SJS 7- Lipopolysaccharide Inhibits Th2 Lung Inflammation Induced by House Dust Mite Allergens in Mice

Author Credentials-
J K Peat, E Tovey, B G Toelle, M M Haby, E J Gray, A Mahmic, and A J Woolcock all work at the department of medicine or the university of Sydney, in Australia.  

Summary-
This article talks about dust mites causing asthma in children. They tested multiple areas, and found that the more mites, the higher severity of asthma.

Analysis-
They used many different sources of information, as well as showing their findings with charts and statisctics.

PDP 7- Selected Writings

Author Bio:
Ho Chi Minh was the president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the leader of the Vietnamese revolutionary movement, organizer of the Japanese occupation against Vietnam, and leader of the Vietnamese nationalist struggle. He had an education, studied politics, and spent time in both France and Russia. He has extensive knowledge on the content he speaks about, however it is clear that he is bias. His communist beliefs and values are present in his writing, along with his great hatred for any imperialistic powers (United States, France, etc.). 

Date/Context:
At the time Ho was most prominent (in the early to middle 1900s), imperialism was a large issue and point of discussion for many countries. The Vietnamese Declaration of Independence discussed the imperialistic power of France, while Vietnam was not the only place France imperialized. Many African countries were also imperialized by France and had to fight for their freedom and independence from the French rule. Britain's period of imperialism was very similar to that of France's, making more states in desperate hope for change and independence. 

Summary:   
            The document contained Ho's writings of the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence and his "Appeal to the Nation" given after the ending of the bombing of North Vietnam. 
           The Vietnamese Declaration of Independence first begins by comparing Vietnam with the American Declaration of Independence, showing that the undeniable truths listed in the U.S. document are being denied in Vietnam because of the French. He explains the many things the French have done to weaken Vietnam including setting up three different political regimes, building more prisons than schools, massacring patriots, weakening their race with opium and alcohol,  driving their people to destitution, taking farmland and natural resources, monopolizing bank notes, causing poverty, and exploiting workers. Also, the French imperialist powers over Vietnam opened its doors to the Japanese. When the Japanese surrendered to the Allies, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam arose and cut off all relations with France. Ho makes a final remark by the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam declaring Vietnam's freedom and independence. 
           His "Appeal to the Nation" discusses the great victory by their armed forces and the ending of the U.S. bombings in northern Vietnam. He claims that the reason this victory is so prominent is because of its opposition to American imperialism and aggression. He gives the victory's credit to the party's second revolutions lone, people's fervent patriotism, their oneness, their determination to win, and their social regime. He thanks fellow countrymen and fighters, the fraternal socialist countries, friendly countries, and world people's including the progressives in the U.S. However, he talks about how the fight isn't over and his need for any more help from all over the world. His requests are as follows: the end of the American aggression in against Vietnam,  American troops be drawn from south Vietnam, the south of  Vietnam settles its internal affairs without foreign interference, and the reunification of  Vietnam is settled without international interference. He is confident in his statements and closes with the sentence "Our people will undoubtedly win!".

Key Quotation:
"Our people will undoubtedly win!"

PDP 7- The White Man's Burden

Author Bio: Rudyard Kipling was an English author born on December 30th 1865 in Bombay, India. He is well known for his works The Jungle Book and "Gunga Din." He moved to England as a young child but was told later in life that his family did not have enough money to send him to college. This resulted in him moving back to India, where he got a job for a local newspaper. However he was an insomniac, resulting in him roaming the streets at night. This led him into brothels and opium dens, giving him experience for his writing pieces. He then moved back to England with the money he earned from these pieces and traveled the United States. He eventually became the most wealthy writer in the world and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907. He passed away in 1936.

Date/Context: This poem was created for Queen Victoria and her jubilee in 1897. However it was later replaced with another one of his poems, "Recessional." This poem was eventually published nearly two years later under the name "Burden." It was made to fit American imperialist colonization of the Philippines, which was just won from Spain in the Spanish American War.

Summary: This poem expresses the idea of sending the best "white men" we can to the dark, uncivilized areas of the earth. Helping these native people with ending famines and disease. It shows English imperialism with its ideas of racial superiority over the uncivilized native people. The English should impose their civilized behaviors and institutions. There is also quite a bit of racism in this poem. For example the "Half-devil and half-child” people he said to have met. These people are brought towards the light but fight against the people "helping" them. Talking about the imperialism, Kipling expressed that the act needs patience and is very burdensome. He also talked about the people that work in the colonies need to understand that they will work hard with not much acknowledgement.

SJS 6 - Recovery Under The Banyan

Author Credentials: Rajni Bakshi is a writer mainly Mumai-based who recently wrote two books called, "Bazaars" and "Conversations and Freedom." Both books focus on economists, entrepreneurs, and social activist who confront the free-market orthodoxy.

Summary: The financial crisis from 2008 accompanied the Hind Swaraj also known as the Indian Home Rule is written by Mohandas K. Gandhi. Throughout his essay, it ask questions on colonialism and independence. However, the essay ingrained a deeper message on civilization. As many business as well as political leaders try to solve the financial system others such as scholars and activists focused on Gandi's text. Gandi would have potrayed this crisis as the, "Black Age" which corresponds civilization with comforts and advanced technology equipment. In the book Hind Swaraj it stated, "One has only to be patient and it will be self-destroyed." This probably doesn't concern policy makers, economists, or politicians who's target is recovering a system already broken. 

Analysis: I believe this document is very reliable because it has good information throughout the document as well as well supported arguments. Gandi also provides background information to backup his argument. 

SJS6 - "India Held Back"

Citation: Ganguly, Sumit. "India Held Back." Current History 107.712 (2008): 369-74.
     Print.

Author Credentials: The author of the article "India Held Back" is Sumit Ganguly. Ganguly is a Current History Journal author; which means he is familiar with how the articles are organized and the length of which most are written. He is also a professor of political science and the Director of Research at Indiana University. I believe his background and noteworthy unbiased works qualifies him to discuss this topic.

Summary: The article "India Held Back" explains that India does have the capacity and chance to become a world superpower, however they will have to overcome many obstacles to receive that status. To begin, Ganguly states that almost 400 million citizens of India are living off of $1.25 a day. This is represents the massive spread of poverty across Indian commoners. There is also the problem of political corruption and disruption. Many leaders in Indian governments argue and debate so highly that very little is ever actually done. The author also mentions the threat of rising terrorists. India faces many bombings by foreign terrorist groups and homegrown. He concludes the article by saying that India has the people and power to become a global leader, however it has to fix problems in its own country before it can affect others.

Analysis: This document is a reliable source that could be cited for a research paper. The author states only facts and even though at times he uses harsh wording against India, he still remains unbiased throughout the whole article. I have very little criticism for his work however I think I should mention the title can have two meanings which may confuse the reader. This may have been his way of grabbing at people's attention, but at first glance I thought he was trying to say India held back and decided not to move forward. After reading the article though, I realized he meant other factors were holding India back and the country was not doing it to itself.

SJS 6 - "Partition historiography"

Source: Dube, Pankhuree R. "Partition historiography." The Historian 77.1 (2015): 55+. 
Author Credentials: The author has a bachelors degree in history and political science from Boise State University, and primarily studies South Asia, indigenous mobilizations, and trans-local comparisons. Her focus on studying South Asia and political science gives her the credibility for writing an article about the Partition of India. 
Summary: The author describes the history of the Partition of India, as well as several accounts from survivors. The significance of the Partition in history is also evaluated. The politics of the Partition plan was also discussed in great detail. 
Analysis: The author discusses a lot of different viewpoints from many different sources, adding to the validity of the article. She also provides a deep analysis of many aspects of Partition, including it's basic historiography and controversies. 

SJS6- "Nepal's Constitutional Crisis Involves Its Giant Neighbors"

Source: Nepal's Constitutional Crisis Involves Its Giant Neighbors." YaleGlobal Online (2015). Student Resources in Context. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Author Credentials: Harsh V. Pant is professor of international relations at King's College London and the author of India's Afghan Muddle (HarperCollins).
Summary: This scholarly journal article is about the conflict Nepal is experiencing with its constitution and how India's involvement is pushing Nepal towards more alignment with China. And how the Chinese prescence in Nepal is muddling their abilities to make themselves completely independent and without the presence of China or India.
Analysis: As a professor this is a reliable source because he teaches about these events and relations with countries everyday, he makes a convincing argument because he approaches it from an unbiased standpoint that Nepal has to fix itself rather than say it should rely on help from India or China or any other country. He supports his argument by using examples of how the Indians and the Chinese negatively impact Nepal and how Nepal can focus on themselves in the same situations they rely on the Indians and/or Chinese in.

Thesis - Religious Influences on Parisian Attack

Despite the reasonable logic given for the inability to express one's religion in public, the secularism of religion and politics in France has caused national aggression, global attention, and local separation.

Thesis- Cuba

The communist dictatorship of Cuba has lead to poor diplomatic relations and tension with the rest of the world, and ultimately has lead to conflict between governments with different philosophies and ideals.

Thesis- Military Drones

America's recent use of military drones as weapons of attack and surveillance in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia negatively affects these countries, especially in regards to these countries' population loss, acrimony towards America, and social status.

Thesis - Equity of Disabled People

The social status and treatment towards the disabled vary greatly within the countries in the Middle East, and differ tremendously in some cases when compared to the standards of the United Nations and the United States.

Thesis - ISIS

The goals of ISIS, such as expanding its borders and diffusing extremist ideals world-wide, and its tactics have impacted the global community by uniting countries to form a coalition against ISIS, generating apprehension internationally, and by acting upon this terror in a brutal manner.

Thesis - Food Scarcity in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe was once regarded as one of the most prosperous countries in Africa; however, over the years, political corruption, economic instability, and the harsh climate have attributed to food scarcity and starvation, both of which adversely affect millions of families each year.

Thesis - Syrian Refugee Crisis

Although the European Union accepts the entrance of Syrian refugees, some states within the European Union such as France and the UK have limited their commitments in taking Syrian refugees in a wise manner. 

Thesis- Women in India

Women in India are often exposed to oppression and violence through rape culture and the traditional cultures that are practiced in their society; As a result, this is preventing their developing country to further progress and advance into a developed country.

Thesis - China in the South China Sea

The ascent of China and it's subsequent challenge to the U.S. as the de facto power in the Pacific is fueled in part due to it's historical dominance and national identity in the region, further justifying it's controversial claiming of land and island reclamation in the South China Sea.

Thesis - Al Shabab

Al Shabab, through its violent demeanors and acts of terrorism has provoked corruption and warfare in Somalia and the Horn of Africa, resulting in the dominant reinforcement of the "War on Terror" Paradigm; through their affiliation with Al Qaeda, al Shabab continues to grow in both competency as a terrorist organization as well as in terms of military might and amount of adherents, resulting in the expansion of their global influence.

Thesis- Greece's Financial Stability

Greece is sticking to their Financial plan which is helping to keep stability from an international standpoint, it is also starting to bring stability to Greece; at this point in time all other European countries are financially stable and as long as Greece continues to stick to the plan that the Eurozone developed Stability will continue to come to Greece, Europe, and the rest of the world.

Thesis- Taliban

The Taliban, which can be defined in many manners including an extreme terrorist group to a direct descendant of a "political" system, have done many questionable and often horrible acts within its lifespan as a recognized organization beginning on one end of the spectrum with terrorist attacks to the other side with peace negotiations with the Afghan president, while this all leads back to the groups early stages of development, starting as a sphere of influence in Afghanistan to becoming what it is known for today, terrorism and causing massive trouble to the international community.

Thesis- North Korea

The manner of which the North Korean government treats its citizens is a concern to the world because of the distribution of inhumane punishments, creation of unjust laws, and relentless persecution of political protestors which causes them to be denied the basic rights of humanity.

Thesis - Boko Haram

Boko Haram poses a socio-political threat to localities in Nigeria and Cameroon and global communities because of their intent to create a purist Islamic state, their increasingly widespread violence, and the corruption of minds around the world with Islamic fundamentalist ideals.

Thesis- Civil War in Yemen

The current civil war in Yemen, caused by internal tensions, is negatively escalating the tensions in the surrounding nations.