Digital Commons Network^™

The Ambulance Chasing Epidemic In Texas, Ronald Rodriguez

St. Mary's Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics

Barratry and solicitation of professional employment is illegal and unethical. The Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct define barratry as ethical misconduct and a serious crime. Unfortunately, for citizens and law-abiding attorneys of Texas, the criminal and ethical prohibitions against barratry have rarely been enforced. Consequently, barratry continues to proliferate rapidly throughout South Texas. For lawyers who engage in this unethical practice, the potential for large financial gain proves irresistible given the virtually nonexistent risk of prosecution. The lack of robust and successful prosecutions has created an optimal environment for barratry to proliferate. This Article discusses the current barratry epidemic …

50 Years Was Too Long To Wait: The Syrian Refugee Crisis Has Highlighted The Need For A Second Optional Protocol To The 1951 Convention Relating To The Status Of Refugees, Yvonne S. Brakel, Rachel E. Kester, Samantha L. Potter

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Some Observations And New Discoveries Related To Altar 3, Pacbitun, Belize, Sheldon Skaggs, Christophe Helmke, Jon Spenard, Paul F. Healy, Terry G. Powis

Publications and Research

The Pre-Columbian Maya city of Pacbitun, Belize (Fig. 1) is distinguished by the high number of stone monuments (n- 20) identified during the roughly three decades of archaeological research conducted there (Healy et al. 2004:213). Altar 3, recovered in a cache within the main pyramidal structure of the site in 1986, was one of those monuments, but, unlike most of the others from the site, it is carved and bas a short hieroglyphic text. Yet, similar to several of the others, it had been broken in the past and, its pieces scattered. Archaeological excavations in 2016 recovered another piece of …

Prosecuting Members Of Isis For Destruction Of Cultural Property, Cody Corliss

Florida State University Law Review

This Article examines the potential for war-crime charges against members of ISIS for “culture crimes” in Syria and Iraq, specifically for group members’ participation in the intentional destruction of cultural and historic sites in the Middle East. This Article begins by tracing the history of legal efforts to protect cultural property and the recent developments in international law that have transformed “culture crimes” into chargeable war crimes. After examining the history of legal efforts to protect property, this Article turns its focus to ISIS and the group’s role in destroying cultural property that it deems antithetical to its brand of …

Learning Opportunities 2017/2018, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

Course Catalogs

The graduation requirements of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy are in concert with those maintained by the State of Illinois with additional requirements as established by the IMSA Board of Trustees. Each semester students must take a minimum of five courses (2.5 credits) for a letter grade (not Pass/Fail) not including Fine Arts, Wellness, and Independent Study courses. Only courses taken for a letter grade will count towards graduation credit.

Joint Submission To The Human Rights Committee: Draft General Comment 36 On Article 6, On The Right To Life, American Civil Liberties Union (Aclu), Human Rights Clinic, International Commission Of Jurists, Open Society Justice Initiative, Rights Watch (Uk)

Human Rights Institute

Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Clinic, the International Commission of Jurists, the Open Society Justice Initiative, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Rights Watch (UK) welcome the opportunity to provide the Human Rights Committee (the Committee) with the following observations on its draft General Comment on Article 6 (the draft) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the Covenant) on the right to life, ahead of its second reading.

Joint Civil Society Statement On Armed Drones, Sophia Wistenhube

Human Rights Institute

I am presenting a statement that has been endorsed by 46 civil society organisations, from 17 countries. We are committed to preventing and mitigating harm, including violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, from the use of drones in domestic and international deployments of force.

A Conceptual Model To Identify Intent To Use Chemical-Biological Weapons, Mary D. Zalesny, Paul Whitney, Amanda White, Theodore R. Plasse, Michael T. Grundy

Journal of Strategic Security

This paper describes a conceptual model to identify and interrelate indicators of intent of non-state actors to use chemical or biological weapons. The model expands on earlier efforts to understand intent to use weapons of mass destruction by building upon well-researched theories of intent and behavior and focusing on a sub-set of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to account for the distinct challenges of employing different types of WMD in violent acts. The conceptual model is presented as a first, critical step in developing a computational model for assessing the potential for groups to use chemical or biological weapons.

Shades Of Gray Deterrence: Issues Of Fighting In The Gray Zone, Jahara W. Matisek

Journal of Strategic Security

This article addresses the concept of ‘gray wars’ as it relates to contemporary conflicts and the limits of American conventional deterrence and compellence. It more clearly defines the concept of gray wars for the current era and contrasts Cold War versus post-Cold War gray zone conflicts exposing the limits of current approaches. Finally, the article advocates for a new concept – “gray deterrence” – identifying strategies that can be used by the United States to confront ‘gray’ actors in a way that adheres to international laws and norms, but seeks to shape and influence the cost-benefit analysis of ‘gray’ actor …

Reconsidering Reies López Tijerina: The Ethnopoetics Of The Rise Of A Prophet And His Fall From Grace, Enrique R. Lamadrid, Miguel A. Gandert

New Mexico Historical Review

No abstract provided.

Dangerous Crossings: Voices From The African Migration To Italy/Europe, Robert M. Press

Faculty Publications

Africans continue to migrate across the Sahara and the Mediterranean Sea, where tens of thousands have drowned. In Libya, many suffer enslavement and other harsh treatment as they flee persecution or poverty, or both. Yet there have been few studies of their journey. This study, based primarily on some sixty interviews by the author in 2014–2016 with African migrants in Italy and France, provides a portrait of resilience, courage, and strategic decisions that differs sharply from media images of helplessness. It suggests reconsidering migrant networks and typologies in view of the breakdown and attempted repair of networks on these journeys, …

“A Disconnected Dialogue: American Military Strategy, 1964-1968,” Oklahoma Humanities, Vol. 10, No. 2, Fall-Winter 2017., Gregory A. Daddis

History Faculty Articles and Research

"The admission, supported by a careful reading of the historical record, begs larger questions: How do we remember American strategy in Vietnam? What language do we use to describe a war that proved so tragic, not only for the United States but, perhaps more importantly, for the millions of Vietnamese who lost their lives in a decades-long civil war? In coming to grips with a complex war, Americans, then and now, have relied on a series of tropes to streamline their conversations about a distasteful war."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt As Lord Of The Admiralty 1913-1920, Joseph C. Sweeney

Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce

No abstract provided.

Dipl 2120 International Conflict And Security, William J. Kiamie Phd

Diplomacy Syllabi

This course serves as a general introduction to the enduring and contemporary questions in international security, a field primarily concerned with the threat and uses of force by state and non-state actors for political ends. Topics to be explored include the origins of major power wars, nuclear proliferation, strategies of violence, asymmetric conflicts, and terrorism.

The Legend Of The Wehrmacht’S “Clean Hands”: The Attempt To Remove Nazism From The German Military, Kenneth R. Mccracken

Student Publications

The legend of the Wehrmacht’s “clean hands” was created with the Himmerdoer Memorandum of 1950 and sought to disassociate the German military with its Nazi past. The legend gained popularity in the minds of the German people and successfully led to Germany’s rearmament after World War Two. Beginning in 1990, the legend was destroyed as the actions of the Wehrmacht during World War Two created a different picture than that of the legend. The Wehrmacht’s hands were far from “clean” and instead were very dirty.

The Great Misread: Life And Death In Islam And Its Relation To The West, John M. Zak

Student Publications

Details of death in the Islamic faith and how it is related to the two major monotheistic religions of the West, Judaism and Christianity.

Rhapsody In Red, White And Blue: The Co-Evolution Of Popular And Art Music In The United States During World War Ii, Douglas A. Kowalewski

Student Publications

World War II was a watershed event in twentieth century American history. All aspects of life, including music, both found roles to play in the war effort and were forever altered by the conflict. Past work on the subject of American music in World War II tends to focus heavily on the nature and impact of popular music during this time period. While this paper will review and build upon this scholarship, art music during the war will also be considered. Using two distinctly different, yet complementary, autobiographies – those of army band musician Frank Mathias and composer Gunther Schuller …

Neurasthenia, Robert Graves, And Poetic Therapy In The Great War, Juliette E. Sebock

Student Publications

Though Robert Graves is remembered primarily for his memoir, Good-bye to All That, his First World War poetry is equally relevant. Comparably to the more famous writings of Sassoon and Owen, Graves' war poems depict the trauma of the trenches, marked by his repressed neurasthenia (colloquially, shell-shock), and foreshadow his later remarkable poetic talents.

Case Global: Alumni, Faculty And Students Join Fight For Immigrant Rights In U.S., Case Western Reserve University School Of Law, The Frederick K. Cox International Law Center

Case Global Newsletter

Vol. 9, No. 1 (2017)

• Alumni, faculty and students join fight for immigrant rights in U.S. (cover)
• Special Report: Fighting for Immigrant Rights
• LLM Program Earns Top Ranking
• Jessup and Vis Teams Win Top Honors
• Journal of International Law Celebrates 50th Year
• Law School in Cutting Edge in Foreign Partnerships
• Foreign Policy Talk Radio Show Renewed for Fifth Year
• Law School Partners in Nation’s First Graduate Program in Military Ethics
• Financial Integrity Degree Expanding to D.C.
• Law School Receives Historic Grant for Human Trafficking Program
• Law Students Intern Around the World
• “How I Spent My Summer”
• 2017-18 Conferences and Lectures …

The Use Of Classified Information In Terrorism Trials, Bruce M. Mackay

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

The most potent weapon America possesses in the battle against terrorism is information.  Information provides the government the ability to determine terrorist intentions, identify terror actors, assess target vulnerabilities, and implement countermeasures.  Information drives the government’s decision cycle. The greater the depth and breadth of information at the government’s disposal, the greater the range of options are available to the government.

This Article serves to highlight some considerations the government faces every time a criminal prosecution implicates classified information.  The paper briefly examines the nature of classification, what can make information classified, and how the classification and declassification systems work. …

Proper Zero, Cameron Pierce Gibson

Stonecoast MFA Theses and Capstones

In an alternative future Earth, a warring augmented humanity finds itself forced to take sides in a larger conflict between celestial beings, creators of the world. This novel follows the journey of Ahri Doloran-Spero as she traces back her complex lineage through the memories of her dead mother, Lorandael Doloran. Through her mother’s memories of her own childhood as a child soldier and three other child soldiers — Titus, Shura, and Khaene — Ahri witnesses the war between humans paired with powerful celestial beings, factions of augmented humans, and perfected, sentient artificial intelligences unfold across three generations. Chronicled as a …

Encrypted Jihad: Investigating The Role Of Telegram App In Lone Wolf Attacks In The West, Ahmad Shehabat, Teodor Mitew, Yahia Alzoubi

Journal of Strategic Security

The study aims to capture links between the use of encrypted communication channel -Telegram and lone wolf attacks occurred in Europe between 2015-2016. To understand threads of ISIS communication on Telegram we used digital ethnography approach which consists of the self-observation of information flows on four of ISIS’s most celebrated telegram Channels. We draw on public sphere theory and coined the term terror socio-sphere 3.0 as the theoretical background of this study. The collected data is presented as screenshots to capture a visual evidence of ISIS communication threads. This study shows that ISIS Telegram channels play critical role in personal …

The Broadsheet- Issue 21, Merrimack College

The Broadsheet

Merrimack College's English Department newsletter.

This issue features:

• One Woman's Dystopia: Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale
• Aquila Theater Captures Shakespeare's Hamlet
• Learing to Say "Yes" in a Coworking Space
• Thoreau and the Language of Trees: An Interview
• Comic Relief Balances the Latest Film Version of Stephen King's It
  

Design And Evaluation Of A Cmos Contact-Imaging System For Microfluidics, Andres Moroni Galan Cherrez

Theses and Dissertations

A CMOS contact-imaging system for microfluidics is presented. The microsystem integrates a five-layer PDMS microfluidic network and a CMOS image sensor fabricated in a standard 0.18 µ­m technology. The CMOS image sensor consists of two 10×1-pixel array, an amplifier, and a control logic. The imager is able to achieve a low dark signal of 1.67 mV/s, a maximum integration time of 514 s, and a high dynamic range of 75.2 dB at 1 s integration time. The microfluidic device integrates several actuated valve to achieve a fully automated lab-on-a-chip. This work also presents a quantitative comparison of the photomultiplier tube …

Construction And Characterization Of A Single Stage Dual Diaphragm Gas Gun, Nathaniel Steven Helminiak

Master's Theses (2009 -)

In the interest of studying the propagation of shock waves, this work sets out to design, construct, and characterize a pneumatic accelerator that performs high-velocity flyer plate impact tests. A single stage gas gun with a dual diaphragm breach allows for a non-volatile, reliable experimental testing platform for shock phenomena. This remotely operated gas gun utilizes compressed nitrogen to launch projectiles down a 14 foot long, 2 inch diameter bore barrel, which subsequently impacts a target material of interest. A dual diaphragm firing mechanism allows the 4.5 liter breech to reach a total pressure differential of 10ksi before accelerating projectiles …

Memphis And Islam: Integrating Muslims And Islam Into The Community Fabric, Nabil A. Bayakly

The Hooks Institute Policy Papers

No abstract provided.

The Little 'So-Called Men' Go To The Movies, Walter C. Metz

Publications

This article offers an analysis of the representation of technology using the methods of German cultural studies scholar, Friedrich Kittler. I apply his book, Gramophone Film Typewriter to three films: Florian von Donnersmarck's The Lives of Others, Morten Tyldum's The Imitation Game, and Frederick Wiseman's High School.

Book Review: Justifying Genocide: Germany And The Armenians From Bismarck To Hitler, Vahram Ter-Matevosyan

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Guantanamo Bay - Why Would The United States Ever Actually Prosecute?, Benjamin Wine

Cardozo International & Comparative Law Review

The note examines the legal and ethical dilemmas surrounding the detention of individuals at Guantanamo Bay, focusing on the U.S. government's reluctance to prosecute many detainees despite their prolonged detention. It argues that the indefinite detention, often without formal charges, and the use of controversial interrogation methods violate both domestic and international laws. The analysis highlights the lack of recognition of Guantanamo Bay as a competent tribunal by other nations and explores potential solutions to address these issues.

Scriptural Justification For The American Revolution, Samuel Ewing

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis will seek to examine the intention of the Founding Fathers regarding their decision to break from England in what became the American Revolution. On July 4^th, 1776, fifty-five men gathered to sign the defining document of their cause – the Declaration of Independence. As the document presents the climactic argument against the English crown, this thesis will seek to analyze its writers’ intentions, presuppositions, and rationalizations. Ultimately, this thesis will demonstrate that the Founders not only sought biblical justification for their actions and opinions, but followed the letter of biblical and common law in order to …