The Division in Egypt: Annotated Bibliography

Ehrenfelf, R. (2011). The Muslim Brotherhood Evolution: An Overview. American Foreign Policy Interests, 33(2), 69-85. Doi:10.1080/10803920.2011.571059
This article briefly discusses the history of the Muslim brotherhood and its connection with political power. Ehrenf elf describes the Brotherhood as an opposition group who had taken advantage of the protest in Egypt. The Brotherhood is an organization not only in Egypt but in many Middle Eastern counties who oppose western ideas. The Brotherhood is a group of muslins who insert themselves into government office so that they can influence public issues.
I chose this article because is give me a better understanding of relationships the brotherhood has with other nations. This article gives a broad overview on foreign policy as western civilizations try to persuade Middle Eastern civilizations to become a true democracy. Though this article gave explanation as to why the Muslims opposed Egyptian rule I would have like if the article was more direct about the different policies the brotherhood opposed.
El Amrani, I. (2013, August 14). Blog. RSS. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from http://arabist.net/blog/2013/8/14/it-only-gets-worse-from-here

The article titled It only gets worst from here, by I. El Amrani expresses the loss of hope for settling the dispute between the Egyptians. This article explained that even if one party stops fighting the other parties will not stop. The power struggle in Egypt will forever go on because neither side is willing to forgive, except and move on for past events to make a better future.
This article was useful because it gave insight on the mind sets of the power struggle in Egypt. It helped me to realize that people believe there is no resolution to the fighting. This article focused on the violence that taken place in Egypt like the massacre and the torching of churches.

Fisher, R. J. (1997). Training as interactive conflict resolution: Characteristics and challenges. International negotiation, 2(3), 331-351.doi:10.1163/15718069720848004
Ronald Fisher’s article titled Training as Interactive Conflict Resolution: Characteristics and Challenge, explains how to resolve conflict. Fisher suggests when resolving an international conflict two parties must both come to an agreement about the core conflict that became international. The ongoing war in Egypt is an internal conflict that causes a division between the people in Egypt. In order for this war to avoid becoming international the people along with the government must touch base without the unnecessary aggression.
Due to the reckless behavior such as several protest , and rioting by the Muslim brotherhood along with former president Morsi and citizens of Egypt who approved of the military’s over turn of government, the conflict has resulting in the deaths of many citizens. In order to peacefully resolve the governmental issues the people of Egypt must agree on a structure of government and a leader who satisfies all of the people in Egypt. This article gave insight on how to go about solving an internal conflict.

Malik, K. (2013, August 21). Pandaemonium. Pandaemonium. Retrieved October 20, 2013,fromhttp://kenanmalik.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/on-the-destruction-of-the-egyptianrevolution/
The long read by Malik Kennan was written to reveal the history of the Muslim brotherhood. Malik’s writing shows that the brother hood is not all to blame for the chaos in Egypt. The brotherhood was many times used to start chaos but is repressed by the government. The government officials from time to time affiliate themselves with members of the Brotherhood association because the Muslims are able to regulate liberalist.
This article gave me all of my background information to help me better understand the role the Muslim Brotherhood plays in society. This article gave me a description of the history of the organization. The history of the organization gave me understanding on the rage and pain the Muslims association feels after being used and repressed for so many years.
Social Media Evolution of the Egyptian Revolution. (2012). Communications of the ACM. 55(5), 74-80. Doi:10.1145/2160718.2160736

This article discussed the 2011 revolution and how it went viral through social media. Through the use of tweets on twitter a quicker update on the ongoing conflict was spread to the public. Twitter is given credit for helping the revolution of 2013 gain support.
This article showed me how technology played a huge role in gaining public support in 2011. This article wasn’t really help fully for me but it gave me a better understanding on the 2011 ousting. I would have liked if this article talked in detail about the media affected the revolution.

Annotated Bibliography- Gender Wage Gap

Arulampalam, W., Booth, A. L., & Bryan, M. L. (2007). Is there a glass ceiling over Europe? Exploring the gender pay gap across the wage distribution. Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 60(2), 163-186.http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy-ub.researchport.umd.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=d0492e3d-1202-4422-89c3-7d183d06d245%40sessionmgr12&hid=6

1. The authors of this article are investigating the gender wage gap based on different levels of education in eleven different countries. They tend to find that the wage gap differs greatly at both ends, in certain countries those with higher level educations experience a larger pay gap while those with lesser education tend to experience less of a pay gap. Likewise, it is also found the other way around where there is a very small gap between those with a higher education and a considerable gap between those with a lesser education. The authors conclude that regardless of the differing levels of education women are still found to be underpaid in their work fields compared to men
2. I picked this article because it addressed an issue/theme related to my topic; women are under paid due to differing levels of education. This article takes a more specific approach to my topic, in that it focuses primarily on the educational levels of men and women in many different countries to find a cause for the gap. This article directly relates to my conflict because it mentions that women are considerably under paid by their employers and takes a look a common belief that it is due to an educational gap. I would have liked it if the author also talked about the home life of women, to get a perspective and see if it maybe a cause it the pay gap.

Asplund, R., & Napari, S. (2011). Intangibles and the Gender Wage Gap: An analysis of Gender Wage Gaps across occupations in the Finnish private sector. Journal of Labor Research, 32(4), 305-325. doi:10.1007/s12122-011-9114-9 http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy-ub.researchport.umd.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4af8edbb-a2e7-44cf-a739-824cdb076163%40sessionmgr113&vid=3&hid=116

1. This article takes a look at the gender wage gap between workers who change and become better to help the company thrive (innovation workers) and those who do not take as much initiative evolve with their company (non- innovation workers).The article looks at different factors that contribute to the gap as well as possible misleading sources in the role of intangible capital. The article in the end blames sector specific factors as playing a large role in the wage gap, and confirms that there are misleading conclusions about so called “intangible capital”
2. I picked this article because of its relation to my topic. The article presents are very specific viewpoint of the issue regarding misleading data about money that’s not there and the role of the worker. The article directly relates to my conflict because it discusses the gender wage gap, but in Finland. This article confused me a bit but it explains that there are incorrect findings about the wage gap which led to false conclusions and that is something I may want to look more into. I wish the author could have taken a more global stand point and look at the gender wage gap across the entire world.

Nyhus, E. K., & Pons, E. (2012). Personality and the gender wage gap. Applied Economics, 44(1), 105-118. doi:10.1080/00036846.2010.500272 http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy-ub.researchport.umd.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6bf1940b-6437-40f0-8178-f7d8933af473%40sessionmgr4&vid=3&hid=110

1. The article looks at the personality of women compared to men and uses that as a possible explanation for why women may experience a pay gap. The article concludes that part of the “unexplained part” of the gender wage gap is believed to be due to discrimination. The authors give a multitude of reasons however they conclude that the differences in pay is due to the personality of the person from their own personal lifestyles and how they pick and choose in the labor market.
2. I picked this article because of its relation to my topic. This article gets very specific in blaming the gap for the different personalities of people. The article relates to my topic because a common belief for the gap is that women differ greatly in their life choices and personalities from men and women tend to take more personal days. The article confirmed a theme that I was curious about. I wish the author described a little bit more about the home life factor of women on wor.

UPenn, W. S. (2012, June 8). “The vicious cycle of the gender pay gap” Business & Money. Business money comments. Retrieved October 28, 2013, from http://business.time.com/2012/06/08/the-vicious-cycle-of-the-gender-pay-gap-2/

1. This article openly blames discrimination as a cause of the pay gap. The author says that lawsuits were filed against a stockbroking company that supposedly benefitted the male workers even though brokers were paid in commission. The company says that the reason women did not earn as much as men is because they are not good sales people. It was found that at the firms women were less likely to receive accounts that had higher commission earnings and that is what put a dent in their salaries.
2. I picked this article because of its relation to my topic. This article does provide a broad overview of the topic by giving a specific example, it is widely believed that the gap in wages in due discrimination. It’s relation to my topic is that it discusses discrimination of women in the workplace and how that leads to women being unfairly treated as well as underpaid. This article was very helpful with background information and giving a sense of this conflict. I wish Madden would have gave her own opinion on whether she believed discrimination was at fault or how she feels about the conflict.

Fitzpatrick, Laura. “Why do women still earn less than men.” TIME.com. TIME Magazine, 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. < http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1983185,00.html

1. The article talks about the gender wage gap between men and women. The article mentions specific values that indicate the percentage of what women earn compared to men. The article concludes that ending the discrimination would be beneficial to everyone who supports equal rights.
2. I picked this article because it provides great background information on the causes of the gender wage gap. The article provides a very broad perspective on the gender wage gap including some possible causes. This article has a direct relation to my topic because it provides background information as well as a few statistics. This article provided excellent background information to help me understand my topic. I would have liked more in depth explanation of the causes of the gender wage gap.

Annotated Bibliography

Fisher, R. J. (1997). Training as interactive conflict resolution: Characteristics and challenges. International Negotiation, 2(3), 331-351. http://ehis.ebscohost.com.proxy-ub.researchport.umd.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=89d085f4-b2ee-49fa-a362-dfb7b2331d7b%40sessionmgr110&vid=12&hid=116

This first scholarly article was about how to resolve conflicts and how conflicts are begun. The author took time to do an in depth study of how conflicts start and how there are many different ways to solve each type of conflict depending on how long it’s been going on, who is involved, and what the goals of the people involved are. For example, one thing that stuck out to me was when the author talked about how solving international conflicts can sometimes relate to an internal conflict of some sort that may have caused the international conflict.

This source was helpful to my research because it helped give me a perspective that would help me gain an opinion for why the conflict may have begun. When I had originally begun my research, I knew that the Scottish wanted independence because they felt that their rights are being violated. However, because of the thought of this new perspective, it makes me think about what may have happened in Scotland that might cause them to feel that their rights are being violated. Therefore, the most helpful part of the article was the background knowledge about conflict causes and conflict resolution because it made me thing deeper about why the conflict began and if the right steps are being taken to solve the issue.

BONNEY, N. (2012). Scottish independence, State religion and the monarchy. Political Quarterly, 83(2), 360-367. doi:10.1111/j.1467-923X.2012.02290.x

This scholarly article mainly pointed out how Scottish independence related to religion and oaths made with the British monarch. The author’s main points throughout the article was that Scotland may not be doing the right thing with separating from the monarch because of certain oaths that were made. In summary, would it be considered breaking a truce if Scotland decided to secede from the British kingdom?

The article was interesting to me because it had somewhat of a pro-British point of view, which is why I picked the article because I felt as though it was important to have all sides of the dispute weigh in on different aspects. The author was pro-British because of the simple points she made such as saying that  Scotland wouldn’t be doing what was the best idea as of right now. The article is also significant to my research because again it gives me a different perspective of the conflict. For example, I thought that the conflict was originally all about politics and human rights, but now I see that maybe Scotland wants to start fresh, with a new religion or at least a separate religion from the British.

LEITH, M., & STEVEN, M. (2010). Party over policy? Scottish nationalism and the politics of independence. Political Quarterly, 81(2), 263-269. doi:10.1111/j.1467-923X.2010.02086.x

This final scholarly article mainly describes the Scottish National Party from a third party point of view. For example, the author takes the time to point out consistently what the SNP is doing right and wrong and how those decisions could affect their goal. Basically, the main point the author had for writing this document is to put more in-depth detail into the actual goals of the SNP and what they are doing to achieve these goals. He was able to point out which goals are good and bad, and analyze those goals to explain why.

The article was helpful to me because it gave me more insight into the Scottish National Party. The only thing I knew about the SNP when I began my research was that they were formed in the 1970’s to help protect the people of Scotland. However, now I know that The SNP has more goals than to just gain freedom from Britain, but they want to be able to have economic relations even after the secede. This helps me with my final paper because it will help me gain an opinion of the SNP and their goals.

Gallagher, T. (2012, April 13). The rapid and unlikely rise of Scotland’s independence movement. The Atlantic. Retrieved October 17, 2013, from http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/04/the-rapid-and-unlikely-rise-of-scotlands-independence-movement/255854/

This article is my first long-read article that helps me get another perspective, but this time with a different point of view. The author if this article has a pro-Scottish point of view that helps give an opinion of what the SNP is doing right with examples as well. By reading this article, I found that the author’s main point was to prove that the SNP, Alex Salmond more specifically, is doing everything he should be to help make his point and gain his goals, while also providing facts that help back the claim.

This article was helpful for me because it will also help me build an opinion of the SNP and Alex Salmond for when I write my final paper. The article also gives me a little bit of information as to what exactly Alex Salmond has done to help the SNP cause and provides example of how they will gain their goals. Even though the article is more of a pro-Scottish article, I know that it isn’t opinion based because of the facts provided in the article.

Annotated Bibliography

Francesca Cimilluca

Gang Violence in Washington D.C.

Duggan P. (2013, September 15). In D.C., bullets leave another child fatherless. The Washington Post, From http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2013/09/15/bullets-a-burial-and-a-fatherless-child/?src=longreads

In this article the author is reporting on a certain story on how gang violence in the inner city of Washington D.C. is closely linked to gun violence. It focuses mainly on one person’s story and how he was killed because of the gun violence in Washington D.C. It also discusses how the residents of Washington are trying to handle this issue and how it affects them in their day-to-day lives.

I picked this article mainly because it focuses on a larger theme connected to my over all conflict which is gun violence. The article relates to my conflict because it talks about the inner city of D.C. it also talks about how the gun violence and gangs are a problem in the city still and how people deal with that on a regular basis. It focuses on the area of gun violence mainly and its definitely one of the things that people are most concerned with it seems. I thought it was helpful because it talked about the city I’m researching even though it didn’t talk about gang violence specifically it talked about one of the main problems that goes hand and hand with gang violence.

Zinsmeister K. (1990, June) Growing up Scared. The Atlantic, From http://www.theatlantic.com/past/politics/family/growing.htm

In this article it discusses how many children that live in poverty and low-income homes and neighborhoods and how this affects them and what they are trying to do in order to prevent them from getting involved with crime and gangs that are around them. It talks about how violence and gangs can effect youths across the nation and how they can suffer from this. The article talks about what exterior things effects these youths like their family life they neighborhood they live in the people they surround themselves with and the school they go to.

            I picked this article because it presents a good overview on how youths get involved with gangs and how this is causes and how it can affect them. It relates to my conflict because it talks about the main demographic of kids and teens that get involved with gangs and how this can affect them later in life. It also relates to my conflict because it talks about what the law enforcement want to do in order to cut down on gangs and gang violence. The fact that they broke down each key point that went into what leads kids and teens to resort to violence, crime, and gangs.

Short, J.F. (1990). Cities, gangs, and delinquency. Sociological forum, 3(4), 657-668

            This scholarly article goes into what gangs go through today and explores their history and what led them to what they are today. It goes into what a gang is and how this definition has changed and how it’s become what it is.  It also discusses what a gang is and what the criteria for gangs are and what leads gangs to become what they are.

             I chose this article because I thought it provided a lot of information on what a gang is and how they develop in different cities. It presents more of a broad overview on the topic and doesn’t focus specifically on one aspect of gangs. This relates to my conflict because it goes into what makes a gang and my conflict goes into gangs in general and what makes them want to cause violence in the Washington D.C. area.

Moore, J. (1990) Gangs, Drugs, and Violence. De La Rosa, M, Lambert E.Y., Gropper B. Drugs and Violence: Causes, Correlates, and Consequences. Rockville MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.

In this scholarly article the author discusses the meaning behind gangs and how they are developed it also talks a bit about the history behind gangs. It goes in the social science that relates to gangs and drugs, but it talks mainly about the stereotype that lies behind it. It talks about the economic strains on poor communities that suffer from gangs and gang violence.

            I found this article helpful because it went into some history of gangs but also provided relevant information about gangs today. This relates to my conflict because it discusses the background behind gangs and how they effect the neighborhoods or the cities they live in and my conflict goes into how gangs effect the people and residents of Washington D.C. It focuses mainly on the social science behind it all and defines gang behavior and gang violence.

Vigil J.D. (2003). Urban violence and street gangs. Annual Review of Anthropology. 33, 225-242.

            This scholarly article talks mainly about the immigration and the poverty that goes with gang violence. It talks about how gangs have become more integrated and multidimensional when it comes to immigrants participating in gang activities. It also dives into the socioeconomic and sociocultural experiences that immigrants who participate in gangs go through or experience.

            I picked this article because it went into one of my themes that goes with gang violence in cities and that is immigration or immigrants that participate in gangs. This relates to my conflict because Washington D.C. has some of the larger immigration numbers and I thought it would be an interesting theme to explore a little bit more. It focuses on the specific area of immigrants and how they are connected to gang violence.

 

 

Annotated Bibliography

Beraka Bland

Voting Rights Act 2013

• Civil Rights Division. (n.d.). The United States Dept. of Justice. Retrieved September 15, 2013, from www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.php

This source is an overall history of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It talks about the Enactment of the bill by chronicling what lead up to the need for there to be a Voting Rights bill. The source explains the changes that the bill received to be accepted in to law. Then the source highlights the extension of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in 1970 and 1975. Then it explains the action of renewal congress took in 1982 and 2006.

My conflict was about the Voting Rights Act and more specifically the conflict of 2013. Although this article only relates to just the Voting Rights Act and not the VRA conflict of 2013. Therefore I found this article helpful because when I started my research it allowed me to get an overview of the subject. Thusly I picked this article because I needed general knowledge about the Voting Rights Act (VRA) so I would know where to begin my research.  I wish that the author added a little more details about the amendments after the initial enactment.

• Of the Supreme Court. (n.d.). Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court Decision. Supremecourt.gov. Retrieved September 15, 2013, from www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf

This source is the full text document of the Voting Rights Act decision. The source talks about the decision to find section 4 of the VRA unconstitutional on the grounds that it is not needed in today’s society. Also it features the dissent of Justice Ginsburg and the other Justices that disagree with the decision.

I picked this source because I needed to find the full text of the decision to completely understand the situation. This source is very focused on Section 4 of the VRA which was helpful because it related to my conflict exactly. In this source I did not need the author to include anything else because the document was so detailed that it satisfied all my concerns about the origin of my conflict.

• Lee, S. (n.d.). Why the Supreme Court May Rule Against the Voting Rights Act – ProPublica. ProPublica. Retrieved September 15, 2013, from http://www.propublica.org/article/the-other-crucial-civil-rights-case-the-supreme-court-will-be-ruling-on

This article talks about why the Supreme Court may rule against the VRA. This article talks about section 5 of the VRA and why this VRA is under scrutiny of the Supreme Court. The article explains what section 5 is, why is it important, and why the Supreme Court has to make a decision on the case.

I picked this article because it explains the Voting Rights Act conflict that I am researching, but in simplified terms and therefore is an easier read then the full text document. The article focuses on section 5 of the Voting Rights Act only; this is helpful to me because it makes the article relatable to my conflict. Because my conflict is about section 5, this article being so specific to Section 5 made it very helpful. I do wish the author would have added more about section 4 of the VRA to show the second part of the argument.

• Liptak, A. (n.d.). Supreme Court Invalidates Key Part of Voting Rights Act – NYTimes.com. The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Retrieved September 15, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/us/supreme-court-ruling.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

This article is about the decision of the Supreme Court to rule section 4 of the VRA unconstitutional. This article discusses the state of the country and also the reaction of even the president of the United States to the decision of the court. This article also gives the perspectives of the Justices opposed to the decision and their arguments why the VRA should stay in its current state.

This article was helpful to my research because it was my first source to show the perspective of the government. By showing the perspective of the president and other justices in common language allowed me to better grasp the conflict better. This article directly relates to my conflict because it explains the basics of my conflict.  The one thing I wish the author did include was more civilian dialogue about the situation in unison with the government officials.

• Persily, N. (2007). The Promise and Pitfalls of the New Voting Rights Act. The Yale Law Journal, 117, No.2. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from the JSTOR database.

This source is about the 2006 reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. The author discusses the social, political, and economical status of society during that time and in giving background the atmosphere of the 1960s that lead to the VRA. Also document discusses the new standards that the VRA makes and emphasizing the importance of racially polarized voting to the constitutionality.

This article is important to my research being it gives the background behind the most recent reauthorization. The document explained to me the atmosphere of the 2006 decision. This lends its self to my research in that the VRA conflict, in the decision the Justices uses the decision of 2006 to show how they can make their decision now.

• Bickel, A. (1966). The Voting Rights Cases. Chicago Journals, 1966. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3108740?uid=36901&uid=3739704&uid=2&uid=3&uid=36894&uid=67&uid=62&uid=3739256&sid=21102791098311

This source is about Voting Rights Cases in the 1960s. More specifically how the case South Carolina Katzenbach impacted other voting rights case. And how the Supreme Court and lower level courts handled the various cases.

I used this source because it gives incite on the way the courts work. Also I used this source because it gives examples of the Voting Rights injustices of the past. But more importantly it showed the need for a Law and even after the law was passed.

• Stoughton, Kathleen. “A New Approach to Voter ID Challenges: Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.” HeinOnline Law Journal Library 81 (2013): n. page. heinonline.org. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

This long read article is from before the VRA ruling in June 2013. It is about the way some states have been trying to finagle away around the VRA and make laws to further challenge minority voters possibly. Also this article is about the continuance of discrimination and how the VRA is enhancing the fight to stop it.

I choose this source to because it is a source that explains how the states were trying to still suppress the minority vote with the VRA intact. And understanding that aspect in finer detail I am able to better expound on the VRA conflict causation. This source also allows its reader to get full understanding of how the VRA is needed.

Annotated Bibliography – DOMA

Stephanie Ratzlaff

Annotated Bibliography –

Conflicts on Gay Marriage in relation to DOMA and U.S. v. Windsor

 

Chamie, J., & Mirkin, B. (2011). Same-Sex Marriage: A New Social Phenomenon. Population and Development Review , 37 (3), 529-551.

 

 

In this article they are researching same-sex marriage particularly in the United States, where it is a major political, religious, and legal issue. This article does take into account age, sex, and public sentiments about same-sex partnerships. Some of the results or conclusions this article came to are; same-sex marriage is a new type of marriage and family, the majority of same-sex marriages have been between lesbians (the reason is unavailable from data), and “same-sex marriage has notable social, economic, and political con- sequences and implications, especially with respect to rights, benefits, privileges, and services provided by governments as well as having consequences with regard to child adoption and parenting by same-sex couples.” (Chamie & Mirkin, 2011)

My conflict relates to this article because although Windsor and Spyer were legally married when Spyer died it was because of the federal government not recognizing their marriage as a marriage as they do for opposite sex couple. If they did Windsor would have been able to come the surviving spouse estate tax. This article connects to the themes in my conflict because it discusses the social and economic consequences especially with respect to rights, benefits, privileges, and services provided by governments. This article also does help me explain what is happening in my conflict.

Walsh, D. M. (2013). Do the Supreme Court’s Same-Sex Marriage Decisions Raise More Questions Than They Resolve . Benefits Law Journal , 26 (3), 4-34. 31p.

 

In this article it discusses the two main Supreme Court cases on gay marriage rights, which were, DOMA (U.S. v. Windsor) and Prop 8 (Holingsworth v. Perry). The article discusses if the Supreme Courts decisions on these two cases raise more questions then results or answers. Due to the overturning of DOMA and the federal government recognizing same-sex marriage it bring cases in states where it is banned in such as Pennsylvania.

My conflict relates to this article because my direct conflict is DOMA and U.S. v. Windsor. This article is discussing the aftermath of my conflict and what the results of my conflict have left in unanswered questions from the decision of the Supreme Court.

 

Baude, W. (2012). Beyond DOMA: Choice of State Law in Federal Statutes. Stanford Law Review , 64 (6), p1371-p1430, 60p.

 

In this article it discusses the overturning of DOMA and what will be put in place of it. DOMA held the definition of marriage in the eyes of the federal government here it discusses what will be put in place of that. The article also discusses how state laws determine marriage and what the overturning of DOMA means for that.

This article relates to my conflict because even though DOMA has been overturned there are still many same-sex couples who live in states where same-sex marriage is banned or not recognized Therefore what is put in place of DOMA is just as important to same-sex couples as the overturning of DOMA was.

Moody, H. (2004, 7 5). Sacred Rite or Civil Right? Sacred Rite or Civil Right? , 279 (1), pp. p28-21. 4p.

 

This article discusses is marriage a sacred rite or civil right? This article discusses “that the gay –marriage debate is less about the legitimacy of the legitimacy of the loving relationship of same-sex couple than about the relationship of church ad state and how they define marriage” (Moody, 2004)

This article relates to my conflict in the bigger theme of gay marriage. Is marriage a religious thing or a government paper trail? Therefore is a sacred rite or a civil right.

Brown, C. M. (2013, Apr/May 1). Why Gay & Lesbian Couples Pay MORE. Black Enterprise , 43 (8), pp. p36-40 5p.

This article discusses the important need for same-sex couples to have marriage rights and legal protections. It discusses the large financial difference of fees and such that same-sex couples have compared to opposite sex couples.

 

This article relates to my conflict because Windsor had to play a large amount in estate tax due to Spyer leaving her estate to her wife. This is something that for example my parents would not have to worrying about because they are husband and wife.

Annotated Bibliography

Farivar, C. (2013, March 1). ArsTechnica.ArsTechnica. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/03/download-this-gun-3d-printed-semi-automatic-fires-over-600-rounds/

The article is coverage of the AR-15 lower receiver that has brought Defense Distributed to the forefront of 3D printing. It shows the durability of the item and how far it can be stretched based on their technology. The article also discusses the items legality and the far reach this blueprints have created.

I selected this article because it shows that these items, if made the right way, can be fearsome. The article starts specifically about the lower receiver, but then broadens when it moves on to the legality and its distribution. How the article relates to the conflict is blatant, but there is nothing I would add to the article. It covers the fragility of the item and just how easily broken the earlier iterations were.

Farivar, C. (n.d.). ArsTechnica. ArsTechnica. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/07/worlds-first-fully-3d-printed-rifle-made-in-canada-fired-a-single-shot/

This article covers the short, but fascinating story of a man named Matt, or better known as “CanadianGunNut.” It shows how wide spread the influence of Cody Wilson’s work and how this issue is just one action shy of becoming an international issue. However, an amendment to this that is worth noting is that Matt now has acquired the necessary licenses to cease the behest of the Canadian Government.

I chose this article because it is an example of how wide the influence of one man can go. Matt actually is quoted  as stating that he was inspired by the AR-15 lower reciever and Liberator Pistol published by Cody Wilson. The article very specifically focuses on what has happened thus far with Matt. However, a simple update on what has happened would be very much appreciated and would be the only thing I would change

Greenberg, A. (2013, May 5). Meet The ‘Liberator’: Test-Firing The World’s First Fully 3D-Printed Gun. Forbes. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/05/05/meet-the-liberator-test-firing-the-worlds-first-fully-3d-printed-gun/

This article covers the story of the Liberator handgun. It covers it from its first test fire, to the last update to it from Defense Distributed themselves. The article shows what the determination of some can result in. The only thing I wish the article would do is update the article to show just how many variants have been released by fans of Defense Distributed and how far they have gone.

I chose this article for very obvious reasons; a detailed, up-to-date account of the most controversial item of all that I have come across. And thus, I can say without a doubt, I would add nothing to this article at all. I also really enjoy its focus on the creation of the Liberator and what happened from that point forward.

Morelle, R. (2013, June 5). Working gun made with 3D printer. BBC News. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22421185

Before I get too into this, I must state that I absolutely love using the BBC as a source of my daily news. Now, this article s on the same topic as the previous article from Forbes, but from the perspective of an international party. It shows that the this is not only a controversial series of events, but also shows that the this is an expensive and well fought over issue both internationally and domestically.

I chose this because I felt that including an international perspective on an issue like this is key. I would not add anything to this issue, but must applaud it for showing a good perspective of a 3rd party looking in on an issue. It shows how others that have minimal current involvement in this issue perceive an issue on a topic such as this.

Letter From Department of State to Defense Distributed. (2013, March 8).Scribd. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/140650957/Letter-From-Department-of-State-to-Defense-Distributed

This item is unlike the rest of the articles in this list, for this is a primary source in its purist form. This is a letter from the Department of State to Defense Distributed stating that they are to take down a specific list of files while the DOS figures out the legality and intellectual property coverage that Defense Distributed possesses. This is one of the best pieces of first hand accounting for the conflict.

I chose this because it showed how far the State Department went to try to halt Defense Distributed while the legality was still being figured out. And, as the articles will show, the legality is still being discussed. I can’t say I would like to see anything changed, because you cannot edit a document like this. I feel an article like this that provides a control style point of view is what I find perfect amidst this sea of neutral articles that I have found.

Beckhusen, R. (2013, February 13). New 3-D Printed Rifle Magazine Lets You Fire Hundreds of Rounds. Wired.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from   http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/02/printed-magazine/

This article was chosen because this is one of the less talked about items in question. The article discusses the now infamous 30 round magazine known as the “Cuomo Mag”, which is a shot at Governor Cuomo. It is short, but shares how the article shows that the item will easily be distributed and the magazine is in fact very durable.

I chose this article because it shows how quickly a very dangerous object can be ignored by the “bigger fish in the sea.” I would like to see added how, even though when this was published the Liberator was created, the fact that a functioning 30 round magazine has been created. I feel that this article is fairly informative, but only serves to be just that: informative.

 

Annotated Bibliography

Precious Cornier

Mexican Drug Cartels

The Mexican government versus the Mexican drug cartels has been an ongoing conflict since 2006. In the article, Cross border spillover: U.S. gun laws and violence in Mexico, several authors, such as Adrindrajit Dube, Oeindrila Dube and Omar Gacia-Ponce, discuss gun laws and homicide. The article states a lot of statistics about homicide and how 90% of the crimes pertaining to guns have been traced back to the United States. The government is concluding that the drug trade more serious than civil war violence. The authors state, “Our focus is not on civil war violence, but on criminal homicides, many of which are connected to the drug trade” (Dube & Gacia-Ponce, pg. 399, 2013). The article, also, discusses how the Colombian’s are part of the drug trafficking.

Cross border spillover: U.S. gun laws and violence in Mexico has not been much of a helpful article when it came to an overview of the conflict, but it has gave underground information. Underground information includes how politics are involved in such a crime chain. The source quotes, “Patronage relationships between political authorities and drug trafficking organizations existed starting in the 1940’s…” (Dube & Gacia-Ponce, pg.400, 2013). This article relates to my overall topic by giving the specifics, meaning the politics, the statistics, the weapon violence, etc.  The source contains many graphs to demonstrate gun sales and homicides as well as other things, which is somewhat helpful if I was researching the effects that guns have on violence.

In the article, Inside Mexico’s drug war, Tomas Kellner and Francesco Pipitone discuss several cartels, such as The Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas and the Sinaloa gang. The authors describe what the Mexican as well as the United States government is doing about the situation. The government has been giving their utmost effort in stopping the violence by increasing salaries and dispatching military to take care of the problem. In addition, the amount of deaths due to the violence of the drug cartels is stated and status of the gangs in Mexico, which shown as growing more independent. The article states, “…drug gangs in Mexico grew more independent and began fighting for more control and larger territories. A decades-long war, which has claimed some 20,000 lives…” (Kellner & Pipitone, pg.30, 2010).

Inside Mexico’s drug war gives a broad overview of the conflict, the Mexican government against the drug cartels, as well as gives specific examples of the different cartels and what they are known for. This ongoing war has caused many deaths and helped the cartels gain more. The article constantly mentions the Colombian and Mexican drug wars to be similar. I picked this article because it contained many examples and facts, such as the similarities between the Colombian’s drug war and Mexico’s and how they help each other in the trafficking process. The article states, “…the Colombian and Mexican trafficking groups established a new deal allowing the Mexicans to receive percentage of the cocaine in each shipment as payment for their transportation services” (Kellner & Pipitone, pg.29, 2010). This specific article was very helpful in researching the conflict, but the author’s could have discussed more of the effects that this conflict has on citizens.

In the article, Calderon’s war, Nathaniel Parish Flannery discusses Felipe Calderon, the elected president at the time. Calderon directly confronted the cartels, in which he sent troops into Michoacán to put a stop to the trafficking. The article, also, discusses the brutal and gruesome acts of the cartels. The article quotes, “…narco thugs in Michoacán dumped five severed heads onto a dance floor in Uruapan, one of the state’s main cities” (Flannery, pg. 181, 2013). Throughout the article, it is stating instances where the cartels are sending threats, such as letters and body parts. On the other hand, the article also states the success that the government because of their endless efforts in trying to put a stop to this conflict.

My last article is a little more specific. Calderon’s war demonstrates the positive side, where the government is winning instead of the cartels. The article states, “Over the last twelve years, under the leadership of mayors from the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution (PDR), Mexico City has achieved a miraculous reduction in crime” (Flannery, pg.183, 2013). This is a victory for Mexico, whose main conflict is the cartels. Calderon’s war relates to my overall topic by giving inside evidence of an actual cartel and what there process is in getting the drug trafficking routes.

The law can contribute a big deal to how crime is just, simply, ignored. The government and/or the police do not put all effort into stopping crimes and, sometimes, actually contribute to breaking the law. In the article, Law and Violence, author, Christoph Menke discusses how the law is supposed to put an end to crime, but it, merely, does not. The article states, “Law is justified violence” (Menke, 2010, Pg.1). Law is power and too much power could be taken advantage of. Many political figures ignore the violence that takes place in their cities, but avoiding a situation does not make it better. “Law is about power, its own power” (Menke,  2010, Pg.1).

My conflict, the Mexican government vs. the Mexican drug cartels, relates to the article in many ways. The article states that the law is not doing its best to stop crimes and that is, also, what was stated in another article about the Mexican government. Enrique Pena Nieto is the president of Mexico and believes that should work closely with the U.S. in terms of the drug war, but has so far failed in that effort and actually distanced himself farther from the U.S. Nieto’s effort is not what is expected from a president that is supposed to care for the well-being of his country. Menke (2010, Pg.1) writes, “That the concept of law entails the idea of justified violence and that this is the formula of a problem, not of a solution” (Menke, 2010, Pg.1). The law is not doing their best in order to prevent the crimes that are committed, but they are not trying hard enough.

In the article, Border battleground, Ed Warner discusses the decrease in illegal immigrants and the increase of drugs crossing the border. Drugs are a growing issue in Mexico as well as the United States. Throughout the article, Warner states how drugs are, basically, taking over. In addition, the article discusses what Barack Obama is doing to help put a stop to the Mexican drug trade. In the article, George Grayson writes, “…the United States spends an estimated $40 billion a year trying to stop the drug traffic and pursue and punish offenders” (Warner, pg.23, 2012). The United States is doing their best to assist and cater to the ongoing issue of drugs, but the U.S. is taking Mexico for granted.

Border Battleground was not much of helpful source. It seemed to be lacking much information, such as more information about the Mexican government who are also involved. The article constantly mentions, basically, the conflict more based on the issue of drugs more than the violence aspect.  Warner writes, “Fewer illegal immigrants are entering the United States these days, but more drugs” (Warner, pg.20, 2012). Drugs are a big issue in Mexico and the United States, which creates violence. Violence, such as murder, counterfeit, and fraud, are spreading throughout rapidly.

References

Kellner, T. & Pipitone, F. (2010). Inside Mexico’s drug war. World policy journal, 29-37.

Dube, A., Dube, O. & Gacia-Ponce, O. (2013). Cross-border spillover: U.S. gun laws and violence in Mexico. American political science review, 107(3), 397-417.

Flannery, N.P. (2013). Calderon’s war. Journal of internal affairs, 66(2), 181-196.

Menke, C. (2010). Law and Violence. University of California Press, 22(1), 1-17.

Warner, E. (2012). Border battleground: Mexico’s drug violence is state-sponsored. The American conservative, 20-23.

Annotated Bibliography

Taylor Brown 

BART Police Shooting of Oscar Grant

 

Menke, C. (2010). Law and Violence. University of California Press, 22(1), 1-17. (Scholarly)

 

               The article focuses on how the law is supposed to reduce violence and be so against it, yet they bring it into the world themselves. The writer states that the law itself is a kind of violence and that the decision making could exert violence both physical attacks and inner violence which reflects back to my conflict. The officer who shot the victim in my conflict made a decision along with a judgment, a judgment who most define as a racial thing. The purpose that the officer gives about even confronting the victim was because he was bringing violence to citizens however, was it right to fight violence with violence? No. in an end result, there was a dead body on sight, Oscar Grant. Because of the incident, there then were riots, protests, many which ended in violence and plenty of deaths. The law doesn’t grasp the fact that their actions and decisions that they make will have an effect on future events. If the one officer of the “law” genuinely wanted to follow the law and make the streets a better and safer place, he would have played that incident out differently. This just goes to show how much the “law” is being valued or just human rights in general. Which is exactly what the reader is trying to get across, officers often time abuse their power. In the article it is made clear that there are people out here that are seeing the true colors of the law. The law is here to protect us not to kill us off themselves.

 

              I chose this article because it focuses on two of the themes that my conflict is categorized under, violence and law. The only thing the article talks about is the abuse of the law and the loose ends of reasons why most officers leave a scene with a dead body on their hands. It tells how officers contradict the law every day. This article was really helpful for me because I always thought that it was only family or friends that have lost someone to a law abusing policeman that saw the blurs of the law but it’s not. Everyone is aware of what is going on its just a question now of what’s going to be done about it, whose voice will be heard. Even though I know some actual stories about how policeman fought violence with violence or just didn’t reflect the law so well, I think for other readers who would come across this it would be helpful to provide some examples.

 

Smith, K. (2013, July 25). Fruitvale Station is loose with the facts in an effort to elicit sympathy for Oscar Grant. Forbes. Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kylesmith/2013/07/25/fruitvale-station-is-loose-with-the-facts-in-an-effort-to-elicit-sympathy-for-oscar-grant/

        This article focuses on the side that shows no sympathy for the death of Oscar Grant. The author of the article is saying that a movie that was recently put out based on the last hours of Oscar
Grants life was a cry out for pity. He says that it was purposely put out right before the verdict of Trayvon Martin’s case was found to gain sympathy. He really didn’t see the bigger picture or reason behind the movie. The purpose was to get the story out there, to not have Oscar Grants life forgotten, and to have what many thought was unjust publicized.

 

             I chose this article because it just shows the people who really don’t care about justice. It shows that because of people like that, it makes police officers think they can get away with police brutality. If one officer can get off easily from murder then other officers will think that they can get off with basically nothing if they just beat or hit someone just because of whatever the issue such as race, because they’re having a bad day, because the person said something in front of a group of people and the officer feels embarrassed etc. The article also shows another side of opinions other than the ones I’ve presented.

 

Liqun , C. (2002 ). Curbing police brutality: what works? a reanalysis of citizen complaints at the organizational level . Unpublished manuscript, Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology , Eastern Michigan University , Ypsilanti, MI, Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/192518.pdf (scholarly)

          This articles talks deeper into the subject of police brutality. A term that is not put in the media as much as it occurs. This is what the article is saying. The news and what they put out would quickly say if a black man beat another black man to death without purpose, or a black man beats a white man to death without purpose but wouldn’t necessary put a police officer beats a black man without purpose in the headline. Most of the time viewers have to put two and two together. The news and government try their very best to cover up the wrong doings of policeman. The article also goes into details of a few incidents where police brutality was present, many where there was injustice or the policeman just got off or did very little time, just like the officer who murdered Oscar Grant. The article also brings out how long police brutality has actually been going on, which is since the 1980s. Police departments are always on TV talking about how much they are working forward to make the world a better and safer place but won’t even start that transition within their own department.

 

              This scholarly article relates back to my conflict because I labeled police brutality as the larger conflict of my conflict. It gives a broad outlook on the opinions of it. It shows that everyone is not a blind as they seem. People are really catching on to the police and people will not stand for it for long. just like the people who started riots in Oakland for Oscar Grant, people will start taking action everywhere. The police will not be able to get off so easily sooner or later too many people are aware all over the world. This is also not happening just in one particular state, it’s happening everywhere.

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/violence/

                This article focuses on what the main issue of violence is, how to prevent it, getting help, and psychology tips. The article is really short ye provide links that can be clicked on to go into detail with certain issues and help of prevention of violence. Within the article it tell ways you can tell a situation is about to escalate to violence. It proves that violence could be everything, within your own home, within your friendships, marriage, anything.

              This article reflects back to my conflict because I personally believe that as a policeman you know when a scene is going to turn violent and you know how to approach certain situations. Going back to my conflict, the officer seemed to had let all of his training go out of the window and just acted on the situation on his own. There are qualifications and training that all police officers have to go through before they are just placed on the street and sent to different scenes, everyone knows that. But, in many situations just like my conflict policemen do not always follow through with what they’re taught to do and how they are directed to handle things. How are citizens expected to keep violence off the street when we have to watch our back from the people who are supposed to be protecting us in the first place?

Izzet , L. (2002). A case study on police misconduct in the united states of america and an applicable model for the turkish national police . Informally published manuscript, Master of Science , University of Texas, Retrieved from http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc3234/m2/1/high_res_d/thesis.pdf  (scholarly)

               This article is about police misconduct. Some key points of the article if in the very first paragraph when the author talks about human rights. It states that protecting human rights of the citizens are a part of the everyday duties of an officer. By law, officers are supposed to enforce the law when they’re out there on the streets and in the public. These days, because of many incidents that has happened because of policemen abusing their power, citizens may not even want to get the police involved because they don’t know what the outcome will be. The people should never have to fear the people who are here to protect them, but in this article, it is expressed that this is exactly what it has come to.

             This article relates to my conflict because it just goes to show that people are growing to fear and hate the police. Not many people in the world feel comfortable when the police is around, many tense up. Just like the situation with Oscar Grant, once the police is on the scene you can never actually communicate with police respectfully and get that in return. Police officers always feel like they have something to prove which is where the problems come in. Yes, officers will come across people who are ignorant without purpose but for those who aren’t, like Oscar Grants wasn’t, will still get a weapon waved in their face or verbal abuse screamed at them. It’s obvious that policemen has lost sight in what their actual job is.

 

Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

 

The conflict that I will discussing in this bibliography is the Dream Act. The DREAM Act is a piece of federal legislation which would legalize the status of several million undocumented youth. The DREAM Act stands for the Development Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act (Lopez, Janet). The Dream Act would allow the undocumented youth to graduate from high school and further their education. In order for these youth to further their education they must meet the following requirements: Entered the United States at the age of 15 or younger, Able to prove 5 years of presence in the United States prior to the bills passage;Obtain a G.E.D. or high school diploma;Under the age of 30 (some bills the age cap has been 35).

    The first source that I used was a scholarly article by Janet Lopez. In this article Janets main focus was addressing what particularly the Dream Act was and why it was important to illegal immigrants. She goes into detail discussing the fine print of the Dream Act. She goes into why the Dream Act should be passed. Janet gave the benefits and the positive sides of the Dream Act. She discussed economic benefits, financial aid, and dropout rates. I chose this article because it gave me a strong and very factual background on my conflict. It helped me to understand exactly what the Dream Act was, giving me statistics and pros on the conflict. She gives me and broad overview on the conflict. It was very helpful that she included the benefits of the Dream Act and expressed how it would make a positive change.

The second source that I chose was and scholarly article by Kris Kobach. In this article Kris main focus was how the Dream Act violated the 1996 federal law. Kris thesis is that the Dream Act should not be enacted because it violates the federal law. He talks about how the Dream Act would undermine the law, and he also talks about lawsuits that has been filed. I chose this article because it gave me negative background about the Dream Act. It gave me a brand new perspective and new information that I did not know. This Article focus on one specific area of my conflict, which is the fact that it undermines the law. This relates deeply to my conflict because not only does it tell me about a flaw in my conflict, it also shows me a new side. It was very helpful because it was difficult finding a article that did not have anything positive to say about the Dream Act, and this one really stood out to me.

The third source that I used was and scholarly article by Michael Olivas. In this article Michaels primary focus was a court case dealing with the admission and application process of an immigrant. He talks about how the college has to continue not to be bias in their decision making process, but be more strict when it comes to the immigrants. He also focuses on the fact that immigrants should be granted loans, and tuition. His thesis is that immigrants should not be discriminated upon when it comes to acceptance, and that they should qualify for tuition. I chose this article because it told another side of the Dream Act. It talked more about the school end of the Dream Act rather than the residency giving me background and new information. It focus on and specific area of the Dream Act which is tuition. This relates to my conflict because it talks about how the Dreamers are affected when it comes to school and tuition. The article was very helpful because it gave specific details and brought up new ideas.

The fourth source that I used was and intellectual article in Boston magazine. The primary focus of this article was a real life scenario of a dreamer names Oumou Troure. In the article it talks about how Troure was and very intelligent young girl and how she was unable to get grants and loans because she was an illegal immigrant. The article targets the fact that illegal immigrants can not get grants or and funding for schools. I chose this article because it gave a real life scenario of an actual Dreamer and allowed you to get a glimpse of their perspective. This deeply relates to my topic because the main point of the Dream Act is to allow these people like Troure to get loans, and grant funding for college. It also gives me a story directly from a Dreamers mouth and not from a writer giving their opinions on the conflict. This article focus on one specific area which is the same as my previous source, tuiton and loan funding for illegal immigrants.

The last source that I used was and intellectual article in the wall street journal. The primary focus of this article is to give you and visual on how things were before the Dream Act even existed. It focuses on what steps were taken for the Dream Act to be passed and the proper protocols. It gives a brief overview on how the bill had to be passed through congress and all the different groups that had to vote on it. I chose this article because it shows what was actually being done to get this bill passed. It showed how things were before the Dream Act and all the steps leading up to it. What was helpful about this article was that it showed me how things were put into effect and what actually got the ball rolling for the Dream Act!

Work Cited

Lopez, J.(2010).The dream act. Change for immigration, 25, 1-7.

 

Kobach, K.(2006). The senate immigration bill rewards lawbreaking: why the dream act is a nightmare.Backgrounder,1960, 1-5.

 

Olivas, M.(2004).Iiria, the dream act, and undocumented college student residency. Journal of college and university law, 30, 1-30.

 

Talusan, G.(2012, July).The thing is, i’m undocumented. Boston Magazine, July 6, 1-6

 

A worthy immigration bill: The dream act rewards military service and reward achievement. (2010, November 27). Wall street journal (opinion), p.1