The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Republic Essay Example for Free

The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Republic Essay Throughout the Roman republic and most of the empire, the Roman religion was polytheistic. The religion was based on the Greek religion and included multiple gods and goddesses who were anthropomorphic and cruel. However, during the first century of the Common Era, Judaism and â€Å"mystery religions† such as Mithraism, Eleusis, and Christianity were becoming increasing popular. Roman rule tried to control the spread of these religions but eventually Christianity became the chief religion of Rome and its empire. In the early stages of these new religions, Rome was surprisingly tolerant. Many rulers allowed citizens to practice these religions and asked only for simple patriotism and to recognize the holidays of Roman gods. Most Jews and Christians were uncooperative with this notion. In fact, many radical Jews and Christians emerged. A notable radical Jesus, who was an orthodox Jew, led and taught â€Å"the good news† to his followers. This stubborn disobedience enraged rulers such as Nero and Diocletian, who ordered for many Christian persecutions. Diocletian ordered that churches and sacred books be destroyed throughout the Empire. Nero is best known for a devastating fire which was rumored to have been started by Nero himself. He tried to end these rumors by punishing many Christians as a distraction. Persecutions were common and often resulted in death. Women were persecuted the same as men. Christians accepted Jesus as their messiah after he had been put to a gruesome death under the orders of Pilate. At this time, the Roman Empire was in economic turmoil and Christian persecutions were its last attempt at control. A major turning point in the history of Christianity occurred in 312 of the current era. The story is told that Constantine, Roman emperor during this time, had a dream telling him to decorate his shield with the Greek letters for Christ. When he did so and was victorious during battle, Constantine decided that he would convert to Christianity. Constantine also ended all persecutions and allowed all Christians to worship freely. Theodosius the Great took the work of Constantine a step further. He forbade any religion to be practiced except Christianity. This movement gave many more privileges to the church. Churches could now own property and were exempt from certain taxes. Christians were finally free to live and worship. The phenomenon of Christianity was not a battle won easily. There were many cruel and devastating punishments to those who practiced against Roman religion. Men and women were put to death or forced into hiding in the first century. However, as the population of Christians grew rapidly, Roman law found it necessary to revise laws and allow Christianity within the Empire. Christians had won the victory of faith and progressed onward through history.

The Concept Of Social Exclusion Social Work Essay

The Concept Of Social Exclusion Social Work Essay This essay will discuss the origins of social exclusion, explain its meaning and the impact that it can have on groups and individuals in society. It will also describe the significance of social exclusion on people who may experience mental health problems; how government reform has been focusing on raising awareness and also why poverty is very much attached to people who experience social exclusion. It will discuss the greater divide that is being created between the rich and Poor and will also highlight the three discourses and the serious implications and consequences that people who experience these have to live with on a daily basis. It will talk about community care and how the system in which the NHS operates frequently seems to pay little attention to people with disabilities or mental health disorders and how the media should have a large part to play in emphasising the negative attention given to mental health issues. (Pearson, 2010) Believed that social exclusion often had different meanings to various people and was a controversial subject which usually provoked extensive debate and widespread discussion. There were two different meanings to social exclusion. The first referred to was when an individual isolated and detached themselves from society, the second, how society treated people differently and made decisions that affected the lives of individuals, creating feelings of, powerlessness, injustice and inequality. Social Exclusion first originated in France during the 1970s. It arose from groups in society being subjected to rejection or being marginalised and cut off from society. It meant that people, who were disabled, in receipt of benefits or those who may have been asylum seekers, frequently lacked any rights or access to any organisations that could represent or support their needs. The Labour government (December 1997) first introduced the (SETF) The Social Exclusion Task force when they realised that there was a significant need to focus on families which were identified as being either excluded, dysfunctional or both. According to (Jack, 2000) In 1998 a report led by the social exclusion unit revealed that residents who lived in deprived and run down areas often disliked their estates due to the lack of amenities, crime, vandalism, and the fear of violence and drug dealers. (Sheppard, 2006) stated that People who lived in poverty and hardship were socially excluded which caused concern for social workers. However people who struggled to fit in or suffered dispossession were not the only ones excluded from society as other groups within society were marginalised as well. During 1999 the Labour government set up the National Service Framework (NSF) for mental health in order to improve services for people who suffered with mental health problems. The Seven standards service policy was implemented to promote wellbeing and to eliminate social exclusion. In addition the service wanted to deliver intervention to reduce hospital admissions whilst also being cost effective. Mental Health has been viewed poorly in the terms of acknowledgement and given less priority and little recognition in relation to policy makers and the general public because of the lack understanding, ignorance and fear. Mental health was deemed as the Cinderella service of The National Health Service. This is why the government made the decision to develop the (NSF) (Wilson, et al., 2008) (Lanyard, 2005) stated that NHS resources were limited. Service users frequently complained of the lack of services, only 8% had ever seen a Psychiatrist and 3% a Psychologist, which was also combined with a long waiting list. People who were depressed often tended to spend little time with their GP and when they did have the courage to see them were usually only offered anti-depressants as a solution. However in comparison a person with other medical needs such as heart problems or cancer sufferers were automatically referred to a specialist. According to research, the numbers of people now experiencing mental health disorders had grown dramatically in recent years and included people who came from a range of backgrounds and classes. Christians (Pantazis, et al., 2006) pg. 285/286 believed that Policies from central government had identified issues surrounding mental health and taken into consideration the difficulties and adversity in relation to individuals who experienced mental health issues, and on that basis how mental health could suffer and deteriorate as a result of social exclusion. The government had attempted to eradicate exclusion. There was substantial evidence to believe that social exclusion and poverty were characteristics that contributed to mental health problems and it also became abundantly clear that health and poverty were very much related and were difficult and challenging issues to combat. (Gough, et al., 2006, p. 3) Stated that variations of household income and poor health and education did impact on individuals causing communities to breakdown. (Kirby, et al., 2000) Stated that one of the criticisms of the welfare state was intuitionalism of people who suffered from mental health issues; therefore a framework of community care was developed resulting in care being provided within the home and community setting or separate institutions. The main problems with community care was that there was often little funding and community support, which subsequently resulted in increased suicide rates and homelessness therefore this raised concerns regarding the overall effectiveness of community care. (Minister, 2004) stated that Research had shown that discrimination and attitudes towards people who suffered from mental health problems still remained poor and inappropriate. Most employers would not employ someone with a mental health problem. People in the community struggled to access resources and in addition were excluded from the law in relation to jury service. (Thornicroft, 2006) stated that over the last 50 years employment statistics showed that people who suffered from mental health problems had declined within the workforce. Employers tended to discriminate against individuals with long term mental health problems especially people who had Schizophrenia. Therefore finding work could be difficult for people who experienced mental health problems. (Golightley, 2011) Felt that there was little research in the area of groups of people who had profound needs or disabilities, including the deaf, those with special needs or learning disabilities or even those with mental health issues. Mental health services often adopted the preconception that most people who used the service could hear and were White British. It was fundamentally important for professionals not to pigeonhole people and to understand why there may have been changes in behaviour. It was important to remember that challenging behaviour could be linked to the mental health of the individual and not necessarily be due to the disability that they were suffering from. Young people who were from asylum seeker families and refugees who had suffered trauma and experienced racism felt socially excluded from society. Experience informed us that stress brought on mental disorders; however there was no existing proof that this was the case. Families and children who experienced emotional abuse may have felt isolated resulting in mental health problems. (Watkins, 2009) Stated that attempts had been made to try and change peoples perception towards mental illness; unfortunately with little effect. Poor views still remained strong towards mental illness with the opinion that people who were mentally ill behaved irrationally and displayed aggressive behaviour. The media was a very negative force and exacerbated stereotypical views. (Cutcliffe, 2001) Also believed the media increased poor representation of mental illness and portrayed people suffering with mental illness as violent and dangerous, therefore promoting stigma and further ostracism from the public. The tabloids helped develop hysteria and could be a very powerful resource that influenced poor perception of mental illness and ignited outrageous high levels of public ignorance. (Anderson, 2003) Stated that views are similar, in that films have been produced and have often used destructive language. For example Psycho and the One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest are both films that have had an impact and lasting effect on individuals and influenced and formed peoples perception of what mental illness was seen to be. Loneliness and feelings of despair encompassed the lives of the individuals with mental health disorders, even when there was contact with family or friends, the feelings of isolation could still remain. Deeper depression and low self-esteem tended to increase due to a lack of activity and structure within their lives. In the long term this could result in the individual developing feelings of self-worthlessness and forming a poor view of themselves with a feeling that they were not contributing anything to society. This could eventually result in the individual removing themselves from any form of social contact or interaction. (Granerud Severinsson, 2006) (Levitas, 2005) discussed the three discourses in relation to social exclusion. In British Politics the main objective was to reveal the three versions of account to social exclusion. RED the redistributionist discourse is primarily related to poverty and lack of materials and access to resources and inequality. The lack of provisions appeared to be the underlying cause, some people would say that through redistribution of wealth and taxation poverty would be eliminated. (MUD) The Moral Underclass Discourse applied to attitudes towards moral obligations in relation to neighbourhoods and communities and the belief that people who resided in poor neighbourhoods and who were in receipt of low incomes were more likely to experience criminal behaviours or be unemployed. It was very much aimed at gender such as fathers who failed to pay child support and young males who chose crime as part of life or single unmarried mothers. A society that held these values could often believe this behaviour was acceptable. (Hills, et al., 2002) Stated that both Upper and lower classes were similar in many ways, and had more in common than it may have been thought. People who experienced deprivation and resided in poor ghetto areas were more likely to have had little police protection. However, in contrast the wealthy of gated communities would usually have their own security. In addition the poor tended not to vote, whereas the wealthy did not need to as they usually had connections to political parties by funding organisations. (SID) Social Integration Discourse was emphasised on the labour market and influenced by the Labour Government, it featured some of the RED but felt exclusion came from the labour market. (Berns, 2007) stated that People who suffered mental disorders experienced poverty and economic pressure which impacted on their self-esteem. Consequently they could struggle to either sustain jobs, or take up training and education because of feelings of hopelessness, therefore making it impossible to alleviate poverty and improve life chances. Through evidence and research my conclusion is that there is much more to be done for people who experience mental health problems. I have discovered that peoples attitudes, ignorance and biased views towards mental health are formed by opinion rather than understanding. Throughout this essay I have confirmed that social exclusion exists within services and society. The NHS budget on mental health is limited and substantially small in comparison to other medical conditions and as a consequence many medical staff and professionals still carry the preconception that medication is the only answer to the problem. There is little intervention in relation to therapy, counselling or alternative approaches which in turn could be more productive and rewarding. With small amounts of money spent on resources and little effort being put into care and rehabilitation, there is less chance to enhance the lives of the most socially excluded. Equally people with mental health often suffer within the workplace and can experience further prejudice and discrimination, coupled with feelings of guilt and hopelessness for not fully participating in the work force. Sufferers of mental health can also often feel rejected by society and feel ostracised for having what they feel is a mind that is broken. However in comparison to this, physical conditions are frequently met with sympathy, warmth and understanding. The media can be responsible for reinforcing negative public views and in promoting stigma and fear towards mental illness. Leitvats discussed the three discourses and looked at the holistic features that impacted on the socially excluded. I feel all three categories relate to people who are suffering with mental health problems. The government needs to do more to eradicate discrimination and aim to highlight positive attention and awareness to change peoples perception. (Commission, 2012) Stated that to encourage a quality of life and wellbeing and opportunities for people with mental disorders there needs to be radical changes in order to prosper and gain employment and to feel part of the community. To feel included would be the ultimate freedom but what a massive task it will be in order for this to be fulfilled. There is hope however, with new and innovative campaigns being introduced such as The Time to Change campaign, which is funded by the (DOH) and which is being supported by many celebrities, such as Gary Lineker and Stephen Fry. This is a positive step forward as many celebrities are now opening up and being prepared to speak out about their own experiences with mental health problems. In the long term this can only benefit society in raising awareness and changing attitudes towards the stigma that mental health carries. Word Count ,2193.

Indian air force

Indian air force CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Indian Air Force is undergoing a major shift in the field of technology and information warfare which requires the steady infusion of new technology and modernization and replacement of equipment. However, material superiority alone is not sufficient. Of greater importance is the development of doctrine, organizations, training and education, leaders and people that effectively take advantage of the technology. While fancy gadgets are nice, technology will not achieve full spectrum dominance without knowledgeable people. Professional continuing education can bridge that gap. In the bilateral exercises with the air forces of USA, UK, FRANCE, SOUTH AFRICA, SINGAPORE and RUSSIA, our men and machines put up outstanding performances making the world take notice of our exceptional professionalism. Besides exercises, the contribution of IAF detachments in peace keeping operations too has been exemplary[ii]. At the same time, IAF is undergoing unprecedented historical changes. From being a sub- continental force, it is transforming itself to become a force having continental reach and effect. We are acquiring state of the art equipment and technology and are linking ourselves with space. The modernization process includes acquisition of AWACS, additional Air to Air Refuellers, Aerostats and high technology aircraft and precision weapon system[iii]. All this is planned to be achieved by year 2022. Obviously, the technological environment surrounding military members will be very different than the one today[iv]. A full-fledged war is unlikely[v]. The expected nature of conflict could be asymmetric warfare. The military conflicts that do occur will probably be limited in terms of objective, area, force utilization and time; but the perpetrators and the responders will both use the military only as one part of a closely integrated multidimensional effort[vi]. Civil and military interaction would be inescapable. Psychological warfare (PSYOPS) and effective utilization of the media would be the indelible ingredients of the coercion process[vii]. All this would require the officers to handle a large amount of information which would be time consuming and tiring both physically and mentally. They would be required to understand the political, economic, diplomatic, technical and military environment. Most of the operations would be joint and a cyber war would add another challenge. Therefore, there is today a need to evolve an effective Professional Military Education (PME) program to develop future Aerospace leaders who are able to quickly understand the complexities of the prevailing situation and appropriately apply the highly potent capabilities of Aerospace power to achieve the desired results most cost effectively. METHODOLOGY STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This paper focuses on Professional Military Education (PME) requirements of the officer cadre in view of the transformation of the Indian Air Force by 2030. HYPOTHESIS India is likely to grow ten times bigger by the year 2050[viii]. In consonance with the emergence of an economically strong and technologically advanced India, its role in global affairs is likely to increase further. The young officers would get more exposure in working along with air forces of the other countries. They may be required to project Indias views on complex issues in international fora. This would require them to possess greater cognitive skills and better cultural awareness of international politics in general and of South Asia in particular. With the technology advancement in the inventory of the IAF there would be a requirement of exploiting technology to its maximum effect. Also, the large scale data base of information would pose difficulties to the officer in decision making. While hardware is important, it is converted into capabilities by people. Aerospace power requires highly-skilled and impeccably trained personnel. Also, in aviation, optimum performance usua lly lies close to safety margins, which brings in the concern of costs both in human and material terms. Attracting quality youth, training and retaining them is another of IAFs challenges. Inculcating qualities of leadership and innovativeness and ushering in meritocracy and productivity are important on our agenda. However, the expanding civil aviation sector exerts a huge pull on this resource and we are doing our best to blend personal aspirations with organisational compulsions. We need Government support to make this happen. Updating of skills is an associated challenge, for which international exposure has been very useful. But in the long run we might need an Air University. Again, if our manning is adequate, we would be able to send our people on sabbaticals of higher learning. As the hardware changes, new capacities and capabilities are generated that sometimes radically alter the way we do business. And it is hard to do things differently with the old processes, interfac es and organisational structures. Keeping pace and adapting to the changes, as an organisation, is another challenge. JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY India will emerge as a major regional power in the early 21st century and IAF organisations capabilities will, to a significant degree influence the outcome of future wars in our region[ix]. No other profession demand more of a human being, than the military profession[x]. It is noteworthy that, despite the responsibilities attached to the man in uniform, very little has been written about the kind of education that he undergoes. While IAFs vision 2020 gives the force structure in the future battlefield scenarios it neither talks about how the IAF would be providing PME to the future leaders nor the infrastructural requirements to meet the demands. Today, we stand astride a transitional period, as the machine age moves into the information age[xi].New technologies are increasing our military capability almost daily which has resulted in exponential increase in the complexity of the modern battlefield. The challenges before us place an enormous intellectual demand upon our military professionals[xii]. In our urgency to adopt technological transformation, we are neglecting the human side of the equation. We have plans to advance our weapon technologies, but a similar commitment is not seen to advance our officers understanding of the art of warfare. The complexity of the modern battlefield requires a deeper understanding of the operational art of war for which we need to push the joint professional military education system to meet that need. It must give students the intellectual tools they need to fight the next war- not the war they are fighting today. SCOPE This study addresses the PME requirements of the officer cadre in view of the emerging technological changes brought out in the organization by year 2030 as a result of Revolution in Military Affairs. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS PME Is intended to provide the student with three critical kinds of knowledge: the ethos, culture and core values of his or her service; the technical and tactical skills appropriate to how that service wages war; and most importantly, the wisdom and judgement to be applied in a multiplicity of situations[xiii]. Military education and training is a process which intends to establish and improve the capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles. Military education can be voluntary or compulsory duty. Before any person gets authorisation to operate technical equipment or be on the battle field, they must take a medical and often a physical test. If passed, they may begin primary training[xiv]. The military concept of Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) is a theory about the future of warfare, often connected to technological and organizational recommendations for change in the United States military and others. Especially tied to modern information, communications, and space technology, RMA is often linked to current discussions under the label of Transformation and total systems integration in the US military[xv]. Continuum of Learning links Education, Training and Experience through an officers career to produce the right person at the right place and time to achieve AF missions[xvi]. Knowledge management is the end-to-end continuous process that describes the systematic creation, acquisition, integration, distribution, application and archiving of knowledge to drive behaviour and actions which support organisational objectives and mission accomplishment. METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION Despite being a very contemporary topic, not many books/ publications have been written on it. The data for this paper has been collected mainly from the books, periodicals, college lectures and various sites on the internet. Bibliography is placed at the end of the text. ORGANISATION OF THE DISSERTATION It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner:- Chapter 1- Introduction and Methodology. Chapter 2- Transformation of the IAF by 2030. Chapter 3- Recent Training Developments in IAF. Chapter 4- PME and Technological Challenges. Chapter 5- Concepts on Future of Air Force Education and Training. Chapter 6 Desired Traits in Future Leaders. Chapter 7- Officers Professional Military Education Policy: US Armed Forces. Chapter 8- Limitations in PME. Chapter 9- Recommendations: Educational Requirements Chapter 10- Conclusion. CHAPTER III TRANSFORMATION OF THE IAF BY 2030 Enhancing Combat Power Two eventful developments have made it easier to predict the shape of the IAF in 2030. First was the emergence of India as the new economic powerhouse; second, was the IAFs growing aspirations to transform itself from a mere sub-continental, strategic aerospace power in conformity with other leading air forces in the world[xvii]. The IAF would be required to acquire comprehensive capabilities cauterised by flexibility, quick response, mobility and transportability of all forms of national power, as well as, long reach and precision targeting firepower with minimal collateral damage. The IAF is at present struggling with a depleted strength of around 30 squadrons[xviii]. Therefore, IAF will have to embark on a modernisation plan coupled with a comprehensive inventory augmentation programme to build up its combat force to the desired levels. The aim would be to augment the squadron strength to 45 squadrons by 2030[xix]. This would amount to approximately 900 combat aircraft[xx]. In addition to this the IAF would induct large no of Heavy Lift and Medium Transport Aircraft. The helicopter fleet would induct sophisticated platforms like Apache AH-64 and the LCH. The force multipliers would include the IL-78, FRA, AWACS, AEWC aircraft. UAVs would play an important role in not only war but also in Operations Other Than War. The IACCS, AFNET and the Defence communication Network would provide large information to the user and require 24 hour monitoring. To cater for this large inventory the requirement would be of focussed logistics and the maintenance setup which again would be dominated by the technology. By 2030 new areas of expertise and specialisation may be necessary. In 2030, we may find it necessary to deploy space warriors, or hackers, instead of (or in addition to) a more traditional military force. Future Warfare The first important consideration is that all military action against the two major adversaries, China and Pakistan, would be taken under the shadow of proclaimed nuclear capabilities. Secondly, the operating environment and manoeuvre space for the armed forces will be increasingly restricted due to various factors, such as need to minimise collateral damage, legal and international issues and media glare. Last, but not the least, would be the increased relevance of technological dominance in the conduct of operations, irrespective of the level of conflict[xxi]. A typical air campaign will be executed at a very high intensity and with reduced Decision Cycles'[xxii]. All assets would be networked to such an extent, that they will provide total transparency of the battle-space, so as to dominate the operational environment, through control over the domains of Information, Space and Cyberspace. ISR assets on station would provide real time intelligence and targeting assessment that would permit switching of responses instantaneously, as the battle progresses. Such flexibility and responsiveness would be possible only by the networking of all elements on a secure and robust architecture, which will enable distribution and access to all kinds of data. Possession of these capabilities and flexibility in their employment will hold the key to success in both conventional and sub-conventional scenarios. CHAPTER IV RECENT TRAINING DEVELOPMENTS IN IAF In the year 2005, a review of training courses was carried out by Air HQ and HQ TC to overcome some of the existing limitations[xxiii]. The aim was to reduce the duration of absence of officers from the operational units, streamline the course syllabi and provide Just in Time training. It was felt that the basic learning should be carried out more by Distance Education with a short contact programme. Distance Education leverages existing technology to provide learning to wider audience at different locations and that too at low cost[xxiv]. In addition, all the courses were graded and the Grade Point Average is now linked with promotions. In the new system, instead of JCC, there is Basic Air Staff Course at AFAC for all officers with minimum 03 years service, Basic Professional Knowledge Course for all aircrew with minimum 4.5 years service, Intermediate Air Staff Course at AFAC for all officers with minimum 07 years service, QFI/FCL/TP courses between 08-11 yrs, Advance Professional Knowledge Course with minimum 9.5 years service, Advance Air Staff Course between 10-12 years and HACC between 19-21 years of service. The main benefits of the new training policy is that in a methodical manner, wider number of officers benefit from these courses, as some of them are mandatory for all officers to attend, current issues get speedier dissemination to a wider audience and knowledge bank gets continuously updated as information eventually would be available at Air Force WAN. There would be two sets of mandatory courses each year that itself will constitute two parts; the first part would be Distance Learning (DL) and the second part Contact Program (CP) at an appropriate location. The Air Force Academy shoulders the prime responsibility of initiating the leadership development program in the IAF[xxv]. The essential focus at AFA is on teaching basic flying skills, enhancing knowledge on flying related subject and air and space issues and developing physical and mental toughness. When the young officers reach the operational units, the responsibility for continuing with their leadership development process lies with the Commanding Officer/Station Commander. For the pilots, initially the officer focuses on learning how to fly an advanced ac and how to use it as weapon system. Subsequently, he is taught how to lead in air. Flying itself relates to an unknown environment and to an extent develops physical courage. Whilst they are learning advanced flying skills, they are also exposed to secondary duties that deal with administrative aspects like Adjutant, UFSIO or Oi/c messes, though in an adhoc fashion. During the formative years, there is very little structured exposure for the pilots towards administering and leading men on ground. This deficiency stand out when they become Commanding Officers and have to perform administrative functions too[xxvi]. After few years of service, the young officer is eligible to undergo BASCO/BPKC[xxvii]. The AFAC teaches him basis aspects related to administration, AF Law, Psychology, Leadership and Airpower. CAW teaches aspects related to airpower employment to flying branch officers. At TACDE, the fighter and helicopter aircrew learn qualities of leadership in air, while undertaking FCL/FSL/HCL/MFC/SAGW courses. Subsequently, the officer undergoes ISCO/APKC. However, the training of young leaders till now deals only at the tactical level. The next step in the officers leadership development program is to undertake the Air Staff Course at DSSC, Wellington. The course exposes officers to perform effectively in Command and Staff appointments tenable by Sqn Ldrs to Group Captain ranks. After the officer has finished command of a unit, he could be detailed for Higher Air Command (HACC)/Higher Command/ Naval Higher Command Courses at College of Air Warfare / Army War College / College of Naval Warfare or for Higher defence Management Course (HDMC) at CDM. The aim of HACC is to train selected officers of the three services to occupy senior Command and Staff appointments, who will be involved in planning and conduct of operations and for command of stations. However, only selected officers undergo such courses. NDC is the last structured course on national security and strategic studies in the leadership development process[xxviii]. This is pitched at the grand strategic and strategic level to provide insight into issues related to national security and higher leadership requirements. CHAPTER V PME AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES The new military soldiers, who use their brains, can deal with a diversity of people and cultures, who can tolerate ambiguity, take initiative, and ask questions, even to the point of questioning authority. The willingness to ask and think may be more prevalent in the US armed forces than in many businesses. As in the civilian economy, fewer people with intelligent technology can accomplish more than a lot of people with the brute-force tools of the past[xxix]. Alvin Toffler The challenge before us is to absorb new technologies and translate them into operational effectiveness. Managing this period of transition is the task before all of us and we are confident that we shall find new and innovative ways to fully exploit our new inductions[xxx] . Air Chief Marshal PV Naik Technology is one of the factors necessary to meet the capability requirements of PME 2030. Trends in technology today, in general indicate the technological fields of the future will be tremendously fertile and highly affordable[xxxi] . This would help people to connect to each other easily, access data and to train computer networks to automatically gather and analyze data based on user demands. Virtual reality is being used now as one solution to the information overload[xxxii]. Automated assistants with even greater capabilities will ensure current and relevant information tailored to his or her needs and background. The military services are actively developing artificial intelligence and expert systems to aid humans digest information and act on it[xxxiii]. For example, the systems are been developed for analysing radar signatures, labelling automatically generated situations and air-to-air encounters, planning for contingencies, diagonising maintenance problems on aircraft, playing the role of intelligent opponent in war games, developing attack strategies for complex targets, helping to detect the counter C3 countermeasures, providing advice on allocation decisions and even predicting likely locations and times of outbreaks of violence. The pace of technological improvements will continue to accelerate. Exponential change will be the norm. Increases in computing power, graphics and bandwidth will lead to advancements in visualisation, modelling, simulation and animation[xxxiv]. Therefore, our PME system must respond to the exploding technological and informational environment, evolving personnel characteristics and the fiscal constraints. Obviously, the technological environment surrounding military members will be very different than the one today[xxxv]. It will include commonplace use of artificial intelligence, intense miniaturisation, expert systems, virtual and artificial realities and automated computer assistants. Therefore PME 2030 must harness this technology to educate the entire military force. Since, the rate of change in technology and the rate of growth in available information increase every day, all the technological advances mean that by 2030, information needs will grow exponentially and the amount of new information will be astronomical. Without careful planning and information- handling skills, the decision makers of the future will be susceptible to analysis paralysis[xxxvi]. Handling Space would be another challenge in any future vision of the IAF. In his book The Next Hundred Years, George Friedman predicts the possibility of the next Great War being fought almost entirely in space. By about 2050, he suggests the US would operate huge space stations- which he calls Battlestars after the popular TV series-that would serve not only as weapon platforms but as command and control centres to manage conflicts on the Earths surface[xxxvii]. One system of satellites alone generates more than 10 quadrillion bytes of information about the Earth, equal to about 10 billion books[xxxviii] . This will pose difficulties to military analysts in determining and locating the critical information which can mean life-or-death and success-or-failure in the combat environments of 2030. The military education system must help analysts and operational units by determining which methods and technologies will be needed. CHAPTER VI CONCEPTS ON FUTURE OF AIR FORCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING We have all heard the phrase flexibility is the key to airpower. I would like to add that Knowledge- Enabled Airmen are the key to flexibility[xxxix]. Michael W. Wyne The concepts that are essential to meet the needs of the future Air Force and defines one approach to the future of education and training are[xl]:- Knowledge Management. Continuous Learning. Precision Learning. The requirement is to develop and field systems that are not just network-centric, but knowledge-centric. For the air force of the 21st century to be agile, adaptive and learning organisation it must embrace change, accept risk, cope with reverses and learn to reinvent itself constantly[xli]. To achieve this we need to transform our existing education and training system to build a future learning organisation employing new learning concepts and leveraging new technology. The future Air Force must successfully operate in and dominate not only the domains of air, space and cyberspace, but the cognitive domain as well[xlii]. The cognitive domain exists in the human mind and involves information processing. Therefore, IAF must focus its transformation efforts to achieve superiority in the cognitive domain and to achieve cognitive and learning superiority; the air force must develop a new learning culture. Future Learning Knowledge Management Knowledge management is the end-to-end continuous process that describes the systematic creation, acquisition, integration, distribution, application and archiving of knowledge to drive behaviour and actions which support organisational objectives and mission accomplishment[xliii]. Knowledge management captures both existing and newly created information and knowledge, stores it in an enterprise knowledge base through which information can be distributed, shared and accessed by the officers to support both learning when and where needed and the application of knowledge and skills to perform assigned tasks and solve problems. Officers need to be more creative and innovative to solve tomorrows problems. Therefore, access to a dynamic knowledge base will provide closer integration between training and operations. In the IAF there is a requirement of a major cultural change to become a learning organisation. Air force knowledge management system will be revolutionary, leveraging existing efforts and rapid technological advancements. The requirement is not only to train the way we fight but to fight the way we train using the same knowledge databases, networks and technologies. With the development of the AFNET, The IAF has a unique opportunity to leverage new technologies to advance the knowledge management concept. This can serve as a potential platform for the delivery of services supporting future learning systems and the distribution and application of knowledge. As the culture of learning is instituted in the organisation, it would be easier to master the cognitive domain. Continuous Learning In the future wars highly skilled and educated Air warriors would be required[xliv]. The key to personal and organisational growth in the Air Force, and development of officers dealing with complex missions operating in air, space and cyberspace is continuous learning. Continuous learning focuses on the development of the officer from before commissioning through retirement and beyond. This concept is consistent with the continuum of learning. It allows the officer to individually recognise the right skills, knowledge and the aptitude they need to accomplish assigned tasks and missions. This requires a systematic and holistic approach so as to provide the right education, training and experiences at the right time. The basic principles embodied in continuous learning include[xlv] :- (a) Recruit the best and brightest candidates who can learn and operate in the future Air Force. (b) Offer effects- based learning opportunities based on learning objectives and outcomes. (c) Provide career long progression through deliberate education, training and experimental opportunities to enable officers reach their full potential. (d) Provide learning opportunities on demand. (e) Provide a push and pull system to make learning opportunities available when and where appropriate to enable a sustainable military advantage. (f) Leverage operational competence and tactical expertise through timely education, training and experience. (g) Development supported by leaders who internalise and visibly espouse the vision, values, climate, motivation and behaviours that constitute the new learning environment. Training, education and experimental learning power continuous learning[xlvi]. Therefore, it would be important to use these means to develop the appropriate combination of specialists and generalists to meet the mission requirements. Future officers would be required to perform a wide variety of functions, enabled by new technologies, new learning paradigms and robust knowledge management systems. Continuous education offer a good opportunity to reduce skill decay, keep skills current and remain informed of the latest technological changes and developments in the field. Two factors which epitomise the need for continuous learning are critical thinking and problem solving skills[xlvii]. With the process of continuous learning the critical thinking will no longer be restricted to the senior Air Force leaders. One of the most challenging skills to develop is leadership at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Successful application of human judgment to orchestrate mission success requires much more than force of personality. In the future, it will require a greater ability to multi-task, prioritize subordinate actions, and assimilate vast amounts of information while fostering collaboration. Some leadership scenarios must be executed in an atmosphere of maximum situational awareness, while others may impose an information-limited setting. Application of modern leadership will necessitate new methods in the way we train and educate current and future leaders. All education and training programs, including advanced operational training and Professional Military Education (PME), will adapt to the needs, skills and training proclivities of Generation Y- the Millenials. According to Mark Prensky, Millenials are considered Digital Natives because they: are all native speakers of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet. Those of us who were not born into the digital world but have, at some later point in our lives, become fascinated by and adopted many or most aspects of the new technology are Digital Immigrants. Digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast. They like to parallel process and multi-task. They prefer their graphics before their text rather than the opposite. They prefer random access (like hypertext). They function best when networked. They thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards. They prefer games to serious work. To address these needs, courseware that is interactive and multi-media enhanced will be available through a next generation distributed learning system that will offer live, virtual, and constructive scenarios for development of all officers. These capabilities will enhance the decision-making, communication, and negotiation skills that are critical for senior leadership. Distance learning will evolve from basic enrolment in computer and web-based courses to virtual learning environments that support online collaboration and classes taught by both live and virtual instructors. Precision Learning Precision learning delivers the appropriate education, training, or experience at the right time and place, in the right format, to generate the right effect. Precision learning relies on customised learning, mass collaboration, push and pull learning systems, distributed learning opportunities, increased use of simulated and virtual technology, and enhanced use of visualization technologies. It focuses learning on the learner[xlviii]. This would provide the officer access to the knowledge base through mobile or internet and organised by the advanced knowledge management systems. Precision learning has the potential to enrich the learning experience and increase effectiveness while reducing the cost of instruction and increasing efficiency. The delivery of training and education must be flexible and permit schedule, delivery and media formats tailored to individual needs. It will deliver customised course material based on each students ability to learn. CHAPTER VII DESIRED TRAITS IN FUTURE LEADERS Professional attainment, based upon prolonged study, and collective study at colleges, rank by rank and age by age-those are the title reeds of the commanders of future armies, and the secret of future victories[xlix]. -Winston Churchill, 1946 Having seen the variables that are likely to affect future leadership, let us examine the traits that need to be present in future leaders to overcome these uncertainties. Although these traits were required earlier too in

Conformity:The Greek Society Essay -- essays research papers

Conformity: The Greek Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conformity, on a daily basis we conform to the social norms set forth before us by our friends, family and past experiences. Group cohesiveness (the desire to which one has to be in and is attracted to the group) greatly increases conformity. Enter Greek life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We have all seen them, parading down the halls, across campus, and in the Student Union. Strutting around with their number one symbols of pride across their backs or chests, on a sleeve, a pin or hat, GREEKS. Going Greek is a social decision as one enters college. You either are or are not a Greek, which creates a rather noticeable IngroupOutgroup situation, and millions of stereotypes between both Greeks and Independents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To some Independents, Greeks are seen as followers, conformists, who joined simply to ?buy their friends? and some Greeks see Independents as ?GDIs (God Damned Independents, for lack of better definition), people who are losers because they won?t join, for whatever reason. It has been said that ?From the outside looking in you will never understand it, and from the inside looking out you can not explain it.?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Greeks more predominately create the sense of IngroupOutgroup. It is very simple to see who is part of the group and who is not. It is pretty obvious from the blaring letters, ringing chants, songs, and stories that you are part of the group. From the Greek point of view there are 3 types of groups, Fraternity Men& Sorority Women, Pledges, and everyone else. You are either in or out it is that, plain and simple. You have either chose to conform to the ideals of your perspective organization or you have chosen not to be a part.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are sub divisions of the In-group, as far as the different organizations; you are a Sig-Kap, TKE, Skull, AST, etc. This is turn creates In-groups amongst the In-group. Each individual organization sees themselves as ?good? and in turn everyone else is ?bad.? Which is a predominate theme in IngroupOutgroup Theory.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Greeks call this ?pride?, conforming to these beliefs is part of the whole Greek concept. Through the pledging process you are taught the ways of the organization, how members are expected to ... ..., Luigi, Katia Vanzetto, and others; The   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  explicit and implicit perception of in-groups   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  members who use stereotypes: Blatant rejection but   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  subtle conformity. Journal of Experimental Social   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Psychology. Sep 2001, Vol 37, pp. 419-426. Pendry, Louise; Carrick, Rachael, Doing what the mob   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  do: Priming effects on conformity. European   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Journal of Social Psychology. Vol 31, Jan-Feb   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2001. pp.83-92 Robinson, Frank; Campaigns for Conformity. Journal of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American College Health. May2001, Vol. 49 Issue 6,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  pp. 316-318. Rose, Randall L., Bearden, William O., Manning, Kenneth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Attributions and Conformity in Illicit   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consumption: The Mediating Role of Group   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Attractiveness. Journal of Public Policy &   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marketing. Spring 2001, Vol. 20 Issue 1, p84, 9p   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Dulce et Decorum est, by Wilfred Owen. Essay -- English Literature

Dulce et Decorum est, by Wilfred Owen. The First World War was an event that brought to many people, pain, sorrow and bitterness. Accounts of the war shows that no other war challenged existing conventions, morals and ideals in the same way as did World War. Many people touched by the terrror of the war have written pieces of literature about the massacre that was World War 1, wishing people to understand the horror and tragedy that befell those involved. "Dulce et Decorum est", by Wilfred Owen, is one such elegy that presents to the reader a vivid, horrifying description of World War 1, aiming to illustrate that war is not romantic and heroic, but a senseless and devastating event. In this poem, techniques such as imagery, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia and contrast are used to express Owen's angry and bitter view towards what happened in the war. "Dulce et Decorum Est" uses strong images to convey Owen's feelings about the war, and to force the reader to take his view. Ghastly pictures of the war occur throughout the poem, largely in the last stanza, working together to present a vivid picture of the war. These images, utilised by Owen, show the ultimate irony and the moral of the poem, that it is not in fact a sweet fate to die for one's country even though others may think it heroic. This irony is illustrated using juxtaposition at the end of the poem. The men who enlist are "innocent", they are "children" who have learned that war is full of "high zest" and this makes them "ardent for some desperate glory". These innocent boys are willing to believe the Lie but will think differently once they experience the war first hand. Descriptive language is used throughout the poem to evoke specif... ...rd "drowning" is repeated twice to imprint on the reader's mind the effect the gas had on the soldier. The language used also helps to give a stronger impact on the reader by involving the use of one of the reader's five senses. In "Dulce et decorum est", onomatopoeia is used to enhance the effect of the poem, by involving the reader's sense of hearing. Words such as "guttering", "gargling" and "choking" are used to emphasise the horrific sounds of a man dying from gas, as the sounds of the words can be likened to what they are describing. The reader's attention does not wander throughout the poem because of Owen's consistent imagery. By the end of the poem, the reader can fully appreciate the irony between the truth of what happens in the trenches and the Lie being told at home. It is this attention to form and imagery that makes the poem effective.

Governments advance Essay

As man advances in his everyday life, the governments advance in warfare technology too1. New sophisticated weaponry changed warfare tactics and warfare became a vastly advanced art. The crude techniques were quickly replaced with refined ones. The increase in damage and death commensurate with the increase in technology leading to very high death counts, and leaving a myriad maimed for life. The technological inventions were self- defeating to man. Man staged war with himself. The very inventions he made became a thorn in his own flesh! WW1 saw the advent of tanks and gas as some of the new technologies. For instance the British mark 1 tank was first used in September 19162. The tanks had their limitations such as getting stuck in the mud and toppling over. They were mechanically unreliable. The tanks were not the war winning weapons as the generals hoped they would be3. The German on the other hand were the first to use chlorine gas at Ypress in 1915. The chlorine gas is a lung irritant. Symptom such as bright red lips and blue face denote gas poisoning. Chlorine gas poisoning killed its victims a slow death of suffocation. It caused long diseases such as emphysema. The civilians suffered from this too. In 1915 the Germans added phosgene, which was more suffocating. The effects of phosgene caused bleeding that corrupted the lungs. Mustard gas, which was also used, burnt the entire layer of skin from the face and body. This was dangerous as its effects were not noticed, burnt the skin and ripped out the lining of the lungs. Gas had a rippling effect like atomic bomb had in world war2. Their uniqueness was in the fact that they were air-borne, had the risk of causing mass destruction and there effects agonizing. We can have an overview of what the weapons looked like and the technologies they espoused. â€Å"New weapons revolutionized combat in war1†4. It gave the war an altogether new model. For instance, trench warfare. The factories of industrial Europe were held culprit for this new war technologies that were destructive and ruinous. We can divide the first war and weaponry in to a number of categories: Artillery: These were new and improved cannons. British soldiers fired approximately 170 millions but the German scientist did not accept to be left behind. They developed the biggest artillery ever known. It was called the Big Bertha. It was such a powerful weapon. New high-explosive shells were developed as well and made more efficient. Artillery fire killed thousands of men and made aiding more difficult as it blew the ground. 5 Communication: as we have indicated WW1 was a trench warfare radios and telephones were the main ways of communication and was very essential ways of communication and was very essential for the troops in trenches. Messengers gave dogs and other like pigeons were gradually being faced out. Machine guns: the effectiveness of machine guns reached frightening new levels in the WW1 they could fire 600 bullets a minute which was estimated t be equivalent of 250 men with rifles. With this kind of ability machine guns were deemed to be weapons of mass destructions. Gas grenades: we have looked at chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas. Which burned the lung of the inhaler leaving them to die in agony. Has masks that were issued to everyone in German were of so effective therefore leaving many people dead6 Tanks: also known as the chariots of god. As we have seen at first they were not very reliable but scientist kept making new improved tanks such that by 1918, the Anglo-American mark 8th could carry up to 8 men and fire 208 shells and up to 13,000 bullets. Another weapon of mass destruction! An armored car was developed and could travel up to 8 kilometers and had 8 machine guns. Transportation: transportation of troops in to battlefields became vital necessitating the increase in more efficient transportation needs. Trains, taxis and lorries were used to ferry soldiers to battlefields and other places. Planes: they epitomized the new types of weapons used in advanced technology warfare huge blimp-like bombers called zeppelins were used7. Their speed and efficiency killed thousand of people

Male domination in the Apparel Industry

The apparel or clothing industry is a diverse industry which covers an extensive range of areas e.g. fashion, design and technology as well as products i.e. synthetic and leather yarns, beddings, human clothes.As such, the clothing industry often pertains to the fashion industry, which primarily influence by color, design, and fabric. For the case at hand, the discussion on the apparel industry would entirely focus on personal clothing from underwear, pants, shirts and accessories for people. Clothing is basic necessity in life.People wear clothing different reasons but mainly for protection from the extremities in our natural environment i.e. cold and hot temperature. However, more than just a protective garment, people used clothing as social tool to be more physically attractive or pleasant to others, to express our emotions and lifestyles, to distinguish cultural heritage, socio-economic class or profession and to create the necessary ambiance and   setting in the performance o f religious, political and other rituals.   Under these premises, the apparel industry plays a significant role in the socio political history of people all over the world.While the apparel industry is primarily engaged in the design and creation of garments made from fabric, its study seemed not appealing to men as evidenced by the fact that only few male students study the discipline today.In fact, many people may have a misconception that textile and fashion is a female thing especially so because fashion and shopping normally comes in each others pocket.   Unknown to many however, the textile and fashion industry is actually dominated by men since time immemorial. The proceeding essay would show that breakthroughs in the clothing industry as well as leadership in the industry are mostly made and held by men.Men in the Fashion and Textile HistoryThe textile industry has an age old rich history provided a considerable influence in the evolution of contemporary society. The ety mology of ‘Textile' is from the Latin word ‘texere' meaning ‘to weave'. (Miller, E. 1969, p10) Weaving is one of the ancient surviving human crafts that dated back to Neolithic times.   Today, textile pertains to the material constituted by either natural or synthetic fibers that is formed in different mechanical process i.e. weaving, knotting to join them together to produce yarns.One of the earliest forms of textiles was those from the sheep’s wool.   Ancient people produce the wool yarn through a spinning and twisting process that are manually done by hands, which provided the principles for the invention of the spinning wheel that was introduced in the late 14th century.In the next centuries to come, due to the expensive and laborious process of weaving, fashion is mainly focused on the privileged elite.   The sense of fashion and design were mainly based on the history of dresses of the royalties.   Royal members even employ court dolls or fashi on babies to communicate their costumes with royalties from other lands.(Hurlock, E., 1984, P130) During these era in around 1665, France commenced to establish itself as the fashion capital of the world under the kingship of the Sun King,† Louis XIV, who is passionate and unparalleled dedication for fashion that moved him to advance textile production and fashion innovation.During this time also, fashion among men become more conspicuous from dress, i.e. lace, long hairstyles which popularize the wigs, shirts and even accessories i.e. swords and capes.   (Rubin, D.L. 1992, p78)Drastic changes in the clothing industry came about during the 1700s with the mechanization of the weaving process, which allowed mass production of the yarns and textiles.   The â€Å"flying shuttle† of John Kay in England was the first spinning machine that sped up the weaving process.   This was improved by Lewis Paul and John Wyatt who invented the roller method. (Newman, G. and Brown, L. 1997, p675)A series of male inventors led to the improvement and innovation of the weaving process namely: James Hargreaves and his spinning jenny, Sir Richard Arkwright's spinning frame; the spinning mule by Samuel Crompton and Edward Cartwright who introduced steam powered weaving machine. The introduction of machines which allowed for the mass production of goods led to the industrial revolution in the 1800’s.Incidentally in mid-18th-century England, a group of men who went beyond the regular boundaries of fashion has emerged called the Macaroni club. (Steele, V., 1998, p28)The group was marked by its fashion extravagance and was famous for looking like women. Charles James Fox was the leader of the Macaroni and was considered as the leader of fashion. Today, the term macaroni is derogatively used to describe men who are lavish in clothes and vices.