Going home Essay

This is a first person narration of a soldier in Iraq who had been victim to an evening ambush by offensive troops. The narration begins with the soldier already in the infirmary, months after the ambush incident, nursing a fractured right foot. At about this time, word also came out that President Bush was going to withdraw five thousand plus men from Iraq so that they could be home for the holidays. The soldier hopes that he is part of the list of men who would be recalled. In the meantime, the soldier recounts the events that led to his current situation. The soldier reveals that many had died in the ambush and he was merely one of those who survived. The ambush took place while they were on their way to the North US Detachment. While recounting the story of how he had become a wounded US soldier, the narrator also offers insights into how war can be patriotic and how it can change the course of events for the world at large. The soldier also mentions in his reminiscing that they were not the true heroes of war, rather the true heroes were the families they left back home. The narrator dwells on this topic and comprehensively explains how the families back home should be the real heroes in a war and not the soldiers who are actually in the war. The soldier also offers insights into how gruesome a war can be and how wasteful it is when it comes to lives wasted; but despite his views on the war, the soldier remains steadfast in his beliefs and holds on to the thought of his family waiting back home. The narration ends with the soldier being called to the mess hall along with many others for the announcement of the list of recalled soldiers. Find out if he is one of those who will return home. (YOUR FULL NAME) (PROFESSOR’S NAME) (COURSE AND SUBJECT) (DATE OF SUBMISSION) GOING HOME – A SOLDIER’S STORY Christmas is fast approaching and I am hoping to have an early Christmas gift as President Bust announced last September that about 5,000 plus of us would be home for the Christmas holidays. This was part of the limited troop reduction that was to be implemented on US troops before the military surge in March next year. We are still waiting for the final list of soldiers who would be sent home and I am hoping that I would be in the list. I am useless here in the field anyway. I have been in the infirmary tent for the past three months because my right foot suffered segmented fractures after an ambush attack on our team while we were driving to the North detachment. We were fifteen in the truck. I was one of the lucky seven who came out of the attack alive. I was in the back of the truck and as usual, I felt like I had to watch my own back as well as I was watching the backs of the other soldiers who were with me in the truck. It was about eleven in the evening. We all had to travel in the cover of darkness to avoid being detected by hostile troops. From a distance, the sound of mortar seemed as natural as the crack of thunder on a balmy evening. A false, red sunrise could be seen from the horizon as flames from explosives incessantly lighted up the horizon. It was cold – in the desert, the temperatures are extreme. Daytime is extremely hot and the evening can be as cold as it is hot during the day. We were all in our camouflage uniforms, but these were only flimsy fabric – weak protection from possible bullets coming our way or even stray shrapnel from distant explosions. I feared for my life but also thought of the country, and the world, and what it would be like if the US did not launch an offensive against hostile troops here in Iraq. In my heart I could not understand why I had to go through such horror and put my life on the line for such a cause; but when I think of my young wife waiting for me back home, and my three month old daughter, I understand why I have to be here. The weapons of mass destruction that Iraq may be hiding from the world may be cause for the destruction not only of the US but also of the world as we know it and this alone told me that my being here was worth everything I had; but then again, I can never deny the fact that there could have been better days. About an hour into the trip, the truck grinded to a halt; a co-soldier who was seated beside the driver saw something through his night vision binoculars. A group of armed men were stationed about half a mile away and it seemed that they did not notice our approach because they were huddled together in a close circle seemingly having a drink. We did not find this cause for alarm because sporadically, throughout the road, were friendly troops from the other side who were securing travel routes for civilians. However, since we could not identify them from a distance, there was no choice but to be on guard and move forward until we were close enough to identify them. The driver had turned off the headlights and slowed down to a crawl to prepare for our approach. When we were just a few meters away, I heard one of the men stationed at the road cry out a piercing yell that to me sounded like a death sentence. At that very moment a volley of gunfire punctuated the distant explosions and we all lay flat on the floor of the truck. In what seemed like forever, the truck turned around and sped towards the other direction back to the camp. The gunfire continued and it was at this moment that I felt warm liquid seeping into the fabric of my uniform from the back. I turned around to see one of my co-soldiers slumped on my back with blood streaming from his neck. I quickly stood to check on the other men with me in the back of the truck. Four of them had been badly hit, two were unharmed, and seven of us suffered minor injuries. Mine was a gunshot wound that pierced my right ankle. Later, it turned out that the driver had been badly hit as well, so it was the other army officer with him in the front seat who was already driving the truck. We made camp about three hours after the incident. We had already been halfway through the six hour trip that was supposed to take us to the North detachment. We were all brought to the infirmary and the dead immediately interred into shiny black body bags that reflected the red glare that rose up from the distant horizon. The camp chaplain said a prayer over the dead and another officer bend down to take out their dog tags, they name patches, and some of their personal effects. I imagined how difficult this was for the officer. I imagined how it would have been had I been one of them. The following day two or three officers from the US Military back home would be at the porch of our house delivering the sad news to my wife and my daughter. I imagined how they would feel, and how much they would hate the state for sending me to war; but I was lucky to be alive, or not. Now, I had to deal with the gruesome images that I had witnessed. I had to spend my life thinking of what is and what could have been. I would probably be found gazing into the blackness for many solitary hours trying to find a decent and even logical reason for this manslaughter – but I was determined to go home in one piece, if not for my wife and daughter, at least for a country and a world that was waiting for a glimmer of hope that could come out of this bloodshed. Logically, bloodshed is bloodshed and nothing good could come out of war. It was always like choosing between two evils – the lives of hundreds of men and women in exchange for the peaceful future of my country and the world. The choice was always easy and I found it an honor to be fighting for this cause, albeit momentary periods of questioning and reasoning and questioning again. I felt that I was not a hero here; the real heroes are the families we have left behind; mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, daughters, and sons. They are the real heroes for having to deal with our absence and having to live their lives every day with the knowledge that we may not even return alive. They are the real heroes for having to lie to the innocent ones about fathers and mothers who were out there fighting for the country because this was the only way to ensure the future – of course, there are other ways, but when some other ways seem bleak and unfeasible, war is often the method of choice. These people are the real heroes not because they sacrificed anything but because they refuse to just fade into the sunset and let go of the prospects of peace and unity for the whole world. They are there back home not for any reason, but for a reason that all of us in this world would one day recall and be grateful about. We, in the field, we are here because of them and their unfailing belief and hope in our cause; we are here because of their love and the fact that before we sleep at night our minds swim in oceans of faces – the faces of our real heroes. The bugle had been sounded. Our superior had called us all to the mess hall to announce who would be going home for Christmas and who wouldn’t. With my crutch in tow and a foot heavy with plaster dragging behind, I go to the mess hall. The superior went through the list. The lights have been turned out after the list was read. I was walking back to the infirmary. I was going home.

Alignment of IT and Business

IT and business alignment is the best system for modern strategic management of organizations because it reduces the overall costs of operations, promotes effective communication in a company, and enhances faster response and evaluation of business progress.   Besides, it sets a platform for faster changes by an organization in future.However, IT and business alignment has proved to be one of the most difficult aspect for most organizations.   Over 75% of the companies and institutions have not fully aligned IT with their management systems.   However, over 80% of them have partially embraced IT especially in the top management levels (Aileen, 2008).IT and business alignment is an ongoing process that optimizes the IT mechanisms and business management operations at all levels.   It carves the correct climate whereby IT becomes a major strategic enabler of all the business operations.Lack of effective leadership in business operationsAccording to Roland (2008) effective leade rship in a business setting acts as a major platform and a guiding icon towards the correct direction for an organization.   Arguably, it is the role of the business leaders to pro-actively identify the most important aspects that would enhance higher levels of sustainability.Notably, small mistakes taken by conservative rigid leaders are referred as minor shenanigans and mostly not factored in business operations until it has sank into great losses.   Most of the leaders are directly engrossed into the past methods of business operations based on raw products and finished products simplified systems of accounting.   Many organizations are unable to link the extra IT cost to be incurred by the business and the returns to be achieved.As indicated by majority of the large companies that have embraced IT in their systems like Wal-Mart and JP Morgan & Chase, the returns are not instant and may take time before the respective advantages are realized.   Arguably, IT/ Business alig nment is a process as opposed to a one day operation.After launching its Point of Sale services that would link Citibank with its major financial operations information centers, the Bank had to wait for some months before realizing the expected goals (Mahesh, 2007).Poor focus into the future and conservatismAnalysts have linked hardship to articulate IT and business hardships to three superimposed factors of business management namely tactic, strategy, and innovation.   The three factors are effectively superimposed on each other and simultaneously operate for or against IT/ business alignment depending with the prevailing environment.Lack of effective tactics and strategy by business makes the overall demand for modernization to appear vague (Malcolm & Keith, 2007).   Notably, many companies and organizations especially in areas with reduced competition have been slow in aligning IT and their business operations.Southwest Airlines managing director cited his company's success a s a product of effective tactic that incorporated customer and staff management through information technology that assists the airline to respond faster to all the consumer need.Arguably, the current economic down turn could have affected them very negatively as the company offers low cost flights in US (Ann, 2007).Henersen & Venkartraman (1993) points out that poor innovative capacity by organization forms a major stepping block of growth, and development.   Arguably, alignment of IT and business demands high levels of innovative capacity that carves new ways of operating the old models.This has been indicated as one of the hardest nut to crack especially where leaders are greatly old fashioned.   This has been cited as the major setback especially where people manage their own premises as opposed to professionals. There is generally lack of effective cost benefit analysis to determine the overall suitability of the alignment.Organizations financial abilityTo add to that, lack of enough finances has slowed or hindered many company's operations alignment with IT.   Arguably, establishment of IT infrastructure is a costly venture that requires correct budgeting in effecting the overall venture.Though analysts have differed on the statement that finances form the key aspect in aligning IT and business operations, it is clear that very little can be achieved without enough funds (Aileen, 2008).Though the cost of installation and establishing the correct IT systems in business has relatively declined, the overall maintenance and possible establishment of new IT operations department demands enough funds especially at the beginning.   This has been a major cause of failure especially in the last three years when companies' have are trying to reduce the overall cost as much as possible.ConclusionIT/ business alignment is the best system for modern strategic management for effecting change and maximizing profits.   Effective leadership demands that balance is taken to ensure increased focus into the future that will be defined and established on the basis of IT assimilation in the business.Lean management should be assimilated in organizations through IT and business alignment’s as a mode of reducing the overall wasteful systems in its operations.   Businesses should embark on international studies to establish the facts and the vast advantages that are derived from IT alignment in business management operations.

World Literature. Don Quixote & Doctor Faustus Essay

World Literature. Don Quixote & Doctor Faustus - Essay Example While one was ruled by greed (Doctor Faustus), other was ruled by a passion for chivalry (Don Quixote). Thus the basic plots of these stories, and the enduring images presented in them exhibit the protagonists’ single minded pursuits. This forms one of the distinguishing expressions of the Western men. Each of them embodies an arte and a hubris, an exceptional prowess and a vitiating excess, in spheres of action that are particularly important to our culture (Ian Watt, Pg. viii). Though both the men are of extraordinary temperaments, Don Quixote is more appealing of the two characters and more realistic. He is a real man of flesh and blood, an idealistic and a romantic. He would continue to grow in history as long as chivalry and love pervades. On the other hand, Faust resembles more of an idea. He is a fanatic, a genius who has sold his soul to the devil in a bid to gain supreme knowledge and power for twenty four years. Don Quixote wins our pity and scorn but Faust earns onl y our resentment. No one sympathizes with him when he meets his cruel end.

Supply Chain Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Supply Chain - Assignment Example This is due to the fact that all business operations are similar in that they are mostly concerned with the development of a product in the most cost effective way. Lean is hard to implement due to the simple reason that it is a change process just like any other and therefore employees and other players in the organisation may resist this change as it threatens the status quo. This is the main reason why lean has faced various challenges in implementation. In a lean system suppliers are important in that they help coordinate the delivery of raw materials and other inputs used in the production process. Customers on the other hand help the company in terms of suggestions of product enhancement as well as any other improvements that may be needed in order to ensure the success of the product. It is important to note that the lean philosophy is aimed at the maximisation of both the quality and productivity in order to ensure maximum value to the customer. These two therefore go hand in hand in order to ensure that the production process results in products of highest quality. The triple bottom line is also known as people planet and profits and is used to explain the fact that businesses are responsible to stakeholders and not shareholders. In the manufacturing sector, it is used to ensure that companies do not carry out any activities that may pollute the environment. In the service industry, this is used to ensure that any practices do not affect any stakeholders such as the suppliers or customers

The Best Brand Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Best Brand - Assignment Example Achieving this make it easy for the company to reach and build association with its target market. The Coco Mademoiselle by Coco Chanel displays superb consistency in its marketing effort. With young women from twenties to mid-thirties as its target market, the product aptly exudes femininity, excitement, youth and freedom. The irrepressible spirit of Coco is what makes the product more saleable to its target market. Apparently, it is in the ages of twenties to thirties that women are so excited about their career and image, the age of financial freedom and independence as this is the age before they settle for marriage. A perfume then which promotes free-spirit would fit the target market. In terms of product, the Coco Mademoiselle by Coco Chanel aptly services the wants of its target market, composed mainly of high-earning, independent minded, sociable, career women. The status symbol brought by having the superior price among the rest of the perfume products also fits the youthful conviction of being the best and achieving the highest. Coco Mademoiselle's target market mainly comprises of women who wouldn't settle for less, therefore paying the highest price for a perfume is actually a desire and not a sacrifice. With this, the product greatly coincides with the price strategy. In terms of place, both Coco Mademoiselle by Coco Chanel and J'adore by Christian Dior have found the excellent distribution sites in famous out

(adults with schizoaffective disorder) Term Paper

(adults with schizoaffective disorder) - Term Paper Example The second and third aspects of the paper will also discuss how a family member saw this spectrum and how it is affects African-Americans. The theoretical orientation that has been chosen for this report is the cognitive theories. According to the Better Health Channel (2011) schizo-affective disorder is a combination of â€Å"schizophrenia and a mood disorder† (par. 1). There are two sub-types that have been identified: Schizo-affective bipolar type and schizo-affective depression type. The symptoms of schizo-affective disorder can include three types: Psychotic symptoms include losing touch with reality, chaotic speech, blank facial expression, hallucinations, disorganized thoughts and the inability to move. Manic symptoms can include rapid thoughts and/or speech, quick changes in mood, impulsive behaviors and exaggerated self-esteem. Depressive symptoms that can include low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, loss of motivation and/or loss of interest, difficulty concentrating, insomnia and loss of appetite. Unfortunately, the causes of schizo-affective disorder is not known (Better Health Channel, 2011). Also, s chizo-affective disorder is difficult to diagnose because clients are usually having the same challenges when they are diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Generally, the diagnosis of schizo-affective disorder will be used if the individual has both schizophrenia and a mood disorder that is present for at least two weeks (Better Health Channel, 2011). This is one of the reasons that many researchers state that socio-affective disorder is part of a schizophrenia spectrum. The cognitive theories are important to this disorder because there are several areas of cognitive dysfunction. Green (2006) identified several key concepts in cognitive functioning. These concepts include: â€Å"speed of processing, attention/vigilance, working memory, visual learning and memory, reasoning and problem solving, and social

Halliday Functional Grammar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Halliday Functional Grammar - Essay Example An example would be "otter" and "odder" or "prints" and "prince". (Suber & Thorpe 2001). Linguistic Determinism is a theory of language that contends that all our thoughts are defined by language. Without words to define an idea or object, the mind can have no understanding of it. It was first proposed in 1950 and has remained a controversial subject (Biever 2004). A recent discovery of the numeric system of the Pariah tribe, whose language only contains words for the numbers one and two, is an example of linguistic determinism. A study revealed that they could not tell the difference between 4 objects and 5 objects since they did not have a word for them (Biever 2004). The study seems to support the theory that human languages determine the conclusions that we reach, the concepts we have of our lives, and all our emotional make up. A simplified language that develops when two languages combine is called a pidgin. First contact with English speaking settlers resulted in Native languages combining with the settler's language to form "pidgin English". It is formed as a basic, and usually temporary, means of communication between two distinct cultures. However, if the pidgin is used over the span of generations it develops into a more complex language with a wider vocabulary. It then becomes known as a Creole. The Creole spoken in Louisiana by the Cajuns is an example of the combination between the French and African languages. When the language is spoken of as being "Cajun", it is a dialect of Louisiana Creole. (Pidgins and Creoles 1997). Antonyms Antonyms, are words that have opposite meanings such as "high" and "low" or "good" and "bad". There are 4 types of antonyms. Gradable antonyms are ends of a graduated spectrum that express opposite qualities such as "hot" and "cold". Complementary antonyms are absolute opposites such as "moral" and "immoral". Relational antonyms describe an opposite relationship between two words such as "cop" and "robber" or "take" and "give". An auto-antonym is the same word that has two opposing meanings. "Fast" (move swiftly) and "fast" (to hold firmly) are auto-antonyms as well as "sanction" (to sponsor) and

Final paper with Annotated Bibliography - explore any aspect of the Essay

Final paper with Annotated Bibliography - explore any aspect of the connection between the arts and society - Essay Example Good education is equated with employability such that the primordial concern of schools is to teach children how to read, write and compute so they can find their suitable place in the workforce. There is no question that literacy in English, math, science and history is critical in the technology-driven society of today but there is a growing interest in the concept that arts in fact offer a vast learning opportunity that should be offered to all children from the earliest grades. New research concerning the relationship between learning and the arts suggests that the study of music from a very early age, for example, alters the very structure of the brain and allows students to perform better on tests. This paper explores the connection between art and society by attempting to find any relevance of art education to the proper development of an individual. Its main interest is the issue of whether the school system can be efficient without an arts program in the curricula. The current global problems are traced to the purely rational and materialistic way of thinking. To reestablish harmony in our lives and in our eco-system, there must be heightened recognition of the importance of creativity and spirituality through the arts (Laszlo online). In this worldview, art is merely a leisure activity that provides pleasure and enjoyment and its study can therefore be abandoned anytime in favor of activities that make use of time â€Å"more profitably, efficiently and satisfactorily (Treumann, 1993).† Art appreciation is fit only for a gifted few, and if children have to study literature or musical notes and join visits to museums and art galleries, this is only done as part of one’s education and it is the socially proper thing to do. But recent studies show that such preoccupation with letters and numbers makes for learning environments that are dull, boring and

Fad diet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Fad diet - Essay Example She began drinking nothing but a mixture of maple syrup and lemon water for days. She would supplement this with cabbage soup. Occasionally, she would buy The Hollywood forty-eight hour Miracle Diet juice at Walgreens. She would count fat grams, sugar grams, calories and carbohydrates. June became a fad diet junkie. Many young women undergo the same kind of social segregation because of their body sizes and shapes (Moyad, 2005). Other than the potential physical health complications that obesity poses to millions of citizens around the states, the reported social view of the obese adds another danger of psychological health risks to the obese. For this reason, many people, especially the youth and young adults have resorted to fad dieting oblivious of the effects of such choices (Fineberg, 1972). The research looks at the rationale of fad dieting. It gives answers the question: Is fad diet really an effective way of losing weight and becoming slim, attractive and fit or is it just some fantasy people are living in? The topic of study is important given the rumored health risks associated with the practice. There are claims that fad diet is merely an illusion of getting slim. In fact it is hazardous to health and a waste of time and money. In fact later it results in more over weightiness then before. At the same time, some people report that they actually lose weight through fad dieting. Irrespective of the results of fad dieting, there is another problem of inconsistency of the diet one is supposed to stick to. There is need to research the issue of fad dieting so as to help generate a standard, helpful diet or discourage the practice if it poses more dangers than benefits (Calman, Hauser, Lurio, & Pichardo, 2008). With the current state of improved information technology, there is so much information available to people, but that does not enhance people’s knowledge. The internet has myriad of