Abstract
A paper that uses historical perspective and political hindsight to explore the political, social, and economic reasons that Truman may have had for dropping the atomic bomb. A balanced essay that explores the issue from both sides and remains objective.

From the Paper
"In early August 1945 atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These two bombs quickly yielded the surrender of Japan and the end of American involvement in World War II. By 1946 the two bombs caused the death of perhaps as many as 240,000 Japanese citizens (Bernstein 50). The popular, or traditional, view that dominated the 1950s and 60s, put forth by President Harry Truman and Secretary of War Henry Stimson, was that the dropping of the atomic bombs was a solely military action that avoided the loss of as many as a million lives in the upcoming invasion of the island of Kyushu. In the 1960s a second school of thought developed--put forth by "revisionist" historians--that claimed the dropping of the bomb was a diplomatic maneuver aimed at intimidating and gaining the upper hand in relations with Russia. Today, fifty years after the two bombings, with the advantages of historical hindsight and new evidence, a third view, free of obscuring bias and passion, can be presented. First, the dropping of the bomb was born out a complex myriad of military, domestic and diplomatic pressures and concerns. Second, many potentially viable alternatives to dropping the bombs were not explored by Truman and other men in power, as they probably should have been. Lastly, because these alternatives were never explored, we can only conjecture over whether or not Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs was a savior of lives, and by extension, we may never know if Truman's monumental decision was a morally just one."

Tags:atom, bomb, harbour, hiroshima, nagasaki, pearl, truman, war, world, wwii

Abstract
This paper discusses how the nature and impact of global warming has been the subject of profound debate and concern since the 1990s. The paper notes that, while global warming was regarded by many as pure conjecture 10 to 20 years ago, there is general consensus among scientists and the public today that our climate is indeed changing. It goes on to point out that many claim that the source of the the change in climate is due to anthropogenic (=human) forces and then discusses both opponents and advocates of the man-made warming theory.

Outline:
Introduction
Global Warming Explained
Global Warming - is it Man-Made?
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Yet another complicating factor in the discussion over global warming is the number of informational sources on the subject. While advocates of the man-made warming theory say there is general consensus among the "scientific community", opponents of the theory firmly claim there is not. This, in turn, depends on how "scientific community" is defined. And this, of course, raises the question whether everybody who is a scientist, is truly an expert who has access to the latest findings. Many scientists see their credibility threatened because of the "climate war" and the large number of contradictory and exaggerated informational sources available to the public. Others have been accused of using their informational advantage to serve their own agenda. With regard to the discussion over global warming, it is important to keep in mind that there is a wide spectrum of what is generally defined as scientific knowledge or conveyed as such by the media ranging from the very certain (e.g. the functions of greenhouse gases) to the very uncertain (e.g. predicting with any degree of confidence the future behavior of clouds)."

Tags:climate, change, carbon, dioxide, emissions

Abstract
This paper explains that, until the 1970s, sinologists and others studied the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) media for clues as to what might be occurring in Mainland China of which there was much conjecture. The author compares the reports from two 1960 CCP media releases, which were prepared for the national Chinese audience by the People's Republic of China (PRC), with what is now known about the terrible Communist planning error in the agricultural sector during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The paper concludes that all media materials from Beijing were expected to be propaganda; therefore, the Chinese public became adept at discerning what really might be happening. The author stresses that this reflective habit is still practiced in the PRC, despite much liberalization of the mass media.

Table of Contents
Introduction
'Go to the First Line of Agriculture!'
'Advance Payment of Wages Every Month Stimulates Enthusiasm of the CCP'
Mao's Famine
Concluding Discussion

From the Paper
"The article seems to fit with a great deal that appeared through the month of September 1960 to do with agricultural gains, work still to be done, the potential for China to become a kind of agrarian paradise, and general applause for the rural laborer. In the article discussed, rural toil is said to be very good for cadres who may still be bureaucrats or people otherwise not yet exposed to the soil. Readers in the cities, or for that matter in Hong Kong or Taiwan or wherever else refugees from the Communist state had fled, had reason to wonder what was meant by the "transfer of large numbers of cadres ..."

Tags:reflective, mao, collective, censorship, planners

Abstract
In this article, the writer maintains that when speaking of Muslims, what the average American Christian individual knows and understands about his Muslim neighbors can be described as relatively little in substance and much more in myth and conjecture. What the lack of knowing means to that average individual is that it induces a certain mystique as well as a fearfulness of Muslims that might not otherwise be present. The writer notes that from a Christian perspective this might not be the most effective method of developing an enlightened community that allows for the acceptance of all religions and beliefs. The writer further maintains that the knowledge needed to understand the person who practices the Islamic faith should be studied and digested in order to gain that knowledge and understanding. The writer concludes that perhaps by learning more about each other, Christians, Muslims and Jews can once again cooperate and cohabit on this earth together in a peaceable manner.

From the Paper
"There is much that the writer does not know about Muslims, most specifically concerning their beliefs and especially why there seems to be so much hatred and violence being spewed forth by the so-called leaders of their faith, and whether this vitriolic language truly represents the common Islamic individual or if it represents just those who can be considered extremist in their attitudes. A question that the writer has is how to go about discerning what is truth and what is myth regarding those beliefs?
"Currently there is a vast amount of literature both on the history of Islam as well as concerning its growth and the influence that it has gained throughout the centuries. An individual could turn to a book like, Efraim Karsh's Islamic Imperialism, however, that would not necessarily be helpful. Instead it might be detrimental to efforts of understanding the Islamic religion."

Tags:faith, extremists, Islamic, beliefs

Abstract
In this article the writer notes that there is no definitive study proving the methods of alternative versus traditional teacher education. However, the writer discusses that there is a wealth of literature available in relation to this query, including: the perceived need for more teachers and its relationship to alternative training; an analysis of traditional teacher training and performance; an analysis of alternative teacher training and teacher performance; conjecture and comparison of traditional and alternative teacher training; expectations and success of both traditional and alternatively trained teachers; and retention of both traditional and alternatively trained teachers. This paper highlights the available literature on these subjects so that alternative and traditional teacher training can be fully assessed in the proper context.

Outline:
Perceived Need for Alternative Teacher Training
Traditional Teacher Training
Alternative Teacher Training
Comparison of Offerings
Success in the Classroom
Retention

From the Paper
"Criticism of these programs cite that non-traditional teachers are under prepared and that they do not have any investment in teaching as a profession. Additionally, critics believe that alternative teachers do not help the shortage problem since their first choice of work is often in their native field. However, it is possible that some criticism is misguided, associating the problems of emergency teaching with programs that offer progressive teacher training. Additionally, teacher training outside of the traditional means is currently in place across the country. Alternative certification courses were introduced in many states and school districts so that: first, emergency teachers would be unnecessary and no more teachers would be in the classroom without some training; second, individuals are recruited who will address the overall problem of teacher shortage."

Tags:traditional, teachers, school, training

Abstract
This paper provides a retrospective of the ideas about behaviorism and the environment contained in B.F. Skinner's 1971 book "What Is Man". The paper first summarizes Skinner's belief that man is shaped by his environment and experiences, and provides several examples from the text. Then the author critiques those theories, finding that Skinner is "heavy on conjecture, but light on proof."

From the Paper
"Man, Skinner claimed, was shaped and is maintained by his environment. He agrees with Gilbert Seldes rather remarkable claim that environment changes people, that it "thirty little Hottentots" and thirty aristocratic English children had their environments switched, the English children would become Hottentots and the Hottentots conservative Englishmen. Skinner says that environmentalists actually tended to believe that if a Mongol on horseback were switched at birth with an Astronaut, they would accomplish the same things. The environmentalists may be literally saying that, if you put a rabbit along with lion cubs and is nursed along with those cubs, the rabbit will react like a lion when he gets older. There is something to be said about environment, especially when it comes to the lower order of animals, since, surely, as Darwin discovered, survival depended on adaptation to climate, environment, and other elements of nature."

Tags:nature, environment, evolution, behavior, philosophy, theory

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of the disease tuberculosis. Specifically, it describes how the white men brought tuberculosis (TB) with them as they colonized America and how the disease decimated the Native American population. It contains specific details about this event, including time-frames and the resulting impact on human history. It also contains conjecture about what would have happened historically had the event not occurred. Tuberculosis is a deadly disease that is making a comeback around the world. When it was first introduced to what would become the United States, it was little understood and uncontrollable.

From the Paper
"Tuberculosis is actually a very ancient disease, but it was not until 1882 that it was actually discovered, by a scientist named Robert Koch. Before Koch made his discovery, tuberculosis was called many things, including the most accepted, "consumption," which was thought to be a wasting infection that involved the lungs. At the time, Koch's discovery was an important one for all of mankind. In fact, historian Rene Dubos notes, "All textbooks dealing with infectious diseases consider the discovery of the tubercle bacillus as the highest peak of the science of medical microbiology" (Dubos 93). Tuberculosis usually affects the lungs, but it can also have an effect on the intestines, bones and joints, the skin, and the lymphatic and nervous systems, though this happens less frequently than lung problems."

Tags:great, white, plague, hygiene

Abstract
This paper examines how "The Tempest" has attracted a vast array of critical attention, possibly because of its intriguingly ambiguous message which naturally invites conjecture. It looks at how it is a text loaded with nuances and ambiguities which make it impossible to pin down Shakespeare's original motivation or world view. By contemplating the relationship between Prospero, Ariel and Caliban it considers the author's views of their relationship in comparison with those of major critics.

From the Paper
"Caliban's attitude to Prospero is one of absolute terror of his power rather than mere subservience. Mannnoni's argument of a "predisposition to dependency ", supported by Caliban's quick acceptance of Trinculo as "... a new master whose 'footlicker' he can become..." (quoted in Reader, p. 284) is hard to accept. Shakespeare's text is surely more light-hearted than this. Caliban's comic simplicity leads him to believe that Stephano and Trinculo are gods to be worshipped, not just men to be obeyed. In the magical surrounding of the island where the fantastic often happens, the naive Caliban can surely be forgiven for believing that Stephano and Trinculo are "...dropped from heaven" (2.2.134) or "Out o'th'moon" (2.2.135)."

Tags:caliban, miranda, island

Abstract
There are numerous constraining factors that burden the process of forming an effective environmental policy in Australia. This paper discusses how clashing values and ideas prevent the formulation and implementation of coherent environmental policy in Australia. It looks at how Australia's over-reliance on a resource-based economy, federalist framework and failing policy processes often converge to create conjecture in the environmental arena. The conclusion is a brief summary, which reflects that the conflict and ambiguity plaguing environmental policy in Australia is the direct result of a confusion of ideas.

From the Paper
"A quick review of environmental policy in Australia reveals the extent of confusion surrounding the issue, this confusion can be partially attributed to Australia's dependence on and sometimes exploitation of its natural resources to generate revenue (Eckersley, 1996:89). This utilitarian trend began with European settlement and originated from the developmentalist approach to land management (Walker, 1999:24-5). An approach that fails to recognise the value of nature beyond that which is appropriate for development such as mining, logging and other economically productive practices (Aplin, 1998:173). Developmentalism comes at an immense cost to the environment; large portions of Australia's woodlands and forests have already been destroyed in the relentless pursuit of economic growth. "

Tags:bio, cycle, devolution, diversity, economic, federalism, natural, policy, rationalism, resources

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that possibly the most well - known Egyptian figure of the ancient world is that of Tutankhamen or Tutankhamen, the boy King. This young Pharaoh is known to have died while still in his teens and was buried in Egypt's Valley of the Kings more than 3000 years ago. The story and the history of this young boy King have been the source of conjecture and mystery and has been called one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient Egyptian world. This is also related to the possibility that Tutankhamen may have been murdered. The writer notes that the life and history of this young King still remains to a large extent shrouded in mystery and modern research methods are continuality being implemented in an effort to find more information. The writer concludes that the great wealth and art that was preserved in the burial chamber of Tutankhamen will remain a source of wonder, whatever further research may reveal.

From the Paper
"Akhenaten ruled Egypt from this city with his main wife, Nefertiti. She bore him six daughters but no son. This presented a problems concerning Akhenaten's lineage and for the continuation of the next Pharaoh. Scholars are of the opinion that Akhenaten and a lesser wife named Kiya were the parents of Tutankhaten, as Tutankhamun was known at first."
"In his early years Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen probably spent most of the formative period of his life in the palaces of Akhetaten and would have been tutored in many skills, including reading and writing. However, the historical records this period are very unclear and both the names of Nefertiti and Kiya no longer appear in the written records of the time. Another figure, Smenkhkare, however does appear in the records pertaining to the time and it has been suggested that he may have been a brother of Tutankhaten. What is clear is that Tutankhamen became Pharaoh after the deaths of Akhenaten and Smenkhkare at the age of nine."

Tags:Egypt, gods, worship, Akhenaten