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From The Editors

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

No abstract provided.

Volume 6, 2019

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

No abstract provided.

Jungle Gyms Of Justice: Understanding The Urban Park Accessibility Problem, Victoria Holmes

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Urban parks and green spaces have the potential to provide outstanding benefits to both children and adults. However, increased urbanization and the disproportionate placement of urban parks and green spaces can make these benefits elusive. Case studies focused on Los Angeles, Denver, and Chicago have found that access to urban parks and green spaces is more challenging for non-white and low-socioeconomic status populations. The present study, focused on the much smaller, much less populated city of Harrisonburg, Virginia, builds on this work using geographic information system (GIS) buffer analysis to find that all socioeconomic groups face access issues to some …

El Vph Y El Cáncer Cervical En El Perú: Diferencias De Accesibilidad Entre Las Mujeres De Las Zonas Rurales Y Urbanas / Hpv And Cervical Cancer In Peru: The Differences In Accessibility For Rural And Urban Women, Jemma Stratton

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Este informe examina el estado actual del tratamiento y prevención del VPH en el Perú, y pone énfasis con problemas específicas que han contribuido al riesgo alto de cáncer cervical entre las mujeres rurales. Perú ha tomado grandes pasos en las décadas últimas para establecer programas que se dirigen al VPH y la salud de las mujeres. Sin embargo, las mujeres peruanas tienen una población más probable para contraer cáncer cervical en el mundo. Este informe compara los esfuerzos de prevención del VPH entre las poblaciones rurales y urbanas en el Perú y identificar las barreras que causando esta crisis …

Lone Wolf Riots: Social Frustration & U.S. Mass Violence, Heather E. Rosso

International Journal on Responsibility

Through various life events and circumstances, some individuals find themselves at a disconnect with their surroundings—unable to relate to peers, socially awkward, and socially isolated and outcast. As a result, socially constructed basic human needs (BHNs) of meaning, recognition, and justice can seem even more difficult if not impossible to satisfy. The resulting relative deprivation becomes more problematic for these individuals as they navigate pursuit of these BHNs absent the value opportunities provided by social bonds, such as shared experience, collaborative problem solving, emotional outlets, networking, and alternate perspectives. Simultaneously, empathy and bonding toward their communities are damaged or erased. …

How The Medical Model Has Influenced United Nations Policies On Refugees With Disabilities, Isabelle E. Hoagland

International Journal on Responsibility

Medical model perspectives have consistently influenced United Nations policies regarding disability, particularly in terms of refugees with disabilities. Refugees with disabilities are classified in the same category as refugees with medical needs, giving them an unequal chance of being resettled into a third country. Although the United Nations has moved away from medical model rhetoric in the past 15 years, this has not yet proven to have translated into resettlement policy for refugees with disabilities. This paper analyzes how the United Nations has shifted from a medical model of disability to a social model in various declarations, resolutions, and policies, …

Introduction To Cultivating Peace 2019, Amy Splitt

International Journal on Responsibility

No abstract provided.

Special Issue: Cultivating Peace 2019

International Journal on Responsibility

No abstract provided.

An Alternative Visual Narrative: Latoya Ruby Frazier's The Notion Of Family, Madison Schultz

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

LaToya Ruby Frazier’s body of photographic work titled The Notion of Family (2003-2014) explores the toll the steel industry in Braddock, Pennsylvania, took on the black community there. The history of black Braddock is riddled with social, political, racial, economic and environmental hardship spurred on by the steel industry. Frazier intimately chronicles the lives of three generations of women—herself, her mother, and her grandmother—and their place in that history. The alternative visual narrative that Frazier creates commands viewers’ attention in telling a story that has been largely ignored by the American public. This essay contrasts Frazier’s work with that of …

Practical Notes On The Application Of Thermite Systems In Mine Action, Robert Syfret, Chris Cooper

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

There are numerous documents available online relating to the use of thermite systems for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD). However, most of the documents are either scientifically focused or address specific technical questions. This article provides broader practical information for mine action operators at the field and program levels. Although previously employed on a relatively small scale over the last five years, use of thermite as opposed to explosives for the destruction of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) has increased. This has been driven by greater engagement across the sector in countries with unstable security situations, and places with …

Iraq: A Photo Essay, Sean Sutton

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

MAG, Mines Advisory Group, has worked in Iraq since 1992 to make land safe for populations affected by decades of conflict. Landmines, cluster munitions, other unexploded bombs, as well as new contamination from the recent conflict with ISIS, have left a deadly legacy that prevents communities from using their land, and displaced populations from returning home safely.

From The Director, Ken Rutherford Dr.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Having just returned from an educational leave for these past five months, I return energized and even more passionate about the work we have ahead of us in the humanitarian mine action (HMA) field. During this time, I had an opportunity to study the terror that landmine use caused civilians during the 1943-1944 Italian campaign and how many of those mines were cleared. They are stories not dissimilar from today’s conflicts, including in Yemen. On 13 June, the Embassy of the Republic of Yemen held a landmine briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., during which I presented on the …

The Challenge Of Managing Mine Action In Jordan, Hrh Prince Mired R.Z. Al-Hussein

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Over the course of two decades, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan worked diligently to rid itself of landmines despite monumental challenges. In comparison to other mine-affected countries, the difficulties that Jordan faced may have been miniscule, but for a developing country with minimal natural resources in a very volatile region of the world, the task was enormous. The initial estimate of landmines buried in Jordanian territory was over 300,000, the vast majority of which were laid by the Jordanian military along the kingdom’s western border after the 1967 Arab– Israeli War and along its northern border after the Syrian incursion …

Ied Threat Consistency And Predictability In Fallujah: A 'Simple' Model For Clearance, Mark Wilkinson Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When in control of the area of Iraq north of Baghdad, including the city of Fallujah, ISIS prepared to defend its position from inevitable government counterattack through the widespread use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) laid as defensive obstacles in patterns similar to conventional minefields.¹ The subsequent destruction of bridges over the Tigris River further strengthened the ability of ISIS to defend the city and prevent the civilians trapped within from escaping.

Ieds And Urban Clearance Variables In Mosul: Defining Complex Environments, Mark Wilkinson Ph.D.

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

More than any other post-conflict environment in Iraq, the complexity of west Mosul and its improvised explosive device (IED) threat challenges our fundamental perceptions and definitions of mine action. From here, 400 km (248.5 mi) north of Baghdad in the al-Maedan District on the west side of the Tigris River, ISIS ran its caliphate and made its ill-fated last stand against attacking Iraqi Security Forces (ISF).

The Impact Of Landmines And Explosive Remnants Of War On Food Security: The Lebanese Case, Henrique Garbino

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The year 2017 was the third in a row of an exceptionally high number of mine victims. According to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, in 2017 alone, 7,239 people became casualties of landmines or explosive remnants of war (ERW), of which at least 2,793 were killed.^1,2 Apart from their direct physical effects, landmines and ERW also restrict access to basic resources such as food and water, limit the use of key infrastructure, and both force and restrict migration.² This article focuses on the impact of landmines and ERW on food security, with an emphasis in food …

More Bang For Their Buck: Enhancing The Sustainability Of Surplus Ammunition Destruction Programs, Joe Farha, Matthias Krotz, Einas Osman Abdalla Mohammed

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Dealing with stockpiles of surplus ammunition remains a key challenge for many African countries. In the last 10 years, at least 38 ammunition sites across Africa reportedly experienced unplanned explosions, causing injury and loss of life as well as significant damage to infrastructure and the environment. Numerous reasons such as overstocking, inadequate storage facilities due to insufficient resources, inadequate capabilities of storage sites, or simply unstable ammunition may be the cause of these unplanned detonations. These factors are often exacerbated by personnel having a limited knowledge and awareness, or insufficient training on relevant subjects such as explosive compatibility groups or …

Ammunition Stockpile Management: A Global Challenge Requiring Global Responses, Nora Allgaier, Samuel Paunila

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Ageing, unstable, and excess conventional ammunition stockpiles pose the dual risk of accidental explosion at munition sites and diversion to illicit markets, thereby constituting a significant danger to public safety and security. More than half of the world’s countries have experienced an ammunition storage area explosion over the past decades, resulting in severe humanitarian and socioeconomic consequences.¹ Thousands of people have been killed, injured, and displaced, and the livelihoods of entire communities have been disrupted. The humanitarian impact of unintended explosions is amplified when they occur in urban areas, as illustrated by ammunition depot explosions in a crowded area …

Key Performance Indicators And Hma: Time To Standardize?, Roly Evans, David Hewitson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Measuring performance is the norm across a range of human activities. But is it a norm in humanitarian mine action (HMA)? Some might suggest that it is. However, if we measure our performance, it is unclear whether we do so in a standardized way so that meaningful comparisons can be made. HMA lacks standardized indicators, whether it is for items of explosive ordnance (EO) found and destroyed, m² of land released, or more general outcomes such as internally displaced persons returning to an area once cleared. Indicators can of course be ignored, misused, misreported, or misunderstood and some fear …

Endnotes, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

No abstract provided.

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 23.2 (2019), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Middle East: An Editorial by Jordan's HRH Prince Mired R.Z. Al-Hussein | IEDs: 'Complex' vs. Simple Clearance in Fallujah and Mosul | Iraq: A Photo Essay by Sean Sutton | Lebanon: Impact of Landmines and ERW on food Security

The Funding Of Start-Up Nonprofits: An Exploration Of Funder Perceptions, Attitudes, And Advice, Christina George

VA Engage Journal

With the rapid expansion of the nonprofit sector, there is approximately 43 percent of nonprofits that are not surviving past five years of operation. As there are many misconceptions about start-up organizations, this may affect their growth and financial viability. A qualitative study was conducted to understand the perception of start-up nonprofit organizations and how that may influence funder giving behaviors. Interviews were administered with three funders of Greater Richmond area foundations and corporations. Five major themes were developed from the findings to include mission alignment, life cycle stages, perception, elimination of bias, and organizational barriers and common mistakes. Funder …

Mi Semestre Con La Experiencia Inmigrante: Todos Podríamos Aprender Un Poco, Rachel C. Ziemba

VA Engage Journal

Mucho del conocimiento común sobre la inmigración en los Estados Unidos se basa en los estereotipos de las comunidades inmigrantes. La falta de entendimiento obstaculiza las vidas de los inmigrantes. Por lo tanto, la educación del público es la única manera de mejorar esta situación y cambiar la actitud social con respeto a los inmigrantes hispanos y latinx. El aprendizaje y uso generalizado del español también ayudará a traer consigo una sociedad norteamericana más receptiva de los inmigrantes. El bilingüismo inglés español es una solución útil y fácil para aumentar la inclusión de los inmigrantes de origen hispano en los …

Play Everywhere: An Evaluation Of The Wide Ambitions Of Kaboom! And Some Barriers To Access And Equity In Programs, Shaina M. Greenberg

VA Engage Journal

KaBOOM!, the national non-profit dedicated to play, hosts a diverse menu of grant programs to reach children, especially those in disadvantaged communities, across the country. One of the newest and most innovative of these is Play Everywhere, a design competition in which communities develop ways to make play more accessible in public spaces. Since 2015, Play Everywhere has proven successful at increasing play, bringing communities together, and making public spaces safer. Equity of access and the limits of scaling this program are its two greatest challenges. Some of the highest need communities often lack technological tools and dedicated personnel to …

The Role Of Refugee Women Narratives In The U.S. Resettlement Process, Alys Sink

VA Engage Journal

Within resettlement scholarship, there exists a distinct absence of direct narratives by refugee women about their resettlement experiences within the United States. This study delves into this absence of voice, investigating the ways in which refugee women’s narratives are received and utilized within a refugee resettlement agency. This ethnographic study includes independent interviews with refugee women and resettlement staff. Utilizing Ernest Stringer’s method of action research and Cheryl Glenn’s Rhetoric of Silence, I argue that refugee women’s narratives are not wholly absent or silent, but rather that they are rarely acknowledged, often devalued, or inadvertently made a non-priority within larger …

Introduction

International Journal on Responsibility

Types of Responsibility: Challenges and Opportunities

The Challenges Of Humanitarian Mine Clearance In Ukraine, Toby Robinson, Rosanna O'Keeffe

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The HALO Trust has been working in Ukraine since 2015, a year after the hostilities in the east of the country began. Both the ongoing conflict in the Donbas and tensions on the border with Russia have left large areas of land contaminated with landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW). In places where the frontline has moved on and the fighting has stopped, mines and other ERW remain, preventing the lives of civilians from returning to normal.

The Journal Of Conventional Weapons Destruction Issue 23.1 (2019), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Ukraine | Interviews with HMA Directors | Southeast Europe | Lessons From the Past: Holland | Field Notes | Research and Development

Interviews With Hma Directors: Dr. Jane Cocking, Dr. Jane Cocking

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction is introducing a section dedicated to sharing the insights and experiences of those working in the field. This issue features HMA directors. Future issues will feature interviews with photojournalists, survivors, and veterans of the HMA community.

Ukraine's Newly Adopted Mine Action Law: What Does This Mean For Hma Programs?, Henrique Garbino

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Recent contamination in the region is the result of the ongoing conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.³ Although the full extent of contamination is unknown, conservative estimates suggest that about 20 sq km (7.72 sq mi) are contaminated.

Currently, at least three government institutions are directly involved with humanitarian demining, with the support of three international NGOs. Many more organizations are involved in mine risk education (MRE), victim assistance, stockpile destruction, advocacy and training, advisory, and coordination of the mine action program. However, until January 2019, there was no strong legal framework …