If I Die in a Combat Zone Review

If I Die in a Combat Zone Review The 1960s was a series of ongoing changes. It was the height of the counter culture revolution, the civil rights movement the drive for higher education, middle class advancement, the â€Å"Great Society†, the industrial community servicing the military, and most notably, the Vietnam war and conscription into service. The time frame of O'Briens If I Die in a Combat Zone is majorly in 1968 and O'Brien was feeling the heat from everything that was going on at this time From the very beginning Tim O'Brien stressed his opposition to the war in Vietnam.He even comes out and states at the beginning that, â€Å"The war, I though, was wrongfully conceived and poorly justified†. At this time there was a massive movement against the war. This the upcoming election and Eugene McCarthy openly opposed to Vietnam it was no surprise to learn that O'Brien supported him. But supporting the antiwar movement was not enough to avoid the draft, especially fo r O'Brien. With protests rising and the Yippies leading major protests against the war and draft, conscription was still a major worry among the public.It was known that if you were of age and not in college then Vietnam was your next stop. Unless of course individuals could gain deferment through specific issues as did some of O'Briens friends at the time. But even with strong opposition, both morally and emotionally to the war, O'Brien still knew he had a duty and obligation to serve. In one instance when O'Brien is speaking to a chaplain regarding the war, the chaplain uses a strong example of American Exceptionalism by saying, â€Å"If you accept, as I do, that America is one helluva great country, well then, you do as she tells you†.He the. Goes on to say that, â€Å"i did not wan to be a soldier, not even an observer to war. But neither did i was to upset a particular balance of the order I knew, the people I knew, and my own private world. † This again reinforce d O'Brien that his duty and obligation was more important than his personal belief. This was a common bond that was found between O'Brien and other soldiers while in Vietnam. This was the bond of the citizen-soldier. The citizen-soldiers were just that. Normal citizens that were turned soldier due to conscription.Because elf the similar circumstances the soldiers could relate together. There wasn't a common bond between the unsympathetic soldiers to the Vietnamese however. Mistreatment of the Vietnamese was very common. Especially with O'Briens tour of duty being after the Tet Offensive, distrust of the Vietnamese was rampant. By the beginning of 1968, 90% of south Vietnam was under communist influence and 1/3 of the population was under communist control. This meant that the soldiers did not know who they could and couldn't trust.The mistreatment of the local population was consistent. Even on one of O'Briens missions of a raid on a village that turned up one communist weapon, no o ne in the village spoke up of who's it was. So the orders were handed down and O'Briens squad interrogated the villagers, burned the village down and took prisoners to basically act as a human shield to ensure they were not attacked for the that night. This was a common occurrence that occurred repeatedly before, during and after O'Briens time of service.The benefits of such actions provided security for the soldiers but costs outweighed the benefits. Because of this treatment, the Vietnamese population was also distrusting of the American troops. Distrust among the locals led to decreased support for actions and the communists offers and proposals became more appealing to the local population than the American goals did, based on their actions. Though not mentioned much in O'Briens If I Die in a Combat Zone book, racial tensions were still high because of the civil rights movements going on back in the United States.During one instance a majority of the black soldiers felt disgrace d and mistreated by a fellow lieutenant. The soldiers kept saying that the lieutenants time was coming and he was â€Å"going to get it†. Then it had finally happened. An explosion that erupted beneath the lieutenant that tore his lower body apart and killed him was not confirmed but rumored as a grenade fired for. One of the black soldiers that did its intended purpose of taking him out. Besides that, and even with the civil rights movement back home, there did not seem to be much more racial tensions between the soldiers themselves.They were in a common situation that bonded them together and they looked past their differences for the most part. These common words; similar situation and bond, are again what pieces together this idea of the conscripted citizen-soldier that O'Brien indeed was. The conscripted citizen-soldier was different in a way as the volunteer was. A volunteer signed up willingly for the military. This was a common thing for some because they wanted some form of control over their experience in the military.The major difference of the conscripted citizen-soldier is that there was no volunteering. O'Brien like many others who opposed involvement, hoped to not be drafted but was. Control of the situation was relinquished and failure to report was punishable. This played the major role in O'Briens thoughts of going AWOL but overall, his pride, family and duty spoke louder than his fear and open opposition to the war. This was what O'Brien saw in the other conscripted citizen-soldiers then lead to such a strong attachment with him and the men in his unit.Others had normal lives like O'Brien and they too were torn away from it and drafted to come to a war that as opposed by so many. There is one quote by Tim O'Brien that I feel sums this all up. He states, â€Å"Courage is nothing to laugh at, not if it is proper courage and exercised by right men who know what they do is proper. Proper courage is wise courage. It's acting wisely, actin g wisely when fear would have a man act otherwise. It is the endurance of the soul is spite of fear. In a time that was going through so many changes and problems as the 1960s, I believe that this is a quote that speaks the truth above all else. Not just about the Vietnam war but also the courage of all those who sought for equal rights, opposed the war and stood up for what they believed was right even though there were fearful consequences for them taking such a stand and actions. In a world where so much wrong was happening, the citizens, soldiers and activists stood for change, exemplified courage and banded together to do what was right.

Money Judgement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Money Judgement - Essay Example In most cases, people intentionally do this, while some others face difficulties because of their poverty or personal inconveniences. Debt collection indicates a means which helps in collecting individual debts and reminds the debtors of their requirements to pay outstanding debt. "The matter of debt collection comes into the issue when procuring debt payment from debtors through ordinary credit control process is proved ineffective" (Getting Paid by Debtors, 2006). "Debt recovery policy is concerned primarily with the recovery of debts prior to legal action being taken but the principles should still be applied wherever appropriate even if litigation has commenced (Debt Management, 2007, p.3). A fair and sound debt recovery policy is a sine qua non for the effective and working finance regime in a given country. "Debt recovery policy should be fair to everyone, particularly for the well- being of low incomes people" (Corporate Debt, 2005, p.3). People are to suffer much hardship in collecting debts. However, in order to win the legal battle in recovering debt money, concerned party or creditor is to arrange sufficient documents and evidences for the courts satisfaction that the said creditor is entitled to have the disputed debt money. "Successful debt recovery suggests the conglomeration of adequate evidences and in particular proof of rent arrears, invoices for remedial work and copies of the inventory and condition check" (Made Easy, 2005). The growing expansion and gradual development of trade and commerce within a state and between states have made the financial dealings and business regulations more complicated. As a result, countries have sharply experienced the necessity of a well- structured debt collection policy corresponding to the existing business regulation. "An ideal debt collection policy provides an overarching framework and covers the collection of Rents, Council Tax, Business Rates, Sundry Debts and Housing and Council Tax Benefit overpayments" (Corporate Debt, 2005). Debt recovery strategy requires a close and continuous contact between the debtor and creditor or the solicitor appointed by the creditor for recovering the debt money. "An effective debt recovery strategy involves a combination of communication methods; such as, telephone, mail, visiting and so on" (Debt Recovery Guidelines, 2002, p.5). Of course, the manner of such contacts should not be oppressive or threatening, and must conform to t he accepted good practices. Implementing an effective UK debt recovery strategy is a priority for any business wishing to maximise its cash flow. Amongst nations, UK is mostly concerned to reform its debt recovery strategy and accordingly it has been continuously striving to erect a well-shaped debt recovery strategy. "Debt recovery procedures were significantly changed in 1999 following the reforms implemented by Lord Woolf after the Woolf report" (Debt recovery Agents, n.d.). Again, it is said that "[d]ebt recovery procedures and a corporate debt recovery policy were last approved by Cabinet in June 2006. The procedure relates to all types of debt i.e. Council Tax arrears, Business Rates and sundry debts" (Report of DCS, 2007, p.2). 3. Modes of Recovering Debt money Frequent Cash flow and the prompt

Managing Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Project - Essay Example Work based structure defines the scope and work effort relationship hierarchy of all commercialisation activities on the other hand; Gantt chart indicates general sequence and period that project activities will take. Critical path analysis (network) illustrates logical sequence of all project activities while earned value management technique measure the overall progress and performance of the project from the beginning to the end. The commercialisation project is expected to last for twenty-five weeks. The activities involved in the commercialisation of 100 ML are conducting market research, team building, marketing plan preparation, product launch, product promotions, acquisition of licenses and formal requirements, protection of property rights and distribution of the product to various selling points. For the team to plan and implement commercialization of 100 ML appropriately, the team members must be highly prepared and cohesive. This will be achieved when the leader clearly d efines company’s missions and vision; support innovation; make the team think success; value product and service superiority; pay attention to details; value all the team members and reward team work. Commercialisation of 100 ML is expected to cost Mobtech ?1727460. 1.0 Introduction Mobtech is one of the youngest mobile device developers in the market and has recently developed 100 More Life (ML) new mobile phone devices. The company intends to sell five hundred thousand 100 ML devices before the end of March 30, 2012. Production of the new mobile device is aimed at boosting company’s sales before the end of the first quarter of 2012. 100 ML is convenient to use, carry and has long lifespan. It is also sleek and will appeal to wide variety of customers globally. Commercialization of 100 ML will be undertaken by a team of eleven executives from the sales and marketing department and is expected to last for not more than twenty-five weeks. Project management is one of th e disciplines in professional and educational realms, which will enable sales and marketing team of Mobtech to manage commercialization of 100 ML effectively. Schwindt (2005) asserts that project management theory prescribes project management techniques and tools that are used to schedule, allocate resources and monitor as well as evaluate performance of any given project. The project management techniques and tools that are important in managing the marketing and sales project of Mobtech include work based structure, Gantt chart, critical path method and earned value management. The marketing and sales team of Mobtech is responsible for planning and implementing the entire project from the beginning to the end. However, they are free to engage industry a consultant in areas that they feel external input is critical for planning and implementing the sell of 100 ML mobile devices. To do this, they will borrow heavily from project management theory. The project plan will define proje ct objectives, strategies, monitoring and evaluation techniques as well as the budget. The sales and marketing cost will cover market research, team building, marketing plan preparation, product launch, advertisement, licenses and formal requirements, trademark, commissions and distribution. To prepare the project plan, sales and marketi

Division of Time table Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Division of Time table - Essay Example 300 min/wk General Science Biology Chemistry History & Social Studies 750 min/wk 750 min/wk 750 min/wk History Eastern History Western History Arts 100 min/wk 100 min/wk 200 min/wk Music Traditional Music Regional Music Humanities Livelihood 100 min/wk 100 min/wk 100 min/wk Home Economics Work Education Entrepreneurship Technology Integrated w/ above 100 min/wk 100 min/wk Computers Internet & Website Design, Computer Game Development Animation Health & Physical Education 100 min/wk 100 min/wk 100 min/wk Sports - Swimming Sports - Volleyball Sports - Basketball, Soccer Values 100 min/wk 100 min/wk 100 min/wk Values Values Values Explanation of Curriculum According to the U.S. Department of Education (2008), the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is an act to "close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind" It includes important provisions which specifically address mathematics, reading and language arts, and science, at the very least. As such different states have formulated their own academic standards to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act. In the Pennsylvania Code (2008), planned instruction for every year for K-2nd grade should include language arts, integrating reading, writing, phonics, spelling, listening, speaking, literature and grammar, and information management, including library skills; mathematics, including problem-solving and computation skills; science and technology education, involving active learning experiences for students; environment and ecology education, involving active learning experiences for students; social studies with civics and government, economics, geography and history; health, safety and physical education, including instruction in concepts and... afety and physical education, including instruction in concepts and skills which affect personal, family and community health and safety, nutrition, the prevention of alcohol, chemical and tobacco abuse, knowledge and practice of lifetime physical activities, personal fitness, basic movement skills and concepts, motor skill development, principles and strategies of movement, and safety practices in physical activity settings; the arts, including active learning experiences in art, music, dance and theatre. Planned instruction for 3rd to 5th grade shall include all the previously stated learning areas for K to 2nd grade, with the addition of instruction about agriculture and agricultural science within the science and technology and environment and ecology learning areas; and the understanding and use of library and other information sources.

Introduction to Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduction to Marketing - Essay Example To support this idea, in a 2006 article entitled A Look at the New Marketing Landscape, a study conducted by GlobalSpec revealed that there is a potential increase in online marketing spending (n.p.). In U.S. industrial and manufacturing sectors alone, there were 56 percent of these communities who have already signalled their intention to do so, while 7 percent plan to reduce marketing spending (A Look at the New Marketing Landscape, n.p.). As such, in Lee Traupel's The New Marketing Landscape, he named some emerging marketing patterns used to advertise businesses online such as "opt-in email campaigns, webcasts, search engine optimization and marketing, as well as portal site media and newsletter sponsorships" (n.p.). The use of these patterns is necessary to maintain business success since there are tons of companies online, where a lot of them offer the same products and seek the same audience (Ezilon.com, 2006, n.p.). Not all companies use the same marketing strategies though. Depending on their needs, businesses choose only those that are more appropriate to them. In the case of opt-in email campaigns, Dr Dave Chaffey asserts that its use has become ordinary for businesses because of its worldwide usage.

Marketing Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Marketing Communications - Essay Example This not only allowed compliance with the marketing plans, but also succeeded in directly addressing the issue of consumer behaviour. This study emphasizes on the strategic significance of communication and the long term effect on the consumers. In this study, one of the biggest telecommunication companies of UK, O2, has been chosen to evaluate its communication mix. In addition, a comparative study between O2 and one of its arch rivals, Vodafone, has also been carried out. The key findings were that both O2 and Vodafone use almost all the elements of communication mix, except direct and personal selling. Although, it has been found that Vodafone is currently enjoying a better position in the market with its strong promotions and better plans, but the study has also shown that O2 has the potential to outshine Vodafone. In this context, the company can use its wide range of offerings to compete with Vodafone. One of the major limitations of the study was that it has been able to carry out secondary research only. It is believed that some kind of primary research along with this would have increased its credibility. Table of Contents 2 Introduction 4 Competition between two Brands 5 Literature Review 8 Market Overview 10 Research Methodology 11 Analysis and Discussion 11 Conclusions & Recommendations 17 Appendix 19 Introduction This paper looks into the marketing strategies of O2 and presents an evaluative study of the current strategies adopted by the company in contrast to its competitor, Vodafone. However, prior to that, brief overview of both the companies will be presented. O2 Telefonica UK Limited, commonly known as O2, is a UK based Telecommunication Company and is owned by Telefonica. The company is considered as the second largest telecommunication company of UK, right after Vodafone. O2 is presently headquartered at Slough, Berkshire, United Kingdom. It was founded in the year 1983 and Cellnet was its predecessor. Apart from the telecommunication servic es, the company also operates in financial service industry and internet service providing industry. Ronan Dunne serves as the present CEO of the company. Since his takeover from the previous CEO, the company has managed to do very well and has also succeeded in maintaining high revenue. O2 offers 2G, 3G and 4G services across the country and in some other parts of Europe. Furthermore, along with the wireless services, the company is proactive in fixed line services as well. The company uses its name as the logo and tries to portray an image where it acts as oxygen to the consumers with its name O2. The company is also active in the fields of charity and for that, it has tied up with groups. One of them is Academy Music Group. Partnering with them, the company has established O2 academy. Vodafone Vodafone Group is a telecommunications company based in London (Vodafone, n.d.). The company has the registered office in Berkshire. The company has influential operations in the internatio nal market and occupies the position of the third-largest mobile telecommunications company, after China Mobile and Singtel in terms of total number of subscribers (Celtnet, 2013). In June 2011, the company had 381.72 million subscribers (Rediff, 2011). The company has expanded its operations in more than thirty countries. Additionally, it has network of business partners in more than forty countries, apart

Native Americans in the United States and Short Story Essay Example for Free

Native Americans in the United States and Short Story Essay Nacirema The â€Å"Body Ritual among the Nacirema† is a short story about a native American tribe. It wasn’t until more research on my part that I realized that this tribe did not exist. In fact it is a folk tale told in Miner’s own words. In true form Miner gives hint to this short story the Nacirema culture to that of the our culture today. Nacirema is in fact spelled â€Å"American†(Culture). The Nacirema has a hero named â€Å"Notgnihsaw† spelled â€Å"Washington† backwards. There are many similarities to this story as our American culture. Out of similarities Washington is our hero. He was the first President of the United States. Legend has it that Washington â€Å"threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River†, much like the Nacirema threw their native beads across their Pa-To-Mac River. Another story has Washington chopping down a cherry tree. But did Washington actually chop the tree down? â€Å"For he could not tell a lie†. As Americans we have rituals and cultural identities Every household has its â€Å"shrine† much like the Nacirema. Not all shrines are made alike. Is the â€Å"shrine† our homes, our churches, or our bathrooms? Shrines come in all walks of life. Miner gives the perception that the working class go to work and make money. If you have very little money your home is small much like a tent. The more money you make the bigger your home is which is made of brick and mortar. He discuses a specific â€Å"charm box† built into the wall (medicine cabinet). Within this box is collection of magical potions (medicine) where all members of the tribe have faith that he/she cannot live without. â€Å"The most powerful of these are the medicine men, whose assistance must be rewarded with substantial gifts. However, the medicine men do not provide the curative potions for their clients, but decide what the ingredients should be and then write them down in an ancient and secret language. This writing is understood only by the medicine men and by the herbalists who, for another gift, provide the required charm. †(Miner) This indicates folks going to the doctor that write the prescriptions to filled by the pharmacy. Miner talks about how members bow theirs heads in front of the box much like that of washing our hands. The Catholics have a similar ritual of dipping of the fingers in the â€Å"holy water† and doing the sign of the cross(Holy water) or kneeling before entering the pew(Religion:Manners in). The Nacirema have a morbid fascination with their mouths. If it â€Å"weren’t for the rituals of the mouth, they believed their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed. † If these things would have happened they believed their lovers would disown them. † â€Å"The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. †(Miner) This is much like the flossing or brushing of our teeth. The floss or bristles on our tooth brush we use is similar to the â€Å"hogs hairs. † The â€Å"magical powders† is that of the tooth paste we brush our teeth with. Miner maintains that the Americans right of passage in ways to throw off the readers. Themes as visiting the doctor, surgical operations, and sex are talked about. I initially didn’t take this story serious in reading it. After thorough research to get a better understanding of the writing I got a eye opening. This story reminds me much of a recent short story â€Å"A Modest Proposal†. Both has similarities of rituals and tales of people. I come from a family of rituals with last names that carry on from family to family or given the middle name of your mother first name. We are all meeting the needs of our own tribes whether it be the Americans, Nacirema or Vietnamese into how each is stereotyped.