Afghan Paper Essay Example for Free

Afghan Paper Essay The United States faces many problems in the current war with terrorist forces. The increase of causalities, the increase of fanatical Taliban and al Qaeda troops, the lack of Afghan National Army forces to help with the fighting, and the ever looming threat of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of insurgents. The Obama administration’s new strategy includes efforts to increase the confidence of the local Afghan population by protecting it from insurgent violence and improving governance, security and economic development (Afghanistan, 672). In order to implement these plans, the U.S. has deployed new troop — a total of 21,000 additional soldiers to fight the insurgency in Afghanistan and train Afghan security forces. By the end of the year, the level of U. S. troops is expected to reach about 68,000. Other troops are also being supplied by NATO countries and other allies, currently about 32,000, though many are engaged in development and relief work and not combat operations (Afghanistan, 672). The top three NATO countries providing troops were the United King, Germany, and Canada, with many other smaller nations sending troops to contribute to war efforts. One of the most noteworthy features of the new strategic plan is to avoid civilian causalities throughout the war; the number of civilian causalities has gone done tremendously over the years, decreasing over a thousand between 2008 and 2009 (Afghanistan, 673). Another important part of the plan is to help develop the Afghan government by increasing the number of agricultural specialists, educators, engineers, and lawyers in the area. Now that the Obama administration has issued a new plan that has been under implementation for about two years, the topic of the administration announcing an exit plan has been under heavy debate. According to Ilan Berman, Vice-President for Policy of the American Foreign Policy Council, the United States should not set a date of exited from the war on Afghanistan. Berman states that announcing an exit plan would prove that the United States’ interest and investment in the stability of Afghanistan is temporary and limited (Afghanistan, 685). I am in agreement with the view Ilan Berman. The United States should gradually decrease the presence of troops within the country, while still working on providing a stable government and economy in Afghanistan. Reference page: Adapted from Kingsbury, A. 2011, February 11). Government secrecy. CQ Researcher, 21, 121-144. Retrieved from http://library. cqpress. com/cqresearcher/ Government Secrecy The discussion of government secrecy has been of great discussion over the last two years. The question, â€Å"Does great openness threaten national security? †, has been the topic at hand. The website WikiLeaks intensified the discussion with the released of thousands of classified government documents and military intelligence. Julian Assange, an Australian computer hacker, created the biggest United States security breach to ever hit the nation. Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, worked alongside a group of associates across several countries in releasing thousands of government documents. It is believed that his source may have been United States army private, Bradley Manning, who had access to these classified government documents and databases. Assange has yet to be prosecuted for the leaking of government information but the most likely approach to prosecuting him would be under the Espionage Act of 1917. The Act prohibits the â€Å"willful† disclosure of â€Å"information relating to the national defense. It has been interpreted to mean that the defendant must know the information will hurt national security and that disclosure violates the law (Government Secrecy, 127). The discussion of updating the Espionage Act of 1917 has been of discussion because of this leak as well as ones of a smaller magnitude. Abbe Lowell of the White-Collar Criminal Defense Group of McDermont Will amp; Emory is for the updating of the Espionage Act of 1917. According to Lowell, the document is not specific enough and as worded can be lead to the infringement of the first amendment. Documents released by WikiLeaks include sensitive diplomatic cables and combat field reports from Iraq and Afghanistan. A few notable disclosures included the push by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia for the U. S. to strike against Iran, the suspected corruption in Afghan government, and the hacking of Google by the Chinese government (Government Secrecy, 129). Many of the documents were obtained from the government database, SPIRNet, which Manning had access to. The Secret Internet Protocol Router Network allows the United Sates military and government agencies to share information. Over 500,000 people have access to the network, from senior military and law-enforcement officials to low-level military analysts and government contractors. This release of information has fueled the already heated battle between advocates of government secrecy and those who oppose (Government Secrecy, 124). Advocates of an open-government argue that federal agencies withhold too much information from the public, discouraging the ability of citizens to keep check on the wrongdoing of the government. According to supporters of government secrecy, sensitive information that could threaten the nations welfare if released is too easily accessed due to modern technology. President Obama, on his first day of office, signed an executive order designed to reduce government secrecy and increase the transparency of information across federal agencies. Signed into law by Obama in October 2010, the Reducing Over-Classification Act directs the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence community to standardize classification and declassification procedures and improve information haring across the government. The National Declassification Center was also created in order to speed and coordinate the release of government information that no longer needs to be kept from public view. Although steps to disclosure government information to the public have been taken, secrecy opponents believe that President Obama needs to do more.

An Analysis of Ballad of the Harp-Weaver Essay -- Ballad Harp-Weaver E

An Analysis of Ballad of the Harp-Weaver Take just a second to read the first eight lines very carefully. Picture yourself as a small child being with your mother or father sitting on their lap as they hold you. It is a good feeling that brings warmth and security to any child or any adult needing to recapture the essence of their childhood. In the first four lines we are to understand that the boy's mother is trying to rub his skin to make him warm. That is what "chafe" means, to warm by rubbing. But how many times have you found yourself not quite sleepy enough to go to sleep and you ask your mother or father to read you a bedtime story? In this section we find the relationship between mother and son the very epitome of maternal union. Their bonding takes place in a form that most children can remember from the early part of their lives. The act of storytelling is a wonderful part of growing up. Before the invention of reading and writing, people struggled to survive against nature, animals and other humans. This poem is a good example of this basic need to survive by using whatever resources you have to keep alive. To survive, people developed skills that grew into cultural and educational patterns. This idea is present when we read the part about the severity of that winter and the mother and son burning up their furniture to stay warm. The boy's mother is teaching him that you can use the wood in the furniture to use in the fire. That is an important lesson that a parent can pass down in order to insure the survival of their offspring. It teaches a lesson that a child would not otherwise know and can be used again and again to help future generations. For a culture to continue into the future, peop... ... into their path of agony by letting us know it is Christmas. The boy cannot be soothed by his mother's singing and cries himself to sleep. This is so heart wrenching for any mother to have to endure. I believe this is the climax of the poem. The mother knows she can no longer go on with just rhymes and singing. In fact even her love cannot soothe her sons torment anymore. But we are left to wonder what it is she can do. She uses the only thing left, the harp. The boy talks about a light that falls on her, yet its source is unknown. Is it the light of God or divine intervention that is helping her to understand what she must do? Or is it just that light that appears in our heads out of nowhere when we have exhausted all our options? We begin to understand that the harp is her last resort. The poem makes no mention of her playing the harp before so why now?

Professional football and subculture Essay

Sports around the world are a large part of the Americans subculture. There are many professional sports that are very competitive throughout the world, but in my opinion professional football is the most competitive. There are also many different cultures, values and different ways sports have impacted my life and the people surrounded by us. First of all, throughout America we all have different values in either huskie football, high school football or professional football. The culture- values in different Americans throughout the world unites people of different race and backgrounds for every sport around the world. In football, fans come together to support and cheer on their favorite team. Some of us consider football as a â€Å"past time† while others see it as their profession and get paid millions of dollars each season. In professional football culture values plays a very important role. For example, last year’s super bowl season involved the New York Giants and New England Patriots which took place in Indianapolis, Indiana. With the majority of football fans watching Super Bowl Sunday there are a lot of money values that are involved. For example, all of the commercials, clothing, ticket sales, hotel reservations and gambling is a good way to add to the economy. Another subculture example, the way fans dress up for the game, different outfits, clothing and facial paintings all add different styles of value during Super Bowl Sunday. Football season has impacted my life a couple of different ways. First of all, it takes up a few hours of my time during my favorite teams’ game. Even though it takes a few hours out of my day on either Sunday or Monday it is still worth it. Secondly, having to spend time with family, friends, having a barbecue and drinking cold adult beverages is always a plus. Although professional football is considered very competitive sport among various teams we still have our own beliefs on how the game is played, how much we spend, what we wear, how we look and basically who we are surrounded by. At the end of the day, we are who we are and we all live differently around the world. Lower class, middle class or upper class, but we are still people with our own beliefs!

The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe Essay - 1885 Words

To many, murder is an act that no sane person could possibly commit but is it possible for one to prove their mental stability through the telling of their own transgression? Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† is a murder mystery in which we know who the killer is; however his motives seem to be elusive and unclear. This story deals with paranoia, one’s descent into madness, and the role that guilt has on one’s conscious. One would say that that the readers view on reality becomes warped as he or she identifies with story in ways they may not fully understand. â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† triggers the readers curiosity right from the beginning and pulls them along as the narrator tells his story of murder which shows some insight on the chilling and frightening mind that the narrator possesses; the reality of a mad man. Through Poe’s carefully structured syntax and use of literary elements such as symbolism and irony, we can begin to understand the narrator’s maze-like mind and the reality of how someone can possibly kill another person. *From the onset, this fictional tale grasps the reader’s attention as curiosity is evoked to find out what is going to happen. A hint of the narrator’s madness and paranoia can be perceived in the initial statement he makes rendering his reliability questionable at best. This type of narration adds destabilizing effect onto the reader. â€Å"True!—Nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? TheShow MoreRelatedThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1161 Words   |  5 PagesOut of a vast quantity of these English historians, one stood out to me, his name is Edgar Allan Poe. Poe’s writing had its own unique gothic and horror style. The story, The Tell-Tale Heart is one of his very popular pieces of literature, it not only tells a story, but uses Poe’s unique style of writing to si lently incorporate different genres, themes, and symbolism to create a sub-story within the text itself. Poe was born in Boston Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. At the young age of just 2 yearsRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1569 Words   |  7 PagesIn the short story â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† author Edgar Allan Poe employs several literary devices such as symbolism, allegory, and imagery. These devices enable us to see and better comprehend the story’s events through the eyes of the narrator. The narrator explains that he is extremely nervous but clarifies that he is not insane; he even goes so far as to share an event from his past to prove that he is not crazy. He believes that he loves the old man and has nothing against him except his horribleRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe Essay1477 Words   |  6 Pagesyourself and others that you weren’t in the wrong for doing something bad? Well, the narrator in the story The Tell-Tale Heart does. Edgar Allan Poe is known to write stories that are of Dark Romanticism. Dark romanticism is a literary genre that showcases gothic stories that portray torture, insanity, murder, and revenge. The story â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† is no different. Edgar Allan Poe does a great job with making the readers wonder throughout this short story. This allegory makes reader’s questionsRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe986 Words   |  4 Pagesbade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream.† The Tell Tale Heart is one of Edger Allan Poe’s most famous and creepiest stories. The premise of this gothic short story is that a man’s own insanity gives him away as a murderer. By usi ng the narrators own thoughts as the story Poe displays the mental instability and the unique way of creating a gothic fiction. While other stories written by Poe reflect this same gothic structure and questionable sanity, this story has aRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1502 Words   |  7 PagesThe author Edgar Allan Poe created a beautiful writing piece called â€Å"Tell Tale Heart†, which included literal elements such as mood, tone, and point of view. The story included a tremulous mood for the reader to be able to feel the excitement of the story. According to the text â€Å"Tell Tale Heart†, it states â€Å"And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror.† This illustrates that the details of the storyRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1030 Words   |  5 PagesA Guilty- Mad Heart â€Å"Burduck then goes on to ponder how Poe used cultural anxieties and psychological panic to advantage.† (Grim Phantasms, G.A. Cevasco). In The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, a nameless man narrates the story of how he murdered an elderly man because of his eyes. In his short story The Tell-Tale Heart, Poe shows the themes of guilt and the descent into madness through the narrator, in this gothic horror story. Edgar Allan Poe wrote many gothic tales throughout his lifeRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1133 Words   |  5 Pages Written in 1843, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe incorporates nearly all of the gothic elements. While this piece of art may not contain all of the gothic elements, it is the epitome of a gothic short story. In The Tell-Tale Heart, the setting seems to be inside an old house, which strengthens the atmosphere of mystery and suspense. The madness and overall insanity of the narrator illustrates the sense of high, overwrought emotion. The presence of creaking hinges and the darkness representRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1644 Words   |  7 Pages Edgar Allan Poe was a prominent American writer whose writing reflected his tragic life. He began to sell short stories for profit after being forced to leave United States Military Academy for lack of financial support. Over the next decade, Poe published some of his best-known works, including The Fall of the House of Usher (1839), The Raven (1845), and The Cask of Amontillado (1846). It is in these stories that Po e established his unique dark writing style that often have the recurring themeRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe879 Words   |  4 PagesIn between guilt, paranoia and obsession The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe uses several literary elements to support the themes of the story. The story is based on a gruesome murder of an old man. The author uses madness, obsession and guilt as themes to prove how the narrator is truly twisted and insane. Madness is the first theme of the story; in the beginning the narrator tries to convince the audience he is not mad (insane). â€Å"TRUE!... nervous very, very nervous I had been and am; but whyRead MoreA Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1156 Words   |  5 Pagescontain some level of madness. For example in the short stories â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† by Edgar Allan Poe, both of the main character in these stories believe that they are perfectly wise, but their out of control behaviors proves that they’re mentally ill or to be more specific insane. In the short story â€Å"A tell-tale heart† the unknown narrator is telling us a story about his neighbor who is an old man but his of a vulture: blue pale eye is what