Reducing The Military Essays - United States Armed Forces, Military

Reducing The Military With the end of the "Cold War" America's armed forces are too large and expensive to maintain while in an era of peace. The roles of the military has changed, and the United States has come to the conclusion that military might no longer means having the larger force. Politicians have initiated the closure of bases, the reduced production by defense contractors, the decrease in military and civilian personnel. The actions taken to reduce the military has left dwindling numbers, and this must be changed to ensure that the U.S. military continues to be a mighty super power. The idea of a smaller military was not even considered during the "Cold War", but today the treat to America is at a all-time low. This has sparked politicians to restructure the forces and reduce the spending needed to maintain those forces. These reductions are based on the budget spending what is not cost effective to the U.S. and the public. The cost cutting needs to be done, without too large of an effect on the employed personnel, whether military or civilian (O'Rourke, 2). Though the reductions in the forces still needs to be made, careful monitoring of the amounts of The reductions in personnel have gone past the recommended limit set Congress, and have created a greater need for personnel. If a conflict were to happen to day, the U.S. could only send four heavy divisions, compared to the seven sent during the Gulf War. This greatly decreases America's ability to thwart an attack from several different countries at one time. This idea of sustaining several conflicts at one time has been a major Because the U.S. is the last great superpower, it is a very large target, and when involvement is needed to aid others the forces are diminished the ability to be an effective deterrent. Analysts have seen an increased demand for the continued policing actions that the U.S. plays a major part in. Congress has also cut spending on defense technology, which has caused defense contractors to make cutbacks in employees. 1.3 million jobs have been cut since the employment peak of 1987. This has caused increased inflation, and has hurt the economy of United States. Reconstruction of the spending on the technology needs to equally dispersed through the market to even out jobs for all defense companies.

An Economic Solution essays

An Economic Solution essays If marijuana was legalized it would promote the economy in a faster recovery. It would bring in revenue and taxes if sold at stores. It would reduce the amount of money spent on prisons and jails releasing intimates. With marijuana used as a medical drug it helps keep people out of hospitals and working and paying taxes to the government. Legalizing marijuana would make the government money, resulting to an economic recovery. With marijuana keeping people out of the hospital, it allows them to keep working at their jobs and paying taxes. After anecdotal reports of marijuana's providing ant emetic activity in cancer chemotherapy patients refractory to standard agents, orally administered delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was formally studied by a number of investigators(1). With marijuana stunting the spread of cancer threw out the human body it keeps cancer patients healthier and able to do their jobs and paying taxes to the government. With all the sick people healthier working and off welfare itll provide more money for the government to address areas where more money is need and less government spendings on welfare. With more money being saved and less spent, it would dimendal a budget defaces. If marijuana was legalized and sold at stores a tax could be levied collecting heavy revenue. The government could also raise revenues by placing an excise tax on marijuana, much like the excise taxes imposed on alcohol and cigarettes. A federal excise tax of 6 percent on the $11 billion U.S. consumers spend on marijuana every year would produce $660 million for the federal government (2). Selling marijuana at stores would create a surplus of money in the federal budget when taxed. The money could be spent on roads, schools, and a national debt. With all the money collected over a few years time America could have the strongest economy two times better than any other nations. ...

Differences Between Correlation and Causation

Differences Between Correlation and Causation One day at lunch a young woman was eating a large bowl of ice cream, and a fellow faculty member walked up to her and said, â€Å"You had better be careful, there is a high statistical correlation between ice cream and drowning.† She must have given him a confused look, as he elaborated some more. â€Å"Days with the most sales of ice cream also see the most people drown.† When she had finished my ice cream the two colleagues discussed the fact that just because one variable is statistically associated with another, it doesn’t mean that one is the cause of the other. Sometimes there is a variable hiding in the background. In this case, the day of the year is hiding in the data. More ice cream is sold on hot summer days than snowy winter ones. More people swim in the summer, and hence more drown in the summer than in the winter. Beware of Lurking Variables The above anecdote is a prime example of what is known as a lurking variable. As its name suggests, a lurking variable can be elusive and difficult to detect. When we find that two numerical data sets are strongly correlated, we should always ask, â€Å"Could there be something else that is causing this relationship?† The following are examples of strong correlation caused by a lurking variable: The average number of computers per person in a country and that country’s average life expectancy.The number of firefighters at a fire and the damage caused by the fire.The height of an elementary school student and his or her reading level. In all of these cases, the relationship between the variables is a very strong one.  This is typically indicated by a correlation coefficient that has a value close to 1 or to -1.  It does not matter how close this correlation coefficient is to 1 or to -1, this statistic cannot show that one variable is the cause of the other variable. Detection of Lurking Variables By their nature, lurking variables are difficult to detect. One strategy, if available, is to examine what happens to the data over time. This can reveal seasonal trends, such as the ice cream example, that get obscured when the data is lumped together. Another method is to look at outliers and try to determine what makes them different than the other data. Sometimes this provides a hint of what is happening behind the scenes. The best course of action is to be proactive; question assumptions and design experiments carefully. Why Does It Matter? In the opening scenario, suppose a well-meaning but statistically uninformed congressman proposed to outlaw all ice cream in order to prevent drowning. Such a bill would inconvenience large segments of the population, force several companies into bankruptcy, and eliminate thousands of jobs as the country’s ice cream industry closed down. Despite the best of intentions, this bill would not decrease the number of drowning deaths. If that example seems a little too far fetched, consider the following, which actually happened. In the early 1900s, doctors noticed that some infants were mysteriously dying in their sleep from perceived respiratory problems. This was called crib death and is now known as SIDS. One thing that stuck out from autopsies performed on those who died from SIDS was an enlarged thymus, a gland located in the chest. From the correlation of enlarged thymus glands in SIDS babies, doctors presumed that an abnormally large thymus caused improper breathing and death. The proposed solution was to shrink the thymus with high does of radiation, or to remove the gland entirely. These procedures had a high mortality rate and led to even more deaths. What is sad is that these operations didn’t have to have been performed. Subsequent research has shown that these doctors were mistaken in their assumptions and that the thymus is not responsible for SIDS. Correlation Does Not Imply Causation The above should make us pause when we think that statistical evidence is used to justify things such as medical regimens, legislation, and educational proposals. It is important that good work is done in interpreting data, especially if results involving correlation are going to affect the lives of others. When anyone states, â€Å"Studies show that A is a cause of B and some statistics back it up,† be ready to reply, â€Å"correlation does not imply causation.† Always be on the lookout for what lurks beneath the data.

International law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 1

International law - Essay Example International law sets the limits on and relations between and among states. International law is not a new concept. Keep in mind that rudimentary international law was evident as far back of the fourth millennium B.C, when belligerents consented to observe truces for holidays and other similar situations. Homer\s The Iliad and Thucydides\s The Peloponnesian Wars are abounding with references to armistices, acceptance of heralds in addition to other customary standard behaviour connecting peaceful or warring parties. But is should also be remembered that such references are equally filled with instances of agreements being dishonoured. Modern international law, customary international law being part of it, gradually evolved as states gained status. Denial S Papp1 states that Hugo Grotius is usually taken note of as the father of modern international law with references to his work, On the Law of War and Peace, published in 1662. His publication paved the laying of the foundations of the rights and responsibilities that states are obligated to each other. It is on the writings of Grotius that the entire systems of treaties, tribunals as well as similar codes of international conduct take their extraction. From the readings of Grotius’s publications, at least four separate interpretations of what international law is, exist.2 These include: the naturalist school of law exemplified by Samuel Pefundorf (The Law of Nature and of Nations, 1672); the positivist school of law, led by Cornelius van Bynkershoek (Forum for Ambassadors, 1721 and On Questions of Public Law, 1737); the eclectic school of law led by Emmerich de Vattel (The Law of Nations, 1758) and finally the neorealist outlook. The more general view is that states interpret and adopt whatever view of international law that best shores up the most preferred course of action. There are various sources of international law to which states can tie

Principles of Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example It is necessary that every employee realizes his or her contribution in the organization’s work and image. Motivation comes from within the person. Motivational factors could be implanted by the management externally; however the employee has to feel the urge himself. Hence it is a process to create the urge and define the path for him or her. Clarity of goals gives idea to the person what he is striving for. The real challenge for a manager lies in defining the path. If the goal is too difficult, it will give the air of impossibility and is discarded by the employee. On the contrary, if it is too lenient then it loses the attraction of challenge. Apart from this the manager needs to have a clear idea about the role every individual plays in the team to align his goals with those of team. A well-defined job description gives a clear idea of specific job roles, responsibilities. Group level – Leadership Leadership in an organization comes at various levels. It starts at one to one level, progresses to team level and then assumes the overall macro level of leading the organization. All the three aspects contribute to an employee’s growth in an organization. Appropriate leadership at appropriate level benefits not only the team but also the development of the organization as well. ... vides direction with the help of well-defined goals and structured path, which is further broken into objectives for departments, further down to teams and eventually to every individual playing as a team member. Hence it is also imperative that leadership at every level must identify future leaders who could take over further responsibilities of delivering the task to the organization. There should be a great stress on identifying leaders and developing them. It is the only way the human resource can be developed and made competent. Hence identifying leadership competencies is as necessary for a manager as to acquire them. Often it is also noticed that there are two leaders in the organization natural leaders and appointed leaders. Natural leaders tend to get better results. Alternatively appointed leaders could be trained to prove themselves but could be lengthy process. Organizational Level: Organizational culture and climate The culture of a group can now be defined as: A pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. (Schein 373-374) (www.soi.org) Organizational climate is the set of characteristics that describe an organization and that distinguishes one organization from other organizations; are relatively enduring over time and influence the behaviour of the  people in the organization  (Forehand & Gilmer, 1964). (http://organizationalclimate.wordpress.com) Although similar, elements of both the concepts have different impact on an employee. Both the definitions state the congeniality in the environment

The Beak Of The Finch :: essays research papers fc

The Bogus Logic of The Beak People who have served in the Armed Forces may be familiar with the expression, "If you can't dazzle then with your brilliance, baffle them with your baloney." The Beak of the Finch uses such laughable logic, it is remarkable that anyone would believe it. The book does such a terrible job of presenting a case for evolution and history, that the only logical conclusion is that the book's true intent is to disprove it.   Jonathan Weiner, The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994. ISBN 0679400036.   "It is never too late to give up our prejudices. No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof." --Thoreau, Walden This book claims to be about evolution, centered in the location made famous by Charles Darwin, the Galapagos Islands. I read this book on the recommendation of a good friend who knows I am interested in birds and thought I might get something out of it. Indeed, the few parts of the book actually about the Gouldian Finches of the Galapagos Islands are fascinating. The book records in detail some of the trials the Dr. Peter Grant family endured in studying these birds on a hot volcanic rock. However, the writers and editors of the book avoid simple logic and put a spin on history that is misleading. The facts and logic presented in The Beak of the Finch really make the book's author out to be a closet creationist.   It just so happened that at the same time I read this book, I was reading The Storm Petrel and the Owl of Athena by Louis Halle. Half of The Storm Petrel is on the bird life of the Shetland Islands, another isolated natural system. Halle, though an evolutionist, devotes a whole chapter on how the Shetlands and other islands conserve species. (Halle. 1970, 155ff.) Where species have changed their habits, it is most often due to adaptation to humanity. He compares the wild starlings, house sparrows, and rock doves found on the Shetlands with the more domesticated versions of these birds found on the continents--and to some degree even in the main village of the Shetlands. The island birds are more like their original wild forebears. I mention this now because it will come back to haunt us later.   Logical Fallacies By the first thirty or so pages I had found two logical fallacies and at least one historical inaccuracy in The Beak of the Finch.

Elements of Art Essay

Each work of art has elements of unity and elements of variety. Variety balances out unity and keeps things interesting. The center of interest or focal point is the place the artist draws your eyes first. Artists use balance in order to construct paintings. These elements of art such as unity, variety, focal point or area of interest and balance will be used to give you a better understanding. Examples from â€Å"Giorgio de Chirico† (The Mystery and Melancholy of a Street, 1914), â€Å"Pablo Picasso† (Seated Nude, 1909, Spanish), â€Å"Francisco de Goya† (Saturn Devouring His Children, 1819) and â€Å"Piet Mondrain† (Devotie, 1908) will be used merely as informational pieces to convey these elements of art. Some ways of creating unity might be to make everything in a painting a similar color, or a series of repeating shapes, or a consistent texture made with brush strokes. At times, variety coerces the eye to pay particular attention to that object. Variety occurs when an artist creates something that looks different from the rest of the artwork. For example, â€Å"Giorgio de Chirico†, (The Mystery and Melancholy of a street, 1914) depicts unity and variety with light/dark (cooler and warmer hues) various shapes and lines. Unity is depicted in the repletion of the square windows, directly above the repletion of archways alongside two buildings. Variety is depicted in the chosen colors and various shapes and lines. In â€Å"Chirico’s† oil canvas, variety is applied by the contrasting of warmer hues aside the cooler hues (light and dark) conveying both space/distance and receding/closeness. The unity and variety in this canvas is brought together through the repetition depicted on the two buildings, the warmer hues and light expressing depth and the cooler hues and dark expressing the closeness. These same principles of the elements of unity and variety, are depicted in â€Å"Picasso’s, Goya’s and Mondrain’s† Canvases. Artists emphasize certain parts of their artwork to stand out and grab your attention. This is called a focal point or area of interest. An artist applies a focal point or area of interest for the coercion of the viewer’s eyes. In â€Å"Picasso† (Seated Nude) the area of interest is establish with the choices of color. He has placed warmer hues (red, orange and yellow) throughout the body of a nude man sleeping. â€Å"Picass† emphasizes the man by a  focal point, using light to contrast the man’s shoulder, rib, chin and ear, thus attracting the eye to various cooler hues and forms. In â€Å"Francisco de Goya† (Saturn Devouring His Children) the coercion of the viewer is brought about with the contrasting colors. Here â€Å"Goys† has used dark (cooler) hues surrounding a man and his malice expression. Emphasizing the man are light (warmer) hues, thus depicting the devouring of the carcass of a woman. The devouring is emphasized by, blood (red hue) dripping down her arm from inside the man’s mouth. The viewer’s eyes are first coerced to the facial expression on the man’s face. These same principle of the element of the focal point or areas of interest, are depicted in both â€Å"Chirico’s† and â€Å"Mondrains’s† canvases. Balance is one of the elements of art, which is very important to artists and their work. By using balance to guide our attention around a work, artists give structure to our perception of it. Their are three different elements of balance an artist uses to construct their paintings. They are, (symmetrical balance), which means both sides of an imaginary line are the same, (asymmetrical balance), meaning each side of an imaginary line are different yet equal and (radial balance), meaning lines or shapes grow from a center point. However, in the reference pieces of, â€Å"Piet Mondrain† (Devotie) and Gorigio de Chirico† (The Mystery and Melancholy of a Street), â€Å"Pablo Picasso† (Seated Nude) and â€Å"Francisco de Goya† (Saturn Devouring His Children) an (asymmetrical) balance was used to construct these canvases. Both sides of this imaginary line are different yet equal, thus bringing together the other elements of art. Concluding, unity is the feeling that everything in the work of art works together and suggest that it belongs. Variety balances out unity and keeps things interesting. A focal point or areas of interest are used for the coercion of the viewer’s attention. Lastly, an important factor is balance. Artists use balance in order to construct a painting. All of the elements of art discussed here play an important role in designing of art. â€Å"Giorgio de Chirico† (The Mystery and Melancholy of a Street, 1914), â€Å"Pablo Picasso†Ã‚  (Seated Nude, 1909, Spanish), â€Å"Francisco de Goya† (Saturn Devouring His Children, 1819) and â€Å"Piet Mondrain† (Devotie, 1908) were used merely as informational pieces to convey these elements of art.