The Logic behind Suicide Terrorism and its Connection to Islam

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze suicide terrorism and to examine the logic behind it. The thesis will examine recent Islamic suicide terrorism and why it is so successful. This paper will also attempt to define suicide terrorism and explain how it functions. The first half of this thesis reviews a short history of suicide terrorism to show the logic behind it. It will begin with the Old Testament and continue throughout history until the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. This thesis will discuss the motivation for terrorist organizations to encourage, and individuals to commit, suicide attacks within their certain causes. It will also examine the mental thought process behind suicide terrorists. The second half of this thesis will examine the Islamic use of suicide terrorism to show that they follow the rational pattern of other suicide terrorists. It will discuss Islam and the violence of the religion. It will also examine martyrdom along with the goals and rewards of the jihadists. This thesis will look at the way the Western world, Christians, and Jews view Islamic suicide terrorists. Finally, the thesis will discuss the difference between historical and current suicide terrorism and how it will continue

Just Eat it: An Examination of the Sociological Factors that Influence the Eating Habits of College Students

Young adults 18-25 years of age in the United States are experiencing a new world as they transition to young adulthood in college. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the eating behaviors of the young college population. The present study will examine the kinds of foods college students eat and how they make decisions regarding food consumption. The methodology of the present study consists of a quantitative survey, which includes questions about gender, living arrangements, convenience, and student eating habits. The sample size is comprised of 228 students at the University of Central Florida. A regression model is used to explore the influence of the independent variables, which include gender; living arrangement; convenience; and health have on eating habits. Findings indicated that convenience significantly influence eating habits (p [less than] .001). Gender, living arrangements, and health, however, did not significantly influence the eating habits of the college student respondents. A second regression model examined the potential effects of gender, living arrangements, convenience, and health- weight gain on eating habits. Again, convenience was the only significant independent variable that has an influence on eating habits (p[less than].001) while gender, living arrangements, and healthweight gain were not significant predictors

The practical potential of living authentically

To paraphrase George Orwell, the best books are those that tell us what we already know. Perhaps, then, this thesis will ring most strikingly in the minds of those who have realized a deep dissatisfaction with the universal ethics of the day. Consequently, it is not the final word on the matter, but an exploration of a more practical ethic of living authentically. The paper deals with what I take to be the central question of philosophy: How should I live? It shows, I believe, that the proper vantage point to begin that inquiry can be at all times none other than the subjective. The whole sense of the paper might be summed up in the opening epitaph: “A man must have a code.” Thus, the aim of the paper is to provide a foundation upon which the individual might start to construct his/her own practical-theory for how to live a life in tune with his/her desires. Its purpose will have been achieved if it proves useful and enjoyable to one person who reads and resonates with it. Although this work sits squarely within the tradition and style of analytic philosophy, I think its contents will prove of interest to anyone with the fortitude to read it through to completion, regardless of philosophical training or inclination. The value of the present work, then, lies not in its ambition to transcend philosophy, but in its effort to make it relevant and accessible. To the extent that this value is duly clear, I hope the reader will find him/herself oriented in the direction of greater freedom by a lucid recognition that it is not necessary to accept life as it has been presented

Indigenous conceptions of community organization and autonomy in Oaxaca’s Sierra Norte: Answers and resistance to State-sponsored practices of internal colonialism

Over the past century, the Mexican government has continued to reproduce dominant, colonial relationships with its indigenous populations. Within the last few decades, clashes between harmful neoliberal visions of national development and continued demands for indigenous autonomy have only intensified. In the context of such events, this present work seeks to explore a specific conception of community identity, coined as la comunalidad, in the Sierra Norte region of Oaxaca. After the breakdown of its most fundamental tenets, I will attempt to both underscore its position as a framework of resistance in combatting historical and ongoing state-organized aggressions against these communities, as well as its fundamental role in the subsequent construction of various aspects of local autonomy. Finally, I will look towards internally defined challenges to the reproduction of such models of community organization. Throughout the paper, special attention will be paid to the contemporary and global value of such alternative community development strategies for the re-imagining of more harmonious social and environmental futures

Private Politics—The Business Conscience

On the surface, private politics could be considered a legal form of extortion. The social pressures exerted on businesses could be seen as unethical. When examined further, private politics and the related social pressure utilized to facilitate positive change for the larger good is not only ethical, but required. When viewed in this way, private politics can function as a conscience for businesses. To support this argument, this paper will examine extortion, the challenges businesses face addressing the needs of stakeholders, and an ethical analysis of the tactics used in private politics