate instead of some lowly campaign staffer. When Tench was finished, the President could only stare in amazement. Once again, Marjorie Tench had proven herself a political genius. 18 The Milne Ice Shelf is the largest solid ice floe in the Northern Hemisphere. Located above the Eighty-second Parallel on the northernmost coast of Ellesmere Island in the high Arctic, the Milne Ice Shelf is four miles wide and reaches thicknesses of over three hundred feet. Now, as Rachel climbed into the Plexiglas enclosure atop the ice tractor, she was grateful for the extra parka and gloves waiting for her on her seat, as well as the heat pouring out of the tractor's vents. Outside, on the ice runway, the F-14's engines roared, and the plane began taxiing away. Rachel looked up in alarm. â€Å"He's leaving?† Her new host climbed into the tractor, nodding. â€Å"Only science personnel and immediate NASA support team members are allowed on-site.† As the F-14 tore off into the sunless sky, Rachel felt suddenly marooned. â€Å"We'll be taking the IceRover from here,† the man said. â€Å"The administrator is waiting.† Rachel gazed out at the silvery path of ice before them and tried to imagine what the hell the administrator of NASA was doing up here. â€Å"Hold on,† the NASA man shouted, working some levers. With a grinding growl, the machine rotated ninety degrees in place like a treaded army tank. It was now facing the high wall of a snow berm. Rachel looked at the steep incline and felt a ripple of fear. Surely he doesn't intend to- â€Å"Rock and roll!† The driver popped the clutch, and the craft accelerated directly toward the slope. Rachel let out a muffled cry and held on. As they hit the incline, the spiked treads tore into the snow, and the contraption began to climb. Rachel was certain they would tip over backward, but the cabin remained surprisingly horizontal as the treads clawed up the slope. When the huge machine heaved up onto the crest of the berm, the driver brought it to a stop and beamed at his white-knuckled passenger. â€Å"Try that in an SUV! We took the shock-system design from the Mars Pathfinder and popped it on this baby! Worked like a charm.† Rachel gave a wan nod. â€Å"Neat.† Sitting now atop the snow berm, Rachel looked out at the inconceivable view. One more large berm stood before them, and then the undulations stopped abruptly. Beyond, the ice smoothed into a glistening expanse that was inclined ever so slightly. The moonlit sheet of ice stretched out into the distance, where it eventually narrowed and snaked up into the mountains. â€Å"That's the Milne Glacier,† the driver said, pointing up into the mountains. â€Å"Starts up there and flows down into this wide delta that we're sitting on now.† The driver gunned the engine again, and Rachel held on as the craft accelerated down the steep face. At the bottom, they clawed across another ice river and rocketed up the next berm. Mounting the crest and quickly skimming down the far side, they slid out onto a smooth sheet of ice and started crunching across the glacier. â€Å"How far?† Rachel saw nothing but ice in front of them. â€Å"About two miles ahead.† Rachel thought it seemed far. The wind outside pounded the IceRover in relentless gusts, rattling the Plexiglas as if trying to hurl them back toward the sea. â€Å"That's the katabatic wind,† the driver yelled. â€Å"Get used to it!† He explained that this area had a permanent offshore gale called the katabatic-Greek for flowing downhill. The relentless wind was apparently the product of heavy, cold air â€Å"flowing† down the glacial face like a raging river downhill. â€Å"This is the only place on earth,† the driver added, laughing, â€Å"where hell actually freezes over!† Several minutes later, Rachel began to see a hazy shape in the distance in front of them-the silhouette of an enormous white dome emerging from the ice. Rachel rubbed her eyes. What in the world†¦? â€Å"Big Eskimos up here, eh?† the man joked. Rachel tried to make sense of the structure. It looked like a scaled-down Houston Astrodome. â€Å"NASA put it up a week and a half ago,† he said. â€Å"Multistage inflatable plexipolysorbate. Inflate the pieces, affix them to one another, connect the whole thing to the ice with pitons and wires. Looks like an enclosed big top tent, but it's actually the NASA prototype for the portable habitat we hope to use on Mars someday. We call it a ‘habisphere.'† â€Å"Habisphere?† â€Å"Yeah, get it? Because it's not a whole sphere, it's only habi-sphere.† Rachel smiled and stared out at the bizarre building now looming closer on the glacial plain. â€Å"And because NASA hasn't gone to Mars yet, you guys decided to have a big sleepover out here instead?† The man laughed. â€Å"Actually, I would have preferred Tahiti, but fate pretty much decided the location.† Rachel gazed uncertainly up at the edifice. The off-white shell was a ghostly contour against a dark sky. As the IceRover neared the structure, it ground to a stop at a small door on the side of the dome, which was now opening. Light from inside spilled out onto the snow. A figure stepped out. He was a bulky giant wearing a black fleece pullover that amplified his size and made him look like a bear. He moved toward the IceRover. Rachel had no doubt who the huge man was: Lawrence Ekstrom, administrator of NASA. The driver gave a solacing grin. â€Å"Don't let his size fool you. The guy's a pussycat.† More like a tiger, Rachel thought, well acquainted with Ekstrom's reputation for biting the heads off those who stood in the way of his dreams. When Rachel climbed down from the IceRover, the wind almost blew her over. She wrapped the coat around herself and moved toward the dome. The NASA administrator met her halfway, extending a huge gloved paw. â€Å"Ms. Sexton. Thank you for coming.† Rachel nodded uncertainly and shouted over the howling wind. â€Å"Frankly, sir, I'm not sure I had much choice.† A thousand meters farther up the glacier, Delta-One gazed through infrared binoculars and watched as the administrator of NASA ushered Rachel Sexton into the dome. 19 NASA administrator Lawrence Ekstrom was a giant of a man, ruddy and gruff, like an angry Norse god. His prickly blond hair was cropped military short above a furrowed brow, and his bulbous nose was spidered with veins. At the moment, his stony eyes drooped with the weight of countless sleepless nights. An influential aerospace strategist and operations adviser at the Pentagon before his appointment to NASA, Ekstrom had a reputation for surliness matched only by his incontestable dedication to whatever mission was at hand. As Rachel Sexton followed Lawrence Ekstrom into the habisphere, she found herself walking through an eerie, translucent maze of hallways. The labyrinthine network appeared to have been fashioned by hanging sheets of opaque plastic across tautly strung wires. The floor of the maze was nonexistent-a sheet of solid ice, carpeted with strips of rubber matting for traction. They passed a rudimentary living area lined with cots and chemical toilets. Thankfully, the air in the habisphere was warm, albeit heavy with the mingled potpourri of indistinguishable smells that accompany humans in tight quarters. Somewhere a generator droned, apparently the source of the electricity that powered the bare bulbs hanging from draped extension cords in the hallway. â€Å"Ms. Sexton,† Ekstrom grunted, guiding her briskly toward some unknown destination. â€Å"Let me be candid with you right from the start.† His tone conveyed anything but pleasure to have Rachel as his guest. â€Å"You are here because the President wants you here. Zach Herney is a personal friend of mine and a faithful NASA supporter. I respect him. I owe him. And I trust him. I do not question his direct orders, even when I resent them. Just so there is no confusion, be aware that I do not share the President's enthusiasm for involving you in this matter.†

Travis Hirschi Social Bond Theory

Protected* Populations – Examples include, but are not limited to: Children/Minors (under the age of 18) (Exception – projects conducted in established or commonly accepted educational settings involving normal educational practices. Contact IRB office for guidance. ) Prisoners (now includes non-publicly available secondary data) Pregnant women Fetuses and products of labor and delivery People with diminished capacity to give consent Mentally or physically challenged individuals *Sensitive Information – Examples include, but are not limited to: Information relating to an individual’s psychological well being or mental health Information relating to sexual attitudes, preferences, or practices Information relating to the use of alcohol or drugs Information relating to illegal behavior Information that if released could reasonably place the individual at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the individual’s financial standing, employability, or reputation Information that would normally be recorded in a patient’s medical record and the disclosure could reasonably lead to discrimination, stigmatization, etc. There are several categories of protected subjects. Children – Subpart D of the federal regulations protecting human subjects, incorporated in Georgetown's policies, provides additional protections for children. Research with children as subjects can be exempt in only two instances: {text:list-item} {text:list-item} Prisoners – Subpart C to the governing regulations provides additional safeguards for prisoners as research subjects. Essentially, the regulations are designed to discourage the use of prisoners as subjects unless the research will materially affect the lives of prisoners. They are not, in other words, to be used as a captive population. An IRB that reviews a protocol with prisoners as subjects must have a prisoner representative on the committee. 3. A. Children Children are considered to be protected because their youth may make full understanding of the risks and benefits of a study impossible, making them unable to make a truly informed decision. Recognizing that regulations may vary from state to state and country to country, the IRB defines a child as any individual under the age of 18. If a study will occur in an area where different legal definitions exist, the researcher should incorporate this information into the proposal if he or she is seeking a waiver of requirements for this protected population. If the subjects of a study will be children, the researcher is expected to respect each child as an autonomous being. Consequently, the researcher must secure the assent of each child as well as the consent of the child’s parents / guardians or legal representatives. If a child cannot read, the consent process will need to be adapted to provide the information orally. Documentation of the child’s assent and the consent of parents or guardians must follow the guidelines for informed consent. Each class of subjects that one might consider to be incompetent, such as young children, should be considered on their own terms. â€Å"Respect† requires giving them the opportunity to choose whether to participate to the extent they are able to make a decision. Researchers are not required to obtain a child’s assent if the child is incapable of providing it. Each individual child’s ability to assent must be determined. In other words, researchers cannot assume that all children below a certain age are unable to assent. Even a very young child may be capable of understanding what is proposed and thus can agree or decline to participate. In rare instances, a child’s assent may not be required if the intervention or procedure is likely to benefit the well-being of the child directly and is available only in the context of the research. This situation occurs most frequently in biomedical research. In determining whether children are capable of assenting, the IRB will take into account the ages, maturity, and psychological state of the children involved. This judgment may be made for all children to be involved in research under a particular protocol, or for each child, as the IRB deems appropriate. When interacting with children, use language the child can understand and present concepts in a way the child can grasp. Researchers should also take care that the child does not feel pressured by the researcher as an adult (authority figure) or by the child’s parent, guardian, or legal representative—other authority figures. In studies that involve more than minimal risk, obtain consent from both parents, if possible. (See â€Å"Studies with *Children*—More than Minimal Risk. â€Å") For minimal risk studies, consent from one parent is sufficient. Consent from one parent is also permitted if a parent is deceased, unknown, incompetent, or not reasonably available, or if one parent has legal responsibility for the care and custody of the child. In the absence of a parent or parents able to give consent, consent may be given by a child’s legal guardian or legal representative. Children who are wards of the state or of any agency, institution, or other entity may participate in research only if the study (1) is related to the children’s status as wards, or (2) will be conducted in schools, camps, hospitals, institutions, or similar settings in which the majority of children involved as subjects are not wards (that is, the fact that an individual subject is a ward is incidental). In these situations, researchers must provide for the appointment of an advocate for each child who is a ward. The advocate is in addition to the child’s guardian or legal representative, and he or she must have the background and experience necessary to act in the best interests of the child for the duration of the child’s participation in the research. An individual may serve as advocate for more than one child; the advocate may not be associated in any way with the proposed research, the researcher(s), or the child’s guardian organization. (See 45CFR46, Subpart D. )

Free Essays on United States Immigration Policy

The United State’s immigration policy has undergone great change since the turn of the 20th century. Many things have contributed to this change, such as political problems, poverty, lack of jobs, and in fact our changing policy. The countries affected by these problems may have changed but the problems themselves have not. No matter what the location or time period, people have been driven from their homeland as result of political disputes. There will always be poor, 3rd world countries that can not create a prosperous environment for their people. As a result of general poverty, few jobs are available, which forces citizens to look beyond the borders for work. Our changing immigration policy is motivation for some immigrants to come to America. If the U.S. is accepting a high number of one country’s immigrants, than many of their citizens will emigrate for America, some legally and others illegally. The United State’s has changed its immigration policy many ti mes in the last 100 years but the reasons for resettlement have remained generally the same. The early 1900s was a period of mass immigration for the United States. At the turn of the 20th century religious preferences and political persecution were major reasons behind immigration. Many Jews came to America in search of freedom. People of other religious backgrounds also came because the United States was composed of a diverse group of people with different religious preferences. The immigrants did not feel like outcasts in America. Political persecution in Russia forced many of its citizens to emigrate. Most chose to come to America because the country was culturally diverse and they could feel safe there. Economic problems at this time also drove people to America. Many countries around the world were just starting to develop so they were poor and lacked jobs. Their citizens were in desperate need of money; so many fathers immigrated to America in search of a job to sup... Free Essays on United States Immigration Policy Free Essays on United States Immigration Policy The United State’s immigration policy has undergone great change since the turn of the 20th century. Many things have contributed to this change, such as political problems, poverty, lack of jobs, and in fact our changing policy. The countries affected by these problems may have changed but the problems themselves have not. No matter what the location or time period, people have been driven from their homeland as result of political disputes. There will always be poor, 3rd world countries that can not create a prosperous environment for their people. As a result of general poverty, few jobs are available, which forces citizens to look beyond the borders for work. Our changing immigration policy is motivation for some immigrants to come to America. If the U.S. is accepting a high number of one country’s immigrants, than many of their citizens will emigrate for America, some legally and others illegally. The United State’s has changed its immigration policy many ti mes in the last 100 years but the reasons for resettlement have remained generally the same. The early 1900s was a period of mass immigration for the United States. At the turn of the 20th century religious preferences and political persecution were major reasons behind immigration. Many Jews came to America in search of freedom. People of other religious backgrounds also came because the United States was composed of a diverse group of people with different religious preferences. The immigrants did not feel like outcasts in America. Political persecution in Russia forced many of its citizens to emigrate. Most chose to come to America because the country was culturally diverse and they could feel safe there. Economic problems at this time also drove people to America. Many countries around the world were just starting to develop so they were poor and lacked jobs. Their citizens were in desperate need of money; so many fathers immigrated to America in search of a job to sup...

The Best Ways to Soothe Hot Pepper Burning

The Best Ways to Soothe Hot Pepper Burning Hot peppers can add a kick to spicy foods, but if you get it on your hands or in your eyes or eat one thats just too hot, you should know how to take away the burn. Why Hot Peppers Burn In order to soothe the burn of a hot pepper, it helps to understand why it feels hot. The sensation of heat comes from capsaicin, the active compound in hot peppers, binding to the sensory receptors in your mouth or skin that detect heat. These neurons fire off a painful warning when they detect a temperature hot enough to harm tissue. Your body reacts to capsaicin the same as it would to a high temperature, even though no actual heat is present. To stop the burn, you have to remove the capsaicin from the binding site or dilute it so the sensation isnt as intense. How to Make Hot Peppers Stop Burning The key is to either absorb the capsaicin or dissolve it. If you have hot peppers on your hands, youll just spread it around if you try to rinse it with water. You can remove capsaicin by wiping it away using vegetable oil or butter or you can use dishwashing soap to lift it off the skin. Rinsing your hands in dilute bleach solution also helps. Any food that acts like a sponge due to sheer bulk will help absorb the heat and mellow it. You can dissolve capsaicin in alcohol, but it cant be too diluted. A shot of tequila might help, while a sip from a margarita would be pointless. Food thats high in oil or fat dissolves the capsaicin, so it cant continue to bind heat receptors. Your best bet? Full fat sour cream or ice cream. Dairy (sour cream, milk, cheese, ice cream): The fat helps dissolve the capsaicin.Oil or oily foods: If you can stand it, swish oil around in your mouth and spit it out to clear the burn. For a tastier option eat a spoonful of peanut butter or honey.Acidic food: Acidic foods, like lemons, limes, and tomatoes, help to neutralize some of the activity of alkaline capsaicinoids.Bulky food, like chips, rice or bread: Starchy foods act like sponges, soaking up excess capsaicin. These foods wont cool the burn, but theyll keep it from getting worse over time.Sugar: The Scoville scale, used to measure the heat of a pepper, was based on how much sugar water it takes to dilute a pepper to where it doesnt burn. How to Make It Even Worse If youve eaten a spicy pepper and you think the heat is unbearable, depending on what you eat or drink to soothe the burn you can make it a lot worse! Foods that are mostly water just spread the capsaicin around, sort of like an oil spill on water. Even if your food or drink is icy cold, it wont help the problem. Liquids that will only make the burn worse include water, beer, coffee, and soda. The alcohol in beer or wine wont dissolve the capsaicin, but if you ingest enough alcohol, the burn from hot peppers wont be as uncomfortable. Thats simply intoxication dulling your senses and not any reaction with the hot pepper.

CPU as the Central Processing Unit of the Personal Computer Assignment

CPU as the Central Processing Unit of the Personal Computer - Assignment Example Random Access Memory (RAM) is the other hardware which must also be checked to make sure it has sufficient amount of memory available for CPU in order to execute its commands. However if processor is replaced with a faster processor it will change the number of operations it can perform in a second. A processor having 1 GHz of speed will be able to make 1000 clock cycles in a second. Every command which user executes require specific number of clock cycles for the execution of work, and by increasing the speed of processor will optimize the execution which will make a particular CPU more efficient and will complete assigned tasks faster as it can (Torres, 2012). 2. Discuss disk fragmentation. Include performance, what causes it and how to fix it. There is another performance issue which is greatly overlooked is known as Disk Fragmentation which is occurred with the passage of time and usage of the system’s disk. On a newly formatted disk files and programs run faster and quick er but as time passes by it starts taking time to load large data files into the memory. Causes of Fragmentation: Disk fragmentation start taking place when the disk file system cannot find adequate amount of contiguous space for storing a complete file as a complete unit, but as an alternative it break a particular file in parts and then stores those parts in free gaps between other files. These gaps are caused due to a previously existing file which must have been deleted or altered or moved to another location (May, 2012). Countermeasures Partitioning: It is regarded as a common approach to optimize defragmentation in which the hard disk is separated into partitions. The partitions are created into sections of read and writes which allows volatile zones to remain separate (Hameed, 2008). Offline defragmentation: This process involves the existence of immovable system files which is also termed as a swap file can hinder the process of defragmentation. These files can be securely m oved when the operating system is not in the working state. 3. List and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of multitasking Operating systems. Multitasking operating systems has the ability to run multiple programs to execute at a time. They are also capable of managing preemptive multitasking in which the OS allocates specified time to the applications running on the computer. Here are the advantages of Multitask OS: A multi-task OS can manage various processes simultaneously by sharing CPU time among the processes. Switches between operations are so frequent that user can easily interact with every running program. Multitask OS increases user productivity and allows easy transferring of data. This functionality also increases CPU utilization which allows processor to work smoothly on threads (bizymoms.com, 2011). Here are some of the disadvantages of Multitask OS: For a new user multitask OS will create a sense of confusion and he/she will get lost while working. In some case s it happens that the processing power and performance of the system is affected which slows down the CPU speed (May, 2012). PART 2 1. Can computer programs be developed with zero defects? Explain with supporting facts. Yes computer programs can be developed with zero defects but this state is very difficult to achieve. When the software or program starts increasing in size and complexity it becomes difficult to locate defects in the programs.  

How to quit smoking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How to quit smoking - Research Paper Example It also lays a great impact on people who do not smoke but are exposed to second hand smoke and they also become susceptible to the development of disease. Smoking affects the major systems of the human body which include the cardiovascular system as well as the respiratory system and is associated with major pathological conditions affecting the heart and can also result in cancer of the lung. Smoking also increases the economic burden of the country owing to the large amounts of money that need to be spent on the medical expenditures of the smokers. A survey in year 2004 revealed the fact that $96 billion had to be spent on the health care costs of the smokers owing to the pathologies resulting directly due to smoking. Hence the severity of the issue makes it important that strategies should be formulated to assist individuals in overcoming these problems of smoking and to quit smoking as this can be beneficial for the individuals as well as for the state (Centers for Disease Contr ol and Prevention 2010). Strategies employed by the state can serve to be very useful in reducing the number of smokers. This was proved by the statistics for the state of California where the percentage of smokers reduced from 22.7 percent to 13.3 percent from the year 1988 to 2006. The policies used by the state included the elevation in the cost of the cigarettes accompanied by other important techniques which included reduction in advertisements and promotions of cigarettes. This led not only in reduction of the number of smokers but it was also associated with decrease in the number of pathological conditions in the state associated with smoking (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2010). The goal of quitting smoking is not very easy and it requires extreme will power and determination. Many people do not choose to quit smoking owing to the fact that when they stop smoking, it leads to increase in their weight. This is because leaving smoking is linked to increased cravi ng for sweet foods and this leads to increased consumption of calories. To tackle this issue different methods have been prescribed to overcome the problem of smoking as well as the gain of weight that may follow. It is advised that the smokers should start eating a healthy and balances diet. This should be accompanied by regular exercises and work outs. This is because exercise and healthy eating habits are associated with burning of calories and at the same time it leads to reducing the stress that a person may experience due to leaving smoking. This is also very helpful because it can lead to the improvement of cardiovascular system boost the physical health of the individual (Marcus et al 2004). The initiative should be taken by the government for promoting individuals from quitting smoking. This includes awareness programs along with the constellation of other techniques which include the utilization of media to promote the benefits of quitting smoking. The awareness programs s hould be started from schools so that the youths are trained against adapting to these habits. The prices of cigarettes should be raised along with the taxes to make the people think regarding their choice of smoking. The methods that are available for helping individuals who smoke should also be explained to these people. These strategies will assist people in setting their goals to work towards quitting smoking (Ranney et