The European Debt Crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The European Debt Crisis - Research Paper Example The crisis accentuated the economic interdependence of the EU, as it highlighted the deficiency in the Eurozone’s political integration which was vital for the provision of a well-harmonized and effectual financial response. To ease the debt crisis and improve economic status, EU’s richest members encouraged the most highly indebted EU members to cut down on government expenditures and programs and to increase their taxes. Despite efforts, market instability continued until the end of 2011, thus questioning the future of the euro (Alessi). This paper will discuss the European debt crisis and the mitigation measures implemented to resolve the issues. The European Debt Crisis The  Maastricht Treaty outlined the conditions for European nations aiming to be a eurozone member by organizing its finances through guaranteeing an annual inflation not exceeding 1.5%; maintaining finance debits up to 3% of GDP; and keeping a debt-to-GDP ratio below 60%. The European nations agre ed to tighten budgets by decreasing public expenditures and increasing tariffs. However, the enforcement of the EU conditions was not strictly implemented (Wignall and Slovik). Since the 1930s, the European Union was in serious economic downturn with actual GDP expected to plummet by 4% in 2009, the biggest decline ever recorded in the EU history. While indications of improvement have been observed, economic revival stays improbable. The response of the EU to the recession had been fast. Besides the intervention to steady and restructure the banking sector, the European Economic Recovery Plan (EERP) was commenced in 2008 for re-establishing reliance and reinforcing demand by increasing the economy’s purchasing power through balanced tactical financial schemes and measures that would support the business and employment sectors. The entire economic incentive and the outcomes of regulated fiscal stabilizers total 5 percent of European GDP (â€Å"Economic Crisis in Europe: Cause s, Consequences and Responses†). The execution of crisis emergency measures by European members momentarily sustained the labor markets and heightened investments in the public infrastructure companies. To guarantee the economic resurgence and to continue the European nations’ future development possibilities, the focus must change from temporary demand administration to a long-term supply management, otherwise, it could hamper EU’s reformation or build damaging deformations to the Internal Market (â€Å"Economic Crisis in Europe: Causes, Consequences and Responses†). European Crisis Mitigation Measures In 2010, the leading European nations implemented an emergency protocol to cease the mounting fiscal market strains arising from distress about the financial recovery of indebted European nations (Ahearn et al). Financial Aid to Greece, Portugal, and Ireland In 2009, existing alarms concerning the sustainability of household finances in some Eurozone nation s started when the sentiments of financiers turned against Greece. Over the past ten years, Greece had loaned deeply in the global capital markets to sustain soaring government expenses, banking system inflexibilities, and deteriorating competitiveness (Nelson). Access to funds at minimal interest rates and poor imposition of EU regulations regarding debit limits facilitated the onset of today’s European sovereign debt dilemma (Nelson et al). Greece, Ireland, and Portugal have been given considerable financial supports by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Eurozone and EU monetary

Learning Visual Basic Essay Example for Free

Learning Visual Basic Essay Visual Basic was a learning challenge for me. After my first assignment, I started learning from my mistakes and eventually started understanding a little more at a time. Having already learned a few basics in Web Development coding, Visual Basic was quite a bit different in programming language. Visual Basic is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which uses a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to create and modify code that is written in a basic programming language. There are different ways to use code in Visual Basic to make time more manageable by using less lines of code. During Class we learned how to convert algorithms to programs using input, output, variables, and looping. By reading flowcharts, hierarchy charts, and pseudo code a person can analyze and process the steps on how a program is to run. There was also a discussion on the different data types and how to use them. There are 11 data types used in Visual Basic and they are: * Boolean * Byte * Currency * Data * Double * Integer * Long * Object * Single * String * Variant Using Windows Form Applications, various input/output boxes were designed and rogrammed to run by setting up variables using expressions and operators. Visual Basic could be an asset in the future as I pursue a career in Computer Science or programming. I believe this course will help by adding to the accumulating skills and could be used to open many opportunities in the Information Technology field. Learning to analyze and make decisions on various programs and their creation, Visual Basic could aid in understanding different coding concepts that may be familiar or similar.

Plato Vs. Aristotle :: essays research papers

Plato vs. Aristotle Plato and Aristotle, two philosophers in the 4th century, hold polar views on politics and philosophy in general. This fact is very cleverly illustrated by Raphael's "School of Athens" (1510-11; Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican), where Plato is portrayed looking up to the higher forms; and Aristotle is pointing down because he supports the natural sciences. In a discussion of politics, the stand point of each philosopher becomes an essential factor. It is not coincidental that Plato states in The Republic that Philosopher Rulers who possess knowledge of the good should be the governors in a city state. His strong interest in metaphysics is demonstrated in The Republic various times: for example, the similes of the cave, the sun, and the line, and his theory of the forms. Because he is so involved in metaphysics, his views on politics are more theoretical as opposed to actual. Aristotle, contrarily, holds the view that politics is the art of ruling and being ruled in turn. In The Politics, he attempts to outline a way of governing that would be ideal for an actual state. Balance is a main word in discussing Aristotle because he believes it is the necessary element to creating a stable government. His less metaphysical approach to politics makes Aristotle more in tune with the modern world, yet he is far from modern. Plato's concept of what politics and government should be is a direct result of his belief in the theory of forms. The theory of forms basically states that there is a higher "form" for everything that exists in the world. Each material thing is simply a representation of the real thing which is the form. According to Plato, most people cannot see the forms, they only see their representation or their shadows, as in the simile of the cave. Only those who love knowledge and contemplate on the reality of things will achieve understanding of the forms. Philosophers, who by definition are knowledge lovers, are the only beings who can reach true knowledge. This concept has to be taken a step further because in The Republic, Plato states that philosophers should be the rulers since they are the only ones who hold the form of the good. Plato seems to be saying that it is not enough to know the forms of tables or trees, one must know the greatest form--form of the good--in order to rule. The reasoning is: if you know the good, then you will do the good. Therefore, philosopher rulers are by far the most apt to rule. In The Republic, Plato builds around the idea of Philosopher Rulers.

Five Factor Model of Costa and McCrae Essay -- Psychology

In psychology, the Big Five personality traits are five broad dimensions of an individual’s personality. The personality traits include openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The two psychologists who discovered this theory are Costa and McCrae. In this paper I will discuss the history of the five-factor model, each of the five different personality traits, and how this is significant in my own life and my behavior. In 1992, two psychologists by the name of Costa and McCrae made a brilliant discovery of various dimensions of personality traits and put them in five separate personality traits. The five dimensions are usually described in the subsequent order of decreasing vigor based on previous personality scales: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness. â€Å"Costa and McCrae’s discovery has also influenced other ways of measuring personality including the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R), which is based on the five-factor model of personality† (Hart, Stasson, Mahoney, Story, 2007). The method of discovering which of the five personality traits you display most is in the form of a test. Twelve items, making a total of sixty items, measure each of the five personality traits. The items are statements measured by five-point scales that are formed by two poles from strongly disagree to strongly agree. â€Å"The scores of the twelve items, which measure each trait, are summarized and each person obtains a raw score of each of the personality traits† (Hart et al., 2007). The personality trait that your score is highest indicates the trait you lean towards most. It is also important to note that each of the five dimensions is bipolar, describi... ...b and career and what I want to accomplish in my life. I need to have a job where I am able to travel and not be stuck at a mundane desk job, somewhere where I am constantly learning and expressing myself with others. Personality develops around the age of seven and is definitely one of the most important parts of a person. Personality is your own set of qualities that makes you unique from other people. It includes all of the thought and emotions that cause us to do and say things in particular ways. Personality is an incredible captivating and enthralling concept in understanding how a certain person acts the way they do. The Five-Factor Model is an amazing discovery of five main dimensions of a human’s persona and even though not everyone fits exactly into only one personality it is still an undeniable way of helping us to better understand ourselves. Five Factor Model of Costa and McCrae Essay -- Psychology In psychology, the Big Five personality traits are five broad dimensions of an individual’s personality. The personality traits include openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The two psychologists who discovered this theory are Costa and McCrae. In this paper I will discuss the history of the five-factor model, each of the five different personality traits, and how this is significant in my own life and my behavior. In 1992, two psychologists by the name of Costa and McCrae made a brilliant discovery of various dimensions of personality traits and put them in five separate personality traits. The five dimensions are usually described in the subsequent order of decreasing vigor based on previous personality scales: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness. â€Å"Costa and McCrae’s discovery has also influenced other ways of measuring personality including the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R), which is based on the five-factor model of personality† (Hart, Stasson, Mahoney, Story, 2007). The method of discovering which of the five personality traits you display most is in the form of a test. Twelve items, making a total of sixty items, measure each of the five personality traits. The items are statements measured by five-point scales that are formed by two poles from strongly disagree to strongly agree. â€Å"The scores of the twelve items, which measure each trait, are summarized and each person obtains a raw score of each of the personality traits† (Hart et al., 2007). The personality trait that your score is highest indicates the trait you lean towards most. It is also important to note that each of the five dimensions is bipolar, describi... ...b and career and what I want to accomplish in my life. I need to have a job where I am able to travel and not be stuck at a mundane desk job, somewhere where I am constantly learning and expressing myself with others. Personality develops around the age of seven and is definitely one of the most important parts of a person. Personality is your own set of qualities that makes you unique from other people. It includes all of the thought and emotions that cause us to do and say things in particular ways. Personality is an incredible captivating and enthralling concept in understanding how a certain person acts the way they do. The Five-Factor Model is an amazing discovery of five main dimensions of a human’s persona and even though not everyone fits exactly into only one personality it is still an undeniable way of helping us to better understand ourselves.

Defeat of the Red Army Essay

By looking at what the areas where the Soviets failed during their in Afghanistan, we can further develop our counterinsurgency tactics and doctrine and shape our forces. Mujahideen Defeats of the Red Army An important and remarkable event in history was the Soviet-Afghan War. The Afghans, like their ancestors, battled a hostile, invading force that wanted to dominate their homeland. â€Å"For the first time, Afghanistan would become the center of a modern pan-Arab Jihad (Holy War)† (Hill, 2008). The Afghans were fighting a war of attrition just as their ancestors did during the Anglo-Afghan Wars. The Afghans would find themselves using modern weapons that had the potential of causing a high number casualties and emigration of greater proportions. The difference between the Afghans in the Soviet-Afghan War and the Afghans who fought in the Anglo-Afghan war would be the help and support from outside superpowers. By the end of the Soviet-Afghan War, the Soviet Union was at the point of falling; the Afghans and those who were assisting them were looking at a victory. How could such a powerful country like the Soviet Union be defeated by the Afghans? The Soviet Union lost the Soviet-Afghan War as a result of mistakes and failures that they made. The Soviets failure to seal the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, failure to stand up and effective Afghan Army and failure to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people contributed to the defeat of the Red Army. Failure to Disrupt Supply Lines During the initial five years of occupation, the Soviets never mounted a sustained effort to cut off the Mujahideen supply lines that ran from Pakistan’s tribal areas, across the Hindu Kush Mountains, and into Afghanistan (Roy, 1991). Instead, the focus of the Soviets from 1980 to 1982 was to conduct large-scale armored operations in locations that were considered hotbeds of rebel activity. After 1982, the Soviets used aerial assaults to assist in their combat operations to eliminate the support base of the Mujahideen. It was not until 1985 that the Red Army starting making an effort to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines. The Red Army began using Spetsnaz units, which were the Red army Special Forces units, behind Mujahideen frontlines, to organized surprise attacks against the rebel supply caravans. Once the Spetsnaz had the location of the Mujahideen, they would load into Mi-24 helicopter gunships, sneak behind the Mujahideen positions, and launch attacks. The effectiveness of the raids the Spetsnaz used became apparent in 1986 where there was a decrease in the number of Mujahideen attacks against the Soviets. The attacks against the Soviets decreased because the Mujahideen was not able to get men and equipment that they needed to mount an effective guerrilla campaign. The Soviets leadership was aware of the amount of men and a large amount of equipment that the Mujahideen was moving from Pakistan across into Afghanistan on regular bases, so it’s interesting why they did not make an effort earlier in the war to disrupt the supply lines. The Soviet leadership feared that if they conducted operations that might extend into Pakistan they would draw the United States into a large-scale war that the Soviets did not want. So, conducting operations on the Afghan side of the border against the rebels was an activity that the Soviets could justify without drawing the United States into the war. According to Oliver Roy, the Soviet failure to seal the border with Pakistan was the most significant military mistake in the war against the Mujahideen (Roy, 1991). With an unsealed border, the United States with the help of the help of the Inter-Service Intelligence, ISI, began funneling in weapons to the Mujahideen in the 1980. At the start of 1980, the Central Intelligence Agency began to purchase weapons from several countries to include China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab nations. Once these weapons had been purchased they were shipped to the ISI headquarters located in Peshawar Pakistan. The United States funded some $30 million dollars in 1982, but in 1984, the CIA spent some $250 million purchasing pistols, AK-47s, ammunition, surface to air missiles, and other supplies for the Mujahideen. By 1985, the CIA was spending $500 million dollars on the resistance in Afghanistan. 1985 was the same year the President Ronald Reagan signed the National Security Decision Directive 166. This directive stated that the CIA was to drive out the Soviets from Afghanistan †by all means available† (Crile, 2003, p 363). In 1986, the CIA approved the purchase of heat-seeking missiles and almost 1000 per purchased. The heat-seeking missiles were very effective in downing the Soviets helicopters, but the Mujahideen did not put these missions into use until 1987. Pakistan who was driven by Islamic identity had a vested interest in the outcome of the Soviet-Afghan War and made a great effort to ensure that the Mujahideen was victorious. To ensure victory for the Mujahideen, Pakistan established a network that would transport all of the weapons that had been purchased to the Mujahideen. Once all of the weapons that had been purchased and arrived to the ISI headquarters the ISI would distribute the weapons to the Mujahideen, who would get the weapons and supplies to the soldier in the field. The Mujahideen would use tractors, trucks, camel, mules, and horses that could blend in with the rest of the cross border traffic or they would move on dirt roads that were only accessible by foot over the border into Afghanistan. It is evident that without the help of the Pakistanis, the Mujahideen would not have been able to fight because they could have not been able to supply their soldiers. Throughout the war, the Soviets and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, DRA attempted to pressure Pakistan’s President Zia to seal the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan with troops, but this came to no avail. President Zia responds to the request to seal the border was that Pakistan would not do it but that the Red Army and the DRA were more than welcome to do it. Regardless of who would attempt to seal the border it would be an impossible task when you consider the length and mountainous terrain that would have to be covered. In 1985, the Red Army started to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines by putting thousands of troops on the border with Pakistan. At the same time, The Red Army began a bombing campaign hitting border towns that were sympathetic to the rebels and placing Spetsnaz units along the borders to conduct search and destroy missions from behind Mujahideen front lines. The Red Army began using their gunships to move up and down the border looking for destroying Mujahideen supply caravans. The bombardment used by the Red Army turned a large portion of the border etween Afghanistan and Pakistan to land that no longer could be inhabited. This depopulation effort started to become effective as it made it almost impossible for the Mujahideen supply caravans to move freely. In 1986, the Mujahideen countered the Red Army by using the Stringer missiles to bring down the Red Army Helicopters. To avoid being hit by a Stringer missile the Red Army Pilots had to fly at a higher altitude but the higher alt itude made it difficult for the Red Army to effectively attack the Mujahideen supply lines. Although the terrain along the Afghan and Pakistan border made it difficult to totally seal the border, it would have been possible to disrupt the flow of men and supplies coming into Afghanistan. This was evident by the Red Army between 1985 and 1986. Had the Red Army been willing to take a higher loss of life before 1985, it would have been possible to slow down the Mujahideen’s ability to get weapons into Afghanistan. The inability by the Red Army to establish an effective way to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines was not the only reason that the PDPA could not survive without the support of the Red Army. The Red Army also failed to build an Afghan National Army that could protect the PDPA against the Mujahideen. Part of the reason why the Red Army could not stand up the Afghan Army was because there were Mujahideen sympathizers in the ranks. This is also part of the reason why the Soviets could not win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. When the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, they left the country without the means to protect its self. Failure to build an Afghan Army As early as 1980, Soviet leadership knew that it was going to be difficult to build up the Afghan Army. This was partially due to the fact that the PDPA regime was unpopular with many Afghan people, and there was also a deep hatred for the Red Army troops. The unwillingness to fight for the Soviet Union and the DRA was reflected by the decrease in the Afghan Army’s ranks. The Afghan Army decreased from 90,000 to 30,000 men from 1980 to 1983 (Schofield, 2003). During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, it was common for Afghan soldiers to leave their units with their weapons and ammunition and join the Mujahideen. There is an account in July 1987 where an entire 2,000-man unit defected to the Mujahideen in Kandahar (McMichael, 1991). In addition to the defecting that was happening there were reports of Afghan officers frequently sabotaging Soviet equipment and vehicles. For the Afghans who remained many only fought because of the Soviet troops presences on the frontlines who would not allow them to runaway. As a result of the Afghans people unwillingness to fight for the Soviets and the DRA, the PDPA could only build a small military force, the total that numbers 120,000 to 150,000 fighting men. With its small size and the challenges they had recruiting the Afghans to fight for the PDPA regime, the Afghan Army was ineffective. The Afghan government was also only able to draft sixty-five percent of the personnel it needed to fight the insurgency they faced. Although the Afghan Army did have their share of success, these successes were limited. Mostly because the Mujahideen had sympathizers in the ranks that would provide the rebels with intelligence about upcoming operations that were planned. Since Mujahideen supporters had infiltrated the Afghan Army, Red Army soldier do not care to work closely on operations or share the intelligence they had because of fear that the details on upcoming operations would be shared with the rebels. To make matter worse for both sides, commanding officers of Afghan units would only be informed of upcoming operations one day in advance. On 9 January 1981, a conscription law designed to increase the strength of the DRA Army, was adopted by the Supreme Military Council of Afghanistan. The Afghan Army was given tanks, aircraft, armored personnel carriers, and small arms by the Soviets. Regardless of what had been given to the Afghan Army they were not going to be able to defend the PDPA regime from the rebels by the time the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan. This is based on the fact that it was going to be hard to recruit soldiers to fight for a socialist an also because many of the soldiers that had been recruited were informant for the Mujahideen. â€Å"The ineffectiveness of the DRA Army was illustrated by two Soviet deserters when they said, â€Å"The Kabul army was not an army, just a mess, with half of the soldiers running away and the other half joining the rebels† (Amstutz, 1986, p. 80). The inability of the Soviets to win over the Afghan population showed to be a tremendous obstacle as the attempt was being made to stand up an effective Afghan military. Had the Soviets convince the Afghan population that the PDPA was worth fighting for; the Soviet’s counterinsurgency plan could have been more effective in getting rid of the Mujahideen. The Soviets inability to win over the hearts and minds of the Afghan people ended up being a big obstacle that led to the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan. Failure to win the Hearts and Minds â€Å"The Soviets needed to convince the Afghan population that it had a stake in the survival of the socialist regime if they were to have a chance of preserving the PDPA government† (Delgado, 2006, p. 27). This would show to be impossible since the Afghan mullahs had declared jihad against the occupying Red Army. Knowing the jihad had been declared against the Red Army, they still launched a program with the intent on winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. The Soviets attempt to Sovietize the Afghan people used measures that included revamping the education system and teaching the population a pro-Soviet ideology. Adults and children were taught Marxist terms by Soviet institutions that had been imported into Afghanistan. The Soviets reformed the education system, reinterpreting Afghan history, taking control of the media in order to reeducate adults, and sending children to the Soviet Union in order to be educated. The Soviets goal in all of this was to create a version of Islam that the new Afghanistan would be based off. Building a strong Communist party was part of the Sovietization program. A strong Communist party would be the center of all legitimate political activity for the country. In order to monitor social organizations in Afghanistan, Soviet style government institution were established. A diligent effort had been made by the PDPA to indoctrinate its member, a majority of which joined the party so that they could obtain a job in the state. The task of trying to indoctrinate the member was difficult and many felt that it was irresponsible and corrupt. The DRA was unpopular throughout a large portion of Afghanistan. With this unpopular view of the DRA, there was a need to rewrite history in order to paint the Soviet Union in a more favorable light. This change to history was going to be done in two parts, first was to depict Russia as the essential supporters of Afghan independence, and the second was to minimize the cultural ties the Afghan people had with India, Pakistan, and Iran while emphasizing the ties with the citizens of the Soviet Union. The Soviets strategy in winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people was not to turn all Afghan into Marxist, but to teach the Afghans that they identified more with the Soviet way of life than with traditional Afghan society and customs (Roy, 1989). The Soviets took total control of the Afghan media and bombarded it with pro-Soviet propaganda. The Soviets desired in all of this was to have the Afghans forget what their history was and replace it with the identity that the Soviets were giving them. The Soviets not only rewrote the history books and took over the media; the Soviets took control of the education system with the goal of molding a new generation of Afghans that would support the PDPA. To accomplish this, teachers who refused to do what was asked were arrested or exiled. â€Å"Fatherland Training Centers† were created around Afghanistan, where Afghan orphans were trained to be Soviet special agents, political organizations for children and teenagers in order to teach them to become faithful Soviet citizens. The Soviets made Russian the official language of all students attending middle school up to college. The Russians were committed to indoctrinating Afghan children. Statics reflects that by 1989, 000 Afghan students were being educated in the Soviets, and another 15,000 students annual would travel to the Soviet Union see the Russian way of life and to take part in short courses and training programs (Roy, 1989). The Soviets used psychological operation to undermine not only the Mujahideen but also the civilian population to resist the Soviet occupation and the PDPA regime. Some of the bigger programs used included massive leaflet drops, propagandistic radio programs, starting conflict between rival tribes that would undermine Mujahideen unity and bribing teachers to use their classroom in order to spread Soviet propaganda. KHAD Intelligence would insert special agents into Mujahideen units and prisons where Mujahideen members were held with the goal of getting information on operations that were being planned and to find out whom the leaders in the resistance were. Regardless of what the Soviets attempted to do in order to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people they failed. The Afghans remained true to their Islamic identity, culture, and family traditions so it made it impossible for the Soviet Union to convince the Afghans that they were acting in the best interest of the country of Afghanistan by occupying and supporting the PDPA. With a call of jihad being declared against the occupying Red Army, it was going to be impossible for the Soviets to win the hearts and minds. The Afghans viewed the Soviets as an occupying force that were hostile to Islam so no program introduced by the Soviets to win the hearts and minds would be successful. The Soviets made an admirable effort to win over the Afghan people but due to the fact that they were viewed as a foreign occupier took away any possibility that they could convince the Afghan people to support the PDPA government. Winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people were impossible from the beginning since the Afghan people had such a strong Islamic heritage and tribal culture and that the Soviets were viewed as a foreign occupier, but the Soviets also did not help themselves with their brutal campaign to drive Mujahideen supporters out of Afghanistan as refugees. The effort to rid Afghanistan of Mujahideen supporters left one million Afghan civilians dead and five million displaced (Roy, 1989). The strategy used by the Red Army to rid Afghanistan of Mujahideen supported included artillery strike against Pashtun villages, bombing raids and, the burning of agricultural fields, the killing of livestock through the use mines and artillery, and the contamination of water and food supplies through the use of chemical weapons (McMichael, 1991). The efforts made by the Red Army to deprive the Mujahideen from a portion of its civilian support network was successful, but with the brutal methods that the Soviets used in order to get the objectives done did very little for the chances of winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Conclusion The Soviets lost the Soviet-Afghan War to the Mujahideen do to their own failures and any country could stand to earn a few lessons from the Soviets after their experience in Afghanistan. The first lesson would be the importance of disrupting the Mujahideen supply lines. Although totally securing the border may have been impossible, the Red Army could have focus more of an effort prior to 1985 to slow down the amount of men and supplies that were moving into Afghanistan from Pakistan. Had the Soviets been willing to take more of rest with their Soldiers, the Mujahideen would have never been able to get the supplies they needed into Afghanistan. The second lesson that could be taken from this is that before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan they needed to ensure that the Afghan Army was ready to defeat the Mujahideen on their own. Since the Afghan Army was not able to defeat the Mujahideen on their own, everything that the Soviets attempted to achieve in Afghanistan was lost once the Red Army withdrew. The weak Army allowed Afghanistan to fall into a civil war where the Taliban came out victorious. The Soviets should have taken into consideration what they thought the status Afghan Army would be once they withdrew before invading Afghanistan. The third and final lesson is that it was going to be impossible for the Soviets to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Many Afghans viewed the Soviets as invaders, and a jihad had been declared against them. Along with the hatred that the Afghans had for the Soviets the Soviets also countered themselves with brutal military operations against Afghans that were thought to be loyal to the Mujahideen. The Afghan population will refuse to support a regime that is viewed as a foreign occupier, regardless of the sophistication of the occupying country’s effort to win the native hearts and minds†(Delgado, 2006, p. 35). References Crile, G. (2003). Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History. New York, NY: Delgado, J. A. (2006). Troubling Parallels: An analysis of America ’s Inability to overcome the obstacles that led to the defeat of the Red Army in the Soviet-Afghan War. Athens, OH: The University of Ohio. Hills, C. R. (2006). Beyond Charlie Wilson: The Soviet Afghan War. Atlanta, GA: Atlanta International School. McMichael, S. (1991). Stumbling Bear: Soviet Military Performance in Afghanistan. London, England: Brassey’s. Roy, O. (1989). â€Å"The Sovietization of Afghanistan. † Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. Roy, O. (1991). The Lessons of the Soviet-Afghan War. London, England: Brassey’s. Schofield, V. (2003). Afghan Frontier. New York, NY: Tauris Parke Paperback.

On June 24th, 1947 while searching for the remains Essays

On June 24th, 1947 while searching for the remains Essays Ufo On June 24th, 1947 while searching for the remains of a downed Marine C-46 transport, lost somewhere in the Mount Ranier area, a young Idahoan businessman named Kenneth Arnold spotted something that would change his life forever. Just north of his position flying at an altitude of 9,500 feet and an unprecedented airspeed of 1,700 mph he spotted nine circular aircraft flying in formation. According to his estimate the aircraft were approximately the size of a DC-4 airliner ( Jackson 4). This account was the first sighting to ever receive a great deal of media attention. This sighting gave birth to the phrase flying Saucer coined by a reporter named Bill Begrette. Although not the first UFO sighting in history, Kenneth Arnolds account is considered to be the first documented UFO sighting. The following day Mr. Arnold discovered that in addition to his sighting there were several others in the Mount Ranier area that same day (Jackson 6). When most of think of UFO sightings we picture an unemployed, half- crazed, alcoholic hick living in a trailer park in the middle small town USA. Often times this description, although a little exaggerated, seems to fit fairly well. In the past when the average person spotted a UFO they were quickly discounted as a kook or con-artist in search of either attention or monetary reward. It wasn't until more reputable figures in our society began to come forward that we that we started looking at this issue a little more seriously. An article written 1957, entitled Strange lights over Grenada written by Aime' Michel describes just such an account: At 10:35 p.m. on September the 4th, 1957 Cpt Ferreira ordered his wing to abandon a planned exercise and execute a 50 degree turn to port. Ferreira was attempting to get a closer look at what he described as brilliant, pulsating light hanging low over the horizon. When the turn was completed he noticed that the object had turned too. It was still directly over his left. There was absolutely n o doubt that the orange light was shadowing the F-84s. For another 10 minutes, it followed the jets without changing direction or appearance. The pilots watched as four small yellow discs broke away from the large red object and took up a formation on either side of it. All at once the large luminous disc shot vertically upward while the smaller discs shot straight towards the F-84s. In an instant the flat disc sped overhead in a hazy blur and vanished. When Cpt Ferriera was questioned by Portuguese Air Force Investigators he was quoted as saying: Please don't come out with the old explanation that we were being chased by the planet Venus, weather balloons, or freak atmospheric conditions. What we saw up there was real and intelligently controlled. And it scared the hell out of us. (32) This is only one of literally hundreds of pilot accounts that have been documented and cross verified by other sources. To date the Portuguese Government has taken no official position as to what the luminous discs were. The United States has had more than it's fair share of unexplained aerial objects. In February of 1960 the N.A.A.D.S. (North American Air Defense System) spotted a satellite of unknown origin orbiting the Earth. They knew that it wasn't a Soviet satellite because it was orbiting perpendicular to trajectory produced by a Soviet launch. It also had a mass estimated at 15 metric tons, no evidence of booster rockets and traveled at speed three times faster than any known satellite. The satellite orbited for two weeks and disappeared without a trace. Before its disappearance, the object which appeared to give off a red glow, was photographed over New York several times (Jackson 19). Lights in the sky aren't the only evidence that suggests we may have cosmic company. In the book A History of UFO Crashes, the author Kevin D. Randal gives detailed accounts of numerous UFO crashes in history. Perhaps the most famous of these crashes occurred on July 4th, 1947 in Roswell New Mexico. The crash at Roswell was witnessed from afar by over a hundred people. Until just recently, no one who was involved in

Being Brave The Essay Expert’s New Year’s Ressaylutions

Being Brave The Essay Expert’s New Year’s Ressaylutions Every year in January, I make New Year’s Resolutions and report them to you, my 1800 or so readers. For anyone who’s serious about resolutions, making them is brave. First of all, we need to do some honest assessment of what’s working and not working in our lives and businesses. We need to consider where we want to head in the next year. Serious resolutions mean the year is going to be a challenge. Of course many of us make our resolutions and then promptly forget about them or give up on them. They are not real to us. But that’s not what I’m talking about here. Making New Year’s Resolutions publicly holds me accountable! As some of you know, I report both my wins and my fails for the year in August and January. This transparency helps me get a lot of things done (though not everything I promise, as you will see below) and encourages me to continually assess and reassess my goals and progress. Here’s what happened in 2013: My 2013 â€Å"Ressaylutions† and results were as follows: Publish a Spanish-language version of How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile. Not done. After full consideration of the possibility, I decided it would be untenable to keep up with all the updates of content and images in a foreign-language version of the book as well as an English-language version! Project tabled indefinitely. Publish a 50 Resume Tips book. DONE! In fact, I published two: How to Write a WINNING Resume and How to Write a STELLAR Executive Resume. They have been selling fairly well on Amazon – and many resume writers and clients have told me they are very helpful. I have one job seeker who updated her resume based on the book and promptly got a job! Obtain my CMRW (Certified Master Resume Writer Certification, offered by CDI). DONE! Increase the college essay / personal statement portion of my business to 25% of total business. I’m still at 10%. However, realizing that I was not going to make this goal, I have already put some things into place for 2014, and I will be focusing even more on building this aspect of my business. Start a training for resume writers. This one got put on the back burner as I completed my e-books. Tabled for now but might come up again in 2014. Ressaylutions for 2014: Increase college essay / personal statement portion of my business to 25% of business (carried over from last year for a second go). Some steps already taken in the right direction: Speaking at the NRWA Conference in Denver about how to write a standout college essay. Getting interviews for a widely circulated newspaper talking about college essays (publication still pending). And advertising a new summer program for rising high school seniors to work on their writing skills and personal statement topics (Let me know if you have a student who would like to participate). Roll out a new â€Å"responsive† (mobile-friendly) website. I have already hired web designers and they are hard at work! Choose a CRM and project management system. The Essay Expert and my assistant Jeanne Goodman do entirely too much record-keeping by hand. I will be investigating CRM and project management systems this year to determine whether there is one that will make our lives easier over here at The Essay Expert! Serve 250 clients. This year The Essay Expert worked with 200 clients to find new jobs, get into school, and achieve business results. I’m aiming to increase that number by 25%! Generate 214 success stories. I haven’t given up on collecting 200+ client success stories. This year we reached 122 (up from 109 in 2012). I’m planning to increase client numbers next year (see #4) so there will be a better chance of increasing the number of success stories. Please share yours if you haven’t already! What are your New Year’s Resolutions and how will you hold yourself accountable? Please share! Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinJanuary 13, 2014 3 Comments Scott Becher says: January 14, 2014 at 12:33 am Wonderful and impressive goals Brenda. Log in to Reply Scott says: January 15, 2014 at 10:01 am Have your expectations ever been disappointed by the outcome of your goals that you had no control over? Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: January 15, 2014 at 10:34 am Ever? Im sure they have! The trick is to adjust and come up with new goals! All I have control over is my own actions and how I respond to what happens around me. Log in to Reply