The Operation Desert Storm and its Impacts on the Middle East Essay

The Operation Desert Storm and its Impacts on the Middle East - Essay Example The entire term of the war along with the operative measures inclusive of all the technology applied in the process together was titled ‘Operation Desert Storm’ and the central figure placed as the dearest target was the leader of the mightier side. Studies have all been on for finding the real picture of the war and its motives. However, the best known result of the toughest war was seemingly a discovery of diplomatic interventions to spearhead the shuffling of the history and socio-economic definitions of the ‘oil-rich regions in the middle-east’ (Bacevich 2009, p. 106). This essay is presented with an aim to focus on the realities of the most dreadful war of the recent past and critically evaluate the political and socio-economic changes the war has thereupon imposed on the Middle East region. The storm of the rich deserts in the middle-eastern Asia started all when the Iraqi quest for expansive imperialism set surveillance over the well-filled Kuwait for its wealth and the capture of its sovereignty (Hunsberger & Finn 1997, p. 62). The seemingly tiny nation was all meant a rich resource for crude oil and natural gases, and as a result, it was not surprising that it turned out to be Iraq’s soft target by the end of 1980s (Carlson 1992). However, as references say, a war can break out between countries when one of them eyes on the other for economic, political or security concerns which generally aims at claiming the supremacy over the target nation (Karsh 1990). As such, the war of the desert was a demolitionist approach of a mightier country over a seemingly unarmed country for indirectly seizing the economic liberty of its own supporters that eventually led to the violent demonstration of power and the political unity of countries that feared equal threats as the US from Iraq (US History, n.d.). The details of the war though cannot be described in a few lines, the outbreak and the expanse of this strike was the revelation o f unforeseen weapons and war tactics from all the parties involved in it. What all the history could mark eventually was the immediate ‘war-booting’ arrangements of political combinations and instantaneously changing diplomatic facets of the neighbors alongside the development of the war (Burr & Richelson 2001). In the best form of historic evaluation, it can be stated that it was a war that was centered on one man and the trials of the allies that tried to capture his kingdom - Iraq and its president Saddam Hussein. When one tries to see the Gulf War as a reflection of rivalry between two princely provinces, there ends the research for reasons or outcomes as the matter can be obviously related to egos (El-Najjar 2001). But the end of the Iraq-Kuwait war was literally the beginning of a political flu that ran its impacts through the nerves of all the parties that involved in the war. The oil-rich regions of the Middle East has always been the target of global business m onitors for their abundance in resources that substantiate the growth with the demand for their products is a sure hot cake in the trade (Tetreault, n.d.). All the studies on the importance of the wealth of this region in the world politics and economy have one thing in common to refer – wars are for gains, not for losses to allies. In addition to oil, even the miniscule sample of regional and religious issues of this region was capable of attracting the economic giants of the West (Gitlin 2009, pp.17-18). The wars in general is seen by some authors as the failure of administrative system that aimed at things beyond the public welfare of the subjects where the caretakers became aimless opportunists who ran in pursuit of their regal charms by calling for the assumed security of foreign might that resultantly led to endless political instabilities

Vocal Folds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vocal Folds - Essay Example With their corresponding properties, Hirano classifies the layers of the vocal folds into five minute layers (as cited in Altman, n.d.). The outer protective layer is the squamos epithelium, which is responsible for sustaining the form of the vocal fold and its hydration. The next layer is the superficial lamina propia (SLP) which is composed of loose fibrous and elastic components that possess mechanical properties due to its cushion-like assets. The intermediate lamina propia (ILP) on the other hand, is generally composed of elastic fibers, which therefore adds to the elasticity of the vocal folds. Then there is the deep lamina propia (DLP), the vocal fold layer that consists of collagenous fibers that is responsible for the durability of the vocal fold. The fifth layer is the vocalis muscle. It as a muscle and therefore has active (contractile) properties that helps in controlling the stiffness of the vocal folds when it is vibrating, contracting or at rest. These layers vary in t erms of stiffness and therefore were grouped further accordingly. The cover layer or mucosa is composed of epithelium and SLP, while the vocal ligament is composed of the ILP and DLP.

The stagnant MP Essay Example for Free

The stagnant MP Essay Hence, given the stagnant MP, plus the fact that the bailout is being financed by foreign borrowing and by printing, there is no question that the dollar will fall. Since 2000, the dollar has lost 40% of its value against the Euro. In the chart below, the dollar is compared with the Euro during the bailout from 28 December 2007 to 27 January 2008. The below graph does indicate some recovery of the dollar against te Euro, but there can be no doubt as to the long term weakness of the US currency. Apparently, there is some mild increase in confidence that the bailout might make the US economy more solvent, but the below information is too limited for a full understanding. From the beginning of the bailout until mid November of last year, the US debt increased almost $958 billion. Add to this the record breaking trade deficit of almost $1 trillion, and the dollar is in serous trouble. The increase in public debt due to the bailout out is destroying the dollar’s value. According to Asia News (2008), the US is now committed to over $8. 95 trillion dollars to the bailout. The total US economy was roughly $13 billion, with the full debt at about $10 trillion. About 61% of this debt was held by foreign investors, the majority Asian. Since trillions of dollars are held by Asian investors, and debt in the US (both private and public) reaches levels of complete insolvency, the Asians will insist on eliminating dollars as a method of doing business and hence, the dollar will not only loose value, but collapse, leading to a crisis of Argentinian proportions in 2009 (Asia News, 2008). This year, the same author at Asia News writes: â€Å"But Asia now understands that the increase of money supply decreases the intrinsic value of a currency. That is why China is seeking a possible and rational attempt to decouple Asian currencies from the dollar, as recent news stories report. (Asia News, 2009). Hence, the math is simple: too many dollars in circulation, too much printing by the Fed to create the bailout liquidity means the devaluation and eventual collapse of the dollar, and the US taxpayer is powerless over the private Fed as well as the foreign investors that are publically now saying they will eliminate dollar reserves. The reality is this: once there is a sense that a country is insolvent, and that it simply cannot pay its debts, compounded by a massive bailout that the country cannot possibly finance on its own, investors run to get rid of dollars. Even worse, capital fight can result, where money begins leaving the insolvent country, in this case the US, investing instead in Russia, China, Thailand or the EU. Hence, the bailout is merely the tail end of a long fall in th US dollar, a powerful symbol of the US government and corporate governance to control investment and spending.. Appendix: Chart of the dollar against the Euro: Source: Exchange Rates. org. References: Maurizio, D’Orlando. â€Å"US Debt Approaches Insolvency: Chinese Currency Reserves at Risk. ’ Asia News. December 19, 2009 _______. â€Å"Chinese Yuan Set to Replace Dollar. † Asia News. January 3, 2009 Perry, John. â€Å"Fed Keeps Banks Afloat in Money Market. † Reuters. September 25, 2008. Corbett, John. â€Å"Bailout by Stealth. † The Corbett Report. September 30, 2008. Beck, Frank. â€Å"Time to Devalue the Us Dollar. † Forbes. Devember, 2008 Engdahl, William. â€Å"Federal Reserve Sets Stage for Weimar Style Inflation. † Globalia Magazine. February 2, 2008 Rodgers, Lee. â€Å"Elite Can’t Bail Out Everyone. † Funny Money Report. September 17, 2008. Warring, David. â€Å"Arguments for and Against the Bailout. † Informed Trades. November, 2008. The Center for Responsive Politics. â€Å"Banking on Becoming President. † Open Secrets Reports: October 27, 2008.

Influence Of Hard Rock Music Media Essay

Influence Of Hard Rock Music Media Essay Hard rock music is a type of music that is characterized by heavy use of drums, bass and electric guitar. The music is observed to have its origin in the United States and United Kingdom in 1960s. Susan (2001), and Andrew (2007), indicate that the music has borrowed its style from the other music such as rock music, rock and roll and blues rock music. The music is characterized to be so loud and aggressive. It was sometimes called cock rock because historically, it has been played by the male species to emphasize masculinity. Its crowd is usually made of the adolescent whites who are of working class. In the late 1096s, hard rock was also referred to as heavy metal but the term did not last long as bands came up with distinctions between the two types of rock music. It was noted that heavy metal was played at higher volume, pitch and intensity than the hard rock music. In the early 1970s the heavy metal took the darker side and developed some minor genres such as hard core punk and extreme metal, and this characteristics differentiated the two types of music. In the mid 1960s, the American British Bands made the efforts to make some modifications in the rock and roll music. They introduced heavier guitar use, more loud and bombastic drumming and hard sounds on the standard music and this made it different from soft blues. Examples of the hard rock music that were developed include (I cant get no) satisfaction which was sang by the Rolling Stones in 1965, You really got me bad sang by the Kinks in the year 1964 and My who sang by Who in the year 1965. From the above discoveries, it was now possible to differentiate the music as either hard or soft music. Soft music involved more emphasis on the harmony of the song and its melody but hard music had more emphasis put on the instruments that accompanied the music and melody (Mick and Gianni, 2003). Some of the bands that emerged to sing this type of music includes; Blue Cheer, Iron Butterfly, Vanilla Fudge and MC5. As time passed on, more bands were developed and other even mixed the two types of music (mixed early rock bands music and hard blue rocks). Examples of such bands included the Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. In the year 1972, Alice Cooper received credit on producing top ten hard rock albums in the United States. In the year 1974 onwards to 1975, some bands from Canada came up with distinctively hard rock music and released albums (with songs such as fly by night, caress of steel and rush) that were played in Britain and United States. Glen et al (2006) noted that the music continued to be modified by more bands that emerged afterwards until there was a differentiation between heavy metal music and hard rock music. In the 1990s, the hard rock music became so dominant in the United States charts. In the year 2000s, Peter (2003), observed that very few bands from 1970s and 1990s had managed to survive recording hard music. Some of the existing bands that survived into the 2000 era and onwards include; Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, The Who and The Black Sabbath. The era has also seen the emergence of more rock genres such as post punk, metal genres and the garage rock music and bands like Wolfmother. Influence of hard rock music According to Smith and Boyson (2002), music has been seen to be one of a factor that has consequential effects to the one listening. Majorly, it is assumed that those who listen to rock music are harsh, aggressive and arrogant in real life. Masling (2002) indicates that most parents and society norms warn their adolescents against listening to rock music. However, this is not always the case as is to be seen. Although hard rock music is observed to initiate violence in individuals, Masling (2002), noted that most of the rock music melodies contained a message that could change someones lifestyle. He noted that most of rock music feature on love and peace as its main themes. Rock musicians have been known to talk about social issues that affect a nation or its citizens. Some of inspiring songs were heard during the Vietnam War and the songs were sang musicians such as Bob Dylan and John Lennon. Susan (2001) noted that most of the songs had protests message against violence and encoura ged people to kip the environment clean. Some of them have even undertaken the responsibility to perform charity services and at the same time preaching the message using their songs (Glen, 2006). Glen (2006), has also noted that some rock music have been developed and they posses strong Christian values. However, a few Christians are still against the music claiming that the beats and styles used are immoral, satanic and are too sensual to be listened in the church. Thus, according to them, any song that is in the Rock, Reggae or Hip-hop genre is satanic regardless of the lyrics in the music. It has been estimated that violence acts and aggression are can be found in almost 70% of rock music and raps (Barongan and Nagayama, 2005). There were also evidence that most people who listened to these types of music displayed violent behaviors to their spouses (women especially). According to Nicholas and Dibben (2001), a brief exposure to a violent music video or listening to the music for just 10 minutes would change the emotions of an individual. Most of the percentage have been said to change the person negatively. An archival research performed by Atkin et al (2002), indicated that listening and watching to rock music attributed to more violence, aggressiveness and use of explicit language. Emotionally, Nicholas and Dibben (2001), depicts that soft music invokes a positive thought in an individual while listening to a hard rock music invokes negative emotions. According to Atkin et al (2002), some rock singers confuse its singers by the lyrics they compose. He noted that some famous musicians contradicted themselves when they released a song that illustrated non-existence of God, meaning they are atheist in nature. This can be influential to their fans that may end up believing in what they sing about. An example is John Lennon who sang the song Imagin (the song described that the world would be a better place without religion). American Psychological Association (2002) observed that most rock musicians love being identified as unique and standing out. Most of them isolate themselves and even use drugs to make their life different from a normal individual. Most of the musicians depict a lifestyle that is characterized by drugs and sex. They were known to attract attention of young girls groupies who later developed to become prostitutes as a result. They were also characterized by a hard drinking habits and lack of order in what they do. Masling (2002) depicts that the bands were influential to the young youths who still were naÃÆ'Â ¯ve and they followed everything they saw and heard. Some bands used satanic imageries and this influenced the viewers too. As they appreciate their stars, they also appreciate the images they use in their music. To conclude, music is defined by the type of message and comfort one derives after listening to it. Todays society is not happy with the hard rock music and its effects. From above explanations, it is noted that hard rock music has more harm than good to our society. It is the responsibility of parents and the community to educate their children on the need to watch out on the type of music they listen to as it may have permanent effects in their lives.

Hardships in Birches by Robert Frost Essay -- Birches Robert Frost Lit

Hardships in Birches by Robert Frost In any life, one must endure hardship to enjoy the good times. According to Robert Frost, the author of "Birches", enduring life's hardships can be made easier by finding a sane balance between one's imagination and reality. The poem is divided into four parts: an introduction, a scientific analysis of the bending of birch trees, an imaginatively false analysis of the phenomenon involving a New England farm boy, and a reflective wish Frost makes, wanting to return to his childhood. All of these sections have strong underlying philosophical meanings. Personification, alliteration, and other sound devices support these meanings and themes. Frost supports the theme by using language to seem literal, yet if one visualizes the setting and relates it to life, the literal and figurative viewpoints can be nearly identical. Take this example: "Life is too much like a pathless wood". This simile describes how one can be brought down by the repetitive routine of day-to-day life, but only if one processes the barren, repetitive forest scene that Frost paints in that sentence. Sound devices also add to the effect of the poem. Frost gives the image of the morning after an ice storm, as the ice cracks on the birch trees: "They click upon themselves / As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored / As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel. / Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells / Scattering and avalanching on the snow crust--" The repeating /s/, /z/, and /k/, sounds in this passage are strong examples of alliteration, and sound devices are crucial in the image presented; calm, reflecting, and romanticizing, like a quiet walk in the woods. The /k/ sound is the sound... ...cs implies that the upper thrust of birch swinging gives a taste of heaven, as was stated earlier involving ice storms: " Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away / You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen." The speaker finds that swinging on a birch tree gives one a piece of heaven. The ups and downs of the birch trees offer various contrasting experiences that the speaker uses to keep himself sane. These rises and falls represent heaven and earth, the difference of truth and realism, rigidity and reckless enjoyment, adulthood and childhood, and flight and return. These ups and downs are what Frost strives for. He lives as a poet to constantly ride these birch trees, so he can find the compromise between these figurative pleasures and pains, and according to him, there is no better occupation: "One could do worse than be a swinger of birches."

The Game :: Creative Writing Essays

The Game They tried to hide the huge needle, of course. He laid with his face planted hard into the sheets. His father and a nurse held him down by his shoulders and legs. The needle was pushed in just above his hip. He took it better than most boys his age. He clenched as it made its way through his skin. It stopped when it met his hipbone. The doctor had to ratchet it now, hard, to penetrate the bone. He clenched harder. The doctor now rocked the needle around in every direction now, to break of the thread of marrow that was drawn. The boy's lips finally opened. His father would never forget the scream that came out. All he did was tighten his grip as the boy thrashed. It was this, or it was death. The doctor had all that was needed for now. A sample to analyze before making a final decision. Tomorrow, if all was good, the needle would have to go in four more times, it wouldn't hurt though, promise. "Don't worry, David, you'll get anesthesia next time. You'll be numb, you'll never feel a thing." He stepped out of the car and looked around. Before him he observed a stately building, manicured flowers, lush green grass. He noticed some men wearing spotless shoes, and neatly creased slacks standing on the grass observing a small white ball and trading remarks that made them smile. Everyone, everything, seemed so peaceful, so clean, so perfect at Timuquana Country Club. David Duval was just nine. He was so short that his bag of clubs almost dragged on the ground. He was slightly chunky, with freckled skin. His bottle-thick glasses sat on his nose. He carried six bags of golf balls to the driving range. If you watched how he carried himself, you wouldn't know that he had really just started playing, or that the bag of clubs was irritating a string of puncture scars on his hips. He poured the balls out and began sending them flying across the grass. The men finished and moved away. David left only to collect six more bags of balls, about 150 more balls, and returned, again and again. "David," Woodrow Burton, a club employee, begged, "you better leave some of them balls for the members." David, saying nothing, opened his palms for the balls. Soon those calluses would be hard, those hands wouldn't feel a thing.

Immanuel Kant and the Ethics of Leadership Essay

In chapter three of The Ethics of Leadership, Joanne B. Ciulla, introduces the moral philosophy of Prussian philosopher, Immanuel Kant, who developed a set of ethics to guide our decisions and help us judge whether certain actions are morally correct. Kant’s moral theory does not look at all into consequences and has a very strict view of morality which can sometimes conflict between duty and self-interest. Ciulla mentions the story of David and Bathsheba in the Bible and asserts, â€Å"Leaders are often tempted to lie because they believe they either won’t get caught, or they can cover up their lies. † (Ciulla, 94) This assertion rings ever so true in light of the recent scandals involving the increase in U. S. politicians that have confessed to adultery. As marriage and family are often regarded as a basis of society, a story of adultery often shows the conflict between social pressure and individual struggle for happiness. Adultery is a very American topic. We have been redefining the parameters of its acceptability and taboo with each new generation since the Scarlet Letter. Why is American society becoming so obsessed with these types of scandals and what does it say about the morality of our society? Perhaps society is not solely obsessed with the adultery itself; maybe society is more obsessed with its leaders â€Å"fall from grace†. Sexual affairs have been a part of U. S. politics since Thomas Jefferson. However, politicians’ affairs were generally kept outside the purview of the public eye. Over the years we have began to see a change. Society is somehow fascinated with the whole idea of adultery and the entertainment industry celebrates it and portrays it mostly in a very romantic light. I am guilty of watching shows such as â€Å"The Good Wife†, a show about the wife and family of a politician involved in a sexual scandal or â€Å"Desperate Housewives† that romanticize and make adultery seem like the right thing to do if you need a little excitement in your life. Perhaps by watching TV shows like this, one is being conditioned to do what makes him or her happy or do whatever feels good or â€Å"right†. Oftentimes, whatever feels â€Å"right† is described as whatever comes easily or naturally for an individual. Our society seems obsessed with finding â€Å"happiness† which the Kantian philosophy totally opposes. According to Kantian philosophy, every one of us is a moral agent. We give the moral law to ourselves by asking ourselves if we are doing the right thing only for sake of doing the right thing. One may never find happiness, feel comfortable making the â€Å"right†, or morally correct decision under the Kantian philosophy. The morally valued thing in the universe is the rational human being that can give the law to himself or herself and our moral actions should be treating human beings as morally valuable. According to Kant, we should never treat a human being in such a way that we fail to respect the intrinsic human dignity of the human being. In essence, we should never treat anyone as a means to an end or treat a person against his or her dignity. Now let us return to the issue of the politician and his or her effectiveness as a leader. Is the morality of the message dependent upon the morality of the messenger? Although the morality of the message is NOT dependent upon the morality of the messenger, I think that the message has a far greater impact coming from someone who practices or lives it on a daily basis. Perhaps Americans are so fascinated with politicians’ and their adulterous scandals given that they presented a false image of themselves. It would be refreshing to have a politician simply be honest and say, â€Å"I’m not currently living up to this ideal, but I do value it†. Granted that could cost a politician the election but that would be the right thing to do according to Kant.