Thursday, October 31, 2019

War Strategists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

War Strategists - Essay Example Consequently, Jomini’s theory of strategy entirely relied on geometric considerations. He advocated concentrating alongside fractions of the enemy’s force before striking the critical objective. Significantly, Clausewitz and Jomini theories have immensely contributed to understanding today’s military profession1. Accordingly, the FM 3.0 represents a revolutionary departure from past theories. It has engaged in an operational of employing such principles as offensive, stability or civil support operations concurrently as part of an inter-reliant joint force to grab, retain and exploit the initiative, accepting practical risk thus generating opportunities for achieving decisive results. The FM 3.0 operations significantly initiated a comprehensive change in the army by capturing the solder’s experience over t numerous years of extensive combat. It therefore changed the army’s conceptualization of operations hence it adopted FSO as a central tenet of h ow it applies its capabilities. Consequently, the concept of FSO plays critical roles in the army. FM 3.0 reflects an inclusive understanding of the numerous impacts of myriad years of persistent conflict in army operations. It puts emphasizes on people over technology, hence focus on an initiative and responsibility at lower levels of command2. It is worth noting that, understanding the operational environment and the intriguing problems, requires a precise methodology that expands beyond the military decision making process. Currently, the operational environment has experienced an enormous emergency of hybrid threats hence profoundly increasing uncertainty in the operational environment. In response, it has called for the need of creating teams to work closely with joint interagency and multinational assets among modular forces. Additionally, working with host-nation partners, teamwork requires extensive personal cooperation instead of military command. Finally, the capability to transmit clear and concise messages to target audiences plays a critical role in delivering lethal combat work. Consequently, it calls for an appropriate strategy in order to ensure victorious success in FSO. In response, current research has revealed that, the FM 3.0 has adopted a peculiar strategy referred to as blitzkrieg war strategy. Additionally, the strategy has based its foundation on nine compressive principles for success in FSO3. The blitzkrieg strategy entails employment of lightning attacks, overwhelming the enemy with speed ad concentrated fire-force. Typically, blitzkrieg strategy largely relies on tanks, which combine with speed. Its basic principle entails bombardment of a weak point in the enemy defense followed by feints and thorough probes to find a breakthrough point, plus a follow-up encirclement to prevent flanking and capturing remaining forces. Accordingly, at the defeat of the enemy, a follow up force may hold the position, while the main force moves on qu ickly to the next target. Blitzkrieg strategy works entirely by shock and depends entirely the maneuver and surprise principles rather than wearing down the enemy by long bombardment or pitched battles. Consequently, it represents a typical cross-country technique for conquering large tracts of relatively defended land. In addition, it implies distracting a dispatched the enemy from dealing with your attacks4. Similarly, the FM 3.0 provides

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Earth is my mother Essay Example for Free

Earth is my mother Essay The author’s purpose in writing was to understand for herself and to be able to present Navajo sandpaintings as â€Å"dynamically sacred living entities whose meanings lie in the process of their creation and use† (page xix). Sandpaintings, created from different colored sands and sacred objects, are not art. They are representations of mythical beings and legends created for the purpose of reestablishing someone’s health and harmony. The study of sandpaintings and their various meanings permits the reader considerable insight into Navajo land-tied religious beliefs, world view, creation myths, society, history, and even concepts of time. The author, Trudy Griffin-Pierce, provides little autobiographical information in the book. She mentions her rootless Air Force upbringing and how her early readings were devoted to books about Native American culture, especially the Navajo. Although she is distantly related to the Catawba Indians of South Carolina, she always felt a kinship with the Navajo and lived for a time with a Navajo family, learning their traditions, history, and language. This bond drew her to Arizona after she completed her undergraduate degree in art at Florida State University. N. Scott Momaday, in his â€Å"Forward†, adds that Ms. Griffin-Pierce is a very creative artist, capable of understanding and discussing the artistic dimension of the Navajo world. She makes the inventive and imaginative Navajo system of belief without our understanding. Ms. Griffin-Pierce received her doctorate in anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1987, where she is currently Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department and teaches three courses. The information on her website at the University of Arizona reveals that this was her first published book. She has written four newer books, The Encyclopedia of Native America (1995), Native Americans: Enduring Cultures and Traditions (1996), Native Peoples of the Southwest (2000), and Paridigms of Power: The Chiricahua Apache Prisoners of War and Naiche’s Hide Paintings (in press); and two articles, â€Å"When I am Lonely the Mountains Call Me: The Impact of Sacred Geography on Navajo Psychological Well Being†, and â€Å"Navajo Religion†. All of her writings center on the history of Indians in the United States’ Southwest. She is currently studying aging and dementia among Arizona’s Native Americans. In Earth is my Mother; Sky is my Father, Ms. Griffin-Pierce details Navajo religious beliefs, world views, historical myths, societal structure, and astronomical concepts before she discusses the use and structure of Navajo sandpaintings. Basic Navajo religious beliefs are still followed by many Navajos who chose not to assimilate the tenets of Christianity presented to them in the 1800’s. There is no word for â€Å"religion† in the Navajo language. Spirituality, health, harmony, and beauty are inseparable. The universe is an all-inclusive whole where everything has a unique place and beneficial relationship to all other living things. God is the â€Å"Unknown Power† worshipped through His Creation. The Navajo also have a close relationship with the Holy People, with whom they interact daily. (page 34) Navajo religious beliefs are closely tied to their intense longing for and their love of their homeland, which they consider the â€Å"point in space from which all conceptions of the cosmos proceed†. (page xv) The land and the earth is their foundation of all belief, wonder, and meaning in human existence, and the four sacred mountains are the center. There are no permanent religious centers. The Native American Church is a local peyote visionary religion.    The Navajo have a circular concept of time that permits their mythic, spiritual world to coexist with their physical world. The author suggests that the Navajo sacred sandpaintings cannot be understood unless we accept the Navajo’s â€Å"mythopoetic context of layered time, space, and meaning†. (page 7) Navajo spirituality affirms humanity’s place in nature as a whole. Their ceremonies restore the interconnectedness of all life. They believe sickness results from failure to maintain reciprocal responsibilities with the environment, infringement of ceremonial rules, and transgressions against one’s own mind and bodies. Her purpose in writing this book is to share a more humane, more connected view of the world and its contributions in reestablishing humanity’s alignment with the universe. (page 9) Navajos still worship gods and goddesses of specific purposes. Their deities include the Sun; Changing Woman, who brings the earthly seasons; and their children, Hero Twins, Monster Slayer, Born-for Water, First Man and First Woman, First Boy and First Girl, the trickster Coyote, and the Speechless Ones, who cannot utter words. (page 34) These are often depicted in the sandpaintings. Navajos have a concept of the â€Å"Holy Wind†, reminiscent of the Christian Holy Spirit, as a being that exists everywhere and is in all living beings. For them this means that all living beings are related and that humanity has a responsibility to care for other living beings. Curiously, in Navajo Creation stories, the Holy People spoke, sang, and prayed the world into existence with their sacred words. Since everyone has an inner form and is part of the Holy Wind, each has a Holy Person located within. Oneness with the universe creates a responsibility to treat one’s fellow creatures with the same respect one has towards oneself. (page 73). The Navajos were among the last American Indians to migrate from Asia to North America and were late in arriving in the Southwest. They settled in the geographical area bounded by the four Sacred Mountains in the Four Corners area of the Southwest. Their geographical isolation protected them from diseases brought by the Spaniards and provided them with access to stealing their horses, sheep, and goats. They learned weaving from the Pueblos. The Navajo societal structure was and is matriarchal, clan, and family based, and they dwell in isolated family groups structured by the nuclear family, the matrilocal extended family, close relatives, and other relatives. Many Navajo live in frame houses today, but some still choose well-constructed hogans. (page 21) Navajo ceremonial healings involving sandpaintings are conducted by highly trained practitioners called â€Å"chanters† who have learned to sing the elaborate Navajo rituals. The Navajo chanter can cure witchcraft, exorcise ghosts, and establish immunity to illness.   A chanter is a priest, not a shaman, and never enters the shaman’s characteristic trance state. Most chanters are men. Women become diagnosticians, or shamans who acquire knowledge in a trance state. (page 39) Navajo ceremonials are rites (rattle is not used) or chants (rattle accompanies singing. The major rites (Blessingway and Enemyway) use drypaintings with pigments made from plants, including corn, pollens, cornmeal, flower petals, and charcoal. The author explains that Enemyway is a form of exorcism against the ghosts of aliens, violence, and ugliness. The chanting ceremonies (Holyway, Evilway, or Lifeway) use sandpaintings of different colors of sand, ocher and charcoal. Other sacred objects, vegetation, and bowls of water are incorporated into both types of ceremonies. (pages 40-41) There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different sandpainting designs. A sandpainting is a place of entry where supernaturals enter and leave, attracted by their likenesses in the painting. The establishment of this pathway lets the evil or illness in the patient be replaced by the good, or healing power of the supernatural being. (page 43) The healing ceremonies last for several days. It takes four to six people three to five hours to complete a sandpainting six feed in diameter. The workers begin in the center and work outwards. (page 45. The Navajos’ basic concept is that the powers of the heavens and earth are drawn into the sandpainting for the purpose of healing. Time is compressed so that powerful mythic events of the past coexist with the present and restore harmony and well being to the person being healed. (page 58) The sandpainted image is intended to let the sick person project his or her mind through time and space, rising above present earthly limitations.   The Navajo layered worldview becomes meaningless during a ceremony as all layers of heavens and underground become one. The Navajos study the constellations and star arrangements primarily for determination of seasons, and they are not part of the ceremonial core of sandpaintings, even though depictions of mythical gods of creation in the form of constellations may be used. (page 103) One of the more interesting myths is how Younger Brother went to the sky country and met an inner circle of hostile beings whom he left to stay with the friendly Star People in the outer dwellings. These friendly Star People, whom the Navajo call â€Å"The People†, and the hostile beings are still incorporated into sandpaintings. The author concentrated on the â€Å"Mother Earth, Father Sky† sandpainting because it is the most familiar to outsiders and presents the most detailed depiction of the Navajo heavens of sandpaintings in use today. (page 175) She describes the intricate, careful, detailed process involved in making a sandpainting. Mother Earth and Father Sky must be identical in shape and size. The act of creating a sandpainting is healing because it focuses everyone’s thoughts on the principles of balance and order. (page 177) The painting becomes â€Å"alive† to serve its transcendent purpose when the chanter strews sacred pollen on it and blesses those attending. (page 183). The sacred and blessed sandpainting forces the patient to reconnect in time and space to past and present sacred forces and reminds the patient of her connectedness to humans present physically or spiritually. (page 194) This book accomplishes the author’s stated purposes and does discuss the themes in detail. However, the information is disorganized and scattered, making the book itself hard to read. The author’s purpose was to teach the reader how to understand and appreciate the making, content, and purpose of Navajo sandpainting, which she accomplishes. Some of the information presented about Navajo religious beliefs is curiously similar to Christianity, and the author does not sufficiently discuss whether or not these were original to the Navajo who migrated to the Americas or picked up and changed a bit from what Christian missionaries tried to teach them. The Navajo ties to the religious symbolism of their land is remarkably similar to early Hebrew thought, but no mention is made of that. The textual sources used by the author are all documented research papers or books that are fairly recent in date. One would wish earlier sources had been consulted on some issues, but their availability is not known. The author combines quite boring detailed information with her myths and more lively text, making the book itself a challenge to complete. BIBLIOGRAPHY Southwest Studies Program. Biography of Trudy Griffin-Pierce. University of Arizona. http://web. arizona. edu/~swst/faculty/tgpierce. htm. Griffin-Pierce, Trudy. Earth is my Mother; Sky is my Father. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1992.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Iconic Images of the 1980s

Iconic Images of the 1980s Images of 1980s Speaking of 1980s often people think about Reagan, â€Å"Greed is good†, and funny hair styles. Of course the 80s were more than that, but if you asked me what I am thinking about the 1980s it would be a longest â€Å"Mhm† followed by â€Å"I was not even born yet.† However, images can be a tool for us to study the detail of history. The greatest thing about learning history for a visual person is to look into photos. Each and every photograph has a story to tell. Ever since the technology of modern camera was introduce in the 18 century, people have been using this technique to capture memorable moments.   Ã‚   Photography in the 1980s was personal and political, or a mixture of both. Nevertheless, thanks to the photographers who are there to capture events, the future generation can study them. What happened at the scene of Reagan’s attempted Assassination? How big was the crowed when the Berlin wall fell down at 1989? What did Chernobyl look like after the explosion? I believe those events had already been symbolized. Some say â€Å"history always repeats itself.† That is somehow true if we look deeper into every decades. The world still has the same problems that happened before. What is so special about the 1980s is that is a historical turning point. Through several iconic photos of the 1980s the decade can be seen as one plagued with wars, tragic events and political unrest, but it was also a decade where freedom and human rights were advanced. Afghan Girl, 1985 (See Figure 1) The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan during 1977-1980 might been seen as a milestone of U.S. history due to the help we have been giving, but due to poor Sharbat Gula and her family it is not an event to be celebrated. In 1985, National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry shot a portrait of a 12 year-old Afghan girl named Sharbat Gula made it to the cover of National Geographic Magazine. However, what people could not see in the photo â€Å"Afghan Girl† was the reason that caused Sharbat Gula’s sorrow eyes. From 1979 to 1989, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan armed with Arab resistance launched a war of aggression and counter-aggression. The evening of December 27, the Soviet Union deployed eight divisions, Special Forces, and airborne troops in a brutal military invasion of Afghanistan. In only three and a half hours, they gained â€Å"complete military and political control of Kabul and large portions of the country† (Office of Historian) Until early 1980, 8.5 million troops invaded which gradually increased to 10 million people. There were almost 10 years long of ongoing civil wars, invasions and conflicts in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, little Sharbat Gula was born into this event. After the Soviet invasion of blatant military, the Afghan people in the nation in danger of life and death, the original anti-government revolutionary activity soon developed into a larger anti-Soviet war against the Soviet Union. According to the article â€Å"A Life Revealed: Along Afghanistans War-torn Frontier† by Debra Denker, Sharbat Gula’s village was bombed and invaded by Soviet Union around the early 80s. Unfortunately, Sharbat Gula’s parents were killed by bombing, about 100 people died from war, 600 million people were forced to flee their homes and become refugees. Later, photographer Steve McCurry visited Afghanistan, and was given a â€Å"war-torn frontier.† tour. In one of the refugee camps, he ca ptured the hunting face of Sharbat Gula among other similar age girls. Sharbat Gula’s portrait became the symbol of post war fear of the Muslim world (Denker). In 1988, under the auspices of the UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar, the Soviet Union, the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan met in in Kabul and their four foreign ministers signed in Geneva a political settlement for Afghanistan. The Soviet troops had to withdraw from Afghanistan within nine months, putting an end of a nine-year occupation (Dibb). Wars and conflicts are a never ending nightmare which is still haunting us today. The look on Sharbat Gula’s face fully expressed that. The Reagan Assassination Attempt, 1981 (See figure 2) Same time at the early 80s, the most serious incident which happened to President Ronald Wilson Reagan was when he got shot just outside the Washington Hilton Hotel by a young man named John Hinckley Jr. In the photo of the scene right after the shooting, reporters were making roars within the crowed, few officers holding a gun down on the sidewalk, and the president was thrown into the limo car. It was chaotic. The gunman was held immediately after the shooting. This event shocked the entire society for Reagan had only been elected to be a president for ten weeks. President Reagan was heading to the white house unaware that he had been shot. Shortly after he left the scene, he did not realize one of the ricochets punctured his lung until he started coughing up blood. He then was rushed to George Washington University Hospital. The New York Times reported President Reagan remained in good humor even he was fainted due to the blood loss. He told his doctors, â€Å"Please tell me youà ¢â‚¬â„¢re Republicans† (Raines). Fortunately, President Reagan survived after the operation, and recovered after weeks. The motive to assassinate the President surprisingly had nothing to do with political reasons, but with John Hinckley’s obsession with actress Jodie Foster. This obsession was based on the movie Taxi Driver.† He firmly believed that if he became famous by mimicking the plot from Taxi Driver, would be able to get Jodie Foster’s attention. What happened to gunman John Hinckley afterward was 13 charged against him. However, due to his mental problem, the court sent him to St. Elizabeths Hospital for life instead of prison. The unsuccessful attempted assassination brought dramatic changes to Reagans presidency. His survival boosted a wave of public sympathy and he gained popularity. He was also the first president who survived the assassination (Brands). Although politics was not the reason why John Hinckley opened fire, it is still one of the many major political events in the 1980s. Chernobyl Accident 1986 (See Figure 3) Besides wars and political unrest, there was a major unclear accident happened at Chernobyl, Ukraine. The photo that taken by authorities right after the accident shows the explosion had destroyed the entire building to a hollow hole on the ground. What happened was that event management and technical staff decided to test the turbine in case of a sudden loss of power, the strain of the reactor. This overnight test was neither carefully planned nor authorized by superiors. On the afternoon of April 25, 1986, the unit fourth in accordance with the plan was shut down, when the operation began an experiment related to the security system. The case of this experiment is to understand the plant loses all power, but the rotating turbine has enough energy capable of supplying electric power for 45 seconds, which is the time required to start the emergency diesel generator supply. The reactor power is reduced to half of the rated output, and the emergency reactor core cooling system is turne d off. After 11:10, the staffs did not re-open the emergency cooling system, which was the first major mistake, according to a series of serious negligence operations are: the output power was reduced to one percent of rated output, much lower than the power required for the experiment; the majority of the control rods withdrawn; and the other important safety system was turned off. These operational mistakes made the unit fourth become unstable. Output had been rising rapidly, technical workers lost control of the reactor, output power rose to up to 100 times the rated output, and thus part of the fuel rods ruptures, and the heat burst a lot of things to make the cooling water evaporation, resulting in a steam explosion destroying a weight of about 1,000 tonnes of reactor cover. From May 1 to 6, due to the reactor explosion, more than 26 percent of the radiation dose was released into the outside world, 31 firefighters and two people from the plant lost their lives, most of them have been severely burned from radiation, while 209 suffered severe radiation injuries (U.S.NRC). Strictly speaking, the Chernobyl accident cannot be called a human error. It was more like a willful violation. It seemed following the scheduled timetable was seen as more important than safety. Staff were prohibited from running the operation under low power, and stopped safety device testing. It was like in travel a little faster by car, removing the brakes in the car regardless of rules or safety, and just desperately rushing forward to the destination, leading to a monstrous disaster. 25 years later today, the area outside of Chernobyl nuclear plant still reminds uninhabitable. People’s belongings still stay in the same spots, but not a trace of life in sight. The fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989 (See figure 4) Finally, the voice of freedom is rising at the end of 1980s. After nearly three decades of separation, the Berlin Wall finally fell down on the evening of November 9, 1989. A photo taken by Associated Press captured the moment when demonstrators tore down a piece of the Berlin wall. Berlin Wall and the wall that speared North and South Korea right now is the same product after World War II. After World War II, Germany and Berlin by the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain and France divided Germany into four zones. In 1949, the Soviet Union occupied East Germany, the capital set in East Berlin. West Germany and the US and British law were established in the occupied territories. Initially people in Berlin were able to move around freely between the districts, but with the Cold War, tensions started building up. In order to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Germany. The border began to close up. From 1949 to 1961, about 2.5 million East Germans who risked being shot by Eas t Germany fled to West Berlin. Berlin Wall started just barbed wires in August 13, 1961. It was later replaced by a large number of real fences more than 155 kilometers long, about 3 to 4 meters high (Behind The Wall). After the construction was completed, a total of more than 5000 people successfully fled to West Berlin, 3000 people were arrested, and over 400 people were killed and injured (Leslie). 25 years ago, the new East German government began to plan to relax travel restrictions for East German people, but due to a misunderstanding of the then East German Politburo on superior orders, mistakenly announced Berlin Wall is about to open, resulting in tens of thousands of people took to the streets, the demolition of the wall, the whole of Germany into a state of extreme excitement. One of the Time reporter Ken Olsen recalled the day when he was in Germany says â€Å"They were screaming, Tor auf! Tor auf! Open the gate!† (Rothman) Although it was not the structure of walls collapsed, it had been removed by people. People climbed the Berlin Wall, removed graffiti, and took pieces of building materials as souvenirs. 11 months later, the two Germanies finally reunited. Tank Man, 1989 (See figure 5) Just several months before the Fall of Berlin Wall, in Tiananmen Square Beijing, China, a Tank man stood in front of type 59 tanks and attempted to block their way. He was pulled away by another man lright after. This thrilling scene happened to be caught by Jeff Widener (The Associated Press) in June 5, 1989 who was inside the Plaza Hotel next to the Tiananmen Square. He hid the negatives in the toilet water tank to avoid police forces’ search or the truth will not have spread around the world (Iyer). What triggered this event can be traced back to the Deng Xiaoping era. He was in power after 1979 and the implement reform and opened up policy on topic such as to industrialized, agriculture, national defense, science and technology, four modernizations. After a decade of reform, social and economic problems, such as a widening wealth gap and serious inflation; workers were dissatisfied because their salaries did not keep up with the pace of inflation, causing large flow of the rural population to the cities to make a living, leading to more homeless beggars and other social issues; official corruption, and other deep complaints. By the end of 1986, students at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei held anti-corruption protests. Then, Shanghai, Beijing and other cities have also lead to student protests, they asked the government to carry out democratic reforms. CPC (Communist Party of China) General Secretary Hu Yaobang was tough because of the absence of clearance, and he had been criticized and resigned from office in the following year the General Secretary (Lui). The spring of 1989, the international communist forces collapsed. Democratic movements began in Eastern Europe. Inspired by the movement, in late April 1989, students and Beijing residents’ protests gathered in Tiananmen Square. Since then, the whole country has undergone a similar student protest movement. On June 3 in the evening, the CPC decided to send troops to suppress, to disperse the crowd in and around Tiananmen Square, the army opened fire to the masses, and even tanks shot protesters. By 4 in the morning, the army controlled Square, people were forced to evacuate. The next day, after the first night of the crackdown, Tiananmen Square was cleared. All of the students who were in the movement for several months disappeared without a trace. Everything had been wiped out. The tanks in Tiananmen traveled quickly around, declaring military force. The photo of the â€Å"Tank Man† became a symbol of Tiananmen. It showed the courage of ordinary people fighting on beha lf of freedom. Unsung heroes raised up public concern of their human rights. Before then, people constantly live under fear of the iron fist. To summarize, thanks to the efforts of photographers, the future generation can see the 1980s was not only overwhelmed by national conflicts, politics, and unfortunate accidents, but was also a decade of new beginning. See how photos show the stories of the time. It is not about the photo itself such as how it was constructed, or what kind of the camera photographers used, but it is about the messages that those photos are trying to deliver. Sharbat Gula the Afghan girl’s frightened eyes revealed how it was when international communism was still powerful. Beloved President Reagan survived an attempted assassination, and became a god like figure in the 80s. Later, the Chernobyl Accident happened, and if there were not any photos documented, we would never know how intense it was when an unclear powerful plant melted function. At the end of the 80s, Berlin Wall fell down, and people in China stood up for freedom and human rights. Those two photos quickly became a symbol of free spirits. Visual images are so powerful that they could not only grab people’s attention, but also shout out message that words failed to present. I appreciate those brave photographers who were there at the first scene so we can look into what was going on in the past. Are we learn our lessons from history. 1980s might seem like a problematic period, but people survived to make it a better tomorrow.       Figure 1. McCurry, Steve. Afghan Girl. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikipedia.com,  Dec. 1984. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. Figure 2. Reagan Assassination Attempt. Digital image. Wikipedia.  Wikipedia.com, 30 Mar. 1981. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. Figure 3. Soviet Authorities. Taken by  the Authorities in the immediate aftermath  of Chernobyl Disaster. Digital image. Wikipedia.  Wikipedia.com, Apr. 1986. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. Figure 4. AP. Fall of the Berlin Wall. Digital image.  The Telegraph. The Telegraph, Nov. 1989. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. Figure 5. Widener, Jeff. The Tank Man was trying to block the way of tanks  with his own body alone during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Digital image. Wikipedia. Wikipedia.com, June 1989. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. Work Cited Behind The Wall. New Yorker 90.34 (2014): 31-1. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Nov.  2014. Braun, David. How They Found National Geographic’s â€Å"Afghan Girl. National Geographic.  07 Mar 2003. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. Brands, H. W. Reagan Reborn.American History48.3 (2013): 46-51.Academic Search  Complete. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. Chernobyl Accident 1986. Chernobyl. World Nuclear Association, 24 Nov. 2014. Web. 28  Nov. 2014. Denker, Debra. A Life Revealed: Along Afghanistans War-torn Frontier. National  Geographic. 167 (Jun 1985). 2002. Web. 30 Oct. 2014. Dibb, Paul. The Soviet Experience In Afghanistan: Lessons To Be Learned?. Australian  Journal Of International Affairs 64.5 (2010): 495-509. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. Iyer, Pico. The Unknown Rebel. (Cover Story). Time 151.14 (1998): 192. Academic Search  Complete. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. Leslie, John. The Fall Of The Berlin Wall Twenty Years Later. New Zealand International  Review 34.5 (2009): 21-24. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. Lui, Andrew. Looking Back At Tiananmen Square. Peace Review 12.1 (2000): 139-145.  Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. Raines, Howell. Reagan Wounded In Chest By Gunman; Outlook Good After 2-Hour Surgery;  Aide And 2 Guards Shot; Suspect Held. The New York Time Mar. 1981, Late City ed.: 1. Print. Rothman, Lily. Witness To History: Reporters Recall The Berlin Wall’S Fall. Time.Com  (2014): N.PAG. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. United States. Office of the Historian. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S.Response, 1978–1980. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. Response, 1978–1980. Office of the Historian, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. United States. U.S.NRC. Backgrounder on Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident.  U.S.NRC. United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2014.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The History of Computers :: Computers Technology Technological Essays

The History of Computers From primitive abaci to lab tops and calculators, the computer has evolved through time to become the essential part of our technocratic society. The development of the computer has shaped the way technology and science is viewed in different cultures around the world. The connotation of what a computer is nowadays brings to mind a monitor, keyboard, processor and its other electronic components; however, that is not how things have always been. From the Chinese using abaci to count, to the Druids' usage of stones to follow the seasonal changes, to the Europeans using Pascalines and calculators to work out mathematical problems the concept of the computer has been around for hundreds of years (Hoyle). Therefore, the history of computers is important to observe not only for the influence it brought to our culture, but the progress it has made through time. The history of modern computers has been influenced by the earlier advancement of primordial technology. The abacus developed in circa 500 B.C for example, used pebbles, rocks, beads, or shells to keep track of the counters numbers. Furthermore, "the abacus was man's first attempt at automating the counting process" (Hoyle). In addition, the Pascaline, invented and built by a French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal, was the first mathematical adding machine (Long 54). The Pascaline was a gear-driven machine that allowed the user to calculate answers without doing arithmetic (Hoyle). In addition to the abacus and the Pascaline, Babbage's Folly, also known as the difference machine, "hastened the development of computers. [and] advanced the state of computational hardware" (Long 55). This engine, designed by the Cambridge professor Charles Babbage, could do any of the basic functions of mathematics: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and division in series at a "rate of 60 additions per minute" (55) could all be accomplished with minimal effort. All of these ideas and concepts helped pave the way for innovators to design what we now view as the modern-day computer. It took certain people to utilize these primitive forms of computing data to create real technologically advanced machines. Such a person, for example, was the professor Dr.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Battle of the Marne

ww2 The Battle of the Marne By Owen Fish In September 1914, the First Battle of the Marne took place. It is called the Battle of the Marne because it took place at the River Marne outside of Paris France. The German forces were attacking the French capital after invading places like Belgium and North Eastern France. The Germans were expected to win this battle and because of that, the French government fled Paris to Bordeaux.The Weapons used during this battle and many battles of this time was bolt action rifles, with the Germans using the Mauser Gewehr 98. When the Battle began the French Commander in Chief, Joseph Joffre, launched a counter attack by attacking one side of the German line. When he attacked the one side, part of the line helped out the people on the side, creating a gap between the two German armies. When this gap formed, the French troops forced it wider and wider by attacking the other side of the gap.On September 8 1914, French troops launched a surprise attack on the second German army, further widening the gap between the two armies. On September the 9th, the German chief of staff, Helmuth Von Moltke, ordered a retreat by the two German armies because of poor communication between them. When they retreated the Allied forces followed them, but not too quickly. After approximately 40 miles of retreating from the Marne river, the Germans camped out and dug trenches, that eventually led to trench warfare.The French armies lost about 250,000 soldiers at the Battle of the Marne and the German armies are believed to have lost about the same numbers, but no official numbers are available. The British BEF, which helped the French armies throughout the battle lost about 12,733 men. The Allied Victory at the Battle of the Marne not only was an Allied Victory, but it ended any German hopes of ending the First World War quickly. French Soldiers at the Battle

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Centripetal Force

A the centripetal force which is equal to the Tension on the Holon string, which is pulling against the spring force which is our centripetal force when our radius is constant. The normal force is always pulling up, and the force of gravity always pulling down, they are cancel each other out in this situation.So even though we are adding more mass it does not have any effect on the centripetal force. Equation relating the net force (FCC) to the speed (v) of an object moving in uniform circular motion. F c = This equation shows that the net force required for an object to move in a circle is directly proportional to the square of the speed of the object. For a constant mass ND radius, the FCC is proportional to the speeds. VA 2 The factor by which the net force is altered is the square of the factor by which the speed is altered.Subsequently, if the speed of the object is doubled, the net force required for that object's circular motion is quadrupled. And if the speed of the object is halved (decreased by a factor of 2), the net force required is decreased by a factor of 4. We find the result of our experiment dose agrees with above. In our experiment we keep radius constant so our force stays the same, and as we increased mass on each trail we see our velocity keeps decreasing gradually. Centripetal Force A the centripetal force which is equal to the Tension on the Holon string, which is pulling against the spring force which is our centripetal force when our radius is constant. The normal force is always pulling up, and the force of gravity always pulling down, they are cancel each other out in this situation.So even though we are adding more mass it does not have any effect on the centripetal force. Equation relating the net force (FCC) to the speed (v) of an object moving in uniform circular motion. F c = This equation shows that the net force required for an object to move in a circle is directly proportional to the square of the speed of the object. For a constant mass ND radius, the FCC is proportional to the speeds. VA 2 The factor by which the net force is altered is the square of the factor by which the speed is altered.Subsequently, if the speed of the object is doubled, the net force required for that object's circular motion is quadrupled. And if the speed of the object is halved (decreased by a factor of 2), the net force required is decreased by a factor of 4. We find the result of our experiment dose agrees with above. In our experiment we keep radius constant so our force stays the same, and as we increased mass on each trail we see our velocity keeps decreasing gradually.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to Grow Epsom Salt Crystals

How to Grow Epsom Salt Crystals You can find Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) in the laundry and pharmacy sections of most stores. Epsom salt crystals are safe to handle, easy to grow and form quickly. You can grow clear crystals or add food coloring if you prefer. Heres what you need to know to make your own crystals. Difficulty: Easy Epsom Salt Crystal Materials 1/4 cup Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate)1/2 cup watershallow bowl or dishsponge (optional)food coloring (optional) Heres How Boil the water in a microwave or on the stove.Remove the water from heat and add the Epsom salts. Stir the mixture until the salt is fully dissolved. If desired, add food coloring.If you have floating sediment (common if using impure Epsom salt), you can pour the liquid through a coffee filter to remove it. Use the liquid to grow the crystals and discard the coffee filter.Pour the mixture over a piece of sponge (optional) or into a shallow container. You need just enough liquid to cover the bottom of the container.For larger crystals, place the container in a warm or sunny location. Crystals will form as the water evaporates. For fast crystals (which will be smaller and delicate-looking), cool the liquid quickly by placing the container in the refrigerator. Cooling the crystals produces thin needles within half an hour. Tips The sponge provides an extra surface area to allow the crystals to form more quickly and helps make them a bit easier to view and handle.Compare the appearance of the Epsom salts before stirring them into the water with the appearance of the crystals that are produced.