The United States Department of Defense Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The United States Department of Defense - Essay Example The United States Department of Defense An overview of the United States invasion in Iraq by the Bush administration can help one to gain an insight of why the contemporary US military needs to embrace the draft. While the US had earlier occupied numerous foreign lands—Germany, Japan, and on a lower scale in Kosovo among others—and helped to build relatively stable democratic governments in those countries, it failed to demonstrate this in the Iraq case. The military approach employed by the Bush administration saw the first democratically elected government of Iraq inherit a country widespread with assassinations, and kidnapping among other social ills. This is attributable to a miscalculation that saw the Bush admiration invade Iraq with a few troops. Further, the military of the day was sharply objected to the idea of sending more troops in Iraq when the country crumbled into a violent turmoil after the fall of Saddam. A school of thought in the military circles conceived all these ills that a transformed US military can be effective in a war with a minimal number of ground troops. True, the modern American military can manage to win a stunning battlefield. Nevertheless, such an instantiations force is not sufficient to secure peace—a critical aspect of the outcome of a war. Clearly, the modern all-volunteer American military could not have sustained the demand of the number of forces required in Iraq and continue deterring the American nation from threats elsewhere in the world. Adding the number of standing soldiers in the army may not have been a solution either. It is in view of this that the military draft should be adopted (MillitarySpot, Para 3). The underlying argument is that United States does not require a bigger standing army but rather a deep bench of well-trained soldiers who can be mobilized from their reserves to address the unpredictable but inescapable wars and other necessary humanitarian interventions of the future. The adoption of the military draft could go a long way in ensuring that the limitations of a surge in capacity of the al l-volunteer force do not hold the American society at a standstill when such a need arises. Indeed, history is clear that the American society has turned to the draft from time to time to offer an effective solution to the persistent issue of humanity crisis. While ideally it should not come in the shape of World War II mass combat mobilization or the Vietnam’s discriminatory conscription—because war advances as the nature of threats change—there is no doubt that a modern model of a draft is much-needed (Hod 9). Another argument in support of the military draft is evident from a look at the US military involvement in the past two decades. In these two decades, US has found it critical, in view of national security issues, to deploy over half a million military personnel oversees. Each at a time,

Expressionism in Art Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Expressionism in Art - Assignment Example The paper "Expressionism in Art" gives a detailed information about expressionism art. The primary objective of the expressionist style was to registerthe subjective responses that the artists harbored in context of events or objects. Expressionism never intended to project a realistic and true to life picture of the objects as they existed. It always had more to do with the delicate world of feelings and emotions then to attempt a literal interpretation of the real worldly forms and events. Expressionism relied for its strength and potency on the subtle sensitivity of an artist. Vivid colors, two dimensional subjects lacking a depth or perspectives and distortions turned out to be the hallmarks of the expressionist art. The goal of the expressionist art was to capture potent, extreme and distorted emotions that originated in an artist’s sensitive mind as it come in contact with the varied events and forms in the real world. The quintessential premise, on which expressionism w as based, was the belief that an artist’s response to the real world objects and events happened to be so intense that it left an indelible mark on the form of art. In expressionist art, the artist enjoyed a sense of freedom to exaggerate or distort the surface elements in consonance with the subjective pressures being experienced by the artist. Expressionism not only allowed an artist to express oneself, but also aspired to generate an emotional response in the viewers. Expressionist art happened to be a reflection of its times.

Computer Sciences and Information Technology. User Experience Essay

Computer Sciences and Information Technology. User Experience - Essay Example In this regards, the paper contains description and purpose of website development, the intended audience of the website along with weaknesses and strengths of the website in respect of their usage by diverse users. Some users may not agree that this website is easy to use and users have difficult experiences with its interface, this study looks at every element of interaction and usability factors (Cornell University Library, 2012). In order to get information regarding their experiences of using the website, the users are given a website usability form to be filled so that the website of the Phone4u can be evaluated. The paper presents the recommendations to the company for improving several aspects of the website to reach the targeted audience, trust development on the visitors and customers, moreover, guidance to increase the web traffic (Dumas, 2008, p37). The usability test is one of the essential steps in the evaluation of the user’s likeness and dislike-ness while usin g the Phone4u’s website. This will require acquisition of user opinions and to present analysis of the information to guide the decision on the areas of improvement. Since most of the features are observable qualitative attributes, this study will have to convert them into quantitative variables for ease of data analysis. 1.2. Background In the evaluation of the website, the focus is how to improve the usability by adding features that are more relevant and functional keeping in view the targeted audience of the website. This can be done by evaluating the website and improving the weaknesses indicating by the analysis. The amendments to the website of the Phone4u should be made as per the recommendations of the users (Valacich, Joey & Hoffer, 2009, p67). At the same time, it is important to consider the fact that some users do not welcome changes so easily and may prefer to remain in the previous version of the website rather than the new one with improved features (Kendall & Kendall 2011, p58). The evaluation will lead to the decision making for the new version of the website based on the information from user response. The statistics will be gathered as comments from various participants. The participants’ views reflect the present trend and the actual real world events that are of interest to this website. The study uses the structure of information flow as shown in the figure below, with the system the user and the feedback mechanism. Figure 1: Information Flow between System, Users and Feedback mechanism 1.3. Study Problem/Question This study seeks to answer one (1) major question having various sub parts. The first question is â€Å"Whether the website of the Phones4u is easy to use for the targeted audience of the website?† In order to have the answer of the first question of this study, the users have to answer the various questions as described by the Jokab Neilsen. The sub questions (parts) include: â€Å"the visibility of the s ystem, Match between system and the real world, User control and freedom, Consistency and standards, Error prevention, Recognition rather than recall, Flexibility and efficiency of use, Aesthetic and minimalist design, Help users recognize, Help and documentation, diagnose and recover from errors. Basically, these are the guidelines provided by the Jakob Neilson for evaluating the usability of the website† (Selvaraj, 2011). All these questions will be answered by the selected participants. 2. Aims The aim of this study is to explore the usability issues in the

Contemporary Issues in Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary Issues in Finance - Essay Example This paper is a brief article about the financial crisis which was being identified by the end of 2007 till the beginning of 2008. It was due to the ill-effects of the crisis that regulatory reforms were taken by US, UK and EU regions. This paper will thereby focus on the regulatory reforms adopted by these nations in the milieu of the 2008 financial crisis. Regulatory Framework of US Financial crisis is often termed as an unknown disturbance which leads to erosion of the total financial market of a country or a nation. By the end of 2007, with the identification of the financial crisis, US and other globalised economies become highly concerned about their survival as a global power. Most businesses ruined and were forecasted to lose approximately $ 2.7 trillion in this crisis (Rude, 2008). As a result, unemployment was at its highest stage. With this concern, the US government concentrated on keeping the banks and most significant businesses alive to overcome the unwanted danger. Th e crisis acted promptly drafting many important pieces of legislation or necessary changes and charting the post-crisis financial regulatory framework. But it was not an easy task; it comprised of numerous hurdles within it. The fundamental role in reforming the financial policies in the US was played by Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) and Financial Stability Board (FSB). They developed a DFA (Dodd-Frank Act), which is a framework of reforms to prevent the consequences arising due to such turmoil (Rude, 2008). The vital elements in reformation of US economy relates to the steps taken to develop a financially stable future as well as resizing of the international financial system, so that the need of the economy can be better served (Rude, 2008). It is worth mentioning that the decline of capital regulation in US was not only due to the ad hoc financial events but was also due to a direct consequence of ineffective design and substance of regulatory capital initiates. T he detailed structure could not prevent the large financial institutions from failing. Apart from this, the unskilled leverage ratio turned out to be the most important constraint which ultimately proved beneficial (Rude, 2008). Requirement of capital was the most prevailing area of concern against bank failures after the crisis. Furthermore, the resolution procedures, another regulatory reform which was considered as a better process other than bankruptcy to deal with the problems of insolvency of financial institutions. This states that the framework of banks needed to be extended to other financial institutions in order to safeguard the large institutions in the financial services market. After the crisis, there was bail-out of many institutions due their inability to bear the failure of cross-border banks (Rude, 2008). This led to other regulatory reforms in the aftermath of the crisis, which resulted in dramatically increase of capital and liquidity buffers of the bank. The ref orms enforced after the crisis mainly focuses on two perspectives, i.e. market-restricting approach and market-harnessing approach. The market-restricting approach mainly concentrates on deflating the commercial institutions along with the intention to limit the size of these institutions and reduce the investments in the market. On the other

Deaf culture. This paper contains answers for three questions about Assignment

Deaf culture. This paper contains answers for three questions about Deaf Again Book - Assignment Example Moreover, he does not need to speak openly or wear a hearing aid because they could easily communicate, because they were also Deaf. They understand that sign language is an optimum way to communicate with him; therefore, he does not struggle when he communicates with them. As for his hearing grandparents, the experience is opposite as he has to read their lips, speak plainly, wear a hearing aid, and act as a hearing individual; a process that is quite challenging for him. The second difference was their perspective toward deafness. His Deaf grandparents view deafness as a cultural difference between them and hearing individuals. They were very proud of being Deaf. They do not consider themselves as a disabled or consider deafness as something that needs fixing. On the other hand, his hearing grandparents were viewing deafness as a disability and something that needs to be fixed. Therefore, they reject the use of sign language and encourage him to use speech in his communication. In addition, they often felt sorry for him; as they try to improve his speaking skills. The last difference was the Dinner Table Syndrome. Anytime her visits his Deaf grandparents, he does not feel the isolated and enjoys sharing stories, joking, and all kinds of conversation with them via sign language. In contrast, when he visits his hearing grandparents, he feels left out at the dinner table, because he cannot participate freely as the talk, share their stories, and joke through spoken language. The author indicates that there is a critical period for language acquisition for Deaf children; which is usually during the first five years of age. He pointed out that the Deaf parents must focus on sign language accessibility during this period of the Deaf child’s life by allowing their child to interact with his/her Deaf peers and involve in Deaf community activities. He explained that early exposure to sign language during

Contemporary Issues in Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary Issues in Finance - Essay Example This paper is a brief article about the financial crisis which was being identified by the end of 2007 till the beginning of 2008. It was due to the ill-effects of the crisis that regulatory reforms were taken by US, UK and EU regions. This paper will thereby focus on the regulatory reforms adopted by these nations in the milieu of the 2008 financial crisis. Regulatory Framework of US Financial crisis is often termed as an unknown disturbance which leads to erosion of the total financial market of a country or a nation. By the end of 2007, with the identification of the financial crisis, US and other globalised economies become highly concerned about their survival as a global power. Most businesses ruined and were forecasted to lose approximately $ 2.7 trillion in this crisis (Rude, 2008). As a result, unemployment was at its highest stage. With this concern, the US government concentrated on keeping the banks and most significant businesses alive to overcome the unwanted danger. Th e crisis acted promptly drafting many important pieces of legislation or necessary changes and charting the post-crisis financial regulatory framework. But it was not an easy task; it comprised of numerous hurdles within it. The fundamental role in reforming the financial policies in the US was played by Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) and Financial Stability Board (FSB). They developed a DFA (Dodd-Frank Act), which is a framework of reforms to prevent the consequences arising due to such turmoil (Rude, 2008). The vital elements in reformation of US economy relates to the steps taken to develop a financially stable future as well as resizing of the international financial system, so that the need of the economy can be better served (Rude, 2008). It is worth mentioning that the decline of capital regulation in US was not only due to the ad hoc financial events but was also due to a direct consequence of ineffective design and substance of regulatory capital initiates. T he detailed structure could not prevent the large financial institutions from failing. Apart from this, the unskilled leverage ratio turned out to be the most important constraint which ultimately proved beneficial (Rude, 2008). Requirement of capital was the most prevailing area of concern against bank failures after the crisis. Furthermore, the resolution procedures, another regulatory reform which was considered as a better process other than bankruptcy to deal with the problems of insolvency of financial institutions. This states that the framework of banks needed to be extended to other financial institutions in order to safeguard the large institutions in the financial services market. After the crisis, there was bail-out of many institutions due their inability to bear the failure of cross-border banks (Rude, 2008). This led to other regulatory reforms in the aftermath of the crisis, which resulted in dramatically increase of capital and liquidity buffers of the bank. The ref orms enforced after the crisis mainly focuses on two perspectives, i.e. market-restricting approach and market-harnessing approach. The market-restricting approach mainly concentrates on deflating the commercial institutions along with the intention to limit the size of these institutions and reduce the investments in the market. On the other

Transformation Of American Psyche Through Bush Essay Example for Free

Transformation Of American Psyche Through Bush Essay Very few leaders today cause as many strong feelings as President Bush.   It seems that in his years leading the United States, people either view his leadership with reverence or repulsion, but very few view him with indifference.   In a December 2006 Associated Poll, Americans showed how divisive the president’s leadership is by not only voting him the hero of the year, but also its top villain. Political division is seen as a major cause of the contradiction, as Bush was the choice of 43 percent of Democrats for villain, and 27 percent of Republicans for hero, but 25 percent of all people chose Bush, the leader of the free world, as the top villain over both Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein (â€Å"‘Hero and Villain’: President Bush Sweeps AP Poll†).    The divisiveness he causes in the country, as well as the unilateral action he takes in foreign policy, which has squandered all of the international sympathy towards the United States after 9-11, are some of his biggest shortcomings, though only a few of many.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cited by supporters and critics alike is the president’s refusal to bend on certain issues, including his religious beliefs that have continuously blurred the line between church and state.   According to former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, â€Å"He sticks with his beliefs, no matter how intense the criticism and invective that are directed against him every day† (Koch).   While Christian conservatives support him, his personal beliefs have seriously held up scientific discoveries in the way of stem cell research by refusing to support federal funding; he has denied social advancements to gays wishing for equal rights to marry; he has spearheaded a renewed campaign to take away women’s right to choose; he has also been instrumental in creating a new paranoia over immigration, despite being the president of a country made of immigrants; and, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow, as the country finds itself poised on the brink of recession.   But, his greatest shortcomings are concerning the war on terror, which needlessly expanded, and his flippant abuse of federal power concerning the privacy of U.S. citizens.   For a president that uses the word â€Å"freedom† so frequently, he has done more than most presidents to take it away from his fellow countrymen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bush’s accomplishments are more difficult to ascertain.   The country has not had a significant terrorist attack on U.S. soil, which could be attributed to U.S. soldiers in the Middle East becoming the new terrorist targets.   The prescription drug benefit has also benefited some senior citizens, but health care reform still needs to take place.    While it would be nice to be able to list the accomplishments of President Bush, his presidency has largely been marked by war, with one necessary and one misleading. He has divided the country and relied only on his religious faith to curry favor with his base, and his performance in office is best reflected by his record low approval ratings, his fellow party members abandoning him, and the country’s fervent desire to elect a new leader that will be the complete opposite of him and usher in a new era of unity, honesty, and true freedom. The American public has loudly started to voice its opposition to the protracted war in Iraq, as recent polls and presidential approval ratings show that the public is increasingly upset with the direction the war has taken, even though support for the troops continues to remain high.   As it stands, opposition to the war also continues to grow and the polarization that marked the early days of the war is diminishing, as citizens, politicians, members of the armed forces, and even those in the Bush administration are realizing the errant decisions that led to and sustained the war have cost far too muchin billions of taxpayers’ dollars, international economic and political status, and most importantly the lives of tens thousands of Americans and many more Iraqis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Few issues have polarized the political community and general population in the United States as the sustained war in Iraq.   While most of the country agreed that invading Afghanistan was necessary to combat terrorism, the decision to invade Iraq was met with mixed feelings at best.   At the time, the Bush administration used everything in its power to convince the American public and the world of the righteousness in attacking Iraq. The many reasons, with varying degrees of honesty and accuracy, ranged from the threat of weapons of mass destruction to Iraq’s participation in terrorism to the plain fact that Saddam Hussein was a bad man.   Unfortunately, many Americans who would normally be in the middle of the road on such issues were blinded by the administration’s continued propaganda about having to support a president during wartime, regardless of the terrible decisions or unexplained actions he takes, and many also believed that Iraq was involved in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.    A Washington Post poll of 1,003 adults taken in August of 2003 found that nearly 70% of Americans polled believed that Saddam Hussein was personally involved in Al Qeada’s attacks on the United States; a Time/CNN poll conducted around the same time found Americans more closely split on whether the military action in Iraq was worth the price in America lives, taxpayer dollars and other costs — 49% said yes, 43% no and 8% were unsure (â€Å"Poll: 70% Believe Saddam, 9-11 Link†).   With its aims justified in the eyes of the misinformed American public, in March of 2003 the Bush administration got its wish to expand the war in the Middle East to include Iraq. This initial invasion was a showcase for the massive military industrial complex that provided scores of new technological advances in recent years designed to maximize death.   Memorable images from the invasion include the â€Å"shock and awe† campaign of large bombs and missiles tearing up Baghdad, the famous toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue by Iraqi civilians, and President George Bush landing in a fighter jet upon an aircraft carrier, only to give a speech in front of a large banner that read â€Å"Mission Accomplished!† The tragically comedic irony of that banner can only be understood in hindsight, and only by those fortunate enough not to have been in Iraq.   Over four years later, the mission has not been accomplished, unless the mission was to create the highest possible revenues for international oil companies at the expense of young American lives. Additionally, the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq eroded much of the international good will created by the September 11 attacks.   Many countries that supported the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan see the invasion of Iraq as unnecessary and nothing more than the act of a bully, the world’s lone superpower.   However, most Americans chose to dismiss the loud opinions of the international community as being shortsighted and not relatable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The economic impact of the war in Iraq is felt by all Americans each time they pump gas.   In the four years since the U.S. invaded Iraq, Iraqi oilfields and associated infrastructure have sustained 400 attacks, and oil production in the country has fallen from 1.95 barrels per day during the first quarter of 2007, short of the U.S. goal of 2.5 million barrels per day and the previous mark of 3.7 million under Saddam Hussein (Miller). It is also highly reported in the media and amongst citizens that companies like Haliburton, associated with Vice President Dick Cheney, have benefited immensely from the reconstruction contracts in Iraq, leading many to believe that the war is solely for oil.   The fact that oil companies are now making record profits seem to reinforce these ideas. But, another consequence of U.S. action in Iraq is that the dollar is losing its international value.   The dollar has weakened against the euro, gold, copper, and other assets, and when Bush came in to office, a dollar equated to .987 euros while now it is at .75 (Miller).   While oil gets more expensive, the dollar weakens, in large part due America’s overwhelming dependence on it and the massive expenditures of oil, resources, and money on the war in Iraq.   The business side of the war in Iraq seems to have little benefit for common Americans, who are really the ones paying the most for it in terms of dollars. Works Cited: â€Å"‘Hero and Villain’: President Bush Sweeps AP Poll.† Editor Publisher. 28 Dec 2006. 9 Jul http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id= 1003525882. Koch, Ed. George Bush is my hero. The Jerusalem Post. 31 Dec 2006. 9 Jul 2008. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFullcid=1167467631671. Miller, Ken. â€Å"Wall Street, Iraq and the Declining Dollar.† The Nation. 12 Jun 2007. 9 Jul http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070625/miller. â€Å"Poll: 70% Believe Saddam, 9-11 Link.† USA Today. 6 Sep 2003. 9 Jul 2008. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-09-06-poll-iraq_x.htm.