Knowing the Enemy

Flames and smoke everywhere. Debris falling out of the ski. People running around in extreme chaos evacuating the Twin Tower buildings. This is what was going on during the September 11th attacks. Nobody quite understood it at the time, was this intentional or an accident? Why did a plane just crash into the World Trade Center. Then soon after, bang! The other building was destroyed. And soon after that, well, we all remember what happened that day. It was a sad day for all Americans, and an extremely traumatic one for those directly involved. I cannot imagine what some of those innocent people had to go through. I think the biggest question we all had that day was "why?" Why take extreme measures to carry out a plot to kill. Why kill thousands of innocent people? Why America? A lot of these questions can only truthfully be answered by the people who did it, but through a little bit of research we can come to a lot of conclusions on our own.
It is very unfortunate that we live in a society that is hyper judgemental and stereotypical of those different from us. The term "xenophobia" applies perfectly here; we are afraid of what we don't know. I would have to guess that a very large percentage of Americans know little about Islam, yet there are jokes and stereotypes that knock them everywhere. Again, we are afraid of we do not understand about there religion. For me, I look at Muslims as believers in a God that I do not personally understand, they seem to value education and kinship, and a very small group of them believe in the use of violence.
Followers of this group are known as "Jihadists." Jihadism believes in the use of violence towards anyone who is a non believer or anyone who may pose as a threat to them. Al Qaeda, for example, is an example of a Jihadist group that doesn't hesitate to use violence to achieve their goal... global Jihadism. They are very organized and without the modern technologies that advanced countries have, they still are able to exist and operate. They use morally controversial tactics such as suicidal attacks. This is when a Jihadist may strap a bomb to his or her self and not only kill themselves, but take the innocent lives of others around them. Another way they can survive is that they hide underground, beneath innocent civilians. This makes it quite difficult to pin point their location, but even if we can we are not willing to attack because of collateral damage; we are not willing to take the lives of innocent Muslims even if it means killing the enemy.
The peaceful followers of Islam have no control over the Jihadist movement. They can't stop it, and in some cases, escape it. Unfortunatley, these extremists have, to a degree, destroyed the perception for all the other humane followers of Islam. Overcoming stereotypes and discrimination, even if held internally and not expressed, will be tough to overcome, but I believe if we can educate ourselves on their beliefs then maybe, just maybe we might be able to put our fear aside and earnestly accept these people as we would anyone else.

Army Training: It's In the Game! (props to EA sports)

Nowadays, video games are becoming increasingly popular among young people. Call of Duty, for example, consumes thousands of teenagers across the world at any given moment. Its main attraction is its incredible graphics and the game's ability to create a life-like environment for its users. While it's great that kids enjoy spending some of their recreational time on playing video games, it is somewhat unfortunate that they so passionately devote their time to a simulation world, which in no way, shape, or form can effect their real lives. They seemingly forget that they are actually a human staring at a 2 dimensional television screen, and not a U.S. Army Ranger defending America.
Recently, however, we have found a way to encorparate simulation in army training. The concept of simulation is easy: to create an environment that is not actually there in front of you. Keeping this in mind, simulation producers and the U.S. military have teamed up to use simulation as a training tool for soldiers. Simulation has the innate ability to produce a realistic experience to soldiers that are new to war. It can give a soldier the ability to know his way around a location, maybe a city for example, and familiarize him with the surroundings, all without him ever being there. Military simulation has other benifits too. It cuts down on the cost of ammunition and fuel.
Opposing claims to simulation is that it can make soldiers fall into bad habits because subconciously, the soldiers know that they are not in a real simulation, therefore, nobody can really die, and no ammunition can be wasted. But, I believe that with the right supervision, simulation can play a huge role in preparing our soldiers for war. I trust that the right people will be watching every step these soldiers make in the the simulation; precision and perfection will be stressed as in any other step of training. All in all, simulation saves money and is a huge helper to our military in just a few years of its existence... can't wait to see what it's like in 20 years!!

(http://www.army.mil.nz/at-a-glance/news/army-news/397/tasc.htm)

Amped Up For War

Going to war can be a very exhausting thing. For hours and even days, your body will be depleted of food, sleep and energy. But, what if there was a quick fix? What if doctors had a drug that could make the user feel wide awake, more alert, and a more positive person? These were the common side effects from the use of amphetamines in time of war. A couple times throughout history the drug has been given to soldiers to help them. The most renown time is WWII; Japanese, American, and even Nazi soldiers were having amphetamines pumped into there veins. The Nazis used a slightly different formula though, they used a tablet with cocaine, amphetamine, and morphine. The use of drugs in this war solved much of the short term consequences for soldiers, but it also led to a huge number of soldiers that became addicted, and this, in my opinion, wasnt worth the risk of using drugs in war. Im sure that a lot of soldiers experienced serious paranoia, and of course we already know the effects of amphetamines on the heart. In short, amphetamines were a quick fix to some of the tough components of war, but how could we addict our soldiers to a drug we knew so little about at the time?

Good Hustlers Always Know When the Game's Changing

"For the future of hip hop, all that glitters is not gold teeth" is an article written by the Daily News writer Stanley Crouch. The article focuses mainly on the evolution of hip hop. He claims, and I agree with his claim, that a culture that was once about dance beats and rhymes,now prides itself on "personal, social, and criminal corruption." Since I have been about 12 years old, I have loved rap music. Even so, I sometimes wander how the hip hop culture has gotten to be as extreme as it is. Lets take a look at the values of rap: murder, assault sex (rape), drug use and trafficking, vandalism, grand theft auto, robbery, gun possesion, materialism, baggy clothing (as if to conceal weapons or drugs), and the list goes on and on. Why, then, is rap so appealing to this generation? This is a complex answer that starts with the home environment. When young people are exposed to such music, then they believe that it is normal and thus, they gain a tolerance for it. As hip hop has gotten more and more mainstream, more people have started to see it as an "ok" way to live... and perpetuating it even more. Even older people these days are getting big rims and loud stereo systems. Another reason for its popularity, in my opinion, is that it serves as a subcultures identity (black/hip hop) and the middle to upperclass kids envy the hard way of life. Furthermore, by listening to this music they now have something in common and feel apart of the subculture.....

The Future of Military Shotguns: The AA-12

My groups theme is the future, and on top this my main personal focus is future military technology upgrades. Over sea war is a common topic of discussion in politics today. Often, people are most worried about the safety of our troops. If we can't get our troops home, the next best thing that we can do is arm them with the deadliest and most dependent weapons in the world. The website address to my artifact that is being discussed is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnrizaO-X00&NR=1. In this video, a new type of shotgun is being showcased, its called the AA-12. It is the first military grade fully automatic shotgun that is capable of firing at a rate of nearly 300 rounds per minute, thats about 5 shotgun rounds per second! On top of this, the AA-12 is capable of firing a special military shell called the frag 12. This round comes in three different types: armor piercing, HE (highly explosive), and fragmentation grenade. This type of weapon advertisement is great for informing followers about what kind of upgrades the US military will be implementing in the near future. The U.S. spends nearly as much money on its military than every other country in the world combined! With the unveiling of weapons like the AA-12, now we can see why. This automatic shotgun, which has been considered the deadliest firearm on the planet, will not only allow our troops to destroy opposing soldiers, but it will also enable them to breach doors and clear out rooms, in a matter of seconds, that are up to 100 meters away. The AA-12 serves as a revolution to the shotgun because it can now fire at an extremely high rate and from long range; both attributes that have been unheard of from a shotgun before now... The future of the military shotgun is now here!