Author: chris

NGO responses

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RESPOND 150 words to EACH post

POST ONE

The IGO I decided to choose was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). I find this to be one of the more interesting IGOs because I have friends who I have served with in the military you have spent time attached to them as a military command.

NATO’s homepage: http://www.nato.int/

The website is self is extremely modern especially when you see other government websites and how primitive they can be. It presents its website using bright colors as decoration and uses large almost childlike font for its text. Their mission concept does not seem to me to be presented professionally like other government websites. They rely heavily on graphics and an interactive interface. Their mission statement is the safeguarding of freedom and security through political and military means for its twenty-nine nation members. This mission’s statement is then broken down into mini reading points some of which are alliance, collective defense, transatlantic link, and 2010 strategic concept. The organization itself how no standing military force and is reliant on member nations to contribute forces on a voluntary basis once an operation has begun. NATO currently has 7 ongoing military operations such as Kosovo, Afghanistan, and their civil emergency operations as the need arises.

Article and Video discussing the issue regarding NATO’s frontier in Poland https://news.vice.com/video/the-russians-are-coming-natos-frontier

This article discusses NATOs closest frontier to Russia and its current aggression in Eastern Europe. VICE news was able to embed and interview various members of NATO’s troops stationed on the border and those who conduct various drills in preparation of a possible attack from Russian Forces. The exercise was conducted by NATO and its premise was that a fictional country attack Poland’s border. NATO troops were ordered to deploy to Poland to assist in its defense. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Poland to watch the exercises progress. I believe NATO’s efforts on countries bordering Russia is great, but I also feel like it is far more political than actually being militarily effective. As discussing in the article and video, since Russia’s aggression in Ukraine many Polish civilians volunteered to join nonmilitary paramilitary groups. These militia’s would make up a large portion of the force expected to hold against Russian aggression until NATO could respond with a reasonable force and seems unpractical to holding back any force from a first world country. VICE can often be very critical of every government with attempts to appeal to the “hipster” young crowd (which I am). However, many of their news coverage offers interesting insight to events not seen from other news agencies.

Second article discussing the merging and formation of a new branch with Russia’s military to counter NATO : http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/russia-creates-powerful-new-military-branch-to-counter-nato/

This is a unique article because it discusses Russia’s concern of NATO as a threat against their interests and expansions in Europe. This action from Russia helps add validity that regardless of mass budget cuts to NATO, Russia still does not view NATO as powerless. However, it does point to the fact that Russia believes it may be able to counter and combat NATO for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union.

POST TWO

I decided to discuss the Non Governmental Organization of ExxonMobil. Exxon and Mobile were both decedents of Standard Oil which was founded by John D. Rockafeller. Standard Oil had a huge monopoly on oil and the United States supreme court dismembered the oil giant in 1911. Exxon and Mobil were reunited in 1999 to form ExxonMobil.

ExxonMobil is all about energy, this is made very clear by their company mission statement of “Energy Lives Here”. [1] This mission statement is a pretty profound statement that’s been backed up by a century of energy production. ExxonMobil is one of the largest non state owned energy producers in the world.

Greenpeace and environmentalists have made ExxonMobile their “villain” to attack on climate change, however ExxonMobil has done an incredible amount of development and investment in technology to reduce green house gas emissions. Just last month Suzanne Goldenberg wrote an article on theguardian.com on the subject of climate change. She references an email from an ExxonMobil scientist discussing ExxonMobil’s knowledge and awareness of effects of CO2 on the environment as early as 1981 where climate change wasn’t a public issue until around 1989. ExxonMobil was looking into developing one of the worlds largest natural gas fields in the world in south-east Asia, off Indonesia. ExxonMobile decided to NOT develop the field because of the science. They discovered that it would become the largest contributor to CO2 in the atmosphere, and without regulation or a masses of public opinion or incredible resistance to it, they decided to not develop. The article appears to be attacking ExxonMobil’s position against climate change regulation and their apparent efforts to fund climate change deniers. This was interesting to me because as this article appears to be attacking ExxonMobil on climate change, it cites the email which refers to ExxonMobil’s knowledge of green house gas emission and decision to not develop a huge pot of money, because of the environmental effect. [2]

Another article on NewYorker.com appeared to be attacking ExxonMobil’s impact on politics and policy, but began with President Obama’s double standard on oil companies. While he openly states his opposition to the oil industry, he brags about how much more domestic drilling he’s encouraged. Regardless of that, it’s interesting to see attacks on large corporations for their influence and funding of politics, especially if it’s not the politicians they themselves support. ExxonMobil tends to support the republican party significantly more than the left. They support those who work to not over regulate a the industry. Can you blame them? After reading these three websites, it’s interesting to see how much ExxonMobil does in the interest of environmental protection, it appears they see the value of ethical, safe production of energy. [3]

[1] “Learn More about ExxonMobil.” ExxonMobil. Accessed August 12, 2015. http://corporate.exxonmobil.com.

[2] Goldenberg, Suzanne. July 8, 2015. Accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/08/exxon-climate-change-1981-climate-denier-funding.

[3] Coll, Steve. “Gusher.” The New Yorker. April 9, 2012. Accessed August 12, 2015. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/04/09/gusher.

POST THREE

Amnesty International is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the international system and one of the most influential. Along with the Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International monitors international states and actors for abuses of human rights and violations of international law (Amnesty International 2015). Their three main foundations of operations are to: advocate human rights worldwide, bring torturers to justice, change oppressive laws, and free individuals jailed for voicing their opinions (Amnesty International 2015). The organization is funded by its members and conducts their operations by lobbying governments, groups, and companies. Amnesty International seems to be an organization with a clearly defined mission and a broad scope of objectives to cover, but sometimes their scope may fall short of the bigger picture.

A controversial vote that recently was decided in Amnesty International was for the decriminalizing of sex work. The policy recommends that all aspects of consensual adult sex work should be decriminalized while still classifying coercion into the industry or sex with a minor a human rights violation (Alter 2015). In addition to protecting sex workers, the resolution recommends protection for individuals buying sex, pimping, and operating a brothel. This vote by Amnesty International, in my opinion, constitutes a narrow point of view of the sex industry. Proposing decriminalization of the sex industry to protect sex workers who voluntarily choose the profession is amicable; however, there are many who do not choose the profession. The vote recommends those who pimp and operate a brothel protection, but they must be held equally accountable since the majority of sex workers worldwide are there without their consent. Allowing the decriminalization of all aspects will allow the sex industry pimps and brothels to take advantage of the system. Although the mission for Amnesty International is honorable in protecting sex industry workers, I do not believe they are not considering the multiple avenues that concern the entirety of the sex industry business. Their website vows to combat human rights watch but seems to fall short of the whole picture.

Another story covers a recent allegation by Amnesty International against the United Nations and their peacekeepers. Amnesty International received allegations of killings and sexual assault by UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (Smith and Lewis 2015). Amnesty International interviewed 15 witnesses to the alleged killings and the victim of the sexual assault and her family. Amnesty International determined the allegations to be credible and submitted their report to the UN, who has stated that a full investigation to be conducted. Amnesty International claims that they hold everyone accountable for their actions and will investigate violations of human rights, and the United Nations was not excluded from that. Amnesty International listened and investigated the allegations and submitted their report to the United Nations as per their mission statement to advocate human rights and bring torturers to justice.

In conclusion, Amnesty International does their duties per firmly held beliefs to hold everyone accountable in the international system for their actions. Though some of their decisions may seem to fall short of the bigger picture, they do not appear to discriminate or take any allegations of violations lightly. Amnesty International continues to uphold their mission statement stated on their website.

References

Alter, Charlotte. 2015. “Argues that laws that stigmatize sex workers violate human right.” Amnesty International Votes to Recommend Decriminalizing Sex Work. Accessed on August 11, 2015. https://www.amnesty.org/en/who-we-are/

Amnesty International. 2015. “What Does Amnesty Do?” Who we are. Accessed on August 11, 2015. https://www.amnesty.org/en/who-we-are/

Smith, David, and Paul Lewis. 2015. “Amnesty International claims troops raped 12-year-old girl and shot dead a father and his son while indiscriminately shooting in the street after armed clashes.” UN peacekeepers accused of killing and rape in Central African Republic. Accessed on August 12, 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/11/un-peacekeepers-accused-killing-rape-central-african-republic

china responses due in 4 hours

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RESPOND 150 words to EACH post

POST ONE

China has gone through many political changes which have led it to become one of the most powerful nations in the world today. In the twentieth century China experienced most of its political changes due to invasions, a world war, and multiple civil wars which lasted two decades. Once China’s civil war ended however, Chairman Mao Zedong established the People’s Republic of China (Kesselman, 2012, p635).

As a result China’s political and economic development suffered greatly until 1978 when China’s new leader (Deng Xiaoping) implemented new reforms. These new reforms eventually helped China to have the fastest and largest growing economy in the world. Therefore, as China’s political development progressed so did its economy. Today the state of China no longer dictates what they produce or how they produce it. Instead China is more of a capitalist country that relies on supply and demand (Cao, 2009, p9).

Brazil also has a long history of developing its government and its economy mostly between the years of 1945 and 1985. During this time Brazil experienced both a centralized and decentralized government. In addition, these experiences have either strengthened or weakened its ability to promote democracy, development, and social distribution (Kesselman, 2012, p397).

However, during the 1970’s Brazil would experience more up’s and down’s that would cause more damage to its political party system and its electoral institutions. Then, in the mid 1980’s Brazil began to have more of a democratic system put in place which in turn helped Brazil to improve its economy. Today Brazil is one of the newest and fastest growing industrialized county’s in the world thanks to its policies on the protection, production, and subsidies of its imports.

Generally, what best explains the differences in political or economic growth among developing states is the implementation of good institutions. Having good institutions in place allows developing countries to implement better laws and practices. This can then help to motivate people to work hard which can create an economically productive state. However, if there are no sufficient institutions in place then typically a developing state and its political system will either be a slow to progress or may even lead to collapse which can then threaten the states economy.

Recent article-http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/13/world/americas/scandals-in-brazil-prompt-fears-of-a-return-to-turmoil.html

Reference:

1.Kesselman, Mark, Joel Krieger, and William A. Joseph. Introduction to Comparative Politics, 6e, 6th Edition. Cengage Learning, 2012. VitalBook file. http://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781305332591/pages/109003332 (accessed August 13, 2015).

2.CAO, FANGJUN. 2009. “Modernization Theory and China’s Road to Modernization.” Chinese Studies In History 43, no. 1: 7-16.Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed August 13, 2015).

POST TWO

The histories of Brazil and China are very different. Of course Brazil is located in South America and China is located in Asia and this is a main difference. The Asian cultures tend to trace back to imperialistic forms of government. Brazil is interesting because of the European influence (Portugal, prevalent in the official language spoken) and to this day is still has it. Another key difference between the two states is that Brazil was motivated by the American Revolution where it had no bearing on the development of China as a state since they were motivated by the Russian model. The most important difference between the two is that Brazil embraced democracy where China denied it and embraced communism.

Political development in China began in the 1920’s with communism ruling. Since then the state has maintained the political system, but changed names to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). Kesselman suggests that the PRC, with Soviet help, benefited economically from applying socialist ideals. (Kesselman, Krieger and Joseph, 2013) All of that soon vanished with ups and down, but mostly downs until the late 20th century when a more free economy was introduced to China. It seems as though the economy of China will always flourish but even more so if communism does not get in the way.

The independent political development in Brazil was born out of the split from Portuguese rule in the early 19th century. Like I said earlier they took a keen interest in the American system and tried to duplicate that. However the rich landowners, military and elites prevented a true democracy from growing initially. Eventually, however an actual democracy took place and things are looking up for them. Oil exports can only help here. (Kesselman, Krieger and Joseph, 2013)

The answer of the question of whether or not political development occurred simultaneously with economic development is; for China political development meant organization and I believe that was the factor that started the economic development, however communism helped in the beginning with the economy but as time when by it hurt it. In the case of Brazil, the state had some organization by way of Portuguese rule, but they experienced better economic development alone but only when favoritism was out of the picture.

Kesselman, Mark, Joel Krieger, and William A Joseph. 2013. “Introduction to Comparative Politics.” 6th ed. Boston: Wadsworth

POST THREE

In the case of Brazil, the growing pains of political development occurred prior to any substantial economic growth or stability. It wasn’t until 1994 when “Fernando Henrique Cardoso…implemented the Real Plan, which created a new currency [and in response,] monthly inflation fell from 26 percent to 2.82 percent” (Kesselman et al. 2013, 394). Prior to Cardoso’s currency change, multiple “attempts to control inflation fell apart” and in the process more than “seven ‘stabilization’ plans [collapsed] between 1985 and 1994” (Kessleman et al. 2013, 400). These failures led to hyperinflation of the currency at the time which is defined as a ”600 percent or more annual inflation” of goods and products (Kesselman et al. 2013, 400).

Likewise, China also developed itself significantly in the political arena before reaching for the major league economic stage; but this is blatantly obvious given China’s more than 2000 year history. The China that we know today had its beginning at the end of World War 2 which was a massive half-time show to the ongoing Chinese civil war. “The communists [, led by Mao Zedong] won a decisive victory over the…Nationalists” and founded the People’s Republic of China (Kesselman et al. 2013, 627). And in the years from 1949 to 1976, the year that Mao died, economic growth was stagnant, as is typical of most communist agendas. But once Deng Xiaoping became the leader of China, his implementation of a market economy birthed the great economic power we know today. Because of these changes, “China’s [GDP] per capita grew at an average rate of [above] 9 percent per year from 1990 to 2009” which is even made more perfectly aware by stating the the US growth rate during the same period was 1.5 percent (Kesselman et al. 2013, 636).

Not all nations develop in the same manner. Much the same as humans do not grow to adulthood by the same path or growth rate. Rarely, if ever, does a nation develop from its birth in perfect harmony in all aspects. In developing nations, we see economic growth somewhat outpacing political leadership and its ability to reign in environmental and social damage. Others like China and Brazil laid the foundation for national leadership before embarking on a solid economic agenda. “There is more than one way to skin a cat” is a saying in the Southern United States, and that idiom holds true in this particular case.

Kesselman, Mark, Joel Krieger, and William A. Joseph. 2013. Introduction to Comparative Politics. Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

MARX and ENGELS

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RESPOND 150 words to EACH post

POST ONE

After Marx and Engels describe in Communist Manifesto how the class of bourgeoisie and proletariat were born from feudal society, they offer the problems with this newly found class conflict in society.

Communist Manifesto likens the new industrial factory to that of a military. The laborers in the factory are the privates in the army and the officers are the owners of the factory–the bourgeoisie. The former works as slaves to the hierarchy within the factory: the machines, the overlookers, and the owners themselves.

In exchange for profits, the bourgeoisie will pay the proletariat paltry wages. “No sooner is the exploitation of the labourer by the manufacturer, so far, at an end, that he receives his wages in cash, than he is set upon by the other portions of the bourgeoisie, the landlord, the shopkeeper, the pawnbroker, etc.” (Communist Manifesto, Sect. I) What Marx and Engel are stating here is that the lowest working class is initially at the mercy of the bourgeoisie for employment and wages and after the wages are earned, must then return their earned wages to other members of the bourgeoisie so that they may have a home and eat.

Just as raw materials are commodities, so too is the labor provided by the proletariat. Because of this, labor can be replaced by other mechanisms, whether they are machines or perhaps cheaper labor. To Marx, this is unacceptable. In capitalism, the bourgeoisie is also in competition with one another, leading to the need for lower prices which indicates a desire for cheaper wages. The worker, because of all of the conditions of labor, low wages, overworked, lack of freedom of what can be produced, cannot possess what is produced, and the lack of human relations, results in alienation of this group of people (Wolf, 2015).

Marx and Engel understand that the rise of capitalism has allowed for the advancement of a new class in the role of government. The bourgeoisie has ascended from the middle class, a unit which formerly had few, if any, political authority. But now controlling the economy, the bourgeoisie has, “conquered for itself, in the modern representative State, exclusive political sway (Communist Manifesto, Sect. I).

And this increase in production will also lead to a need for an expansion of markets for the goods of the bourgeoisie . Marx and Engel spoke of new wants (for products), requiring for their satisfaction the products of distant lands and climes….and, universal inter-dependence of nations” (Communist Manifesto, Sect. I) meaning that, “National one-sidedness and narrow-mindedness become more and more impossible” (Communist Manifesto, Sect. I).

POST TWO

In Communist Manifesto, how do Marx and Engels criticize capitalism (capital/labor relations)?

Marx and Engels criticizes capitalism in a very negative light seeing productive forces, division of labour, & extensive use of machinery as turning middle class into slaves of production, forcing them to work more & more as the upper class just want them to produce even as it seems to never be enough. “Owing to the extensive use of machinery, and to the division of labour, the work of the proletarians has lost all individual character, and, consequently, all charm for the workman. He becomes an appendage of the machine, and it is only the most simple, most monotonous, and most easily acquired knack, that is required of him (marxists.org).” The view is that the working class is now at a dis-advantage because, productivity has become so powerful that the only way for the working class to get any relief is by finding another source or market to exploit in order to alleviate the tremendous pressure of the division of labour. It is perceived that as the markets continue to grow creating industrial middle class by industrial millionaires, while also turning professional such as physicians, lawyers, priests, poets, & man of science into paid wage labourers. As the modern industry goes on it is swamped with competition with the large capitalists that makes specialised skill worthless creating a working class population.

What do they mean by commodification and alienation?

Marx and Engels believed that through commodification human interaction and social interaction is greatly depreciated in value because, of the human labor and material exchange that has to take place people become more materialistic. “Commodification refers to those processes through which social relations are reduced to an exchange relation, or as Karl Marx (1978) refers to it in the Communist Manifesto, as “callous ‘cash payment (it.stlawu.edu).” This thought has some relevance now, with a consumer base economy in the U.S. that depends greatly on people going out and spending money that they could be saving.

As for Marx and Engels thought on Alienation their belief is, that this alienation is caused by the fetishism of commodity that has gotten out of hand. “Alienation is the transformation of people’s own labour into a power which rules them as if by a kind of natural or supra-human law. The origin of alienation is commodity fetishism – the belief that inanimate things (commodities) have human powers (i.e., value) able to govern the activity of human beings (Marxist. Org). “By losing control of one’s life due to work an individual is alienated from social relationships and from themselves as an individual.

At the same time, how do they praise these new industrial transformations in history and how do they describe what we now call “globalization”?

The view for Marx on globalization is this industrial industry is really astonishing for him he believes, that America was able to create a sort of utopia with the use of mass production through labor. “Modern industry has established the world market, for which the discovery of America paved the way. This market has given an immense development to commerce, to navigation, to communication by land (marxists.org).” What Marx & Engels discovered that, as production grew so did demand for products it was his view that regular manufacture was not enough which brought forth the use of steam and machinery that was now required for industrial production.

dont have time for this

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Assignment 1: Discussion—Terrorism

Given the nature of terrorism, psychology has a significant role in understanding it and treating its devastating effects. Terrorists are deemed fanatics that are both willing to kill and die for their causes. Understanding terrorism is, therefore, necessary and of paramount importance, including understanding which psychological factors render terrorists to be so susceptible to extremist ideology.

Using the readings for this module, online library resources, and the Internet, respond to the following:

Explain how and why individuals become involved in extremist groups.
Describe the function they perform within the group.
Identify the motivational factors that drive terrorism.

Write your initial response in approximately 300 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

last one

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Assignment 1: Discussion—Psychopathy, Crime, and Recidivism

The empirical links between psychopathy, crime, and both violent and nonviolent recidivism have significantly influenced the applicability of this construct within the criminal and civil justice systems. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) is known as the hallmark tool for use in the assessment of psychopathy. This instrument is broken down into various psychopathic traits. It is commonly used in the assessment battery for offenders—particularly when assessing risk for violence and general recidivism. Other abbreviated versions of this tool include the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) and Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV).

Using the readings for this module, online library resources, and the Internet, respond to the following:

Explain the relationship between psychopathy, criminal behavior, and recidivism. Can age, gender, or socioeconomic status influence the psychopathy or diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder?
Examine whether you believe that psychopathy is a mental illness.
Explain whether the scores on the PCL-R should be used to make sentencing and other decisions within the criminal justice system.
Examine the significance of labeling an offender as psychopathic.
Examine whether there is a difference for youth versus adults.

Give reasons for your responses. Support your statements with scholarly references and appropriate examples.

Write your initial response in approximately 300 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

Can you do discussion assignment due 8/16/2015 1page

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Requirements : 12 font style, references

posted 3 years ago (last edited 1 year ago)
Anonymous
Discussion – Week 5
COLLAPSE

Data Sources

Screening tools are not designed to make diagnoses. They can give evidence that a problem exists. However, there is no guarantee that one screening tool or even one assessment or type of data will yield the necessary data to inform the addictions professional about a potential treatment plan and next steps. This is why addictions professionals may have to seek multiple (also known asmultimodal) data sources from which to elicit sufficient data on an individual.

In this Discussion, you will consider what you might do in a hypothetical situation in which a client’s scores on a screening tool are insufficient for the purposes of interpretation.

To prepare:

Review the article “Screening for Alcohol Problems: What Makes a Test Effective?”
Review the data collected for the diagnostic summary for Jane Roberts (pseudonym “Patty”) in Chemical Dependency Counseling: A Practical Guide,Appendix 6 (pp. 262–263)
Review the Week 4 Introduction scenario featuring Terrence. Terrence is faced with a client, Angela, who is presenting several problems.

Post by Day 4 your response to the following:

Consider the scenario in the Week 4 Introduction. What sources of data might Terrence collect in order to understand the client’s problems? Explain why you chose each source. Finally, provide a rationale for the number of sources you recommend.

Need This Done Soon

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For this assignment, you will make a posting of 2–3 paragraphs to the Discussion Board in which you must answer the following questions:

What are some potential methods of researching the gender, race, and ethnicity of individuals in American prisons?
Specifically, what are ways in which the gender, race, and ethnicity of individuals in American prisons could be studied using interpretative and critical frameworks?
What would you change, and why?
What different types of information or data would you likely obtain using this research process?

Need References in APA Format

Need This Done Soon

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For this assignment, you will make a posting of 2–3 paragraphs to the Discussion Board in which you must answer the following questions:

What are some potential methods of researching the gender, race, and ethnicity of individuals in American prisons?
Specifically, what are ways in which the gender, race, and ethnicity of individuals in American prisons could be studied using interpretative and critical frameworks?
What would you change, and why?
What different types of information or data would you likely obtain using this research process?

Need References in APA Format

brain storming

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In this discussion activity, address the following:

Do some thinking “aloud” about your term paper for this course. What would you like to research and write about? What topics would you like to learn more about? Write a brief essay about your thoughts and provide at least two related Web site URLs.
As with other discussions, you must reply to at least two of your fellow students. In your replies, include at least one or more resources (Web site, news article, journal reference, etc.) related to their topic(s) under consideration.

The ideal original, primary posting should be approximately 200 words. In addition, you must also respond to at least two of your fellow students’ posts with substantive replies.

This activity is worth 25 points: 15 points for your original primary posting, and 5 points for each of your two required replies.

Student Aviation History Interests

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Activity6.2

In this discussion activity, address the following:

List the areas of aviation history that you are most looking forward to learning more about in this course.
Why do these areas appeal to you?

The ideal original, primary posting should be approximately 150 words. Review all submitted primary postings first, and ensure that your contribution is unique and adds to the discussion.