Oil and Gas Management

Executive Summary Oil and gas are very sensitive products. This industry is one of the most lucrative industries in the world. Various operators have succeeded in oil drilling projects, especially when they get experienced and committed drilling contractors.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Oil and Gas Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The relationship between the drilling contractor and the operator should always be clearly defined. The drilling contractor has the duty of drilling the oil and delivering it to the operator. The operator will be responsible for transportation, storage and commercialization of the product. The operator will also be responsible for meeting all the legal requirements in order to smoothen the operation process. It is also important to note that the process legalizing the whole project should be done with relevant agencies. Environmental agencies should be contacted in or der to get their approval. The process of drilling oil, its transportation, storage and sale is always dangerous to the environment. Spillage of oil can cause serious environmental damage both on land and in water. A leakage of gas can result in a catastrophe in that particular area. Relevant agencies must therefore approve such projects by determining that the operator, and the drilling company has the capacity to ensure that the whole process is safe enough. The Role of the Various Organisations Involved In the Oil Gas Industry Critical Operations Issues Between Operator and Drilling Contractor Material and Equipments One of the critical operations issues between the operator and the drilling contractor is the materials and equipments. It is a standard practice that it is the responsibility of the contractor to have relevant materials. This should be indicated clearly, stating their quality and quantity in order to avoid disputes. The operator should therefore define the standard s of the equipments and materials needed when developing the contract.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Personnel It is the responsibility of the contractor to bring along qualified and experienced personnel to work on the project. The contractor should ensure that the personnel meet the set physical and academic criteria, and that they are tested for medical fitness before their deployment. Duration When signing the contract, it is important to clearly state the duration that the project will take in details. This will help avoid conflicts that always arise due to delays by the contractor to complete the project in time. However, there should be a clause allowing the project to be closed earlier if it is finished before the stipulated date, or late if there are delays, and any possible consequences for the delays (Kousholt 2007, p. 90). Defective performance It is alway s common to have cases where the assigned work is not done as per the expectations. There must be a provision for such defective work. The operator should inform the contractor the nature of such defects within the right time. It will be the responsibility of the contractor to go over the work again and correct the identified mistakes at its own expense. The operator may be granted the right to look for the third party in case the defect done by the contractor is too gross and indicates that the operator has no capacity to perform the task properly. Risk Allocation In any drilling operations, risks and uncertainties cannot be ignored because they can occur. It would therefore be very prudent to clearly indicate how such risks are allocated between the contractor and the operator. It will be important to identify possible risks that may occur, and the stages at which they might occur, in order to allocate them either to the operator on contractor.Advertising We will write a cust om coursework sample on Oil and Gas Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Insurance The need for insuring the whole project is very obvious, given the uncertainties stated above. Both the operator and the contractor will be expected to meet specific costs towards the coverage. The insurance should be taken with a reputable firm that will meet its responsibility should it arise. Some of areas that should be covered include commercial general insurance, general third party insurance and third party insurance. According to Kousholt (2007, p. 90), when two firms come together to work towards a common goal, the driving force is always to share the responsibilities that comes with achieving this goal. The partnering units must embrace togetherness. They must accept working together as a unit in order to have the much expected success. Critical Operational Issues Between Operator and External Agencies (NGO) The oil company will need to come up with three main external agencies (NGO). The three include those concerned with transparency, anticorruption and environment. The environmental agency will work in close coordination with the firm to ensure that the environment is not polluted. This may involve conducting regular inspection at the site, and making recommendation on how best the firm can improve its operations to minimize environmental pollution. Cases such as oil spillage will be eliminated. Environment will be protected from degradation. The transparency body will help ensure that the firm operates within the legal limits of the country. It will also ensure that all the relevant partners in this project relates well. The anticorruption agency will ensure that the project observes all the financial obligations it has towards various bodies within the country. The anticorruption and transparency agencies will also ensure that this firm relates well with the society in general. The environmental body will be instrumental in case there is need to participate in corporate social responsibility such as tree planting.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Critical Operational Issues in the Relationship Between the Operator and the UK Government According to Gerry and Scholes (2008, p. 114), the government is the most important agency that a firm must ensure it conforms to its policies. The government enacts laws and regulations that govern gas and oil production within the country. The government of the United Kingdom has various expectations, and rules that all the firms operating in the country must follow. Different firms in different industries have differing expectations from the government. The government also has different expectations for firms in different industries. In order to ensure that these firms are closely monitored, the government works with different agencies within the country. The department of energy will be directly responsible for monitoring of the activities of all the firms in this industry. The operator must therefore ensure that it acts within the expectations of this department. The government will alway s act in a way to protect the firm as a way of developing the economy. The operator should therefore ensure that the government finds all the reasons to protect the firm and give it the necessary support that would ensure that it succeeds. The government also needs to ensure that there is local involvement and participation in various activities in the project. The government always appreciates it when a firm employs the locals whenever there is an opportunity. There should also be national participation. Risks should also be kept as minimal as possible. On the other side, the operator will also have its concerns to put to the government. It would prefer a longer exploration within the country (Lewis 2006, p. 5). Also of concern to the operator will be relaxed regulations that would ensure that it operates with minimal ease. The operator will also need better tax deals with the government as a way of increasing the profitability of the project. Petroleum Economics and Taxation Regim es, Legal Arrangements and Contractual Relationships Analysis and Contrast of the Advantages of the Concession and PSA governance Regimes from the Viewpoint of the Sovereign State In the global world, governments have always ensured that they control the development projects to their favor. A sovereign state would always make an effort to ensure that it develops the local economy as a way of developing itself. When a state becomes sovereign, there is always the spirit of nationalism. Firms always try to ensure that they get all the resources that the sovereign state would need. There would be an attempt to ensure that the nation is freed from any external interference. Interference may come in various fronts, including the need to depend on external support to run the state. Various sovereign states have therefore been very keen to incline development to their favor. They make every effort to ensure that all firms that operate within the country are able to help in the development o f that nation. To make it clearer, it would be important to analyze advantages and disadvantages from the two standpoints. Concession Advantages to the government The government will get secure and regular revenues at very little effort, increasing its capacity to build the nation. It facilitates early engagement of the oil firm to the government, and the commitment is has towards the government. Disadvantages to the government The government will be the sole bearer of risks that is related to the project. This can result in massive loss to the government. This strategy potentially widens choice of the government on partners to embrace large service companies. There will be no upsides from high economic rents. It will not be in a position to take advantage of the high economic rents fully. The government will have no control in the manner and schedule of development taken in this strategy. Advantages to the operator It will be able to secure broad control and right over the res erves, and it will be in a position to dictate the pace of development. It will be in a position to take advantage of the high economic rents. It will be easy to achieve vertical integration of companies. Disadvantages to the operator Given that the strategy seems to be biased to the favor of the operator, there is a higher risk of nationalism (Murch 2004, p. 59). The operator will be forced to enter into new negotiations whenever there is a change of power. Product Sharing Agreement Advantages to the government In this strategy, all the operative risks are carried by the operator, meaning that the government will be shielded from any consequences resulting from such losses (Lewis 2006, p. 43). The government shall be in a position to secure upsides from high economic rents. The government will retain ownership of the petroleum products produced and all the associated installations. The exploration risks will also be transferred to the operator. Disadvantages to the government Given that exploration risks can be great; this strategy may deter potential investors. The government may not secure all benefits associated with the projects given the fact that it will avoid taking heavy responsibilities. Advantages to the operator This strategy will allow the operator a possible entry point for future business operations. Given technical capability, the operator may convince the insurance company to lower the coverage cost, making the whole process very attractive. The operator will be entitled to share oil produced in the project. In this strategy, there is always equitable share of rents and costs. Disadvantages to the operator The operator will bear all the exploration costs. This can have serious financial consequences on it. The operator will have to cede significant control share to the government in regard to the nature and pace of development of the project. Comparative Numerical Sensitivity Assessment of the Project Profitability to Variation in t he Sales Gas Price Within Each Regime The profitability of this project relies on a number of factors. The cash flow statement of this project shows that there has been a constant profitability. The statement shows that the project has the capacity to succeed in this industry. It is a fact that that this firm has can have success if it succeeds. The operating costs of this firm and the taxable income indicate that the firm is profitable. The costs of operation are always an indication of the profitability of the firm. According to Murch (2004, p. 53), the costs of operation should be low, and the income generation should be high. The ability of the firm to succeed always depends on low costs of operation. The costs of operation should always be minimized as much as possible. Minimizing the costs of the firm’s operation is one of the ways of increasing their profitability. The profitability of the firm is likely to be on the rise. The firm has been able to withstand the pressu re locally. The taxable income of this firm shows that the firm has had a rise in its operating income. The operating income of the firm always determines its taxable income. Given the high taxable income of the firm, it is a demonstration that this project is profitable. The sales of the gas within the product sharing agreement regime will involve low costs. The taxation will be reduced. However, under a concession agreement, the profitability will be reduced because of the increased taxation. Review the Risks Faced by the Industry and Means of Identifying and Managing Them The risks faced in this industry can be categorized into four aspects. There are technological risks. This may come in the form of lack of reliable system within the project. This may result in serious damages to the project and its profitability. This can be avoided by having the right employees with technological knowledge in this field. Another major risk is political and fiscal risks. Political risks may hav e heavy financial consequences in the firm. For instance, changing of the regime will overburden the project through spiraling taxation. Cases where there is political instability in the country may further jeopardize the profitability of the project. It may be difficult to mitigate political risks. As a result of this, the best approach to take in this case would be to take comprehensive insurance coverage against political uncertainties. The project may also face economic risks. Market volatility is the most common economic risks. The prices of oil in the international markets keeps rising and falling frequently. When the prices falls the project may be as less productive as it had been expected. Another risk is on the environment. When this oil spills on the leaves of any vegetation, it suffocates the plants by blocking the air passages on the surface of the leaf. The vegetation will dry off due to lack of air. This oil is also dangerous to the organisms that live under the soil. It suffocates these organisms. When the spillage is swept into water bodies such as lakes, the effect becomes even worse. Oil always form a thick layer (blanket) on top of water. This thick layer will always prevent air from moving into water. All the living organisms that are under that water will perish for lack or air. The effect will viciously affect other organisms that depend on the organisms that have been destroyed in that particular water body. When the living organisms in water are destroyed, other organisms which may not be directly killed by this oil such as crocodile may feel the impact of this destruction. With other organisms they depend on destroyed, these predators may have nothing to depend on. This may lead to their death within that particular habitat. The firm also faces some risks. Environmental bodies will be keenly monitoring the operations of the firm. They will be keen on ensuring that the firm is taken to task over any case of environmental pollution. The agencies will take the firm to court over cases of environmental pollution. This can result in serious fines that can negatively impact on the firm. The litigation process can also bring negative image on the firm. This may cost this firm a lot of resources trying to rebuild the tainted image of the firm. Besides the losses resulting from litigation, this project can also result in losses from cases involving spillage. When there is oil spillage, the firm will suffer a loss to the extent of the spilled oil. There are cases where cargo on transit is hijacked by pirates. This is one of the ways through which firms have suffered serious losses (Murch 2004, p. 27). When the cargo is hijacked, the loss will be to the extent of the hijacked cargo, or even more, because the storage vessels will also be lost. The fluctuation of oil prices is another risk. When the oil prices slumps, the firm will get revenues below the expected value. This will mean that the firm will have to find a mechan ism through which this deficit will be taken care of. The government may also face some risks in this project. One of the main roles of the government is to ensure that the society is clean and that various agencies operate without any interference from other agencies. A project that involves oil drilling and transportation may have serious negative impact to the society, and hence the government. The BP oil spillage in 2010 has serious impact on the American society. Various economic activities in various beaches in the United States were brought to a halt because of this spillage. This clearly demonstrates that government will always be at risk when such incidents occur. The tax generated from such activities will be lost. The populace who are affected by such cases will be left jobless. This will affect the government. Awareness of Future Oil and Gas Sources and Social Responsibility and Climate Change Issues Corporate social responsibility has become one of the most important fu nctions of firms in the current society. There is need for firms to give back to the society. They need to give back to the society because they take away various resources from this society. When a firm that is involved in oil drilling takes part in corporate social responsibility, it will be giving back to the society what it has taken away from it. Oil drilling involves destruction of the environment. It involves activities that will leave the land barren. This barren land may not benefit this community in any way. To compensate for this destruction, the firm should make an effort to ensure that it helps in making other regions around this place greener. The firm may take part in planting of trees in this region. It should also encourage and support farmers in this region. This way, the firm will try to counter the impact they had on the environment. Corporate social responsibility is always a way of gaining a positive image in the society. The current society is very sensitive ( Inkpen Moffett 2011, p. 64). A firm can lose customers when they are accused of causing mayhem to the environment. Firms therefore take part in corporate social responsibility as a way of ensuring that it gains the favor of the watchdogs of the environment. This would help the firm strike a positive relationship with various governmental agencies within the country. Such agencies may use the firm as a positive example of a firm which is not self-centered. This would enable the firm to be embraced by the society. Corporate social responsibility also helps in marketing the firm positively within the target market. Instead of undertaking a commercial advertisement directly, firms consider participating in corporate social responsibility. This way, they will be advertised positively in the market. Analysis of the Challenges Facing the Adoption of Shale Gas Extraction in the UK The United Kingdom is one of the largest consumers of oil and oil products in the world. This country will the refore have a huge benefit when a firm is able to extract oil from the country. A firm that is able to extract oil within this country will have a huge benefit due to a number of reasons. Shale gas can have a huge benefit when is able to extract oil within the country (Roberts 2011, p. 115). The firm will have a ready market for its products. This means that this firm will not incur costs associated with transportation of the product, and its storage facilities. The firm is also expected to benefit from government incentives as a way of encouraging local production of this product. There are a host of other benefits that this firm stands to benefit by conducting local production. However, there are some challenges that this firm faces within this country. Challenges facing Shale gas can be looked from four main fronts. They include social front, environmental front, political front and economic front. Shale gas faces a serious challenge of protecting the environment in the operation s. Environmental bodies in the United Kingdom are always very keen on monitoring operations of firms within the country to ensure that they do not pollute the environment. Shale gas will have the responsibility of ensuring that its operations within this country do not engage in environmental pollution. This makes the operation very difficult. The firm also faces the challenge of ensuring that the society develops a positive image for its products to be accepted locally (Murch 2004, p. 75). This is because the locals have come to embrace BP as the main producer of their petroleum products. Convincing the market that Shale gas will give them superior value may take some time. Shale gas will have to undertake serious marketing within this market in order to win trust of the market. The competition posed by other major players in this industry may be posing serious challenge to the firm. When the management is not able to counter the competition posed by the competitors, then the firm may be forced out of this industry. One of the firms posing serious challenge to Shale gas is PB. PB has been able to create a positive image in the local market. The brand is very strong, and it will require Shale gas to develop serious techniques. List of References Gerry, J Scholes, K 2008, Exploring Corporate Strategy, Pearson Education, Limited, New York. Inkpen, A Moffett, M 2011, The global oil and gas industry: management, strategy and finance, Tulsa, Okla. Kousholt, B 2007, Project management: theory and practice, Cengage, New York. Lewis, J 2006, Fundamentals of project management, American Management Association, New York. Murch, R 2004, Project management: best practices for IT professionals, Prentice Hall PTR, Upper Saddle River. Roberts, P 2011, Effective project management, Kogan Page, London. This coursework on Oil and Gas Management was written and submitted by user Tomas Thompson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on LAS DROGAS Y LOS ADOLESCENTES

LAS DROGAS Y LOS ADOLESCENTES El aumento en el à ­ndice de consumo de drogas entre adolescentes es cada vez mayor y el problema parece cada dà ­a ms difà ­cil de resolver. La prevencià ³n del consumo de drogas es tarea de todos, pero los medios de comunicacià ³n tienen un papel indiscutible en ella. La televisià ³n puede ser una forma positiva para luchar contra las drogas. Por ejemplo, la televisià ³n hispana ha estado elaborando programas de television, como novelas o propagandas con mensajes acerca de las drogas. Mensajes que ayudan a educar a los jà ³venes acerca de las malas consecuencias de la droga y los problemas que trae su consumo. Tal vez la mejor manera de prevenir la drogadiccià ³n en los adolescentes serà ­a el de representar en la televisià ³n escenas comunes en las que se enfrentan los adolescentes, donde se les ofrece el consumir drogas o donde sienten la curiosidad por probarlas. Quizs con esta opcià ³n el adolescente se pueda situar à ©l mismo en esa representacià ³n e interpretar de manera reflexiva el rol que desarrolla otro individuo y de esta manera identificarse. Asà ­, se lograrà ­a un mejor acercamiento al objetivo de la mayorà ­a de las campaà ±as anti-drogas. Algo asà ­ como la serie de television â€Å"Survivor† pero el tema principal serà ­a las drogas. Actualmente las campaà ±as que se emprenden en la televisià ³n pretenden evitar la drogadiccià ³n en adolescentes. Pero yo creo que esta nueva forma de representar las vivencias en televisià ³n de la vida de los adolescentes pretenden desde un punto de vista de la cultura juvenil reforzar y desarrollar una actitud crà ­tica hacia las drogas informando y previniendo sobre los efectos o consecuencias de ingerir drogas. El à ©xito o fracaso de una campaà ±a publicitaria en televisià ³n depende del grado de realismo con el que se toca o representa el tema de las drogas. No basta con decir que las drogas son malas y tienen graves consecuencias, sino tambià ©n... Free Essays on LAS DROGAS Y LOS ADOLESCENTES Free Essays on LAS DROGAS Y LOS ADOLESCENTES LAS DROGAS Y LOS ADOLESCENTES El aumento en el à ­ndice de consumo de drogas entre adolescentes es cada vez mayor y el problema parece cada dà ­a ms difà ­cil de resolver. La prevencià ³n del consumo de drogas es tarea de todos, pero los medios de comunicacià ³n tienen un papel indiscutible en ella. La televisià ³n puede ser una forma positiva para luchar contra las drogas. Por ejemplo, la televisià ³n hispana ha estado elaborando programas de television, como novelas o propagandas con mensajes acerca de las drogas. Mensajes que ayudan a educar a los jà ³venes acerca de las malas consecuencias de la droga y los problemas que trae su consumo. Tal vez la mejor manera de prevenir la drogadiccià ³n en los adolescentes serà ­a el de representar en la televisià ³n escenas comunes en las que se enfrentan los adolescentes, donde se les ofrece el consumir drogas o donde sienten la curiosidad por probarlas. Quizs con esta opcià ³n el adolescente se pueda situar à ©l mismo en esa representacià ³n e interpretar de manera reflexiva el rol que desarrolla otro individuo y de esta manera identificarse. Asà ­, se lograrà ­a un mejor acercamiento al objetivo de la mayorà ­a de las campaà ±as anti-drogas. Algo asà ­ como la serie de television â€Å"Survivor† pero el tema principal serà ­a las drogas. Actualmente las campaà ±as que se emprenden en la televisià ³n pretenden evitar la drogadiccià ³n en adolescentes. Pero yo creo que esta nueva forma de representar las vivencias en televisià ³n de la vida de los adolescentes pretenden desde un punto de vista de la cultura juvenil reforzar y desarrollar una actitud crà ­tica hacia las drogas informando y previniendo sobre los efectos o consecuencias de ingerir drogas. El à ©xito o fracaso de una campaà ±a publicitaria en televisià ³n depende del grado de realismo con el que se toca o representa el tema de las drogas. No basta con decir que las drogas son malas y tienen graves consecuencias, sino tambià ©n...

Is Religion The Controlled Manipulation Of Humanity's Potential To Essay

Is Religion The Controlled Manipulation Of Humanity's Potential To Freely Enter A Relationship With The Transcendent - Essay Example This has in turn resulted into an establishment of transcendental diplomacy in many societies. It is worth pointing out that this type of diplomacy is not founded on ‘power’. As a result, the elements and compounds involved happen to be not a part of ‘power’. Through all the centuries, there exist some slight efforts to fully comprehend this subject matter (Thomas 264). In present time, human beings are yet to decide if they are ready to establish such type of transcendental diplomacy. It will be a long time since we are capable of approaching this end. In all probability, it will take certain individuals to get to this end who happen to have developed evolutionary changes towards such kind of thoughts. With such kind of high expectation, this might happen only if human beings succeed in embracing and taking advantage of science and technology. It is through this that they will be capable of bringing changes to their own body and mind. The result will be a s trengthened transcendental attribute towards them, while been able to grow seeds of improved human beings. Besides, the subject matter has to correspond to the materialization of their expectations in the distant future. There is a belief among all religions that they will be able to achieve transcendental attributes while the messengers appointed while be able to achieve the fore mentioned goals. There has been an order of divine prophets, teachers, and guardians from Adam, Moses, and Jesus to Muhammad. Their presence in the present time is still felt and will continue till the end of time. Additionally, in different times and places, the achievements of their divine manifestations will be enhanced. These divine manifestations will happen to be apostles with divine sense of authority (Thomas 264). Consequently, all these religions will successively lean on the same procession towards transcendence and flawlessness. With many courses of human endeavors to conform within social laws and regulations, the efforts of these prophets and teachers happen to be more noticeable. The messenger (savior) of Christianity happens to be a perfect manifestation of all former religious thoughts and sophisticated inheritance of laws and regulations from previous religions. In the end this happens to be the turning point of this evolution. Disappointed through some wrongful commentaries and interpretations have been made by the so called religious scholars. The valuable commandments have been distorted to the extent that some preachers have been heard insinuating that religions have been decorated and distorted to the extent that if one was to go back a century he won’t be able to recognize his own religion. Christianity point of view to some problems happens to be consistent and integrated, with learned individuals tends to believe that accurate Christianity laws are similar to scientific laws and should stay unchangeable. It should be noted that these same laws were cre ated on the same basis of humankind nature and thus should be compatible with all state and behavior of individuals (Thomas 264). Nonetheless, religious jurists tend to note on the fundamental principles of religions in a detailed manner. In addition, these notes have been the main reason behind the introduction of various decisions in religions and the reason behind their existing differences. Recent jurisprudential methods among various sections of Catholics and Protestants and the mode of reasoning of canon lawyers related to the above sects with regards to reasonability of their sources happen to be quite different. This is the

Education and poverty in america Research Paper

Education and poverty in america - Research Paper Example Something should be done! The link between poverty and education is inextricable where education is a medium that enables those people born into poverty to be able to rise and scale in society. To illustrate this, studies have shown that 46% of those Americans who were brought up in low income households but failed to earn college degrees did not make it past the low income quartile. This can be compared to 16% for those who managed to earn a college degree. (Arora, 2012) It is possible to see the link between poverty and education at all educational levels. Poorer Americans begin their pre-primary education at a disadvantaged state. For children whose parents earn under $15,000 annually, their pre-primary enrollment rates are about 20% lower than those whose parents earn over $50,000 a year. (Friedman, 2012) This has a much deeper impact since children who went to pre-school are 31% less likely to repeat a grade and also 32% less likely to even drop out of school. This pre-primary education is believed to reduce crime rates because studies show that children who attended pre-school are one-fifth less likely to become chronic criminal offenders. (Friedman, 2012) Even in cross-country exams, the educational disadvantage of poorer students is evident. In the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) examination, higher-income schools have a higher score than the lower-income schools. It was also apparent that the PISA scores by students from America were much more influenced by the backgrounds of their parents than in any other country. Students from richer homes perform significantly better than those from deprived backgrounds due to the quality of education they receive. Students from deprived backgrounds have fewer facilities, less qualified teachers and above all receive the least care. These among other factors come into play when the scores of various students are evaluated. It therefore does not come

Financial Analysis 334 Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial Analysis 334 - Math Problem Example In this case, if subtract the stock from current assets, still both companies can pay off their debts quite easily as their Acid-Test Ratio is equal to or greater than 1. This shows that to pay every single dollar of debt the company has the backing of adequate current assets. However, if we look the firms through the lens of Interest Coverage Ratio and if our debt commands interest from the company than, we can clearly see that Jones company can cover much higher rates of interest. As a result, Jones Corporation won't default and will be able to pay all its debts and hence a short-term loan should be made to Jones Corporation given the two different scenarios. However, one must also state that if our loan does not command any interest, then this loan should be made to Smith Corporation. b) If we look at the profitability condition of the two companies, we can clearly see that Jones Corporation is more profitable. This can shown by the companies greater net profit over sales ratios as compared to Smith Corporation Ratios. In the light of these ratios, Jones Corporation is earning around $7 on every $100 worth of sales. Similarly, Smith Corporation is earning $4 on every $100 worth of sales.

History of the Palestinian Conflict

History of the Palestinian Conflict In order to have a thorough understanding of the Palestinian problem, events in the early 20th century, prior to 1948 (Israeli independence) should be closely examined and understood. Many historians mark the first act which led to the Palestinian problem as the Balfour Declaration in 1917. There, it was announced that Britain shall support in the goals of Zionists, and therein strive to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine, His Majestys Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people[1]. With Jewish spirits high all over the Jewish Diaspora, the third Aliyah (influx of Jews to Palestine) took place in 1919[2]. The number of Jews gradually increased in Palestine, and by 1947, the 11% population of Jews increased to a healthy 33%[3]. The immediate cause of the Palestinian problem is often dated to November 29th 1947, on which the UN announced that the British Mandate of Palestine would be divided into separate Arab and Jewish states[4]. The decree sparked great outrage from Arab nations, but was a warmly welcomed decision from the Jews and other European and North American States. Two pinnacle wars then followed which would directly influence into the Palestinian problem. The Civil War first took place as an immediate reaction eleven days after the UNs declaration. Jewish victory then led war lead to two events: the Israeli Declaration of Independence on May the 14th 1948 and the beginning of An-Nakabah, the Palestinian Exodus. In first phase of the Palestinian Exodus, 125,000 were evicted or fled from their homes, and were prevented from returning[5]. The second war that followed was the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. In this war, Israel was to face a grand Arab coalition which denounced its independence. A decisive Israeli victory, and a disastrous Arab defeat increased the final number of the Palestinian exodus to a staggering 750 000 Palestinians. By the middle of the 20th century, State of Israel was firmly established upon the former Palestinian territories, and many Palestinian settlements were either depopulated or destroyed. Hence, the Palestinian problem was herein created; an issue of Palestinians, their state, homeland, refugees, and also Palestinian-Israeli co-existence in Palestine and the stance of Jerusalem, is all to exist until this very day. Yasser Arafat and the Creation of Fatah: Born on 24 August 1929, in Cairo, Egypt, Yasser Arafat was the son of Palestinian parent[6]. During the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948, he went to Palestine to join the fighting. His role in the Palestinian problem begins early on in his political life when in 1958, Arafat, with a number of his Palestinian colleagues in Kuwait, corroborated and formed the militant group Fatah. The group was dedicated to liberate Palestine by Palestinians with a means of force. The idea was to eliminate Zionist Israel re-establish Palestinian homeland and resolve the Palestinian problem. Until this very day, Fatahs main goal is, complete liberation of Palestine, and eradication of Zionist economic, political, military and cultural existence.[7] A Means of Force, to Settle to Problem: The Rise of Fatah, the PLO and the 70s: In the Six Day War, Fatah did play a small role in the fighting against the Israel. The humiliating Arab defeat further broke Arab morale especially that of the Palestinians who consequently lost trust in the united Arab resolution. But Fatah was to have its first main military encounter with Israel in the Battle of Karameh on March 21st 1968. With Fatah growing in stature, organised raid were conducted against Israeli settlements. Israels retaliation was to raid the Jordanian city of Karameh, a newly made stronghold for Fatah[8]. Though the battle was a military victory for Israel, it was seen as a somewhat physiological victory for Fatah. Abdallah Frangi (a Palestinian leader at the time) labelled it the political and military turning point in the Palestinian resistance, especially for Fatah.[9] Arab support was rallied behind the group, and Arafat was able to garner a number of Palestinian recruits for his group. Fatah was inducted into the PLO in 1967, and in 1969, Yasser Arafat became chairman of the PLO. Arafat transformed the organisation into becoming a strong independent organisation intended to make Palestinian appeals be heard by the world[10]. He therein became the ultimate leader of the Palestinian resurgence. By 1970, Yasser Arafat was deeply engaging in his arms resolution of the Palestinian problem. Raids into Israeli territories were organised regularly and Fatah was became an increased threat to Israel. In Arafats and Fatahs prime years of the 70s, both the PLO and Mossad (The Israeli Intelligence Agency) engaged in terrorist style warfare against each other. The Mossads known for several key assassinations, such as that of Ghassan Kanafani [11], (writer and spokesman for the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine, considered the second largest group in the PLO after Fatah) and Dr Wadie Haddad[12] (leader of the PFLP.) For the PLO, the Fatah group, Black September were one of the key groups engaging in such activities[13]. One of the most famous works of Black September was the abduction and assassination of 11 Israeli athletes in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games[14]. Though Arafat has never been proven to be part of the attacks, Israeli and American authorities often associate him to them. Analysis of Arafats Forceful Resolve: A number of western sources agree that Yasser Arafat tried to resolve the Palestinian problem through a means of terrorism. Its stated that he saw in terrorism, not of the horrific murders, but rather a means of gaining recognition for Palestine and Palestinian struggle. Barry and Judith Rubin, authors of Yasser Arafat: A Political Biography state, He had seen how it [terrorism] mobilized Palestinian and Arab support for the PLO; raised the Palestine issues international priority; prevented other Arab states from negotiating peace with Israel, and made many western leaders eager to appease him.[15] Often using the Fatah subgroup, Black September, there are claims that Arafat often approved operations and stemmed funds to them[16]. The argument also states that Arafat consistently throughout his life would deny such acts, thereby having a remarkable ability to escape responsibility for the terrorism he committed.[17] These views clearly classify Arafats armed approach in dealing with the Palestinian problem as acts of terrorism. They proclaim that Arafat, as a terrorist, used fear antic to drive his goal of dealing with the Palestinian struggle. The alternative view, in that Arafat was a freedom fighter is believed by many other historians and writers. Its a stance expressed by one of the closest people to Arafat, Bassam Abu Sharif (Senior Advisor to Yasser Arafat.) In his book, Arafat and the Dream for Palestine, he states, In my opinion, people in the west saw Arafat through the negative propaganda which rather painted Arafat as a terrorist, rather than a freedom fighter[18]. With the Palestinian problem ignored early on by many western countries[19], it indeed was Arafat who rather globalised the issue, made it a phenomenon everyone needed to solve. This is seen to make Arafats armed role in dealing with the Palestinian problem a pivotal one. These arguments also highlight Arafat as being the sole power in the Palestinian revival following the Six Day War, It was in these disheartening circumstances that the Palestinian revival began. There was little doubt that Arafats was the decisive voice[20]. Also, those which Arafat commanded are perceived as freedom fighters by some, Yasser Arafat, who had emerged as a significant figure in the Palestinian struggle for liberation, recruited young people to the resistance movement. In 1970, Palestinian freedom fighters took control of the Gaza Strip Yasser Arafat hence provided Palestinian revitalisation in the Palestinian problem, hereby making his armed role an extremely important one. As quoted by Stephen Howe, Without the Arafat of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, there might well not have been a Palestinian national movement at all. Evaluation: Surely, Arafats armed solution is interpreted differently by different cultures and people. Arafats emergence was in bloody early days of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a time when sympathy of Palestinians and their struggle was widespread in the Muslim world whereas backing and support was provided to Israel by many western states. This makes the Palestinian debate a 2 sided debate, and consequently, an evaluation of Arafat is often affected by emotion and bias by the opposing parties. Arafats armed resolution of the Palestinian problem isnt a clear cut issue of neither terrorism nor political fanaticism. Two issues must be understood to drive this point; firstly, Arafats activities as a militant rather than a terrorist. An analysis of Yasser Arafats activates prove that he rather was present and an active member in raids and attacks against the Israeli army and troops and rather not in the alleged terrorist attacks of the PLO. Also, since he never was proven to be a terrorist, it can never be claimed he was indeed a terrorist. Secondly, a distinction must be made between the activates of Arafat and those of his bodyguards and Fatah colleagues. Often, the actions of both are confused, and when an attack by Fatah insurgents is carried of, its often stated that Arafat himself was part of then. Its true that Yasser Arafats role as leader of Palestinian spurred some to extremism, but it must be understood, though his Fatah colleagues did engaged in terrorism, he didnt. Yasser Arafat armed role in dealing with the Palestine problem should not be seen as of radicalism or extremism in thought and intent. Arafats armed struggle, though did not solve the issue, did in fact bring some results. His armed struggle brought a resurgence of the people of Palestine. With the united Arab response being habitually useless (by constant Arab defeat and loss to Israel,) only a Palestinian response seemed to solution. This but rather needed the revival of the Palestinian hope, which was severely crushed by the mid 1960 (especially with the loss of Jerusalem.) Though ludicrous it may sound, Palestinian revitalisation would not have occurred through peaceful means. The reason for this was that Palestinians where irritated and demoralised by the constant disappointment in the outcomes of Arab negotiations concerning their struggle. A symbol of an armed struggle would only then revitalise these frustrated Palestinians. With the creation of Fatah, (to liberate Palestine by Palestinians) Arafats armed struggle brought this Palestinian resurgence. Arafat also united the Palestinian people, under his armed struggle, a strong step in dealing with the Palestinian problem. In essence, hadnt this revitalisation occurred, the State of Palestine would not have been created, and future talks of peace and co-existence would not have occurred. But it should be clearly understood, that Arafat did not achieve his intended aim in his armed approach. A Peaceful Resolve for the Palestinian Problem: A Change in Contention, Olso and Camp David: In 1974, the PLO executive committee including Arafat drew up The Ten Point Program[21]. By many, is considered as the first peaceful initiative taken by Arafat to resolve the Palestinian Problem. It was a decree calling for Israel to return back liberated[22] Palestinian lands. The declaration wasnt one of change in direction, though was unique in that it did show Arafat to have a way of dealing with the problem through negotiations. The Ten Point Program was to be followed by more years of violence. After years of unrest with the rise of the terrorist group Hamas and notably the coming into being of First Intifada (which Arafat associated himself to); on the 13th and 14th of December 1988, Arafat announces a change of thought. He formally recognised the State of Israel, renounced terrorism, and revealed intentions of seeking peaceful negotiations in managing the Palestinian problem[23]. A month earlier, the Palestinian National Council (led by Arafat) announces and proclaims The Palestinian Declaration of Independence[24]. It was a new direction for Arafat in settling the Palestinian problem. In 1993 marks a historical event in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as the first direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders took place in Oslo, Norway. The talks were very secretive, with Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabik with their top ministers negotiating in terms to co-exist peacefully. Issues such as the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian territories, Palestinian elections, economic cooperation and regional development were all discussed. Both parties agreed on the status of each, the rights of each other, and their intentions to co-exist. With the help of the Clinton government, on 13th of September 1993, the Oslo Accord was signed. It was thought to be the basis of all future talks between both. In 2000, continuing talks took place between Israel and Palestine at Camp David, in order to finalise the conditions of the Oslo Accord[25]. The talks were to therein define the boundaries of Israel and Palestine. The status of Jerusalem (a key aspect of the Palestinian problem) was the hindrance point in the talks. In regards to the possession of Jerusalem, both parties were unable to agree on a compromise, hence making the Camp David talks a failure. Analysis of Arafats Peaceful Resolve: Arafats change in approach in dealing with the Palestinian approach (i.e. seeking peaceful measures) has often incurred various interpretations. One particular arguement is that Arafat changed his strategy of armed approach to a peaceful one in order to fool others and drive his own agenda of securing Palestinian homeland. It was a typical Arafat style solution. By being so ambiguous about his methods and goals, Arafat could hope to convince the west that he was ready for peace and convince his own colleagues that he was determined to continue the struggle[26]. These views hereby make Arafats change in approach a somewhat deceitful trick that rather had true initiative. A different viewpoint states that Arafat was rather pressured by Israeli and American officials to denounce an armed approach and terrorism[27]. Throughout the Oslo Accords, its stated that Arafat was the weaker party, and that he was rather accepted terms and condition which Israel modelled[28]. This argument thereby makes Arafats peaceful resolution of the Palestinian problem not an intuitive of his, but rather a pressure he had to comply with. In regards to the Camp David Summit, a many historians believed it was doomed to fail. Kamrava argues that both parties thought they were giving up more to the other, while the other wasnt being reasonable[29] in their compromise[30].Hence, in dealing with the most controversial issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the issue of Jerusalem, there was never to be an agreement. Hence, Arafats peaceful resolve of the Palestinian problem was always doomed to fail. Nevertheless, there are others, such as Bassim Abu Sherif, who says that the new peace path was rather genuine and promising. He claims though the US authorities did put down demands for Yasser Arafat, Arafat rather wanted his announcement to first be supported by for the PLO and Palestinians, then flexible to US demands, It was clear that Arafat wanted to be flexible enough to meet American demands, but he also wanted to make sure that he had the approval of the majority of the PLO executive committee to preserve the democracy of the decision making process of the PLO.[31] It was clear that Arafat was aware that by this time, both he and Palestinians were exhausted from fighting. Hence, this different approach in dealing with the Palestinian struggle might be interpreted as a new path, thereby creating new opportunities in dealing with the Palestinian problem. Evaluation: Arafats change in means resolving the Palestinian problem is also an issue of debate. The question of why change in direction and whether it was genuine is truly the discussion. But a deduction of Arafats activities brings an understanding of genuinity. Hence, his role in trying to resolve the Palestinian problem is herein magnified by his actions of this new resolve. Its evident that with years of unrest and the lack of advancement in resolving the Palestinian problem, Arafat needed to find a new resolve. He needed to settle the Palestinian crisis that now nearly turned into internal feuding. So, by understanding this dire need of change, it must be clear that he, Arafat, chose to change the idea of an armed struggle. It seems that he neither needed the pressure of Israel or the U.S. but rather chose to do it because of situation of the Palestinian people. Hence, it makes the resolution a genuine on Arafats part. Therefore, we see in Arafats change in thought his striving quest of solving the Palestinian problem. Arafats role in dealing with the Palestinian problem could further be evaluated by his actions at Oslo and Camp David. First of all, he dealt with the issue of Palestinian homeland in Palestine with the Oslo Accord. In this regard, Arafat failed to clearly resolve the issue, due to the vagueness of the matter he agreed on. This leads to the next issue of Jerusalem. Arafats Oslo agreements failure is exacerbated by the fact that the continuation of Oslo, (Camp David) broke down with the issue of Jerusalem. This issue of Israeli-Palestinian co-existence was spoken of the most in both talks, but without decisively dealing with this tension point issues, Arafat was doomed to fail. Hence, though Arafat tried to drive and resolve the Palestinian problem peacefully, he achieve no more than his armed resolution. Bibliography: Books: Lukacs, Yehuda, 1992, The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict a documentary record 1967-1990, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Barry Rubin Judith Colp Rubin, 2003, Arafat: A Political Biography, Oxford University Press, Inc, New York. Bassam Abu Sharif, 2009, Arafat and the Dream for Palestine, Palgrave Macmillan, New York. T.G. Fraser, 2008, The Arab-Israeli conflict, 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Brown, Nathan. J, 2003, Palestinian Politics after the Oslo Accord: Arab Palestine, University of Californian Press, London, England. Dan Cohn-Sherbok Dawoud El-Alami (eds), 2008, The Palestine-Israeli Conflict, Oneworld Publication, Oxford, England. Mehran Kamrava, 2005, The Modern Middle East, University of California Press, Ltd, London England. Mark Tesseler, 1994, A History Of The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, USA, Journals: Simha Flapan, 1987, The Palestinian Exodus of 1948, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Summer, 1987),University of California Press. Websites: UN Partition Plan, 2001, Retrieved 25th January, 2010, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/middle_east/israel_and_the_palestinians/key_documents/1681322.stm Yasser Arafat, Retrieved 25th January, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat/ Timeline: Yasser Arafat, 2004, Retrieved 25th January, 2010, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4004859.stm Political Program Adopted at the 12th Session of the Palestine National Council Cairo, 8 June 1974, Retrieved 26th January, 2010, http://www.un.int/palestine/PLO/docone.html Muin Rabbani, 2000, Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians: Biography of Gassan Kanafani, Retrieved 26th January, 2010, http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Acre/Story168.html Poisoned Mossad chocolate killed PFLP leader in 1977, says book, 2006, Retrieved 26th January, 2010, http://web.archive.org/web/20060517211510/http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060505-102327-8910r Terrorist Organisation Profile: Black September,2007, University of Maryland, Retrieved 26th January, 2010, http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=153 Arafat at the UN general Assembly, 2009, Retrieved 27th January, 2010, http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/pal/pal5.htm Prof. Francis A. Boyle, 2006 Palestine Independence Day, Retrieved 27th January, 2010, http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=vaaid=3864 Why did the PLO suddenly decide, in 1988, that Israel had a right to exist?, Retrieved 27th January, 2010, http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1967to1991_plo_israel_exist_1988.php The Balfour Declaration, Retrieved 20th February, 2010, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/The+Balfour+Declaration.htm The Population of Palestine Prior to 1948, Retrieved 20th February, 2010, http://www.mideastweb.org/palpop.htm Fateh Constitution, Retrieved 20th February, 2010, http://www.alzaytouna.net/arabic/?c=1598a=97061 The Israeli Camp David II Proposal for Final Settlement, Retrieved 20th February, 2010, http://www.mideastweb.org/campdavid2.htm The Balfour Decleration, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/The+Balfour+Declaration.htm The Third Aliyah, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Immigration/Third_Aliyah.html The Population of Palestine Prior to 1948, http://www.mideastweb.org/palpop.htm UN Partition Plan, 2001, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/middle_east/israel_and_the_palestinians/key_documents/1681322.stm Simha Flapan, 1987, The Palestinian Exodus of 1948, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Summer, 1987), pp. 3-26,University of California Press. Yasser Arafat, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat/ Fateh Constitution, http://www.alzaytouna.net/arabic/?c=1598a=97061 Mark Tesseler, A History Of The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, USA, 1994, pg. 425 Ibid, pg.426 Yasser Arafat, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat/ Muin Rabbani, 2000, Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians: Biography of Gassan Kanafani, http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Acre/Story168.html Poisoned Mossad chocolate killed PFLP leader in 1977, says book, 2006, http://web.archive.org/web/20060517211510/http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060505-102327-8910r. Terrorist Organisation Profile: Black September, 2007, University of Maryland http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=153 ibid Barry Rubin, Judith Colp Rubin, Arafat: A Political Biography, Oxford University Press, Inc, New York, 2003, pg.61 Ibid, pg.61 Ibid, pg.63 Bassam Abu Sharif, Arafat and the Dream for Palestine, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2009, pg. T.G. Fraser, The Arab-Israeli conflict, 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2008, pg.57 Ibid, pg.88 Political Program Adopted at the 12th Session of the Palestine National Council Cairo, 8 June 1974, http://www.un.int/palestine/PLO/docone.html ibid Arafat at the UN general Assembly, 2009, http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/pal/pal5.htm Prof. Francis A. Boyle, 2006 Palestine Independence Day, http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=vaaid=3864 The Israeli Camp David II Proposal for Final Settlement, http://www.mideastweb.org/campdavid2.htm Rubin, op.cit., pg.113 Why did the PLO suddenly decide, in 1988, that Israel had a right to exist?, http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1967to1991_plo_israel_exist_1988.php Mehran Kamrava, The Modern Middle East, University of California Press, Ltd, London England, 2005, pg. 243-244 Ibid, pg.248 ibid Abu Sharif, op.cit., pg.183 History of the Palestinian Conflict History of the Palestinian Conflict In order to have a thorough understanding of the Palestinian problem, events in the early 20th century, prior to 1948 (Israeli independence) should be closely examined and understood. Many historians mark the first act which led to the Palestinian problem as the Balfour Declaration in 1917. There, it was announced that Britain shall support in the goals of Zionists, and therein strive to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine, His Majestys Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people[1]. With Jewish spirits high all over the Jewish Diaspora, the third Aliyah (influx of Jews to Palestine) took place in 1919[2]. The number of Jews gradually increased in Palestine, and by 1947, the 11% population of Jews increased to a healthy 33%[3]. The immediate cause of the Palestinian problem is often dated to November 29th 1947, on which the UN announced that the British Mandate of Palestine would be divided into separate Arab and Jewish states[4]. The decree sparked great outrage from Arab nations, but was a warmly welcomed decision from the Jews and other European and North American States. Two pinnacle wars then followed which would directly influence into the Palestinian problem. The Civil War first took place as an immediate reaction eleven days after the UNs declaration. Jewish victory then led war lead to two events: the Israeli Declaration of Independence on May the 14th 1948 and the beginning of An-Nakabah, the Palestinian Exodus. In first phase of the Palestinian Exodus, 125,000 were evicted or fled from their homes, and were prevented from returning[5]. The second war that followed was the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. In this war, Israel was to face a grand Arab coalition which denounced its independence. A decisive Israeli victory, and a disastrous Arab defeat increased the final number of the Palestinian exodus to a staggering 750 000 Palestinians. By the middle of the 20th century, State of Israel was firmly established upon the former Palestinian territories, and many Palestinian settlements were either depopulated or destroyed. Hence, the Palestinian problem was herein created; an issue of Palestinians, their state, homeland, refugees, and also Palestinian-Israeli co-existence in Palestine and the stance of Jerusalem, is all to exist until this very day. Yasser Arafat and the Creation of Fatah: Born on 24 August 1929, in Cairo, Egypt, Yasser Arafat was the son of Palestinian parent[6]. During the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948, he went to Palestine to join the fighting. His role in the Palestinian problem begins early on in his political life when in 1958, Arafat, with a number of his Palestinian colleagues in Kuwait, corroborated and formed the militant group Fatah. The group was dedicated to liberate Palestine by Palestinians with a means of force. The idea was to eliminate Zionist Israel re-establish Palestinian homeland and resolve the Palestinian problem. Until this very day, Fatahs main goal is, complete liberation of Palestine, and eradication of Zionist economic, political, military and cultural existence.[7] A Means of Force, to Settle to Problem: The Rise of Fatah, the PLO and the 70s: In the Six Day War, Fatah did play a small role in the fighting against the Israel. The humiliating Arab defeat further broke Arab morale especially that of the Palestinians who consequently lost trust in the united Arab resolution. But Fatah was to have its first main military encounter with Israel in the Battle of Karameh on March 21st 1968. With Fatah growing in stature, organised raid were conducted against Israeli settlements. Israels retaliation was to raid the Jordanian city of Karameh, a newly made stronghold for Fatah[8]. Though the battle was a military victory for Israel, it was seen as a somewhat physiological victory for Fatah. Abdallah Frangi (a Palestinian leader at the time) labelled it the political and military turning point in the Palestinian resistance, especially for Fatah.[9] Arab support was rallied behind the group, and Arafat was able to garner a number of Palestinian recruits for his group. Fatah was inducted into the PLO in 1967, and in 1969, Yasser Arafat became chairman of the PLO. Arafat transformed the organisation into becoming a strong independent organisation intended to make Palestinian appeals be heard by the world[10]. He therein became the ultimate leader of the Palestinian resurgence. By 1970, Yasser Arafat was deeply engaging in his arms resolution of the Palestinian problem. Raids into Israeli territories were organised regularly and Fatah was became an increased threat to Israel. In Arafats and Fatahs prime years of the 70s, both the PLO and Mossad (The Israeli Intelligence Agency) engaged in terrorist style warfare against each other. The Mossads known for several key assassinations, such as that of Ghassan Kanafani [11], (writer and spokesman for the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine, considered the second largest group in the PLO after Fatah) and Dr Wadie Haddad[12] (leader of the PFLP.) For the PLO, the Fatah group, Black September were one of the key groups engaging in such activities[13]. One of the most famous works of Black September was the abduction and assassination of 11 Israeli athletes in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games[14]. Though Arafat has never been proven to be part of the attacks, Israeli and American authorities often associate him to them. Analysis of Arafats Forceful Resolve: A number of western sources agree that Yasser Arafat tried to resolve the Palestinian problem through a means of terrorism. Its stated that he saw in terrorism, not of the horrific murders, but rather a means of gaining recognition for Palestine and Palestinian struggle. Barry and Judith Rubin, authors of Yasser Arafat: A Political Biography state, He had seen how it [terrorism] mobilized Palestinian and Arab support for the PLO; raised the Palestine issues international priority; prevented other Arab states from negotiating peace with Israel, and made many western leaders eager to appease him.[15] Often using the Fatah subgroup, Black September, there are claims that Arafat often approved operations and stemmed funds to them[16]. The argument also states that Arafat consistently throughout his life would deny such acts, thereby having a remarkable ability to escape responsibility for the terrorism he committed.[17] These views clearly classify Arafats armed approach in dealing with the Palestinian problem as acts of terrorism. They proclaim that Arafat, as a terrorist, used fear antic to drive his goal of dealing with the Palestinian struggle. The alternative view, in that Arafat was a freedom fighter is believed by many other historians and writers. Its a stance expressed by one of the closest people to Arafat, Bassam Abu Sharif (Senior Advisor to Yasser Arafat.) In his book, Arafat and the Dream for Palestine, he states, In my opinion, people in the west saw Arafat through the negative propaganda which rather painted Arafat as a terrorist, rather than a freedom fighter[18]. With the Palestinian problem ignored early on by many western countries[19], it indeed was Arafat who rather globalised the issue, made it a phenomenon everyone needed to solve. This is seen to make Arafats armed role in dealing with the Palestinian problem a pivotal one. These arguments also highlight Arafat as being the sole power in the Palestinian revival following the Six Day War, It was in these disheartening circumstances that the Palestinian revival began. There was little doubt that Arafats was the decisive voice[20]. Also, those which Arafat commanded are perceived as freedom fighters by some, Yasser Arafat, who had emerged as a significant figure in the Palestinian struggle for liberation, recruited young people to the resistance movement. In 1970, Palestinian freedom fighters took control of the Gaza Strip Yasser Arafat hence provided Palestinian revitalisation in the Palestinian problem, hereby making his armed role an extremely important one. As quoted by Stephen Howe, Without the Arafat of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, there might well not have been a Palestinian national movement at all. Evaluation: Surely, Arafats armed solution is interpreted differently by different cultures and people. Arafats emergence was in bloody early days of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, a time when sympathy of Palestinians and their struggle was widespread in the Muslim world whereas backing and support was provided to Israel by many western states. This makes the Palestinian debate a 2 sided debate, and consequently, an evaluation of Arafat is often affected by emotion and bias by the opposing parties. Arafats armed resolution of the Palestinian problem isnt a clear cut issue of neither terrorism nor political fanaticism. Two issues must be understood to drive this point; firstly, Arafats activities as a militant rather than a terrorist. An analysis of Yasser Arafats activates prove that he rather was present and an active member in raids and attacks against the Israeli army and troops and rather not in the alleged terrorist attacks of the PLO. Also, since he never was proven to be a terrorist, it can never be claimed he was indeed a terrorist. Secondly, a distinction must be made between the activates of Arafat and those of his bodyguards and Fatah colleagues. Often, the actions of both are confused, and when an attack by Fatah insurgents is carried of, its often stated that Arafat himself was part of then. Its true that Yasser Arafats role as leader of Palestinian spurred some to extremism, but it must be understood, though his Fatah colleagues did engaged in terrorism, he didnt. Yasser Arafat armed role in dealing with the Palestine problem should not be seen as of radicalism or extremism in thought and intent. Arafats armed struggle, though did not solve the issue, did in fact bring some results. His armed struggle brought a resurgence of the people of Palestine. With the united Arab response being habitually useless (by constant Arab defeat and loss to Israel,) only a Palestinian response seemed to solution. This but rather needed the revival of the Palestinian hope, which was severely crushed by the mid 1960 (especially with the loss of Jerusalem.) Though ludicrous it may sound, Palestinian revitalisation would not have occurred through peaceful means. The reason for this was that Palestinians where irritated and demoralised by the constant disappointment in the outcomes of Arab negotiations concerning their struggle. A symbol of an armed struggle would only then revitalise these frustrated Palestinians. With the creation of Fatah, (to liberate Palestine by Palestinians) Arafats armed struggle brought this Palestinian resurgence. Arafat also united the Palestinian people, under his armed struggle, a strong step in dealing with the Palestinian problem. In essence, hadnt this revitalisation occurred, the State of Palestine would not have been created, and future talks of peace and co-existence would not have occurred. But it should be clearly understood, that Arafat did not achieve his intended aim in his armed approach. A Peaceful Resolve for the Palestinian Problem: A Change in Contention, Olso and Camp David: In 1974, the PLO executive committee including Arafat drew up The Ten Point Program[21]. By many, is considered as the first peaceful initiative taken by Arafat to resolve the Palestinian Problem. It was a decree calling for Israel to return back liberated[22] Palestinian lands. The declaration wasnt one of change in direction, though was unique in that it did show Arafat to have a way of dealing with the problem through negotiations. The Ten Point Program was to be followed by more years of violence. After years of unrest with the rise of the terrorist group Hamas and notably the coming into being of First Intifada (which Arafat associated himself to); on the 13th and 14th of December 1988, Arafat announces a change of thought. He formally recognised the State of Israel, renounced terrorism, and revealed intentions of seeking peaceful negotiations in managing the Palestinian problem[23]. A month earlier, the Palestinian National Council (led by Arafat) announces and proclaims The Palestinian Declaration of Independence[24]. It was a new direction for Arafat in settling the Palestinian problem. In 1993 marks a historical event in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as the first direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders took place in Oslo, Norway. The talks were very secretive, with Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabik with their top ministers negotiating in terms to co-exist peacefully. Issues such as the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Palestinian territories, Palestinian elections, economic cooperation and regional development were all discussed. Both parties agreed on the status of each, the rights of each other, and their intentions to co-exist. With the help of the Clinton government, on 13th of September 1993, the Oslo Accord was signed. It was thought to be the basis of all future talks between both. In 2000, continuing talks took place between Israel and Palestine at Camp David, in order to finalise the conditions of the Oslo Accord[25]. The talks were to therein define the boundaries of Israel and Palestine. The status of Jerusalem (a key aspect of the Palestinian problem) was the hindrance point in the talks. In regards to the possession of Jerusalem, both parties were unable to agree on a compromise, hence making the Camp David talks a failure. Analysis of Arafats Peaceful Resolve: Arafats change in approach in dealing with the Palestinian approach (i.e. seeking peaceful measures) has often incurred various interpretations. One particular arguement is that Arafat changed his strategy of armed approach to a peaceful one in order to fool others and drive his own agenda of securing Palestinian homeland. It was a typical Arafat style solution. By being so ambiguous about his methods and goals, Arafat could hope to convince the west that he was ready for peace and convince his own colleagues that he was determined to continue the struggle[26]. These views hereby make Arafats change in approach a somewhat deceitful trick that rather had true initiative. A different viewpoint states that Arafat was rather pressured by Israeli and American officials to denounce an armed approach and terrorism[27]. Throughout the Oslo Accords, its stated that Arafat was the weaker party, and that he was rather accepted terms and condition which Israel modelled[28]. This argument thereby makes Arafats peaceful resolution of the Palestinian problem not an intuitive of his, but rather a pressure he had to comply with. In regards to the Camp David Summit, a many historians believed it was doomed to fail. Kamrava argues that both parties thought they were giving up more to the other, while the other wasnt being reasonable[29] in their compromise[30].Hence, in dealing with the most controversial issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the issue of Jerusalem, there was never to be an agreement. Hence, Arafats peaceful resolve of the Palestinian problem was always doomed to fail. Nevertheless, there are others, such as Bassim Abu Sherif, who says that the new peace path was rather genuine and promising. He claims though the US authorities did put down demands for Yasser Arafat, Arafat rather wanted his announcement to first be supported by for the PLO and Palestinians, then flexible to US demands, It was clear that Arafat wanted to be flexible enough to meet American demands, but he also wanted to make sure that he had the approval of the majority of the PLO executive committee to preserve the democracy of the decision making process of the PLO.[31] It was clear that Arafat was aware that by this time, both he and Palestinians were exhausted from fighting. Hence, this different approach in dealing with the Palestinian struggle might be interpreted as a new path, thereby creating new opportunities in dealing with the Palestinian problem. Evaluation: Arafats change in means resolving the Palestinian problem is also an issue of debate. The question of why change in direction and whether it was genuine is truly the discussion. But a deduction of Arafats activities brings an understanding of genuinity. Hence, his role in trying to resolve the Palestinian problem is herein magnified by his actions of this new resolve. Its evident that with years of unrest and the lack of advancement in resolving the Palestinian problem, Arafat needed to find a new resolve. He needed to settle the Palestinian crisis that now nearly turned into internal feuding. So, by understanding this dire need of change, it must be clear that he, Arafat, chose to change the idea of an armed struggle. It seems that he neither needed the pressure of Israel or the U.S. but rather chose to do it because of situation of the Palestinian people. Hence, it makes the resolution a genuine on Arafats part. Therefore, we see in Arafats change in thought his striving quest of solving the Palestinian problem. Arafats role in dealing with the Palestinian problem could further be evaluated by his actions at Oslo and Camp David. First of all, he dealt with the issue of Palestinian homeland in Palestine with the Oslo Accord. In this regard, Arafat failed to clearly resolve the issue, due to the vagueness of the matter he agreed on. This leads to the next issue of Jerusalem. Arafats Oslo agreements failure is exacerbated by the fact that the continuation of Oslo, (Camp David) broke down with the issue of Jerusalem. This issue of Israeli-Palestinian co-existence was spoken of the most in both talks, but without decisively dealing with this tension point issues, Arafat was doomed to fail. Hence, though Arafat tried to drive and resolve the Palestinian problem peacefully, he achieve no more than his armed resolution. Bibliography: Books: Lukacs, Yehuda, 1992, The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict a documentary record 1967-1990, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Barry Rubin Judith Colp Rubin, 2003, Arafat: A Political Biography, Oxford University Press, Inc, New York. Bassam Abu Sharif, 2009, Arafat and the Dream for Palestine, Palgrave Macmillan, New York. T.G. Fraser, 2008, The Arab-Israeli conflict, 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Brown, Nathan. J, 2003, Palestinian Politics after the Oslo Accord: Arab Palestine, University of Californian Press, London, England. Dan Cohn-Sherbok Dawoud El-Alami (eds), 2008, The Palestine-Israeli Conflict, Oneworld Publication, Oxford, England. Mehran Kamrava, 2005, The Modern Middle East, University of California Press, Ltd, London England. Mark Tesseler, 1994, A History Of The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, USA, Journals: Simha Flapan, 1987, The Palestinian Exodus of 1948, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Summer, 1987),University of California Press. Websites: UN Partition Plan, 2001, Retrieved 25th January, 2010, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/middle_east/israel_and_the_palestinians/key_documents/1681322.stm Yasser Arafat, Retrieved 25th January, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat/ Timeline: Yasser Arafat, 2004, Retrieved 25th January, 2010, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4004859.stm Political Program Adopted at the 12th Session of the Palestine National Council Cairo, 8 June 1974, Retrieved 26th January, 2010, http://www.un.int/palestine/PLO/docone.html Muin Rabbani, 2000, Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians: Biography of Gassan Kanafani, Retrieved 26th January, 2010, http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Acre/Story168.html Poisoned Mossad chocolate killed PFLP leader in 1977, says book, 2006, Retrieved 26th January, 2010, http://web.archive.org/web/20060517211510/http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060505-102327-8910r Terrorist Organisation Profile: Black September,2007, University of Maryland, Retrieved 26th January, 2010, http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=153 Arafat at the UN general Assembly, 2009, Retrieved 27th January, 2010, http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/pal/pal5.htm Prof. Francis A. Boyle, 2006 Palestine Independence Day, Retrieved 27th January, 2010, http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=vaaid=3864 Why did the PLO suddenly decide, in 1988, that Israel had a right to exist?, Retrieved 27th January, 2010, http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1967to1991_plo_israel_exist_1988.php The Balfour Declaration, Retrieved 20th February, 2010, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/The+Balfour+Declaration.htm The Population of Palestine Prior to 1948, Retrieved 20th February, 2010, http://www.mideastweb.org/palpop.htm Fateh Constitution, Retrieved 20th February, 2010, http://www.alzaytouna.net/arabic/?c=1598a=97061 The Israeli Camp David II Proposal for Final Settlement, Retrieved 20th February, 2010, http://www.mideastweb.org/campdavid2.htm The Balfour Decleration, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/The+Balfour+Declaration.htm The Third Aliyah, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Immigration/Third_Aliyah.html The Population of Palestine Prior to 1948, http://www.mideastweb.org/palpop.htm UN Partition Plan, 2001, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/middle_east/israel_and_the_palestinians/key_documents/1681322.stm Simha Flapan, 1987, The Palestinian Exodus of 1948, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Summer, 1987), pp. 3-26,University of California Press. Yasser Arafat, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat/ Fateh Constitution, http://www.alzaytouna.net/arabic/?c=1598a=97061 Mark Tesseler, A History Of The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, USA, 1994, pg. 425 Ibid, pg.426 Yasser Arafat, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat/ Muin Rabbani, 2000, Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians: Biography of Gassan Kanafani, http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Acre/Story168.html Poisoned Mossad chocolate killed PFLP leader in 1977, says book, 2006, http://web.archive.org/web/20060517211510/http://metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060505-102327-8910r. Terrorist Organisation Profile: Black September, 2007, University of Maryland http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=153 ibid Barry Rubin, Judith Colp Rubin, Arafat: A Political Biography, Oxford University Press, Inc, New York, 2003, pg.61 Ibid, pg.61 Ibid, pg.63 Bassam Abu Sharif, Arafat and the Dream for Palestine, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2009, pg. T.G. Fraser, The Arab-Israeli conflict, 3rd ed., Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2008, pg.57 Ibid, pg.88 Political Program Adopted at the 12th Session of the Palestine National Council Cairo, 8 June 1974, http://www.un.int/palestine/PLO/docone.html ibid Arafat at the UN general Assembly, 2009, http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/pal/pal5.htm Prof. Francis A. Boyle, 2006 Palestine Independence Day, http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=vaaid=3864 The Israeli Camp David II Proposal for Final Settlement, http://www.mideastweb.org/campdavid2.htm Rubin, op.cit., pg.113 Why did the PLO suddenly decide, in 1988, that Israel had a right to exist?, http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1967to1991_plo_israel_exist_1988.php Mehran Kamrava, The Modern Middle East, University of California Press, Ltd, London England, 2005, pg. 243-244 Ibid, pg.248 ibid Abu Sharif, op.cit., pg.183

Kids :: essays research papers

Introduction: A) Broad discussion of topics: Discuss Kristin's thesis 1. Evolution and understanding of it Macro vs. Micro VIST framework Darwin/Mayr 2. Tools-language Open vs. Close ended questions How vs. why questions Best way of asking to reveal causal framework -explain causal framework: Essentialism (Gelman), Teleology (Keleman), Bloom, and Theory of Mind Ultimate Cause (natural) Why questions Proximate cause How questions 3. Children's and adults understanding of biology/evolution/metamorphosis Evans Species-proximity to humans Mayr 4. Natural kinds vs. artifacts 5. Creationist-God...wanted, created, gave, made Naturalistic-need, adaptations, evolve, growth Intelligent design- intention, purposeful B) Rationale for this study 1. Give close-ended questions to younger children so they can understand the broad questions and because they may not be able to ellaborate or communicate well enough. Hood/Bloom: When children start answering causal questions of parents and when they start asking questions of their own. C) Hypothesis (still being established...have to wait until finished coding Kristin's data to predict the results of mine) Method subjects: 20-25 Age: 5 and 6 years Gender: 1/2 male and 1/2 female open-ended questions -divided into how and why - questions taken from coding results of previous study done by Krisitn - analyzed and took the most typical explanations Present the most frequent of those close-ended questions presented to older age group with 1 explanation per pattern : 4 reasoning patterns: (Will be inserted in paper with actual questions once the data has all been coded and analyzed from Kristin's study) Questions altered to fit all items Use item used with older kids to see if they are giving the answers the older kids did. Procedure 4 parts of the procedure will be given sequentially: 1. Warm-up 9 items (pictures) looking at interacting Ask child if the card is an animal or a human to see if they understand 2. Card practice agree/disagree face cards 3. Open-ended questions "how/why do you think..." between subjects footnote Kristin's study 4. Close-ended questions 3 humans, 3 butterflies, 3 frogs, 3 mammals, 3 artifacts order randomly determined without replacement once item is chosen: They will be told

Ernst Von Mansfeld Thirty Years

Thirty Years' War: Ernst von Mansfeld Ernst von Mansfeld was a German military commander in the Thirty Years War. Although he fought for the Protestant cause, Mansfeld was a Roman Catholic. He was considered one of the most dangerous opponent of the Catholic League. He was born in 1580 as the illegitimate son of Peter Ernst I von Mansfeld-Vorderort and Dorothea von Solms- Lich. In 1594 he served under Archduke Leopold. Then, in 1610 he Joined Frederick V and the Protestant Union. At the age 36 he led his first regiment of 2000 men.He fought for the Protestant Union until he died from illness in November, 1626. In the Bohemian Phase of the Thirty Years' War Mansfeld led an army of 2000 men, raised by the Duke of Savoy, to aid the Bohemian rebels. He successfully siege the Bohemian city of Pilsen in 1618. Mansfeld was defeated in the Battle of Sablat after being inactive for a while. At the Battle of White Mountain Masfeld and his forces were defeated, and in shortly after forced to su rrender Pilsen to the Catholics. Toward the end of the Bohemian Phase King Frederick V selected Mansfeld to lead is Bohemian troops.Following this he undertook Frederick's position in Upper Palatinate. He then moved into Rhenish Palatinate. This allowed Mansfeld to successfully defend against Johann Tserclaes, the Count of Tillys attempt at overtaking Bohemian rebel regiments. He also was defeated by Tilly twice. Mansfeld's troops were very destructive, not only to the lands of his enemy, but to the lands he was supposed to defend. During the Palatine Phase of the Thirty Years' War Mansfeld raised another of Frederick Vs armies in an effort to recover Palastine.The effort was a failure, because he was once again defeated by Tilly. Then Mansfeld was given an army of 12,000 men by James I of England. These troops were sent into the Dutch city of Breda as an attempt of relief for the Siege of Breda, but the troops were not permitted set foot on land, and Breda fell in 1625. Mansfeld le d the remainder of his army to Dutch lands, where they were once again defeated by Habsburg forces. Mansfeld continued to fght. He led his forces to Bergen-op-Zoom, a Dutch city seiged by the Spainish in 1622. This led to the relief of the city.Mansfeld spent 1624 and 1625 raising an anti-Habsburg army. He led this coalition in a march on Bohemia in 1626, but in a turn of events Mansfeld was forced to turn to Hungary. He intended on returning to his base after being defeated by Tilly once again. On his return home Mansfeld fell ill, and on November 29, 1626 he died in Bosnia. Mansfeld was a great force to be reckoned with during Thirty year's War. The Protestant Union can contribute much ot their success during the early phases ot the war. He was remarkable because he fought for the Protestant cause while remaining a faithful Catholic.

Beware of Wielding Unwieldy Jargon

Beware of Wielding Unwieldy Jargon Beware of Wielding Unwieldy Jargon Beware of Wielding Unwieldy Jargon By Mark Nichol This post pertains to the pitfalls of employing jargon to convey ideas without considering that colorful usage may confound instead of convey. I once edited a book that referred to â€Å"dual-wielding pistols,† a reference to the trademark weapons of a movie character: a brace of flintlock pistols. Mentally shaking my head in mild consternation, I revised what I considered an exceedingly awkward and misleading effort to express that the character routinely fought with both guns at once- a dynamic image commonly seen in action films, but one that depicts a strategy seldom employed in real life. As it turns out (meaning, I did some research), the phrase is valid, but not as the author employed it. Websites and publications devoted to firearms sometimes refer to dual-wielding handguns- but with dual-wielding operating as a phrasal verb, not a phrasal adjective. One can use the phrase to refer to the action of firing two handguns at once (â€Å"Is dual-wielding pistols practical?†). However, because no firearms are specifically designed to be used in parallel- presumably (meaning, my research didn’t turn up any such weaponry), there is no such thing as dual-wielding pistols- there is no reason for such phrasing. Therefore, though the phrase exists, it was not correct as employed. And even if it had been used as a phrasal verb, although any reasonably intelligent reader could be expected to understand the phrase, because it is jargon, it would be more courteous to all readers to simply write something like â€Å"wielding two pistols at once.† The lesson for writers is, one can be clear, concise, or both, but if you must choose between clear and concise, be clear. Speaking of phrasal adjectives, one hallmark of jargon is to omit hyphenation in some such phrases, as they are understood to be terms of art (words or phrases understood by a certain readership and not requiring explanation or the hand-holding treatment hyphenation provides). Therefore, although the phrasal adjective in, for example, â€Å"data-governance initiatives† would generally be hyphenated in lay publications to clarify that the reference is to initiatives regarding governance of data, not governance initiatives pertaining to data, publishers of content intended for readers familiar with the concept might consider the helpful hyphen superfluous. (For clarity and consistency, such publishers should codify this style in a manual accessible- and familiar- to a publications writers and editors.) In publications intended for the general public, however, dictionary usage should guide writers and editors in treatment of phrasal adjectives. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Does [sic] Mean?Connotations of 35 Words for Funny PeopleTitled versus Entitled

Difference Between Sawfly Larva and Caterpillar

Difference Between Sawfly Larva and Caterpillar Caterpillars are the larvae of butterflies and moths, which belong to the order Lepidoptera. Many caterpillars, while they do feed on leaves and plants, are considered desirable because, of course, they metamorphose into beautiful monarch butterflies, painted lady moths, and other decorative species. Sawfly larvae look similar to caterpillars, but are an entirely different kind of insect. Sawflies are related to bees and wasps, and belong to the order Hymenoptera. Like caterpillars, sawfly larvae usually feed on plant foliage, but unlike most caterpillars sawfly larvae can quickly destroy a rose garden or defoliate an entire tree. What Are Sawflies? Sawflies are flying insects that live all over the world. There are more than 8,000 species of sawflies, so called  because of the saw-like appearance of the female ovipositor, an organ used to deposit eggs in plant stems or leaves. While sawflies are related to stinging insects, they themselves do not sting. They feed on pollen and nectar, making them harmless to both people and plants. Sawfly eggs hatch into larvae which go through eight stages of growth. Typically, the larvae cluster together and are capable of eating an enormous amount of plant matter in a very short time. While sawflies are food for many animals in the wild, in cultivated areas they can be hard to manage. Sawfly management usually involves the use of chemical sprays. Sprays that work against caterpillars, however, are often ineffective against sawfly larvae. In addition, chemical sprays dont prevent sawflies from depositing their larvae. Chemical sprays should only be used when larvae are actually present. How Can You Tell Sawfly Larvae From Caterpillars? Caterpillars may have up to five pairs of abdominal prolegs (tiny limbs) but never have more than five pairs. Sawfly larvae will have six or more pairs of abdominal prolegs.  Ã‚  There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. Caterpillars of the family Megalopygidae, the flannel moths,  are  unusual in having 7 pairs of prolegs (2 more pairs than any other Lepidopteran larvae). Some sawfly larvae are stem borers or leaf miners; these larvae may have no prolegs at all. Another notable difference, though it requires a closer look, is that caterpillars have tiny hooks called crochets, on the ends of their prolegs. Sawflies do not have crochets. Another, less obvious difference between caterpillars and sawfly larvae is the number of eyes. Caterpillars almost always have 12 stemmata, six on each side of the head. Sawfly larvae usually have just a single pair of stemmata. If You Have Sawflies If you have identified sawfly larvae on your trees, flowers, or foliage you may be able to simply remove them manually. If there are too many, youll probably need to spray. Choose your pesticide carefully or consult a professional: quite a few common pesticides (such as the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis) work only on Lepidopteran larvae, and will not affect sawfly larvae. Before you apply any pesticide for a caterpillar problem, be sure to count the prolegs and identify your pest correctly.

Strategic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic - Essay Example Porter argues that strategy is about ‘positioning’ – not about ‘operational effectiveness’. This essay is a critical discussion of this view. It also offers a comparison between Porter’s views and other perspectives such as those of Mazzucato’s, Mintzberg, Waters and Grant. Porter (1996 p. 62) attributes lack of sustainable profitability in an organization to the inability of management to differentiate between strategy and operational effectiveness. Under such circumstances, the tools for management such as benchmarking, outsourcing, and total quality management among others usually displace strategy, which lowers the chances of improving organizational performance through strategy. The operational effectiveness and strategy are significant for the organizational performance, but according to Porter, they are supposed to be treated differently as they operate in diverse ways. In his view, position accompanied by pattern, plan and standpoint are core to strategy. Porter’s dissatisfaction with the management that focuses on operational effectiveness rather than strategic positioning is represented in figure 1.0, whereby the total of all the available best practices within the organization or the value generated by the organization at a certain charge, available machinery, expertise, management practices, and procured inputs is represented by the productivity frontier (p. 63). This curve indicates that an improvement in the operational effectiveness leads to the advancement of the organization in the direction of the frontier. The frontier on the other hand is continuously budges outward as the company acquires new skills and machinery. In order to maintain this shift of the frontier, managers largely invest in organizational learning, career development and such activities that enhance organizational improvement. Organizational competitiveness is not

Human genetic enhancement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Human genetic enhancement - Essay Example Gene insertion may be intended to affect a single individual through somatic cell modification, or it may target the Gametes, in which case the resulting effect could be passed on to generations. The concept of genetic enhancement is not new if one considers the use of genetically modified drug products such as Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which before 1985 could only be obtained in limited quantities from cadaveric pituitary glands but now can be produced using recombinant DNA technology (Stock, 2003). When its supply was limited HGH could only be prescribed to children with short stature caused by classical growth hormone deficiency however with the advent of recombinant DNA manufacturing some physicians are recommending use of HGH for nonhormone deficient children who are below normal height. After reports were heard of a pregnancy achieved through Human cloning program a bill was set up by the Senate that would outlaw all forms of cloning including biometric research aimed at crea ting embryonic stem cells that would not be rejected when transplanted, simply known as therapeutic cloning, and the bill had the support of then president George W. Bush. Any embryonic researcher was threatened with extreme criminal penalties (10 years in jail). An executive order on March 9, 2009 with its main aim of removing barriers to responsible scientific research involving human stem cell was introduced and it highlighted the advances over the past decade in the research field was very promising and would support it with federal funds. The order was to remove all forms of limitations on scientific inquiry expand NIH support on human stem cell research and enhance American scientist's contribution in new discoveries enhance the reputation for the fact that the U.S.A houses the most powerful biometric research facility in the world. There are issues regarding human genetic modifications and they bring up major questions like what extent is permitted by law, the risk involved, and availability of research benefits to people from all walks of life, use of animal model with the aim of human application. Gene transfer at an embryonic stage through a technique called pronuclear micro injections is being tested in animals but based on the experiments it suggests that embryo gene transfer is unsafe and its use results in random integration of the donor DNA, a lack of control of the number of gene copies inserted,rearrangement of host genetic material and the process was necessarily followed by nuclear transfer of enucleated oocytes led to low birth rate and a very high rate of late pregnancy loss or newborn death thus making gene transfer at the embryonic stage for enhancement would reach far beyond the means of acceptable medical intervention (Stock, 2003). But scientists have crossed that line, they have been able to change the DNA in a human egg and might easily ignore the goal which is prevent rare but horrible disorders in babies, caused by defects in the DNA that only passed down from a mother to a kid. Human genetic enhancement is a controversial topic and to make sense of this requires ethical reflection between Therapy and Enhancement. Both proponents and critics of bioenhancemet have argued that the line between therapy and enhancement is very thin. Therapy includes medical interventions that restore human functioning to species typical norms. One example of human genetic