Airport Security, Past and Post 9/11 Essay

Only from incidences of air piracy, terrorism, and changes in the social and political climate worldwide has airport security slowly morphed through the rulings of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). However the attacks of September 11th 2001 had changed airport security vastly in the matter of days. Michael Chertoff, the assistant attorney general in charge of the criminal division at the Justice Department during the attack of 9/11 stated, â€Å"Like many people at the time, I thought it was a pilot error. † Chertoff was the head of Homeland Security in 2005 to 2009. To his thinking, since the end of the Cold War, three developments have profoundly changed the world and therefore the world of security threats. One was that globalization radically changed the potential impact of a network or even an individual, offering the ability to travel, communicate, and exchange money. Two, the technology revolution has allowed people to cause massive destruction with just the push of a button. The third was the increase of â€Å"ungoverned space† where there is no true rule of law, has enabled terrorists to recruit, plan, and train undetected. During a discussion, Chertoff outlined the shift in the nation’s approach to security, one he argued happened before the attacks of 9/11. The actions of that day only served to highlight â€Å"something we hadn’t recognized and which the law had not adequately accounted for,† and underscored the need for a new framework aimed at combatting terrorism. What are the events that had shaped airport security before the attacks of September 11th 2001? Airline hijackings were very frequent in the mid to late 1960s. They most commonly were committed by individuals seeking transport into Cuba. This caused airlines to apply policies of screening all passengers and bags before they are to board the aircraft. The FAA applied this new policy in an effort to avert the carrying of weapons used to compel hijackings. During the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, multiple high-profile terrorist hijackings and attacks were carried out overseas and shocked the traveling public and the airlines, arising potential problems of acts of terrorism toward the airline industry within the U. S. However incidents in example of those were still perceived as an event that would never happen to or in the United States. This perfectionistic thinking was shattered in 1987 when a Pacific Southwest Airlines’ ex-employee made use of an expired identification badge to pass through security, board a company jet liner with a weapon and shoot his supervisor, the pilot and co-pilot leaving the aircraft to go down with 38 people aboard. Not only was this not a terrorist event, but it came from within the ranks of the airline industry itself. This event, attached with the 1988 bombing of PanAm Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, demanded attention to the need for additional airport security measures. This stimulated the President’s Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism (1989) and the following passage of the Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990. Since these incidences, the FAA has applied numerous measures to protect against this and other types of acts of air piracy and terrorism in the U. S. Some of the measurements were practical while others included physical and electronic security measures. The Abundance of the focus had been on regulating the access of persons into the operations areas at airports, therefore limiting access to aircrafts. In 1989, the Federal Aviation Regulation was written into law. It mandated that an airport must be able to implement control over an employee’s right to gain access to the airport’s operations area using an access control system. In detail, this regulation states that any airport with a regular passenger aircraft service (one flight per day) that consumes 60 seats or more must be able to; (1. Ensure that only the persons authorized to have access to the secured areas by the airport operator’s security program are able to acquire that access. (2. ) To ensure that such access is denied immediately at the access points to the individuals who do not obtain the authority of access. (3. ) Set apart persons who are authorized to have access to only particular portions of the secured areas and persons who are authorized to have access only to other portions of the secured area. (4. ) Have the capability to limit an individual’s access by time and date. This then new regulation produced an outbreak of airport access control systems. Systems in which were designed to incorporate unified access control and photo ID systems that operated as a single common database to accomplish the requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulation. Regrettably, the requirements had pushed the envelope of the technology available at the time, and many of the systems that were installed had provided less than satisfactory results. ? The FAA also is in the process of formulating a rewrite of FAR 107. A Notice of Proposed Rule Making has been issued that includes language that could significantly impact access control at airside. If passed as now proposed, the rule would require airports to be able to immediately assess alarms from monitored doors at airside and to create a log of the alarm, alarm verification and the response to each alarm. Short of placing law enforcement officers on each concourse, the solution is the installation of large numbers of CCTV cameras that are integrated with the access control system to provide automatic call-up at the monitoring location. Other future security issues being addressed with regard to airside operations security center around handling and screening of passenger baggage and air cargo. One area of major concern and concentration is on addressing the threat of unscreened/unaccompanied baggage. President Clinton created the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. In the wake of the crash of TWA Flight 800 he asked the commission to focus its attention first on the issue of security, including an action plan to deploy new high-technology baggage screening and explosives detection systems. One system that will be implemented to protect aircraft against bombings is the electronic passenger/bag reconciliation system. Such systems have been in use in Europe for several years, but probably are several years from being implemented throughout the aviation system in the U. S. They utilize an electronically encoded tag or barcode that is attached to the luggage, and a magnetic strip, barcode or other scanable medium on the back of the boarding pass, to match the luggage with passengers boarding the airplane. As a passenger boards the aircraft, the boarding pass is swiped through a card reader, which supplies passenger information to the system database. If a passenger checks a bag and does not board the aircraft, a computer resolves this mismatch in the tracking database and issues an alarm indicating this disparity. The bag then is retrieved from the aircraft and scanned for content. This system prevents anyone from checking a bag with an explosive device onto a flight they do not board. The new Terminal One international facility at JFK Airport in New York will be one of the first U. S. acilities to be equipped with this type of electronic passenger/bag match system. Another area of baggage security that is changing is the screening of bags and parcels that are loaded onto aircraft. In the past, general screening of baggage for domestic flights has not been performed. Until the last several years, advanced electronic screening of international outbound baggage was limited. But an increase in terrorist acts, including the bombings of the World Trade Center and the federal building in Oklahoma City, has convinced government and industry that additional bag screening is necessary. As technology improves, this screening someday could include not only explosives, but also devices that present other types of threats. Since the machines are too expensive and large for airports/airlines to provide enough equipment to scan all bags with high-tech screening, a three-stage screening process has been established. Stage one utilizes more conventional high-speed x-ray scanners to look inside luggage and parcels. In stage two, suspect bags are routed to conveyor queues while x-ray images are re-evaluated. They then are routed either to a bypass conveyor or to third stage screening, which consists primarily of one of two types of advanced technology screening equipment. One type uses computed tomography, a scanning technology similar to a medical CAT scan. Another type uses dual-energy x-ray scanning to produce a three-dimensional image of the contents. As machines become faster and less expensive, airports will have enough machines to scan all luggage. New airport terminals under design are providing space for multiple machines and will be the first facilities to provide 100 percent screening of all bags. Since space requirements for these machines are so significant, the security consultant should be involved in new building design early on to ensure that adequate space is provided for the machines and baggage staging. One method or system being considered as a means to streamline the need for extensive bag screening is passenger profiling. This methodology utilizes a passenger profiling database containing certain passenger criteria to classify luggage for screening, thereby eliminating the need to scan all bags with high-tech screening equipment. Use of this database information could classify a passenger as low risk and may eliminate the need for advance bag screening of bags checked by that person. One major airline has developed software for this purpose which has been tested at a major hub airport location, but the system is very controversial and may or may not be implemented for general use. If and when the system is implemented, it will have extensive systems integration impacts that will require integration of airline common use erminal equipment host computers, bag handling equipment, airport security systems and explosives detection systems. This will require the security consultant to interface security systems with airline operations systems that in the past have been a non-issue when designing airport security systems. Since most of the systems mentioned above are information technology based, it will require the consultant to become increasingly knowledgeable about local area networks, wide area networks and the world wide web. Changes also are taking place with technological advances in systems utilized at the security screening checkpoint where passengers and their carry-on baggage are screened prior to boarding the aircraft. One such advance is in the method used to watch the exit lane. New systems are being developed which will assist with the arduous task of watching the exit lane in order to improve security at this portal and to decrease operating costs. Presently, this task is done manually with a posted security guard, but a person in this position is subject to distractions, can daydream or at slower nighttime periods may fall asleep for short durations. New systems use electronic detection to supervise the direction of traffic through the lane and produce alarms when a person enters the lane from the wrong direction. These systems may be used to supplement the existing guard post or may replace the guard position, thereby decreasing the operations cost. What are the major focuses of landside/non-regulated security issues at airports now and through the year 2000? A primary area of concern is parking facilities. Security concerns and public safety awareness has increased with the rise in crime over the past several years. Crime in parking facilities has risen proportional to crime rates in most cities. Parking facilities present opportunities for crime since vehicles are left for extended periods of time, and people traversing to and from their vehicles are subject to isolation and are more vulnerable. Crime concerns at parking garages include vehicle theft, vandalism, vehicle break-in and crimes against persons. Security directors at colleges, hospitals, shopping malls, manufacturing plants, sports facilities and other places with large parking facilities have been focusing on security in this area for the last few years. In order to provide increased public safety, airport operations and police departments are beginning to take a more serious look at the need for implementing additional security methods and systems in their public and employee parking facilities. What types of systems will be installed to reduce crime in airport parking facilities? Systems similar to those that have been installed at parking garages and lots associated with the other types of public and private sector facilities previously mentioned. There is and will continue to be a very heavy emphasis on CCTV systems because they act as a good deterrent to crime, as well as a tool to verify alarms. But with so many cameras required to watch large parking garages having multiple parking levels and many aisles, integration of other systems will be required to automate and simplify the process of trying to watch and utilize large numbers of cameras. Systems that already are widely used in other types of public parking are becoming more common at airport parking facilities, including emergency phones, ambient noise alarms and wireless personal assistance alarms. Additional systems including such items as intelligent video motion detection are in the process of being developed and will be used in the future to further assist with automated camera watching. Other areas of concern for improving landside security at airports include supervision of roadways, security at station platforms for automated train systems, security for vendors, protection of ATMs and guarding of toll plaza booths. In concert with both landside and airside security issues are the expansion and improvements to the communications and emergency operations centers that monitor and control most of the systems mentioned in this article. Upgrades to these facilities generally require relocation of or modifications to nearly all these systems.

I couldn’t wait to get there

I couldn't wait to get there, the Cayman Islands this was. On the tiring plane journey there, every soul was asleep apart from mine, dreaming of what the next two weeks was going to be like for me. The crystal-clear cobalt blue seas and the sandy sun-kissed shore. Pure paradise and a path to relaxation! Before I knew it we had touched down in Little Cayman the scenery truly exquisite. All I could see was the suns burning hot rays twinkling off the surface of the calm Caribbean Sea. Before my feet had time to touch the ground I was in the sea with my snorkel admiring the picturesque under water life. Completely unspoiled, blessed with natural treasures and with its fabulous underwater visibility it completely took my breath away. With the healthy reef and exciting marine life, nature lovers would find indigenous wildlife and so did I? I couldn't resist anymore, I took my last breath and prudently swam into a new world under the sea. I felt so powerful, harmlessly eradicating all the different species from my path as I further descended towards the brightly coloured coral. I felt an unusual sensations pass up my body as the plants and coral gently brushed against me. It was getting cold now so my heart sped up dramatically using up my little reserve oxygen I had in me, so I had to get up for some more soon. Just as I pulled away I felt my ankle get clutched together. I panicked, what was it I thought? Coral! As I spun my head round it was in fact a massive octopus. I yanked my foot but he relentlessly held on. I kicked once again, but still to no avail. I was quickly running out of air and the last reserves I had went straight out my mouth and bubbled to the surface. I was thinking unless he lets go I'm going to die. No one will know where I am or what happened to me. This amazing holiday coming to a tragic end. What will my family do? I slowly eased up and my eyes shut. I was slipping in and out of conciseness whilst my lungs filled up with seawater. I was almost dead! Then without no notice he let go my drenched body slowly floated to the surface and popped up like a Boyd. Choking and spluttering, the water soon evacuated my lungs, replaced with well-needed air. I still had no energy and no idea where I was; I certainly didn't have the energy to swim to the shore. I was fighting for my life. I fell unconscious again. Several hours later I was awoke on the shore, my mum trying to wake me up. How I got back to the shore, I will never know but thank God I'm still alive!

Interactional View Theory Essay

This theory states that within family relationships there can often be misconceptions between each family member and the problem can only be transformed when addressed by outside members of the family (or situation), or simply stepping outside the situation yourselves and looking at all possible aspects that way, or reframing. Watzlawick claims that through the repetitive actions of a family system, a self- ­regulating, inter- ­depending network of feedback loops guided by member’s rules, we tend to stick to a status quo, or a family homeostasis, when dealing with issues within our families. In doing that, we often automatically assume, or put a label on, a situation to be how we see it from our personal views rather than looking at the whole picture and everyone’s views who are involved. Once we take that outside- ­looking- ­in approach we have to take into consideration both sides of the communication in the situation: the content of the situation, the report part of a message (verbally), and the relationship between members communicating, the command part of a message (nonverbally). In doing this as well as analyzing all aspects of the situation we can eventually come to an agreement on how to approach and solve the actual issue. Growing up with a health practitioner as a parent, getting sick is never anyone elses fault but your own and sympathy is almost never present in those situations. I recently had an extreme food- ­ poisoning incident which caused much havoc in my family, but the process of analyzing and solving this issue is a perfect example of Watzlawick’s theory. A few years ago my mom decided to go back to school and study healthy living, diet, and the ways of an organic, raw vegan. This changed her whole life, my whole pantry, and the way she approached almost any situation. Anytime something does not go the way it should having to do with my body, energy, moods, etc. if I go to my mom for advice the answer is always about diet, sleep patterns, or other healthy living styles. Which is accurate and understandable to a certain extent but, in mine and my stepdad’s minds, it does not apply to every situation. I do eat very healthy compared to the average person and I try to not eat a lot of meats, and especially not red meats, but on occassion I do enjoy treating myself to, what I call, a â€Å"cheat meal.† A few months back when visiting friends out of town, I decided to go all out and try this â€Å"world- ­famous† burger at a local burger joint. Might I say, it was quite the burger, but the aftermath was seven days of pure distaste, pain, and regret. Of course when coming to my mom for advice on the situation she immediately put all blame on me for not choosing â€Å"wisely† on my food decisions. My stepdad, on the other hand, eats a good amount of red meats and had actually been to this particular restaurant many times before, having no issues. He said i probably just got a bug from touching the â€Å"world famous† burger joint door handles and putting my hand to my face, or something of that sort. My take on the situation was different from both of theirs. I thought it was all in my mind because I am typically against eating red meats and i violated my self morals therefore causing me to feel guilty to an extent where I caused myself to actually be sick. Hearing each member’s take on the situation caused havoc and an unnecessary issue that drove away from the actual problem. Until we all sat down and open- ­mindedly listened to each person’s reasoning did we all realize how ridiculous the whole situation was, and how no one actually knew the official cause of my illness but arguing about what might be because of our personal stances was just silly and almost irrelevant. When approaching the situation, as Watzlawick predicted in his theory, my mom, stepdad, and I, originally, all took our individual opinions and pushed them on one another assuming that they were the only way. My mom saying the my stepdad was an enabler, one whose non- ­assertive behavior allows others to continue in an addiction or other wrong- ­doing, and in defending himself, my stepdad saying she was biased because of her personal beliefs on eating habits. Once we agreed to sit down and talk about each person’s perspective on things using metacommunication, communication about communication, and taking into consideration why each of us acted a certain way and how it might have affected the others, we could finally come to agreement and be at peace. We decided that if we all would have approached each other in a more open- ­minded, understanding manner using one- ­across communication, conversational moves used to neutralize or level control within the exchange, rather than trying to one- ­up communicate, place conversational moves on each other to gain control of the exchange, with each other, it would have been a symmetrical interchange, an interaction based on equal power, and the conflict might not have happened at all. I find the Interactional View Theory to be quite on point, and though Griffin found much to critique I might have to disagree and say, while the theory may not be absolutely perfect and one- ­hundred percent accurate in every situation, it does apply to most of, at least, my family controversies, for example, this particular incident. From this theory I was made aware of how often I am to quickly ignore my parents’ responses as initial reactions to them being repetitive and almost biased in their advice, and how I can be more open- ­minded in those situations. I was also made aware of how to think and approach my parents in certain situations, such as food poisoning, to trigger a more calm and open- ­minded response from them. I enjoyed reading, comparing, and analyzing this theory and will begin to consciously apply it to my future conversations with my family members as I did in the food poisoning example, but this time before the incident can happen or get worse.

Transcendentalism and Into the Wile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Transcendentalism and Into the Wile - Essay Example These elements include political parties and religious systems that a person is exposed to. The religion advocates for independence and self-dependence among persons, as opposed to interdependence and communal participation in a person’s life. It is one of their beliefs that only from such a setup can a truly functioning community be formed. Chris McCandless was truly a transcendentalist because he lived many of the religion’s beliefs. These included non-conformity to the other religions, appreciation of nature and upholding the teachings of Thoreau and Emerson of a non-materialistic lifestyle, which include living a simplistic and contented life (Krakauer 174). He lived the lifestyle of a transcendentalist and practised their teachings. His appreciation of nature is well encapsulated by his adventure especially the adventure into the wilderness and his formal procedure of passage ascertained an understanding of his personal growth. During his life, Chris exhibited a remarkable independence coupled with his ideas and actions that directly link him to the transcendentalist movement (Krakauer 67). There are many benefits linked to transcendentalism. One of the core things emphasized by transcendentalism is reflective practice and meditation. This helps a lot in a person’s health as they help reduce stress, anxiety, hyperactivity, effects of depression, attention deficiency. It also helps improve a person’s critical thinking skills thus helping in problem-solving and ensuring a more positive and clear outlook on life. Meditation plays a major role in improving a person’s memory, thus developing decision-making and imaginative thinking. There are varieties of benefits that apply to children too. These include restoring balance and calmness, enhancing memory, increasing confidence, developing creativity, and increasing learning capability. The religion helps in the conservation of nature

Organizational Life-Cycles and Management Styles Research Proposal

Organizational Life-Cycles and Management Styles - Research Proposal Example Planning is very important since this will be the start off of a certain project. Without planning, the project may cause delays and eventually will reach the goal which is envisioned by the company. Having an activity or an event, planning is always needed. This plan will be the record of the goals and objectives the company wanted to achieve. In this way, there will be a check and balance if the projects were pursued or were it done.It is a process. Planning comes with organizing, directing people, who will be involved heavily in projects and ensure that there are changes, impacts happened through the course of implementation through monitoring.According to Reh (2006), managing people has never been easy especially when there are big numbers of the staff involved. But once the plan is done properly, in sync with organizing, directing and monitoring, then this will not be a heavy load after all. Later, it will be realized that the challenging project is rewarding once it came out su ccessfully.In brief, Mills (2005) stated that â€Å"leadership is about a vision of the future and the ability to boost others to pursue it while management is about getting results and if it has done effectively and efficiently it will be a success†.A good leader should have qualities that can meet the standards of the people as well as the company. Some of these are a passion for the work. Enjoying what he is doing and do not care with the compensation. A good leader should also be decisive. In handling matters inside the company, the people seek this kind of leader. Other qualities are conviction, integrity, adaptability, emotional toughness, emotional resonance, self-knowledge, and humility.

Outline Aristotle's definition of rhetoric as it relates to dialectic, Research Paper

Outline Aristotle's definition of rhetoric as it relates to dialectic, and identify the role rhetoric plays in our present-day political process - Research Paper Example There is no denying the fact that dialectic tends to be the art that pertains to logical argumentation. To some extent even at a superficial analysis, it does seem to be true that dialectic does come out as a counterpart to rhetoric in the sense that just like rhetoric, dialectic has a lot to do with the concept of persuasion and facilitating logical arguments and proofs, and does tends to take into consideration the opposing and contradicting arguments and viewpoints pertaining to any specific issue. Yet, dialectic also tends to differ from rhetoric in many salient ways. Quiet unlike rhetoric, dialectic is primarily restricted to the notions of argumentation and the proofs and logical fallacies attendant to a given argument, and does abstain from extending a theoretical framework to the use of emotion and is seldom concerned with the audiences imminent on an argument and the carried contexts in which an argument tends to unwind. In the light of this fact it seems apparently strange that Aristotle tends to place rhetoric as being a counterpart to dialectic, when one certainly cannot doubt the fact that Aristotle was conversant with the crux of the art of dialectics that primarily happens to be to test the veracity and truth attending an argument. Thereby, by considering rhetoric to be a counterpart of dialectic Aristotle not only enjoins on the art of rhetoric with the imperative to owe allegiance to truth, but also imbues the art and science of rhetoric with salient moral and ethical implications (Gross & Walzer, 2000, p. 149). While aligning rhetoric with dialectic, Aristotle not only imbues the art of rhetoric with ethical and moral implications, but also tends to present rhetoric as a tool that is neutral, which could readily be used by individuals and groups given to moral depravity to achieve spurious ends, if rhetoric is alienated from the imperative of being truthful and

Analysis the poster of the pursuit of happiness Essay

Analysis the poster of the pursuit of happiness - Essay Example The image text vividly demonstrates logos by engaging us in a reasoned discussion about parent-teacher or father-son relationships (Pursuit of Happiness). It seems to recommend an appropriate model which is to bring along with us everyone who brings happiness and means the world to us. Also, the photo demonstrates a huge and tall parent (Pursuit of Happiness). This can be analyzed to imply strength and protection. On the other hand, the undersized son does not necessarily symbolize the opposite. Rather, the small son embodies an image of security. The father looking down on the son might also mean a person watching over their treasure. Furthermore, the son looking away is likely to create an image of a little person content with the protection they receive and enjoy. As discussed, there is a more subtle message underlying the image text. Pathos is the next rhetoric device in discussion. Pathos entails all the possible feelings a text-image inspires in the audience. In this case, the son leaning towards the reassuring father creates a feeling of passionate love between the two. Another imperative aspect is the emotions expressed in their faces. The father is half-smiling while the son wears a broad smile (Pursuit of Happiness). The suggestion is clear. The individuals share immense joy. The same feeling is passed on to the attentive members of the audience. The devices to be discussed next belong to the second set earlier referred to as ‘visual’ devices. What is meant by that is that they are perceived best by the eye. First on the list is foregrounding/ back-grounding. In the background, we can see the sun disappearing around the point just below where the pair are clutching hands. This is a symbol perhaps of retiring to a place of comfort possibly home after a long and tiresome day. Also, in the background we can see a city (Pursuit of Happiness). It implies these are individuals seeking the comfort of home after maybe a

Social Responsibility Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social Responsibility - Research Paper Example sibility is very vital in the creation of wealth by a company in that if managed properly it can improve the competitiveness of the business and maximize the value of creation of wealth to the community. With the growing public awareness and desire for socially responsible businesses, it is significant to note that companies consider planning for future socially responsible business operation. Customers expect organizations to operate in a social responsible and moral way. Many Organizations have developed code of conduct that guide the behavior of their employees. Therefore, they have to work with customers to produce quality products that are in line with the customer’s desires and expectations. Further, organizations have to offer customers free access to data concerning their operation. Social responsibility and code of conduct are created with the recognition that every activity that a company do is connected with their work (Paine, 2008). Organizations should ensure that whatever activity they do, does not contravene the interest of the society. It is significant for organizations to accept whistleblowers because it helps in unearthing wrongdoing. Further, if organizations fail to accept internal whistleblowers, much damage can be done to the organization. Therefore, organizations should develop programs that allow employees to talk about illegal and unethical issues thus making organizations more socially responsible to the actions. Whistleblowers are advocates of the society since they make the organizations accountable in everything they do. Corporate philanthropy makes businesses more responsible by giving back to the society. It helps in raising awareness to the society about the company’s desire to help the society. Philanthropic activities make organizations help those in need. Social responsibility benefits both the employees and the company, since it broadens their experience and assists them in creating new ideas and skills via philanthropic

Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 14

Research Paper - Essay Example The invaders moved forward taking a North wise course and captured several other towns such as Beirut. The eminent collapse of German superiority and the failure of the European western front led to the collapse of the war in the Middle East. (Oschsenwald 375) Consequently, there was the formation of treaties such as the Paris Peace Conference, which happened in a time span of not more than two weeks after the end of the war in the Middle East. For this case, Germany entered the armistice with forces of the Entente Allies and officially ended the war. The Paris Peace Conference developed peace in the Middle East. However, there was a challenge in the course of development of the peace movements because Germany dominated the agenda with more problems than any other did. The Middle East conflict was also a concern among the London Pact that happened in 1915, the Sykes-Picot Agreement, Balfour Declaration, and others (Oschsenwald 380). Another problem during the Paris Peace Conference was the fact that British and French powers, that were the strongest powers of the time, pursued their interests rather than that of other nations. For instance, the advisers to the then British Prime Minister, David Lloyd told him to consider the Middle East as a prize. On the other hand, the French powers led by Georges Clemenceau considered a control over the straits of Syria and Southern Anatolia. They also hoped to have a French advisor for the Ottoman Sultan. Oilmen, bankers, merchants, missionaries, humanitarians, and bondholders also converged for the Paris meeting to push for their interests concerning the Middle East (Woodward 34). Zionists succeeded in incorporating a version of Balfour Declaration and benefited from approval by the League of Nations. There were other movements and treaties such as the San Remo agreements and the Treaty of Sevres. The former was because of the failure of the Paris peace meeting to yield mu ch fruit for the

Compare and contrast intelligence processes Research Paper

Compare and contrast intelligence processes - Research Paper Example Every organization has its specific role and mode of operation and, therefore, the nature and frequency of intelligence that they may require for the execution of their tasks also vary. Thus, the cycles and processes of intelligence collection among these organizations differ drastically though they may be sharing some similarities. The responsibility of organizations that have the onus of taking care of national security, such as National Security Agency (NSA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has increased manifold in the recent days due to the ever evolving nature of security threats from â€Å"terrorist groups as well as hostile nation states† (Best, 2001, p.1). Thus, these organizations have revamped their intelligence collection machinery to obtain necessary information for the maintenance of internal as well as external security. They mostly rely on highly sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment sometimes using aircraf ts for collection of intelligence, such as TechELINT to â€Å"collect, analyze and sometimes and locate† electronic signals from the foreign targets (Bernard, 2009, p.11). On the other hand, law enforcement and homeland security mostly deploy conventional methods for collecting intelligence, mostly using human intelligence sources or less sophisticated electronic devices including human intelligence sources, security cameras and other surveillance equipment. In the present day, the US authorities are rather resorting to a system where all the intelligence disciplines are combined under one window to be utilized by different organizations involved in law enforcement. This is intended to fetch better flow of information among the organizations and will also reduce the consumption of resources apart from ensuring that most reliable information is made available to organizations. Intelligence cycle is the process by which information is disseminated for drawing conclusions about particular evidences in a crime. The main difference between law enforcement intelligence and homeland intelligence is that while the former focuses on criminal aspects, the latter also deals with â€Å"noncriminal domestic threats† including issues of public health and public safety (Carter, 2009, p.14). On the other hand, the concept of national security intelligence covers â€Å"policy intelligence† and â€Å"military intelligence† including identification and observation of hostile elements, weaponry, capabilities of warfare, battle order etc (p.15). Accordingly, the processes and cycles of national security intelligence, law enforcement intelligence and homeland security differ. However, the intelligence collected by all the agencies are similar in the context that such intelligence collection is done for ensuring the safety and welfare of citizens. The main focus of homeland security intelligence is Fire Service Intelligence Enterprise (FSIE) and Public He alth/Medical Intelligence, which are two of the initiatives that are â€Å"moving forward with greater rapidity† after the 9/11 tragedy (p.19). The main difference in the process and cycle of information among various agencies stems from the roles and responsibilities these organizations have in terms of security.

To persuate to pas my class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

To persuate to pas my class - Essay Example I suppose that it is through the challenges of passing or excelling in class that we students grow to become refined individuals able to express ourselves with strong will and intellect, knowing that we have surpassed certain weaknesses while in the process of fulfilling academic requirements. In classroom, teachers are normally strict and formal by nature and I must admit being particularly challenged by instructors who provide the class some real tough moments of rigorously developing skills whether in analyzing a literary piece or in working out a problem that requires mechanical solution. Nevertheless, I know at the back of my head that listening to my teacher attentively and following instructions carefully would all pay off in the end since besides passing the course, I acquire the advantage of learning a huge number of things which can be of ample essence to my comprehension of major subjects in the future. More than the ability to survive the course, I feel motivated to proceed with diligent studies in class regardless of how complicated the subject matter could get, believing that somewhere in this current painstaking situation, I would be able to discover potentials yet unknown. By heart, I understand that real teachers set high expectations and seemingly imposs ible levels of standard from student performance so if I continue to persevere and strive harder even with average capacity, I can make it. Moreover, I realize that classroom experience is not merely about pressures in studying academic lessons because it also helps to interact with classmates who come from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. Through their specific attitude, character, and the manner by which they handle scholastic tasks, they manage to share inspiring ideas and model image I can often look up to at times it occurs I readily get burned out. With these people, the approach toward passing a hard subject would not be as complex as I usually think it

Iraq War Essay Example for Free

Iraq War Essay The Iraq war is also known as the Occupation of Iraq and it started on 20th March 2003, the war was spearheaded by the United States of America which was also backed by the U. K. There were other countries that had small forces in the invasion but they did not have many troops as compared to the US and the Britain, these countries included Australia, Poland, Denmark and Spain. This invasion marked the beginning of the current Iraq war. The major reason for the invasion was to end the Saddam regime which was believed to be supporting terrorist activities, it was also aimed at disarming Iraq which was said to be in possession of weapons of mass destruction and the last reason for the invasion was to free the people of Iraq from the dictatorship of Saddam (Allen, Mike and Juliet, 2002). The trigger of the war is said to have been the failure of Iraq to disarm itself of the biological, chemical and nuclear weapons that the US and its allies said were a threat to the world peace. Some of the traditional allies of the United States opposed the war and argued that there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; some of these countries were Germany, France and Canada. The invasion started with an air strike at the Presidential palace which was later followed by attacks on the southern side of Iraq. The coalition forces operated from a point near the Kuwait-Iraq border. The Iraq war is said to have caused very many protests all over the world with the largest protest in Rome where more than three million people protested against the war. The United States-Turkish relationship was greatly affected by what preceded the aftermath of the war on Iraq. For the last Fifty years there has been a very good Turkish-American partnership which can be seen in the efforts that the two countries have made in Korea, Kosovo and Bosnia. In the year 1999 when President Clinton visited Turkey after an earthquake he described their relationship as a very strategic partnership and there was a lot of support fir the partnership between the two nations. The strong partnership began to deteriorate in March 2003 when the US was almost attacking Iraq. The effect of this was felt when the Turkish parliament rejected the request by the US to allow the US troops to go through Turkey just before the war started. Most people in Turkey were against the war with 95% of the whole population being against the war and this forced the government to reject the US request although it was seen as a loss to the Turkish government as it lost a lot of grants and loans that would have come with the agreement. Although the Turkey government wants to renew the relationship with the United States there is a feeling that the instability that was caused by the war on the Turkish border with the Northern Iraq has caused a lot of damage to the Turkish tourism industry. The Iraq war caused the relationship that existed between the US and the Turkish government to be highly affected. The US sees Turkey as a very important country because it is a country with a makority of Muslims but it has exercised a successful democracy, Turkey is also a link between the Central Asia and the Europe in matters relating to energy and Turkey has also played a major part as a broker in the Middle East. The effort of the US government to encourage the Turkish government to form good relations with the Iraqis was greatly affected after the war due to the instability that exists in the Northern Iraq region. The Iraq war also led to an alarming increase in the anti-American slogans among the Turks because of the instability in Turkey that was as a result of the Iraq war. The Iraq war resulted in a lot of strain between the Turkish government and the US but this can be put on hold by the US allowing Turkey to perform a Major role in the reconstruction of Iraq. The other area that was greatly affected by the war is the education sector in Turkey, students from Turkey no longer wants to socialize with the Americans and the Europeans after the war (Council on foreign relations, 2003). The other major effect of the war in Iraq is that it created fear in the Arab countries and most of these countries no longer trust the US or the UK. Most of the Arab countries felt that Iraq was only the first country in what they referred to as the domino effect of democracy and they believe that with the successful introduction of democracy in Iraq there will be more attacks in the Middle East with the aim of installing democracy. This has caused the Arab countries to live in fear of attacks from the US and the UK and therefore they end up arming themselves and at the same time carrying out jihads. The war has also created very high sensitivity in Iran about the regional involvement of the U. S in the country and they believe that those people in the Islamic republic are surrounded by a number of countries which are allies to the U. S and this has caused a lot of fear to the people in the Arab countries. The other major effect that the war has had is that it has led to the collapse of the strong relationship that existed between the United States and the U. K and Syria. This has been attributed to the fact that it is feared that Iraq transferred its weapons of mass destruction to Syria when it was about to be attacked by the coalition forces, this has resulted to a lot of tension in Syria for the fear that the country may be attacked by the coalition forces in search of the weapons of mass destruction. The other major effect of the war on Iraq has been in Saudi Arabia, there have been fears of a military attack against Saudi Arabia and also the increased pressure from the United States of America on Saudi Arabia to collaborate in the war against terrorism. The Saudi-U. S relations have been less than ideal in the current days and this made the Saudis think that the Bush administration was using its military force in Iraq so as to influence something from the Saudis. There has been a great deal of uncertainty in the Arab countries with the people thinking that because of the success of the military action on Iraq the United States and its allies may use the same on most of the Arab countries. The other major effect of the war was that there were increased cases of terrorism activities in the U.  S and the U. K when the war against Iraq was declared, this was because the Arab countries were opposed to the war and because they could not convince the U. S and the U. K not to attack Iraq they opted for terrorist activities. The attack against Iraq was also aimed at bringing out the link between the 9/11 bombing in U. S and the Saddam regime but this was not evident and therefore most of the Iraqis felt that the attack was simply to impose a government that was created by the United States and its allies. Baghdad and Damascus are towns in Iraq that are filled with terrorists of the old days but there was no evidence to link these people to the 9/11 bombing in U. S. and this clearly indicated that those who lost their lives in Iraq during the war were not the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks (Leslie, 2004). Muslims all over the world had at first opposed the attack by Al Qaeda on U. S, but this was then reversed when the U. S attacked Iraq and triggered more chaos from the Arab communities. As a result of the war on Iraq moderate Muslims began to support anyone who is out to defend the Muslim land and the values of the Islam religion against any group of people aimed at crashing the Muslims. Due to this the relationship that was there especially in Iraq and Palestine between the U. S and the U. K and the Muslims was greatly affected as the Muslims thought that the U. S and the U. K were out to bring to an end their religion. The war in Iraq has resulted in more bitterness and instability in Iraq as more young Muslims are coming up with a form of jihad that is more volatile than it used to be in the past. The American policy makers have very little appreciation on how their military actions in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan is causing a lot of radicals in the Muslims opinions and also creating very many radical groups that are aimed at fighting for the sake of their faith. This has caused a very poor perception of the citizens of the Arab countries in that they are seen as terrorists just because of being an Arab. The relationship between students from Arab countries and those from the United States or the U. K has also been affected by this perception (Fawaz, 2006). The civil unrest that was experienced in Iraq had very major effects on the relation of the U. S and U. K and the neighbouring countries of Iraq. The problems that the neighbours of Iraq are facing will continue even with a steady improvement of the situation in Iraq and the situation would be worse if the situation in Iraq deteriorates. The most dangerous effect of the Iraq war would be due to sectarian and ethnic conflicts in Iraq. The sectarian hatred that may arise in Iraq will lead to civil unrest in Iraq and this would also affect the countries that are neighbouring Iraq. These countries would then in turn blame the U. S and its allies because they caused the war in Iraq. The Iraq people and its allies felt that they would not be welcomed in the United States in case they face any disasters in their countries and this also broke the relationship that was there between the Arab countries and the United States. This can be seen during the war because those Iraqis that were affected by the war were put in refugee camps and treated in a very inhuman way. The other major effect of the war on the relation of the Arab and the U. S and U. K was that there were reduced tourism activities between these nations for the fear of terrorism (Andrew, 2008). The war against Iraq also had an effect on the global terrorism and contrary to what George Bush and Tony Blair argued it is evident that the war brought about increased global terrorism. This is evident in that the number of people killed in jihad attacks has increased steadily from the time when the Iraq war started. The Iraq war is also seen to have caused an increase in the spread of the Al Qaeda activities in the Arab countries with the reason that they are out to fight for the Muslims all over the world. The increase in the Al Qaeda activities has caused a lot of insecurity in most of the Arab countries and this is attributed to the war against Iraq and therefore the Arabs find the U. S and the U. K as countries that are out to cause more problems in their countries (Kim and Patrick, 2007). When asked for the reasons for the U.  S attack against Iraq most of the citizens of the Arab nations like Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Jordan give three most common answers. Of these most of the Arabs think that the United States was out to acquire oil reserves in Iraq and protect Israel, but the most astonishing answer given by citizens in the Arab nations is that they were out to weaken the Muslim community. This has led to break down of the relationship that existed between the Arab nations and the U. S and U. K. as the Arabs see the U. S and the U.  K as people who are out to weaken them. The broad perception of the U. S military attack against the Muslim world is that there has been a collapse in the confidence that the Arab nations had on the United States and the U. K. Before the failure of the U. S backed peace talks between Israel and Palestine in 2000 that were mediated by President Clinton, around 60% of the people interviewed in Saudi said that they had confidence in the United States but this ceased with the attack by United States against Iraq in 2003. Lack of trust in the U. S and the U.  K meant that there would be no negotiations that were headed by the two countries in the Arab countries because without trust negotiation does not make any sense at all. The other factor that led to the failure of the relation between the Arab nations and the United States is because of the insistence of the Bush administration on democracy in the Arab nations. They argued that instilling democracy in the Arab nations would greatly increase security in the world, but this was not the case because after the formation of a democratic government in Iraq there have been increased attacks in Iraq by jihads (Kevin, 2005). The war against Iraq also brought about some economic and emotional effects in the Arab nations. The Arab nations felt that they had the responsibility of supporting their fellow Muslims who were suffering in Iraq and therefore they dedicated a lot of resources to the Iraqis, was it not for the war that had been sparked by the United States and the U. K the Arab nations argue that they would have used these resources for their own developments. The Arabs also feel that they were weakened by the war on Iraq in that America took control of the oil wells in Iraq indicating that the Americans were not aimed at imposing a democratic system of government in Iraq but they were out to capture the oil wells in Iraq (Bruno, 2007). In the past five years four and a half million people have left Iraq as refugees, this has therefore put a lot of pressure on the neighbouring countries in that they have to care for the refugees. The neighbouring countries to Iraq have therefore broken the strong relationship that they had with the United States and the U.  K because they term them as the major cause of the problem they are currently facing. Security in the countries around Iraq has also deteriorated due to the fact that terrorists are heading to the neighbouring countries from where they launch their attacks claiming to be fighting for the Muslim religion. The Arab nations feel that the war against Iraq has led to congestion in the Iraq hospitals due to the many casualties that have to be treated in the hospitals and at the same time the hospitals lack qualified personnel and equipments to treat all the casualties. This has made the United States and the U.  K be seen as very inhuman hence collapse of the relation between them and the Arab nations (Robert, 2005). The other major decline in the relations between Arabs and U. S and U. K can be seen in the area of trade. After the war on Iraq was declared the Arab nations reduced their trade with the two major countries that spearheaded the war. This caused a rise in the price of oil which is the major product of the Arab nations. The Arabs also felt that the war on Iraq caused an increase in the Cross border terrorism due to the large number of refugees who flew the war torn Iraq. These acts of terrorism that the neighbouring countries suffered from made them lose the trust they had on the Americans and the people of U. K. There was also the issue of trans-national crime that came with the refugees from Iraq. Tourism activities were also greatly affected in the Arab countries because people from the U. S and the U. K feared travelling to Arab countries because of the increased acts of terrorism that had hit the whole world. The Arabs also developed a very bad perception for the Americans and the people of U.  K; they viewed these people as oppressors of the Muslim community. This had a great effect in those U. S and U. K citizens that were living in Arab countries with some of them having to be forced to go back to their home countries due to fear of being attacked by jihads. The U. S and U. K relation with the Arab countries declined due to the war and this forced some of the U. S or U. K organizations that were based in the Arab countries to return back to their home countries. This shows that business ties between the Arabs and the U. S and U. K were declining.

The Israeli Palestinian Conflict Politics Essay

The Israeli Palestinian Conflict Politics Essay After more than 50 years of war, terrorism, peace negotiation and human suffering, Israel and Palestine remain as far from a peaceful settlement as ever. The entire Middle Eastern region remains a cauldron waiting to reach the boiling point, a potent mixture of religious extremism, (Jewish, Christian and Islamic), mixed with oil and munitions. This paper is an attempt to trace the history of this age old conflict and analyse the viability of internationally suggested solutions. Owing to their history, going back at least 5000 years in time, the paper only throws light on the conflict, post 19th century. And this too, only a cursory overview of a timeline, rather than a detailed description. The paper also attempts to find the bones of contention between the two peoples, clearly laying out the issues and problems along with the need to resolve them. Finally, the paper analyses the two mainstream solutions suggested for resolution of this conflict, being the Two-State theory and the Bi-National State theory. IR theories of Realism and Liberalism are used to broadly analyse these two solutions applicability in the particular conflict. The practical difficulties in the existing political diaspora is highlighted to finally decide the viability. The limitations of the paper is that the complex issues involved do not give enough leeway to say decidedly that one solution is the right solution and the other, wrong. Also, though neutral tones have been imbibed throughout the paper, a humanistic tendency of bias towards the Palestinian cause seeps in, albeit subconsciously. Introduction The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the early 20th century. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between the Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman and then British rule. It forms part of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict. The remaining key issues are: mutual recognition, borders, security, water rights, control of Jerusalem, Israeli settlements, Palestinian freedom of movement and finding a resolution to the refugee question. The violence resulting from the conflict has prompted international actions, as well as other security and human rights concerns, both within and between both sides, and internationally. In addition, the violence has curbed expansion of tourism in the region, which is full of historic and religious sites that are of interest to many people around the world. Many attempts have been made to broker a two-state solution, involving the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside an independent Jewish state or next to the State of Israel (after Israels establishment in 1948). In 2007 a majority of both Israelis and Palestinians, according to a number of polls, preferred the two-state solution over any other solution as a means of resolving the conflict. Moreover, a considerable majority of the Jewish public sees the Palestinians demand for an independent state as just, and thinks Israel can agree to the establishment of such a state. A majority of Palestinians and Israelis view the West Bank and Gaza Strip as an acceptable location of the hypothetical Palestinian state in a two-state solution. However, there are significant areas of disagreement over the shape of any final agreement and also regarding the level of credibility each side sees in the other in upholding basic commitments. Within Israeli and Palestinian society, the conflict generates a wide variety of views and opinions. This highlights the deep divisions which exist not only between Israelis and Palestinians, but also within each society. A hallmark of the conflict has been the level of violence witnessed for virtually its entire duration. Fighting has been conducted by regular armies, paramilitary groups, terror cells and individuals. Casualties have not been restricted to the military, with a large number of fatalities in civilian population on both sides. There are prominent international actors involved in the conflict. This paper details the history of the conflict, giving a purview through a timeline, rather than a detailed description. It also outlines the basic issues involved in the conflict and why their resolution is not cake walk. The two solutions proposed as a solution to the conflict is also analysed in depth, with reference to theoretical concepts of realism and liberalism in IR. The viability of these solutions are dealt with, in the current political scene, though with less insight into the actual political happenings. History of the conflict The origins of the Palestine problem as an international issue lie in events occurring towards the end of the First World War. These events led to a League of Nations decision to place Palestine under the administration of Great Britain as the Mandatory Power under the Mandates System adopted by the League. In principle, the Mandate was meant to be in the nature of a transitory phase until Palestine attained the status of a fully independent nation, a status provisionally recognized in the Leagues Covenant, but in fact the Mandates historical evolution did not result in the emergence of Palestine as an independent nation. The decision on the Mandate did not take into account the wishes of the people of Palestine, despite the Covenants requirements that the wishes of these communities must be a principal consideration in the selection of the Mandatory. This assumed special significance because, almost five years before receiving the mandate from the League of Nations, the British Government had given commitments to the Zionist Organization regarding the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine, for which Zionist leaders had pressed a claim of historical connection since their ancestors had lived in Palestine two thousand years earlier before dispersing in the Diaspora.  [1]  During the period of the Mandate, the Zionist Organization worked to secure the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine. The indigenous people of Palestine, whose forefathers had inhabited the land for virtually the two preceding millennia  [2]  , felt this design to be a violation of their natural and inalienable rights. They also viewed it as an infringement of assurances of independence given by the Allied Powers to Arab leaders in return for their support during the war. The result was mounting resistance to the Mandate by Palestinian Arabs, followed by resort to violence by the Jewish community as the Second World War drew to a close. By 1947, largely through this massive immigration, the Jewish population reached a substantial 33% and owned about 6% of the land. Finally, in 1947 the United Nations decided to intervene. As per the Resolution 181  [3]  , the UN recommended giving away 55% of Palestine to a Jewish state despite the fact that this group represented only about 33% of the total population, and owned under 7% of the land. Jerusalem was to have been an international city shared by all peoples of the region. The Zionist movement embraced the plan whereas the Palestine (and other neighbouring Arab nations) saw the plan as extremely unfair and rejected it. This followed the first war which was to sow the seeds of future conflicts. The Arab League supported the Arab struggle by forming the volunteer based Arab Liberation Army, supporting the Palestinian Arab Army of the Holy War. On the Jewish side, the civil war was managed by the major underground militias the Haganah, Irgun and Lehi, strengthened by numerous Jewish veterans of World War II and foreign volunteers. By spring 1948, it was already clear that the Arab forces were nearing a total collapse, while Yishuv forces gained more and more territory, creating a large scale refugee problem of Palestinian Arabs.  [4]  Popular support to the Palestinian Arabs throughout the Arab world led to sporadic violence against Jewish communities of Middle East and North Africa, creating an opposite refugee wave. Following the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948, the Arab League decided to intervene on behalf of Palestinian Arabs, marching their forces into former British Palestine, beginning the main phase of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The overall fighting, leading to around 15,000 casualties, resulted in cease fire and armistice agreements of 1949, with Israel holding much of the former Mandate territory, Jordan occupying and later annexing the West Bank and Egypt taking over the Gaza Strip, where the All-Palestine Government was declared by the Arab League on 22 September 1948. While the Jewish people were successful in creating their homeland, there was no Palestine and no internationalization of Jerusalem, either. In 1948 for example, Palestinians were driven out of the new Israel into refugee camps in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and other regions. At least 750,000 people are said to have been driven out (or ethnically cleansed, as some have described it).  [5]  It should be noted that many Jews were also expelled from surrounding Arab countries. Zionist organizations and even some Arab nations also encouraged many Jews to immigrate to Israel. As with Palestinians, expelled Jews often had their land and/or bank accounts and other property seized. In 1956, Britain, France and Israel invaded the Sinai Peninsula after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal fearing the loss of a major economic trading route entry point for the West to the rest of the Middle East. While Egypt was defeated, international pressure forced the withdrawal of the invading forces.  [6]   In 1967, Israel simultaneously attacked Egypt, Syria and Jordan in a pre-emptive strike against the Arab troops along its borders. Israel captured key pieces of land, such as the strategic Golan Heights to the north on the border with Syria, to the West Bank from Jordan and the Gaza strip from Egypt. In fact, Israel more than doubled its size in the six days that this war took place. Since then, negotiations have been around returning land to pre-1967 states, as required by international law and UN resolutions. Even today, the Palestine Liberation Organisation calls for a two state solution based on the pre Six Day War borders. In 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur to attempt to regain the land lost in the Six Day War, but failed. This confrontation is also known as the Yom Kippur War. In 1978, the Camp David accords were signed between Israel, Egypt and the US, and Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula back to Egypt in return for peace between them. To the US and Israel, this was a great achievement; Egypt was obviously not to be underestimated in its capabilities, so the best thing would be to ensure it is an ally, not an adversary. In 1978, due to rising Hezbollah attacks from South Lebanon, where many Palestinian refugees still were, Israel attacked and invaded Lebanon. In 1982, Israel went as far up Lebanon as Beirut, as bloody exchanges followed between Israeli attempts to bomb Yasser Arafats PLO locations, and Hezbollah retaliations. The infamous Shabra and Shatila massacre was carried out during this war. In 1985, Israel declared a strip of South Lebanon to be a Security Zone (not recognized by the UN). Many civilians were killed on both sides. Israeli forces were accused of massacres on many occasions. After 22 years, Israel withdrew in May 2000. One of the leading Israeli military personnel was the future Israel Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. In the late 1980s came the Palestinian uprising-the Intifada. While there was much of a non-violence movement initially, the mainstream media concentrated on the violence. Young Palestinians confronted Israeli troops with nothing more than sling shots and stones. Thousands were killed by the Israeli military. Many suicide activists killed Israeli soldiers and caused other damage. Many innocent civilians were killed on both sides. 1993 saw the Oslo Peace Accord, whereby Israel recognized the PLO and gave them limited autonomy in return for peace and an end to Palestinian claims on Israeli territory. With the signing of the Oslo Declaration of Principles, the PLO denounced violence and recognised the UN Security Council Resolution 242, thereby recognising the right of Israel to exist. In 1994, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip and Jericho, ending twenty seven years of occupation. They were replaced by a Palestinian police force. In April 1996, Israeli forces bombed Lebanon for 17 days, with Hezbollah retaliating by firing upon populated areas of Northern Israel. Israel also shelled a UN shelter killing about 100 out of 800 civilians sheltering there. The above merely gives a broad outline of the conflict, and a more comprehensive analysis of the underlying cause and various other issues couldnt be provided here due to the call of brevity. The Palestine Problem and the need for a Solution As the periodic bloodshed continues in the Middle East, the search for an equitable solution must come to grips with the root cause of the conflict. The conventional wisdom is that, even if both sides are at fault, the Palestinians are irrational terrorists who have no point of view worth listening to. Our position, however, is that the Palestinians have a real grievance: their homeland for over a thousand years was taken, without their consent and mostly by force, during the creation of the state of Israel. And all subsequent crimes on both sides inevitably follow from this original injustice. Whether it is the Deir Yassin massacre in which the Irgun and Lehi soldiers carried out the slaughter of innocent villagers including women and children, or whether it is the suicide bombings perpetrated on Israeli civilians and soldiers by Palestine based terrorist groups, both sides have used a previous occurrences as justifications for a fresh act of violence. After decades of bloodshed, there seems to be no right or wrong anymore. And misery hasnt ceased to exist for the innocent. The major issues that dominate the dialogues on the problem are: Refugees About 726,000 Palestinians were expelled or fled their homes in 1948 in the war that followed the creation of Israel, and additional Palestinians fled in 1967. There are now about 4 million Palestinian refugees. Many of them live in crowded refugee camps in poor conditions in the West Bank and Gaza, in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Palestinians demand that these refugees should have the right to return to their homes in Israel under UN General Assembly Resolution 194. Israelis note that an almost equal number of Jews fled Arab lands to Israel in 1948. Israelis oppose return of the refugees because that would create an Arab Palestinian majority and would put an end to Israel as a Jewish state. Most Palestinian groups, including the Fateh, agree, and openly proclaim that resolution of the refugee issue by granting right of return would mean the end of Israel. Israeli Settlements One of the major barriers to the creation of two contiguous, sovereign states for Palestinians and Israelis is the existence and continuing growth of illegal Israeli colonies (widely called settlements) on land long recognized by the United Nations as part of Palestine. Despite a repeated international condemnation, the population of these settlements, which currently number 121, has grown by an average of 5% annually since 2001. That compares to an average growth of just 1.8% for the population of Israel proper. Israel has repeatedly refused to dismantle these settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights, and has repeatedly fudged and violated various moratoriums on new growth. Palestinian State Originally formed to regain all of Palestine for the Palestinian Arabs, the Palestine Liberation Organization signalled that it would accept a two state solution in 1988. The Oslo accords were supposed to have led to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, but continued Israeli settlement and Palestinian violence and incitement degenerated into open conflict in September 2000. Mainstream Palestinians demand a state in the West Bank and Gaza. Right wing Israelis are opposed to creating a state, because, they claim, it would be a base for terror groups. In final status negotiations, the Israeli government agreed to a demilitarized Palestinian state with limited control over its borders and resources a state minus. Palestinian terror Almost all Palestinian groups were founded with the declared aim of destroying Israel by violence, and had a history of terrorist activities. Only the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) has renounced this aim officially. In 1993, the PLO signed the Oslo Declaration of Principles, renouncing violence and agreeing to honour UN SC Resolution 242, which implicitly recognizes the right of Israel to exist. In return, Israel allowed the PLO to enter the West Bank and Gaza strip, and Palestinians gained autonomous control of most of the population of these areas. Extremist Palestinian groups that objected to the agreements began a campaign of ambushes and suicide bombings against Israel. The Palestine National Authority claimed they could not control the dissident groups. Final status negotiations faltered in September 2000. Israeli Repression Israel responded to Palestinian violence at the beginning of the Oslo process by limiting the flow of Palestinian workers to Israel to prevent infiltration of terrorists, and by strict checks at border checkpoints. The border closing drastically reduced the Palestinian standard of living. Palestinians who did come to work were often subjected to humiliating searches and very long waits at checkpoints. Following terror attacks at the checkpoints, nervous IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers sometimes were too quick to open fire on suspicious vehicles, killing innocent civilians. Checkpoints around Jerusalem made it difficult for Palestinians to get to work in Jerusalem and to travel between Palestinian towns. The IDF has killed over 3,500 Palestinians  [7]  , demolished houses and uprooted olive groves. After a recent IDF study showed that the demolitions do not deter suicide bombings, demolitions of the houses of suicide bombers were discontinued, but houses are still demolished for other reasons. In addition to measures taken to ensure security, Israeli extremist settlers have harassed Palestinians, destroyed property, uprooted olive trees and killed several Palestinians in doubtful circumstances. The perpetrators are rarely identified and almost never prosecuted. Israeli Security The area of Israel within its pre-1967 armistice borders is slightly less than 8,000 square miles. The distance from Tel Aviv to the green line border of Israel (West Bank) is about 11 miles. Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other Israeli cities are within artillery range of any Palestinian state. Israel therefore insists on guarantees that a Palestinian state would be demilitarized. The West Bank has enormous strategic importance to any country wishing to invade Israel. Israel therefore insists on guarantees that the Palestinian state would not allow a foreign army to enter its borders, and has insisted on bases within the West Bank. Water The land has always had a scarcity of water. The Israel National Water Carrier has made possible a high population density and standard of living.  [8]  The carrier pumps water from the Sea of Galilee and carries it to areas in the center and south of Israel as well as for Palestinian areas. In one day it delivers the volume of water used in all of 1948, but it is not enough.  [9]  The aquifers that supply Israels central area lie in the West Bank. The Jordan river flows through territory that would be part of Palestine. Both sides need water for survival and development and want to ensure an adequate water supply from the limited resources available. Israel has reserved for its own use a large percentage of the water in West Bank aquifers The Two State Solution The current solution for Israel and Palestine suggests that Palestinians ought to have their own state, separate from Israel. In this way a Two-State solution might be reached. The method by which such a solution could be implemented involves a technical division of land with walls, earth mounds, road blocks and fences. This chapter discusses the so-called practical limitations of a Two-State solution. Notably it questions whether a Palestinian State is a viable option. Israel and Palestine combined are no bigger than South Africas Western Cape Province and yet, for such a small amount of land, the Two-State solution seeks the establishment of a Palestinian state, separate from the current Israeli state. Palestine itself is not one land mass. It is currently divided into two territories named the West Bank and Gaza respectively. Gaza has a western coastline on the Mediterranean Sea and shares borders with Israel and Egypt. Gaza is a relatively small territory, merely 45 kilometres in length. The West Bank is landlocked, sharing borders with Israel and Jordan. Although the West Bank is marginally larger than Gaza, it is not easy to freely access the territory as it is surrounded by a 723km concrete wall, 6-9 metres high in most places. The wall has been built by Israel to separate Israel from the Palestinian West Bank. But the wall does not follow the internationally recognised border between Israel and the West Bank. Rather, it cuts into the West B ank annexing 13% of the territory for Israel. The wall is characteristic of Israels selfishness in claiming Palestinian land. Despite the low percentage of land annexed by the wall, this portion of land is, nonetheless, highly fertile and densely populated mostly by Palestinian farmers. The livelihood of these farmers depends on the productivity of their land. Palestinians whose land has been annexed by Israel live in a so-called seam zone between the internationally recognised Israeli-West Bank border and the wall. These Palestinians who live in the seam zone are known as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). By definition they are person who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of armed conflict, violence, violations of human rights or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognised State border.  [10]  Palestinians whose land falls in the seam zone are only permitted access to their farmlands during designated hours with a required permit. If a viable Palestinian state is to be cre ated, the status of these IDPs has to be resolved, either by Israel offering financial compensation for appropriating Palestinian land, or by moving the wall and thereby allowing Palestinian landowners to return. Both of these solutions are technical in nature and are indicative of the so-called rational approach taken by Israeli policymakers. The vexing nature of how to divide Israel and Palestine comes without even discussing Jerusalem, a city which is contested by Israelis and Palestinians. Jerusalem is home to an estimated 250,000 Palestinians and 200,000 Jews. While Israel claims Jerusalem to be its official capital, the international community treats East Jerusalem as Palestinian territory held by Israel under military occupation. Also, the international community does not recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, and the city hosts no foreign embassies. Palestinians seek to secure a portion of the city as the political capital of a Palestinian State. Israel is, however, unwilling to relinquish any part of Jerusalem for a Palestinian capital. So, the obstacles faced by policymakers favouring a Two-State solution are obstacles of control: which areas are to be controlled by Palestinians and which areas are to be controlled by Israelis. In other words, the question for those concerned with the Two-State solution is how to delineate land which can be controlled by the state. State control over territory is a central feature of the Two-State solution and. This kind of control is termed sovereignty. Policymakers seek to divide Israel and Palestine into two separate states so that each may exercise supreme authority over its territory, without interference from the other. The means by which mutual non-interference is achieved between states is through a principle of so-called recognition. The term itself requires further explanation, in its relevance to the teaching and practice of IR. For IR theorists, recognition is commonly used to describe how states acknowledge one another. The most fundamental aspect of inter-state recognition is respect for each states sovereignty. The Two-State solution hinges on Israelis and Palestinians recognising each other as sovereign entities and thereby not interfering with one anothers domestic affairs. To problematize the notion of interstate recognition it is useful to consider Hegels views. Discussing the relationship between two individuals, a Lord and a Bondsman, he says, Each sees the other, and therefore also does what it does only in so far as the other does the same. Action by one side only would be useless because what is to happen can only be brought about by bothà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ They recognize themselves as mutually recognizing one another.  [11]   There is a perception that Jewish sovereignty is under threat due to the low ratio of Jews to Arabs in the Middle-East. So, in order to protect the identity of this small Jewish population, Jews are insulated within their own sovereign state Israel. Non-Jews living within Israel are viewed as a threat. The protection of Jewish sovereignty would explain why there are limited employment opportunities for Arab workers in Israel and why Arabs receive different education to Jews. Despite the fact that they share territory, it is evident that Israelis and Palestinians believe themselves to be separate nations and thus deserving of separate sovereign states. So the Two-State solution is seen as the so-called rational end for Israelis and Palestinians. Today, the two-state solution is widely accepted among Israelis and Palestinians and around the world. Even elements of the Israeli right are now resigned to the establishment of a Palestinian state, although their conception of the nature of that state is not acceptable to Palestinians. On the Palestinian side, even elements of the Hamas leadership have hinted that they would go along with a two-state solution if negotiated by Fatah leaders and endorsed by the public, as long as they did not renounce their ideological principles. However, a strong view is that neither side would be able to agree to a division that yielded the Temple Mount to the other side. As an attempt to break the stalemate, U.S. President Bill Clinton proposed dividing sovereignty of the site vertically the ground and area below coming under Israeli sovereignty, while that above the ground (i.e. the Haram al-Sharif containing the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque) would be under Palestinian sovereignty. A similar idea was suggested for tunnels and elevated roads connecting communities. In the end neither side accepted the concept. The main point on which the two-state solution formula differs from those for an independent Palestinian state is that it calls for direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. To achieve a two-state solution, the negotiations must address and resolve a number of core issues, including the borders of the Palestinian state, the citizenship of the new Palestinian state, the status of Palestinian refugees outside the final borders, and the status of Arab citizens of present-day Israel, besides the future of East Jerusalem. The Two-State Solution: An analysis using IR theories Israelis and Palestinians are clearly interspersed, yet the Two-State solution seeks to divide them into sovereign states. We have seen that the idea of sovereignty underpins the Two-State solution based on the distinct nationalities of Israelis and Palestinians. Sovereignty also forms the core of two IR perspectives that are used in the discipline: Realism and Liberalism. This is not to say that that Realism and Liberalism are the only IR theories that can be used to explain the Two-State solution. Rather, Realism and Liberalism are two of the foundational theories. Therefore it is useful to discuss the Two-State solution from the perspective of Realism and Liberalism. First, let us analyse the Two-State solution through the prism of Realism, the school of thought which has been given the greatest primacy in IR. Realism Realists believe that there is no moral standard which dictates how states should behave toward one another. The lack of an overriding ethical code to structure interstate behaviour is known as so-called anarchy.  [12]  For Realists, power dictates how states interact with one another. Because power relations are central to a Realist understanding of the international arena, states are sceptical of trust. So, instead of trusting one another states choose their alliances based on one anothers strategic value in so-called self-interested behaviour. Selfishness means that interstate warfare is inevitable. In the Realist understanding, the international arena is brutal and the only way to deter actors from going to war is if the costs of doing so outweigh the benefits. So, Realists reduce human interests to strategies or games, advocating that actors constantly seek to maximize their utility through negotiations, trade-offs and alliances. Realist Theory reduces the Israeli-Palestinian bilateral relationship to a power squabble, as each side attempts to gain the ascendency. In these circumstances relations become a ping-pong match of provocation and conflict is inevitable. For example, a Palestinian suicide bombing in a Tel Aviv market might be reciprocated by an Israeli incursion into the bombers West Bank village. Even cumulative small actions by one side can lead to one large action from the other for example, when numerous Qassam rockets, fired into Israel by Palestinian militants, result in an Israeli military offensive. Presumably then, in the Realist understanding, peace is achieved when the costs of going to war outweigh the benefits of doing so. However, a cost-benefit analysis of going to war can

Portfolios To Assess Professional Competence And Development Nursing Essay

Portfolios To Assess Professional Competence And Development Nursing Essay Portfolios have been recommended for the assessment of professional development. To stimulate engagement and assess professional development during laboratory training, portfolio assessment was proposed for the final year BMLS and DMLT programmes in Kampala International University. Work Done The students undergoing clinical laboratory training in teaching hospitals, and engaged in routine laboratory services under supervision of qualified Medical Laboratory Scientists, composed a portfolio detailing their daily experiences, work done, and lessons learned. Their supervisors and facilitators provided daily feedback and endorsed their entries. The portfolios were examined at the end of training by faculty staff and external examiner through oral presentation and interviews. Rating rubric considered quality of presentation, portfolio content, demonstration of progressive development, and ability to make professional judgment. Students and assessors acceptance of this instrument was determined with questionnaire. Results 72 % of the students and assessors accepted the method. Many students reported that it improved commitment to training, encouraged reflection, and allowed for frequent feedback. Many believed that it was a rational assessment, but it was time consuming. 88 % of the participants would welcome it as a supplement to the standard tests. Conclusions The portfolio assessment was well accepted, rational, and provided a valid assessment of student engagement and progression during professional training. Take Home Message The inclusion of portfolio assessment in Medical Laboratory Sciences Education provided valid assessment of students engagement in training and professional development over time. Introduction The use of portfolios in health professions education has increased dramatically over the years. The enthusiastic acceptance of this principle is in part born out of the ever growing interest in outcomes based education in all divisions of health science.1 The curricula of most health sciences schools now emphasize authentic experiences, promote self direction and reflection in learning, and outcomes based assessment. Portfolios not only stimulate professional development and reflective learning, they also provide opportunity for self direction, and avenues for feedback from faculty.2, 3 Portfolios have been recommended for the assessment of professional development in medical education,4 and several reports document their successful use in assessment of competence at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.5,6 To stimulate engagement and to assess professional development during clinical laboratory training, portfolio development and assessment was proposed for the final year Bac helor of Medical Laboratory Sciences and the Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology students of the Kampala International University, Uganda in 2008. This article reports the experience of the use of portfolios to assess professional development in these programmes. Methods Institutional approval for the study was obtained from the IREC. Eighteen final year students who were undergoing clinical laboratory training in the teaching hospitals at the Kampala International University Teaching Hospital Ishaka and the Mulago Hospital in Kampala and participating in routine daily laboratory work were requested to compose and maintain a portfolio comprising details of their daily experiences, work done and lessons learnt during their training. Their supervisors and programme facilitators provided daily feedback on their work and endorsed all entries. At the end of their clinical laboratory training, the portfolios were examined by the four faculty staff and an external examiner. The students were also required to make a 15 minutes presentation based on the portfolio content, and take interview on lessons learned and overall impact of the training on their development. A rating rubric used for the assessment considered the quality of students presentation, portfo lio content, demonstration of students progressive development over time, and their ability to make professional judgment. Questionnaires were used to determine the students and raters views on the acceptability, convenience, and usefulness of this method of assessment. The data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Table 1: Rubric for the assessment of the students portfolios Standard met Standard not met 1 Presentation was complete in 15 minutes 2 Quality of presentation 3 Student showed progressive development over time 4 Student reflected on experiences and could make good professional judgment 5 Portfolio content was adequate 6 Overall assessment Pass Fail General comments: Results The result showed that seventy two per cent (72 %) of the students and assessors accepted the method as a valid and effective means of assessing professional competence. Many students (15 of the 18) reported that it improved their commitment to the laboratory training, and encouraged them to reflect on their daily experiences. Both faculty and students reported that it allowed for frequent feedback and more engagement in the programme. Many believed that it was a rational assessment as it captured development over time, but it was time consuming and quite tasking on both students and staff. Eighty eight per cent (88 %) were of the view that it should be a supplement and not a substitute for the standard written and practical tests. Discussion The evolution of portfolio as a tool for the assessment of professional competence and development offers several advantages over the traditional standard tests which to a large extent are reductionist and do not capture progression over time. Application of portfolio assessment in Medical Laboratory Sciences education is not widespread and only few reports are available in literature.7 This study demonstrated that portfolio development and assessment is well accepted by both staff and students in the medical laboratory sciences programme of the Kampala International University. An important aspect of medical education is the matching of assessment methods with learning mode, as assessment drives learning. Portfolio assessment aligns well with competency based education whose tenets include learner centeredness, formative feedback, developmental process, reflection, and multiple types and sources of assessment.3 This study demonstrated this clearly as it promoted student /staff engag ement in the clinical laboratory training programme, students ownership of their training, and reflective learning which are some of the advantages highlighted by similar previous reports of the use of portfolio in other programmes.8, 9 The study also showed that many of the study participants would not welcome this form of assessment as the only mode of student assessment. Rather it would be a valuable addition to the traditional methods of assessment of competence. The limitations of this study include the small sample size used for the study. It is recommended that a larger sample of students be included in a more elaborate study possibly over a longer study period. To ease the burden of assessment, using structured interview to assess the portfolio as recommended by Burch and Seggie 10 could be helpful. Conclusion: The use of portfolios to assess students progress and professional competence in Medical Laboratory Sciences is a welcome proposition. It should be used to supplement the standard written and practical tests. Its advantages include stimulation of student engagement, self direction, reflective learning, and monitoring of progress over time. It is however seen to be time consuming for the students. Its introduction extends the methods of assessment in Medical Laboratory Sciences.

Ben Franklin: Early Life Essay -- Essays Papers

Ben Franklin: Early Life In his many careers as a printer, moralist, essayist, civic leader, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, and philosopher, for later generations of Americans he became both a spokesman and a model for the national character. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts on Jan. 17, 1706, into a religious Puritan household. His father, Josiah, was a candlemaker and a skillful mechanic. His mother, Abiah Ben’s parents raised thirteen children--the survivors of Josiah’s seventeen children by two wives (#1). Printer & Writer Franklin left school at ten years old when he was pressed into his father's trade. At twelve Ben was apprenticed to his half brother James, a printer of The New England Courant. He generally absorbed the values and philosophy of the English Enlightenment. At the age of 16, Franklin wrote some pieces for the Courant signed "Silence Dogood," in which he parodied the Boston authorities and society (#3). At one point James Franklin was imprisoned for his liberal statements, and Benjamin carried on the paper himself. Having thus learned to resist oppression, Benjamin refused to suffer his brother's own domineering qualities and in 1723 ran away to Philadelphia (#1). Soon Franklin found a job as a printer. After a year he went to England, where he became a master printer, sowed some wild oats, amazed the locals with his swimming feats, and lived among inspiring writers of London. By 1726 Franklin was tiring of London (#1). He considered becoming an itinerant teacher of swimming, but when a Quaker merchant by the name of Thomas Denham offered him a clerkship in his store in Philadelphia, he decided to return home (#5). Returning to Philadelphia in 1726, he soon owned a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, and began to print Poor Richard's Almanac. In the Pennsylvania Gazette, a citizen asked editor Franklin the following question: "If A found out that his neighbor B was sleeping with his wife, was he justified in telling B's wife, and persuading her to seek a little revenge with A?" The editor's response: "If an ass kicks me, should I kick him again? (#4)" His business expanded further when he contracted to do the public printing of the province, and established partnerships with printers in other colonies. He also operated a bookshop and became clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly and postmaster of Philadelp... ...eek. These virtues include temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquillity, chastity, and humility. The Autobiography is not the full story of Franklin’s life. It terminates approximately in his fifty-third year, before he became America’s greatest diplomat. Poor Richard was an uneducated but experienced homespun philosopher, created and edited by Ben Franklin from 1732-1757. Although Poor Richard of the early almanacs was a dim-witted and foolish astronomer, a round character soon replaced him who was a rich source of prudent and clever aphorisms on the value of economy, hard work, and the simple life. WORKS CITED 1. â€Å"Benjamin Franklin.† Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1998 ed. CD-ROM. Danbury: Grolier Interactive Inc., 1998. 2. Franklin, Benjamin The Autobiography and other writings of Benjamin Franklin. Donovan, Frank, ed. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1963. 3. Ketcham, Ralph â€Å"Benjamin Franklin.† Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia. Vol.8. New York: Lexicon Publications Inc., 1989. 282-284. 4. http://library.advanced.org/22254/home.htm 5. http://www-lj.eb.com/

Skin Cancer :: Skin Cancer Essays

Gone are the days when people sent children outside to play to get a little color in their cheeks. They know too much about the dangers of unprotected sun exposure and the threat of skin cancer. Or do they? Despite the fact that 58% of parents remembered hearing about the importance of protecting their children from the sun, children are still playing in the sun without sunscreen or protective clothing (3., p 1). Sunburn is the most preventable risk factor of skin cancer. Skin type and family history cannot be changed. Protection from the sun and education of the potential hazards of the sun need serious attention. The American Cancer Society estimates that over 1,000,000 cases of skin cancer will occur in the United States this year. Of those cases, they predict that over 10,000 will end in death (4., p 1). Apparently, Americans still do not have an adequate amount of prevention information to help reduce the disfigurement and mortality from this cancer. Exposure to the ultraviolet radiation from the sun is the most frequently blamed source of skin cancer. Due to the reduction of ozone in the earth’s atmosphere, UV radiation is higher today than it was several years ago. Ozone serves as a filter to screen out and reduce the UV light that reaches the earth’s surface and its people. Very simply, sunburn and UV light can damage the skin and lead to skin cancer (1., p 1). The American Cancer Society also faulted repeated exposure to x-rays, artificial forms of UV radiation like tanning beds, and contact with chemicals like coal tar and arsenic as other causes of skin cancer (4., p 1). Additionally, if there is a history of skin cancer in the family, an individual may be at a higher risk (1., p 1). Individuals who have experienced only one serious sunburn have increased their risk of skin cancer by as much as 50% (1., p 4). There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma usually imposes itself on areas of the skin that have been exposed to the sun. It usually appears as a small raised bump with a smooth shiny surface. Another type resembles a scar that is firm to the touch. Although this specific type of skin cancer may spread to tissue directly surrounding the cancer area, it usually does not spread to other areas of the body (9.