Concepts learned in International Relations Essay

Concepts learned in International Relations - Essay Example the ‘national interest’ is captured in the image of a social evolutionary process that predetermines a series of associated connotations and denotations of an otherwise natural phenomenon (Trubovitz, 1998, p.3). The individualistic view of ‘what’s good’ is truly based on the concept of private benefit while social good or benefit is located in a larger context that even encompasses international interests. It’s against this backdrop that American national interest as against international collective benefit ought to be examined. Concepts such as ‘absolute good’ and ‘relative good’ in a politically charged environment of conflict between ideologies are more relevant and highly feasible though definitions of them might vary according to biases and prejudices of individuals who seek to interpret them. Social issues of conflict and ideological differences deserve more attention in a study of international relations than a superficial analysis of consequences thereof. Theoretical underpinnings of social transformation in an international relations context focus attention on the inevitable concept of conflict between private interests and public interests. By extension it’s the same conflict between national interests of the individual nation state and the collective interests of the international community at large. The subsequent developments that unfold as the conflict evolves into a multifaceted phenomenon bear a closer semblance to those social issues such as ideological differences, social biases and prejudices, ethnic and religious interests and societal mores or value systems. At an international level the macrocosmic phenomenon though might assume a diversity and a complexity that has little parallel in conflicts within the boundaries of a nation state. The theoretical rigor with which the polemical issues in interstate relations are treated generates a greater degree of enthusiasm in the conflict and its impact on such relations. While

The Adventure of the Speckled Band Essay Example for Free

The Adventure of the Speckled Band Essay It is fear; it is terror that sent me to London today. I was so agitated my face is surely drawn and grey with restless, frightened eyes because I have been unable to sleep for many a week now. I explained my sickening worries to Mr Holmes. He seemed very kind, knowledgeable and understanding which comforted me immensely. As before I felt like a hunted animal without knowing my stalker.  I good few years ago a good a friend of mine Mrs Farintosh had Mr Holmes remedy a problem of hers. This is where I got the idea to go and find him in London. My stepfather, always a difficult man, has become increasingly erratic, making me nervous and on edge anyway. My concerns started two days ago when I had to sleep in my sisters room as repairs had started in mine. My darling sister died in this bed. How I could I be expected to feel. Shudders of racking fear coursed through my veins. Indeed I would rather sleep anywhere but here .Sleep was far away last night but my sluggish senses could not fail to hear a low whistle. I can be certain it must have been the same sound my bewildered sister heard the night she died. Instinctively I reached for my lamp but I swear to God there was nothing there. Sleep eluded me from then on but at first light I made my way to London, praying that Mr Holmes could help me. He made me tell my story as best I could. At first I found the telling easy as we talked of times long ago when Dr Roylett was married to my dear mother.  Discussing how he seemed to lose his mind after my mothers passing was not so easy, but the worst was putting in to words the last few hours of my sisters life. That night we girls sat talking in my room, mainly of her approaching wedding. As she turned to enter her room she asked me the strangest question Tell me Helen, have you ever heard someone whistling in the dead of night? We discussed this and I suggested that it must have been the gypsies in the plantation. As usual we locked ourselves into our bedrooms because of the nature of the Drs Pets. I will never, ever forget that night. I had a feeling of premonition; a vague feeling of impending misfortune which I can only presume was because my sister and I are twins, with such links that are well known. The wind was howling and splashing against the windows. Amid all the hubbub of the gale, there burst forth the wild scream of a terrified woman. I knew that it was my sisters voice. I ran to her room and caught her before she fell to the floor. She writhed as one in who is in terrible pain and her limbs were dreadfully convulsed. I shall forget her final words, It was the band! The speckled band! We tried to revive her with brandy, for my stepfather had now arrived but she slowly sank and died. There was nothing more to do.  I feel some relief from pressure now that I have shared this story with Mr Holmes. I pray that he will be able to solve the mystery of my darling sister death.

Induction of Aminolevulinic Acid Synthase Gene Expression

Induction of Aminolevulinic Acid Synthase Gene Expression Induction of aminolevulinic acid synthase gene expression, down-regulation ferrochelatase and enhancement of metabolite, protoporphyrin IX, excretion by co-therapy with isoniazid and rifampicin (1. Isoniazid and rifampicin induced liver injury by regulating 5-aminolevulinate synthase and ferrochelatase and enhancing protoporphyrin IX 2. Mechanism of rifampicin and isoniazid induced cell death in L-02 cell line and mice) Abstract Isoniazid(INH) and rifampicin(RFP) are first-line antituberculosis drugs, co-therapy with INH and RFP is highly effective. However, the combination of these two drugs frequently cause liver injury or liver failure in humans. The risk of hepatotoxicity is considerably higher in patients receiving both RFP and INH than in those receiving either RFP or INH alone. Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the mechanism of injury after isoniazid or rifampicin used in various animal models, however, the important mechanism for the combination of isoniazid and rifampicin in humans remains unclear. Here we investigated this combination induced hepatotoxicity using L-02 cells and mice. Introduction Tuberculosis remains a global public health problem whose effects have major impact in developing countries. World Health Organization estimates that there were 8.6 million new TB cases in 2012 and 1.3 million TB deaths. The currently recommended treatment for new cases of drug-susceptible TB is a six-month regimen of four first-line drugs: isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide. (Global tuberculosis report 2013). However, the combination of isoniazid(INH) and rifampicin(RFP) frequently cause liver injury or liver failure. The risk of hepatotoxicity is considerably higher in patients receiving the combination than in those receiving either RFP or INH alone. The mechanisms leading to liver failure in humans were poorly understood. Recently, a new mechanism ,independent of INH metabolism, is found in the RFP and INH co-therapy induced liver injury. Li et al. (Li, et al. 2013) found that co-therapy with RFP and INH targets porphyrin biosynthesis and results in hepatic protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) accumulation and liver injury . PPIX is an intermediate in porphyrin biasynthesis. Normally the concentrations of PPIX is very low in the liver. However, in some cases the concentration abnormally elevated in blood and liver, such as erythropoietic protoporphyria. High concentrations of PPIX in the liver are known to cause liver injury (Anstey and Hift 2007; Casanova-Gonzalez, et al. 2010). Using hPXR mice, Li et al. demonstrated that the accumulation of endogenous PPIX is through PXR-mediated transcriptional activations of aminolevulinic synthase-1(ALAS1) genes. ALAS1 is the rate-limiting enzyme of heme synthesis in the liver and is drug-responsive, providing heme for CYPs and other hemoproteinsis. Activation of PXR can up regulate ALAS1 expression in liver (Fraser, et al. 2003). RFP upregulate ALAs1 increasing heme-biosynthesis in the liver and overproducing PPIX through activating PXR signalling pathway. However, PPIX accumulation strongly suggests that ferrochelatase became a ratelimiting enzyme during INH-RFP treatment (Lyoumi, et al. 2013). Ferrochelatase (FECH) ,the final enzyme in the heme biosynthetic pathway, catalyses ferrous iron inserted into precursor porphyrin protoporphyrin IX to form heme, and when defective or deficient, causing accumulation of protoporphyrin IX. Ferrochelatase is active in cells that produce 80% heme in the bone marrow (Bloomer, et al. 1991) and the rest in hepatocytes (Bonkowsky, et al. 1975). The excess protoporphyrinIX becomes insoluble in bile and exerts cholestatic effects leading to architectural changes in the hepatobiliary system ranging from mild inflammation to fibrosis and cirrhosis (Anstey and Hift 2007). MATERIALS AND METHODS PI staining L-02 were allowed to adhere on glass bottom dishs for 4h, followed by INH,RFP or INH/RFP. The medium was removed after h and cells were stained with for 30 min. Nuclei were stained with 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and images were recorded with a fluorescence microscope. Western blotting L-02 cells cultured in flask were harvested using 0.25% trypsin (Hyclone, Thermo Scientific, Waltham, Mass). After centrifugation at 1000r and lysis using buffer for Western blotting (), total proteins were collected by following the kit instructions. Protein concentrations were determined using the BCA Protein Assay Kit (). After heating at 95 °C for 5 minutes in sample buffer, proteins were separated on SDS-PAGE using 10% polyacrylamide gels before electroblotting onto PVDFmembrane(). Nonspecific binding was blocked by incubation for 2 hours in 5% (w/v) nonfat milk. The following primary antibodies were used overnight at 4 °C: Rabbit anti-human FECH antibody(; 1:1000); Rabbit anti-human ALAs1 antibody( 1:500); Rabbit anti-human BCRP antibody(; 1:500). Bound antibodies were detected using horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies (Beijing Biosynthesis Biotechnology Co. LTD). Finally, the membranes were visualized by chemiluminescence. RNA Isolation and Real time Polymerase Chain Reaction for ALAs1 and FECH Cell Culture L-02 cells, a human fetal hepatocyte line, purchased from Cell Bank of Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, purchased from Shanghai, China, were cultured according to the manufacturer’s instructions 15 at 37 °C in 5% CO2. Cell culture materials were procured from Corning() Discussion Nevertheless, the ability of chemicals to activate PXR is species dependent. RFP is a human PXR specific activator that weakly affect on mouse (Lehmann, et al. 1998). INH hepatotoxicity is thought to be dependent on metabolic activation by arylamine N-acetyltransferase and CYP2E1, but Li found AcHZ and hydrazine do not cause INH-related hepatotoxicity. Hepatic heme synthesis leading to protoporphyria and possible impact with other metabolic systems (Davies, et al. 2005). References Primary Sources Secondary Sources Uncategorized References Anstey, A. V., and R. J. Hift,  2007, Liver disease in erythropoietic protoporphyria: insights and implications for management. Postgrad Med J 83(986):739-48. Bloomer, J. R., et al.  1991, Heme synthesis in protoporphyria. Curr Probl Dermatol 20:135-47. Bonkowsky, H. L., et al. 1975, Heme synthetase deficiency in human protoporphyria. Demonstration of the defect in liver and cultured skin fibroblasts. J Clin Invest 56(5):1139-48. Casanova-Gonzalez, M. J., et al.  2010, Liver disease and erythropoietic protoporphyria: a concise review. World J Gastroenterol 16(36):4526-31. Davies, R., et al.  2005, Hepatic gene expression in protoporphyic Fech mice is associated with cholestatic injury but not a marked depletion of the heme regulatory pool. Am J Pathol 166(4):1041-53. Fraser, D. J., A. Zumsteg, and U. A. Meyer,  2003, Nuclear receptors constitutive androstane receptor and pregnane X receptor activate a drug-responsive enhancer of the murine 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase gene. J Biol Chem 278(41):39392-401. Lehmann, J. M., et al.  1998, The human orphan nuclear receptor PXR is activated by compounds that regulate CYP3A4 gene expression and cause drug interactions. J Clin Invest 102(5):1016-23. Li, F., et al.  2013, Human PXR modulates hepatotoxicity associated with rifampicin and isoniazid co-therapy. Nat Med 19(4):418-20. Lyoumi, S., et al.  2013, PXR-ALAS1: a key regulatory pathway in liver toxicity induced by isoniazid-rifampicin antituberculosis treatment. Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol 37(5):439-41.

Violence in Video Games Essay -- Papers Violent Cause Effect Gaming Es

Violence in Video Games Do video games containing violence spark people of today to commit violent acts? Violence in video games are blamed for some of todays violent crimes. Some people believe that these crimes are committed due to playing a video game. Others believe that video games are a easy excuse for the violent acts, and keep America from looking deeper into the minds of people committing these acts. Video games are also thought to be a good way to take out some hostility. In Bernard Cesarone?s piece, ?Violence in Video Games,? it is shown that Nintendo itself sold over 10.4 million systems and 69 million video games. Cesarone also stated more than 33 million people own a Nintendo system presently. Ceserone mentioned that in the year 2000 the video game industry will make 6 billion dollars. Each household in the U.S. owns a video game playing device on average, and for those who do not own a game playing device, many are able to be played by the public in stores and arcades, states Cesarone. It is also know that video games do contain violence. Mike Snider?s piece, ?Violent Video Games With in Kids Reach,? shows researchers to find that 70% of 150 games studied did contain high levels of violence. Violence is put into games in different forms; punching, biting, kicking, and shooting with various weapons. Although it may not be the main objective to do these violent acts in all games it is awarded in many with points. Even sport games, which were fairly free of violence in early video game days, have found a way to make violence part of the games. Gary Baum?s piece ?Virtual Morality? emphasizes that 27% of games show violence upon females. Death and killing are all parts of video games today. When vi... ...ame can cause an act of violence. I do believe there may be some connection between violence in video games. Even though there are gradings for the games people under the age of playing a certain game may have access to it anyway. Games are blamed for violent acts as was rock-n-roll in early days. If people do the things they see in mass-media for the simple fact they witnessed them, those people need help whether it were video games or any other form of mass media which sparked a violent act. For that reason video games can not be made a sole violence creator. Perhaps they do give a child a wide imagination, which also can be a good thing or bad. I believe these games may give people ideas of a violent nature as do t.v. and other sources of mass-media, but in the end I believe it is more than the game which makes them actually do these violent asinine acts.

Character Analysis of Rose Essay

August Wilson’s Fences is a story of an African American family, primarily centered around Troy Maxson and his difficulties as a black man in a predominantly white society. The story focuses on many themes and puts an emphasis on the relationships between Troy and his family. As the story revolves around Troy, we see that many of the decisions he made start to affect those around him and the relationships of his friends, family, and loved ones slowly disintegrate. One of the most prominent relationships that were destroyed was the marriage between Troy Maxson and his wife Rose Maxson. Loving, caring and understanding, Rose in August Wilson’s Fences is a character that remains a strong woman for her family despite the issues in her household. With Rose in Fences, she is a mother that exhibits strength and sacrifice, as she puts her own needs aside for the well-being of her family. As the play moves forward we see that Troy’s decisions concerning marriage, infideli ty, and family slowly shatters the relationship with Rose and directly affects her role as a housewife, mother, and woman. In the beginning of Fences, Rose is identified as Troy’s wife as â€Å"her devotion to him stems from her recognition of the possibilities of her without him,† (Kirszner and Mandell 1114). Here she introduced during the conversation between Troy and Bono and states that without Troy, Rose wouldn’t have what she does now and she would be leading a worse life; which she also recognizes. 1 Based on her introduction alone, her identity stems from the fact that she is married to Troy. During this time Rose, as a character, is not seen for her character traits or personality, yet she is already given the label of ‘housewife’. This label is further reinforced by the introduction of Act 1, Scene 2 where the scene begins with Rose hanging clothes and singing softly to herself. After she sees Troy, she follows up with â€Å"’Morning, You ready for breakfast? I can fix it soon as I finish hanging up these clothes?† (Kirszner and Mandell 1122). In this scene, she is shown as the regular housewife; cooking food, doing laundry, etc. Her role and identity here is defined by her marriage with Troy through her actions and dialogue as she is expected to play her role as the wife and typically cook food for  the family while tending to other household chores. As the play moves forward, Rose maintains the static role of housewife despite Troy’s treatment towards Cory and actions of infidelity. Infidelity, adultery, extramarital sex, unfaithfulness, cheating. These actions are all of the same and are all abhorred. In marital relationships, it is commonly assumed that both partners remain exclusive although this is not always met. So when Rose comes to find out that her husband, Troy, has been cheating on her and his mistress is now pregnant, she is absolutely devastated. The marriage between Rose and Troy has been destroyed. After this, Rose’s role as a woman and wife start to connect. In Act Two, when confronting Troy, Rose talks about her life and marriage as she compares it to planting when she says â€Å"I took all my feelings, my wants and needs, my dreams and I buried them inside you . . . I planted myself inside you and waited to bloom. And it didn’t take me no eighteen years to find out the soil was hard and rocky and it wasn’t never gonna bloom. But I held on to you, Troy. I held you tighter. You was my husband.† (Kirszner and Mandell 11 47). When Rose told Troy that she took her feelings, wants, needs and dreams and 2 buried them inside him, she was telling him that she’d given her life for their marriage and their family. She put his needs and the needs of their children consistently over hers. Here it is understood that Rose sacrificed herself and her identity for the sake of marriage. But as she noted, there was never a bloom. In Rose’s day and age, it was uncommon for women to stand up for themselves. When she found that her husband had impregnated Alberta, she told him that she would no longer live with him as his wife with â€Å"But you a womanless man,† (Kirszner and Mandell 1151) and they lived separate lives. When Alberta died, Rose adopted Troy’s daughter as her own, and took care of her, only allowing Troy to provide for them as Rose ended up accepting the role of mother. After the affair and the birth of Raynell, Rose’s role as a mother will stay static. She will still care for and nurture Raynell. But before that happens, many aspects of herself change. During this time, we start to see  Rose waver from the role of housewife and begin to identify as a woman and a person herself. When Rose stands up to Troy, her identity as a wife starts to diminish. Rose tells Troy, â€Å"And you know I ain’t never wanted no half nothing in my family. My whole family is half. Everybody got different fathers and mothers my two sisters and my brother. Can’t hardly tell who’s who. Can’t never sit down and talk about Papa and Mama. It’s your papa and your mama and my papa and my mama.† (Kirszner and Mandell 1145). At this point, we start viewing Rose for her beliefs and see her as a person; not Troy’s wife. We see that she had needs and wants as well. Rose wanted family and she wanted to keep her family together, which was torn apart after Troy’s affair. This affair also helps her identify more as an independent woman now. Following the affair, Rose becomes cold towards Troy as she tells him that â€Å"Your dinner’s on the stove. All you have to do is heat it up,† and then leaves the house to do what she wants. Troy is asking questions here, but not receiving answers as his â€Å"wife† leaves. In Fences, Rose’s relationship with Troy diminishes with every decision that he makes. These decisions start to affect the characters and change their roles in the household. Rose stays as a mother, but is no longer a wife. She becomes her own person, with beliefs, and starts thinking of herself. She makes a stand for herself and her family and realized where she went wrong in her marriage after Troy’s death. She told Cory that she’d made the mistake of not making Troy think of her. â€Å"When your daddy walked through the house he was so big he filled it up. That was my first mistake. Not to make him leave some room for me,† (Kirszner and Mandell 1160). Rose gave up love for comfort as she followed up with â€Å"But at that time I wanted that. I wanted a house that I could sing in. And that’s what your daddy gave me,† (Kirszner and Mandell 1160) and soon her identity was established after their marriage as wife because â€Å"that’s w hat life offered me in a way of being a woman,† (Kirszner and Mandell 1160). Based on her needs, wants, and beliefs, Rose could have been her own person from the beginning. But she didn’t do that; she married Troy to become wife and mother. For her then, her marriage with Troy was her entire identity. But afterwards Troy’s decisions for his family and himself helped make Rose develop into a more rounded character.

Why Was the Irish Revolution of 1919-21?

On December 6 1921 the Anglo-Irish treaty was drafted and signed by representatives of both the Irish and British Governments. After centuries of bitter feuding involving both sides the British Government was for the first time to offer the Irish independence. In this essay I seek to outline how the Irish revolution of 1919 and 1921 was successful in achieving Irish independence. Richard English says, â€Å"There had never been any chance of a formal military victory†¦ nor in practice of the British recognising an Irish republic. [1] If English is right to say this then how did the Irish manage to gain independence when the odds were stacked against them both militarily and politically? I believe that independence was reached for a number of reasons to be discussed in more detail later. These factors can be divided into the two crucial areas of political and military. Politically, there was a list of British failures including the negative publicity attracted by the revolution at home, pressure from America and the Government of Ireland Act. Failures only exacerbated by political achievements on the Irish side.Such as De Valera’s trip to the U. S to canvass American support for the revolution plus the establishment of Dail Eireann and its de facto courts. The next section of the essay will be based on the military issues. Was the revolution’s success down to Britain’s failures or Ireland’s triumph of military tactics? Military mistakes were made on the British side which nullified the fact that they had a vastly superior army. The harsh reprisals in nationalist territories for example stoked tensions unnecessarily. A large part of the revolutions success could be attributed to the military strengths of the IRA.With Michael Collins at the head the IRA was extremely strong tactically and used guerrilla warfare to great effect. The also had a mass intelligence system to rival any according to figures like Thomas Bowden for instanc e. Although some historians such as Peter Hart try to unravel the legend of Michael Collins and believe he did not have quite as big a role in the war as many would later claim. Political In order for the revolution to work the IRA had to defeat Britain politically and in a propaganda war as well as militarily.It has to be noted that as far back as 1916 the Irish public had no interest in a revolting. The men who took part in the Easter Rising were looked upon as villains in the immediate aftermath not heroes. It was political failure that allowed such a dramatic swing in public opinion to take place. The harsh treatment of the rebels was the turning point in Irish popular opinion. It formed the motivation for many who joined the IRA during the revolution becoming a superb propaganda tool for the republican cause. With each execution of the men who took part in Ireland the fury grew.A student in the University College of Dublin Barry once studied remarked, â€Å"I never experienced anything like this surging fury with the news produced in everyone. †[2] Later in the interview the student claims that there was notable rejoice when three Englishmen were shot for every Irishman hung. Primary quotes like this go some way to showing the feelings of resentment caused through Britain’s political own goals that multiplied the supporters of an armed revolution in a matter of days. It was not only public opinion in Ireland that was affected by the mistakes of the British administration.Public opinion in Britain throughout the revolution had reached a low. Many normal British citizens were horrified by what they saw as atrocities going on in their name. A sketch of opinion at the time can be viewed in a report of the Labour commission to Ireland in 1921. The report claims that the results of a government policy of reprisals on the people manifests in three main ways they are health economic and spirit. The report states, â€Å"months of oppression, coercio n, and physical violence cannot but have far reaching effects upon the people who suffer under them. The Labour party believed at the time that British Government policy was to the detriment of the economy both in Ireland and in Britain. While the armed forces â€Å"provocative behaviour† was only creating â€Å"a new bitterness of spirit† among the people. Perhaps a concluding line from the document may sum up the thoughts and fears of many in Britain. â€Å"Things are being done in the name of Britain which must make her name stink in the nostrils of the whole world†[3] A crucial failure of British policy was the Government of Ireland Act passed in 1920.The Act was to create two subordinate parliaments one in Belfast and one in Dublin. The Belfast Parliament comprised of the same six counties that would later make up Northern Ireland. The Act was ignored in the twenty six counties but the Dail was powerless to prevent its operation in the North. Ronan Fanning believes that the Act later caused the British to give away more independence than previously hoped by the very fact it had Ireland divided into separate legislative bodies never an intention of the Act. Britain continually faced U. S pressure to solve the Irish question.Lloyd George faced constant pressure from U. S president Woodrow Wilson. It is said in Hopkinson’s book that Wilson told him until the Irish question was resolved it was bound to not only affect the relations between England and the U. S but inevitably effect the relationship of England with her colonies as well. [4] It would be wrong for one to say the Irish revolution of 1919-1921 in achieving Irish independence was all down to Britain’s failure politically. For one to do claim would do a great injustice to many strengths the Irish displayed politically before independence was achieved.Three factors to be considered here are the rise of Sinn Fein, De Valera’s canvassing of U. S support and the creation of the Dail parliament and Courts. The rise of Sinn Fein led to a radicalisation of the masses which had previously not existed in Ireland before this the majority were happy with Home Rule now it was all or nothing. When discussing this many historians would say that the rise Sinn Fein was as much if not more a consequence of Britain’s failings more than any great genius on behalf of Sinn Fein. A school of thought shared by historians including Hopkinson and Dangerfield.Dangerfield was of the belief that by not implementing Home Rule the rise of a more radical politics was unavoidable. â€Å"The point is that when the concept of Home Rule vanished†¦ Nationalist Ireland drifted into a position were only republican and revolutionary leadership became possible. †[5] Once this process had begun it was simply irreversible. Whereas Hopkinson would state that the British Government had a misplaced optimism involving Sinn Fein. They tried to suppress them by ma king many arrests which all led to propaganda victories for the party.Who could now claim they were unjustly victimised. â€Å"Like many other British politician both before and since, they believed that a few extremists were the problem and that usual order would be restored once they were dealt with. †[6] By trying to introduce conscription in Ireland Britain only managed to give Sinn Fein another boost. Townshend asserts, â€Å"In resistance to conscription, the Sinn Fein leadership found for the first time a national political issue which could mobilise the mass of the people. †[7] Not all of Sinn Fein’s rise can be blamed on the British according to Peter Hart.The party he argued was strengthened by female involvement and the support of first time female voters. De Valera’s visit to the Treaty of Versailles may not have laid to the American backed independence hoped but was beneficial in other areas. Yet despite this there was support for his cause i n America. According to Ferriter, De Valera managed to raise something in the region of $6 million between January 1920 and October 1921 a figure higher than that raised in Ireland. Ferriter asserts that to call Irish Nationalism a mass movement in the U. S by 1920 was no exaggeration.Perhaps the central political success by Ireland before eventually achieving independence was the creation of Dail Eireann on January 21 1919. An illegal parliament based in Dublin separate from British control. The Dail followed the path of which Ronan Fanning called â€Å"Sinn Fein’s unilateral solution to the age old problem of the constitutional relationship between Britain and Ireland was to deny that there was any legitimate connection. †[8] Thus it made sense that the Dail’s first law was to break with Britain. Townshend was complimentary in speaking of the decision to set up Dail Eireann. Their (nationalists) action in assembling on 21 January 1919 as Dail Eireann, the Parl iament of Ireland was in itself revolutionary. †[9] At the beginning Britain simply ignored this new parliament. They shared the same beliefs Stephen Gwynn echoed in 1921. â€Å"When the decision was taken to constitute the Irish members into an Irish parliament people were inclined to laugh. †[10] Gwynn later claimed that the fact the British Government did not initially interfere merely added unreality to the whole proceedings. Yet many believe that when Britain did interfere in 1919 in banning the Dail more harm than good came as a consequence.Arthur Mitchell says the banning of the Dail was not its end but really its making driving it underground was generally to its advantage. The fact that Dail Eireann created its own judicial system greatly undermined British rule. Ferriter points out positives and negatives of these courts. It was said, â€Å"The promptness and efficiency of the courts impressed even most unionists. †[11] Although at times reality bit as Ferriter tells us how figures such as Cathal Brugha the minister of defence had little time for courts they were a distraction from war.Military Despite all the ramifications of each side’s political manoeuvres it is highly unlikely of course the Irish revolution would ever have taken place were it not for what happened militarily. Similar to political, military could also be divided into both Britain’s failures and Irish success. How did the IRA gain a truce when they were fighting the military might of the British Empire? If English’s point earlier in the essay is to be considered the IRA could never have gained a formal military victory.Could it be a case that the British overestimated the IRA’s staying power? For the IRA’s key leader Michael Collins himself believed the IRA was close to breaking point. The British policy of reprisals was in itself a military disaster. Augustein puts the point across that, â€Å"The actual and alleged bad behav iour of the crown forces was an extremely persuasive force which caused and justified a violent response by the IRA in the eyes of men and women on all sides. †[12] Thomas Bowden is of the view that reprisals were advocated at the very top level of British intelligence.Sir Henry Wilson, chief of the Imperial General Staff was a known sponsor of these methods declaring â€Å"shoot all Irish leaders by roster. †[13] On May 21 1921, General McCready sent a memo stating, â€Å"Defeat the IRA by the summer or pullout† It is possible the general did not want to get bogged down in a guerrilla conflict in unfamiliar terrain. Though historians like Townshend believe McCready was giving too much credit to the IRA who would soon fall. While others including Hart have the view that the IRA’s organisation was such McCready was right to issue the memo.In order to achieve independence the IRA had to have been strong militarily. Much of this is put at the door of historia ns to Michael Collins held by many as a master of tactician and great exponent of guerrilla warfare. Collins is chiefly judged in history as the main man behind the revolution. One such historian is Dangerfield who complements Collins highly. â€Å"Neither Richard Mulcahy, the volunteers chief of staff, nor the Minister of defence come close to Collins, with his administrative genius, his enormous energy, his warm blooded presence, his cold and concerted purpose. [14] Strong praise for a man Peter Hart claims never held a gun post 1916. For Collins was based in Dublin mainly undertaking intelligence duties. ———————– [1] English, p29 [2] Augustein [3] Labour, pp54-56 [4] Hopkinson, p33 [5] Dangerfield, p246 [6] Hopkinson, p31 [7] Townshend, p318 [8] Fanning pp1-2 [9] Townshend, p328 [10] Gwynn, p62 [11] Ferriter, p202 [12] Augustein, ‘Motivation’ [13] Bowden, p119 [14] Dangerfield, p313

The Geoglyphic Art of Chiles Atacama Desert

The Geoglyphic Art of Chiles Atacama Desert More than 5,000 geoglyphs- prehistoric works of art placed on or worked into the landscape- have been recorded in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile over the past thirty years. A summary of these investigations appears in a paper by Luis Briones entitled The geoglyphs of the north Chilean desert: an archaeological and artistic perspective,  published in the March 2006 issue of the journal Antiquity.   The Geoglyphs of Chile The best-known geoglyphs in the world are the Nazca lines, built between 200 BC and 800 AD, and located approximately 800 kilometers away in coastal Peru. The Chilean glyphs in the Atacama Desert are far more numerous and varied in style, cover a much larger region (150,000 km2 versus the 250 km2 of the Nazca lines), and were built between 600 and 1500 AD. Both the Nazca lines and the Atacama glyphs had multiple symbolic or ritual purposes; while scholars believe the Atacama glyphs additionally had a vital role in the transportation network connecting the great South American civilizations.Built and refined by several South American cultures- likely including Tiwanaku and Inca, as well as less-advanced groups- the widely varied geoglyphs are in geometric, animal and human forms, and in about fifty different types. Using artifacts and stylistic characteristics, archaeologists believe the earliest were first constructed during the Middle Period, beginning around 800 AD. The most recent may be associated with early Christian rites in the 16th century. Some geoglyphs are found in isolation, some are in panels of up to 50 figures. They are found on hillsides, pampas, and valley floors throughout the Atacama Desert; but they are always found near ancient pre-Hispanic trackways marking llama caravan routes through the difficult regions of the desert connecting the ancient people of South America. Types and Forms of Geoglyphs The geoglyphs of the Atacama Desert were built using three essential methods, ‘extractive’, ‘additive’ and ‘mixed’. Some, like the famous geoglyphs of Nazca, were extracted from the environment, by scraping the dark desert varnish away exposing the lighter subsoil. Additive geoglyphs were built of stones and other natural materials, sorted and carefully placed. Mixed geoglyphs were completed using both techniques  and occasionally painted as well.The most frequent type of geoglyph in the Atacama are geometric forms: circles, concentric circles, circles with dots, rectangles, crosses, arrows, parallel lines, rhomboids; all symbols found in pre-Hispanic ceramics and textiles. One important image is the stepped rhombus, essentially a staircase shape of stacked rhomboids or diamond shapes (such as in the figure).Zoomorphic figures include camelids (llamas or alpacas), foxes, lizards, flamingos, eagles, seagulls, rheas, monkeys, and fishes includin g dolphins or sharks. One frequently occurring image is a caravan of llamas, one or more lines of between three and 80 animals in a row. Another frequent image is that of an amphibian, such as a lizard, toad or serpent; all of these are divinities in the Andean world connected to water rituals.Human figures occur in the geoglyphs and are generally naturalistic in form; some of these are engaged in activities ranging from hunting and fishing to sex and religious ceremonies. On the Arica coastal plains can be found the Lluta style of human representation, a body form with a highly stylized pair of long legs and a square head. This type of glyph is thought to date to AD 1000-1400. Other stylized human figures have a forked crest and a body with concave sides, in the Tarapaca region, dated to AD 800-1400. Why Were the Geoglyphs Built? The complete purpose of the geoglyphs is likely to remain unknown to us today. Possible functions include a cultic worship of mountains  or expressions of devotion to Andean deities; but Briones believes that one vital function of the geoglyphs was to store knowledge of safe pathways for llama caravans through the desert, including the knowledge of where salt flats, water sources, and animal fodder could be found. Briones terms these â€Å"messages, memories and rites† associated with the pathways, part sign post and part story-telling along a transportation network in an ancient form of combined religious and commercial travel, not unlike the rite known from many many cultures on the planet as pilgrimage. Large llama caravans were reported by Spanish chroniclers, and many of the representational glyphs are of caravans. However, no caravan equipment has been found in the desert to date (see Pomeroy 2013). Other potential interpretations include solar alignments. Sources This article is a part of the About.com guide to the Geoglyphs, and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Briones-M L. 2006. The geoglyphs of the north Chilean desert: an archaeological and artistic perspective.  Antiquity 80:9-24. Chepstow-Lusty AJ. 2011. Agro-pastoralism and social change in the Cuzco heartland of Peru: a brief history using environmental proxies. Antiquity 85(328):570-582. Clarkson PB. Atacama Geoglyphs: Huge Images Created Across the Rocky Landscape of Chile. Online manuscript. Labash M. 2012. The Geoglyphs of the Atacama Desert: A bond of landscape and mobility. Spectrum 2:28-37. Pomeroy E. 2013. Biomechanical insights into activity and long distance trade in the south-central Andes (AD  500–1450). Journal of Archaeological Science 40(8):3129-3140. Thanks to Persis Clarkson for her assistance with this article, and to Louis Briones for the photography.