Thursday, September 6, 2012
Armed Forces Students Deployments and or Activations Assistance Recommendation -- Craig M. Lifton
Ashford
University has gone far beyond many other online schools to make receiving an
education for military members easier. With the current operations tempo and
the global reach our armed forces currently are involved in, the ability to
work on a degree anywhere is needed more than ever. Service Members (SM) who
are enrolled are already showing their devotion to improve themselves and being
a volunteer in the Armed Forces shows their devotion to the security of their
country. Most of the time there is no or very little conflict between military
service and education, and these times of conflict can cause problems and even
end an SM’s college experience. There comes a time when a SM is put in a
position when they cannot access the Internet let alone a computer and these
times can come at a short notice. There can be short notice deployments, to
places that require communication security (COMSEC) to protect the forces and
the goals of the mission. Other times like, disaster’s that can affect members
of the National Guard with a 12-hour recalls to places with no or very little
resources. Currently Ashford University, according to faculty expectations, has
such standards as no late papers, or the paper will receive at the least 50
percent and possibly no instructor feedback. Ashford University should take
these into consideration with the needs of the military and their SM students,
possibly making new rules for them to ease the stress of the deployments and schoolwork
in the effort in keeping them enrolled.
The
Stress of Military Lifestyles
In
a study by Radford 2009, 23 percent of military members in undergraduate
studies are enrolled in public four-year programs and the greatest problems are
the stress between military life and education. For todays SM, life is
stressful, and with the added stress of education can come the stress of
military life. A temporary deployment of
TDY, can come with very little or no warning. These TDYs can come with travel
to far away places, for an example a trip to South West Asia can take around 24
hours one way from home station, and this does not include the time to process.
A SM can expect to see long duty hours during the TDY, anywhere from 12 to 16
hours of work at a time. Then at some TDY locations, due to mission needs,
there may be very little or no Internet. These three problems could cause a SM
to be late on assignments or not adhere to the school attendance policy.
For
SM students who are members of the military Reserve Components, (RC) the
Reserves and Guard, face call outs or activations. When events like wild fires,
hurricanes, or other natural disasters strike, a state Governor can and will
activate, or ‘call out’ their Army and Air Guard. Once again the preparations,
travel, and long hours, may make it difficult to work on school assignments. With
a short notice to report to units, the students do not know how long they may
be away or where they are going. These places may have little or no resources,
preventing students from meeting Ashford faculty expectations.
Recommended
Improvements
How
to encourage SM students to stay in school and with Ashford University is a
question if not asked should be. Any
improvements cannot only retain these valued students but can influence others
to enroll. The following are recommended procedures and changes to faculty expectations:
1. The
SM student contacts either or both their academic advisor and or instructor
through email of their current situation.
The SM student should be advised to maintain COMSEC, and provide only
the information that they are on orders.
At a later time a copy of orders can me emailed to confirm the
information.
2. If
the TDY is for a projected short amount of time the SM student will be exempt
from being prompt with their work and attendance for the duration.
3. If
the TDY is for an unknown amount of time or prolonged time, the SM student will
not be punished but placed in a hold. When the SM student can return they will
be placed in to the next available session of the same class at the same week
that they left in.
Conclusion
The
needs of the military have and always have priority. The military has also
encouraged SM to improve themselves through avenues like education. Life in the
military is very stressful and education could be pushed to the side if the SM
believes it will be too difficult to continue. Ashford University has been very
progressive with their online education and very proud of their connections
with the military. These proposed changes could only improve the reputation and
military student enrollments.
References
Radford, A.W. (2009) Military
Service Members and Veterans in Higher Education: What the New GI Bill May Mean
for Postsecondary Institutions, retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/CPA/Publications/MilService.errata.pdf
How to Feed the Cat
 |
| Mojo watching for evil upset birds. Photo by Craig Lifton |
Feeding the Cat
Every morning, Monday through Friday, I
get up before the sun rises and start my day. Before I wake my daughter and get
her ready for school, before I get myself ready for work, I have to take care
of my pets. The dog is easy, get him out of his kennel and out the door he goes
to attack the day. The most difficult
mission of the day is dealing with the cat, Mojo. He waits by my door for me.
Mojo will ‘talk’ to me, more like ‘yell’ at me all the way. Feeding Mojo is one of my main priorities in
the morning. The following is a step-by-step description on how to feed Mojo.
1. First
thing to know is you must watch your step, as Mojo will dance around at your
feet in front of you.
2. Go into
the laundry room and retrieve both Mojo’s food dish and water bowel and head
into the kitchen.
3. In the
kitchen, wash out both the dish and the bowel.
4. By now,
Mojo will be in full meow mode. You can either ignore him or talk to him;
neither way will get Mojo to stop.
5. After
they are clean, start the water because Mojo likes his water fresh and cold.
6. Depending on the size of
the can, Mojo either gets a whole can or only a half can of wet food. He also gets a half a cup of dry food.
7. Fill the
water bowel with water. If the weather is warm place two to three ice cubes in
the water.
8. Place the
bowls back in the laundry room.
If you successfully followed the directions, Mojo should be purring loud
enough to be heard at a distance. Mojo only needs to be fed once a day. His
water can be checked when possible and more often in the summer.
Telling the Air Force Story
These warriors jump
out of Aircraft in the dark at high altitude and open their parachutes low to use
stealth to land into enemy territory to save lives, guard our nations most
powerful weapon systems, or stand ready to repel airborne attacks at a moments
notice, all are Airmen in todays United States Air Force, and their story needs
to be told to the world.
 |
| Me at Joint Base Balad, Iraq 2009 |
“You have to be
willing to wherever, whenever.” Says U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Cherie A.
Thurlby a aerial combat photojournalist, who was quoted on the U.S. Department
of Defense website. “You have to adopt the ‘Whatever it takes’ attitude and you
have to believe that your photos are making a difference.”
The Air Force could be
one of the most over looked branch of the services, with a nickname like Chair
Force to being depicted as fighting alien transforming robots in blockbuster
movies. The men and women in the Air Force are deployed around the clock to
almost every corner of the world. They are at the bottom of the world in
Antarctica to the top in Greenland, and as far as the Middle East to the
Philippine islands. These are just some of the facts Americans should be told
these stories and be proud of the world’s mightiest Air Force.
When you start out,
you should research what your about to observe. A great source of information
is the Air Force website at www.af.mil. Links can be found to any unit
where fact sheets can be found and used to research the assignment. This
information will help you prepare your equipment.
A good camera with
charged batteries can only be enhanced with lenses you bring. Life on an Air Force base is constantly
moving and the ability to be fast on your feet is important. It is recommended
to be prepared with anything from a good wide-angle lens to a zoom lens like a
70-300mm. If you’re a photographer who also believes that your best zoom is
your feet then a 17mm lens, 50 mm lens, and a 100mm or 200mm lens may be the
best load for you. Bring extra batteries and memory cards, because finding a
place to recharge or download images on a flight line maybe difficult to find.
Don’t forget to dress
for the flight line with comfortable clothes and foot wear, with headgear to
protect you from the sun. Watch a weather report and bring appropriate items
like rain gear or sunscreen. Also good hearing protection is important around
the loud aircraft engines you will find on a flight line.
Shooting pictures of
aircraft presents issues like distance, speed, and size. A long lens will be
needed to take pictures Aircraft taking off, landing or performing in the sky
above. Also the use of fast shutter
speeds to capture images of the rocketing jet aircraft overhead.
Static displayed or
parked aircraft give photographers the opportunity to get up close and personal
with these flying machines. Be careful to observe any boundaries set up by base
security for the protection of the resource.
It takes more then the
aircrew to launch one airplane. All you have to do is standstill on the flight
line and watch. You will see maintenance crews working on the planes, pulling
apart engines, examining the cockpit, and maybe even walking on the wings. There will be airmen refueling the aircraft.
Security Forces standing watch for trouble. Airmen loading and unloading cargo
aircraft of things like vehicles, people and equipment.
Always be observant of
your surroundings around aircraft and be wary of any dangers. Having an assistant or a partner to help
watch out for safety issues is highly recommended. Moving vehicles, running aircraft engines,
and other issues working with military aircraft should be taken into
consideration.
Not everything in the
Air Force occurs near the runway. There are the men and women who keep the
communication systems going through the phones, radios, and computers. Air
Force Chefs preparing meals. Airmen maintaining and operating a wide variety of
vehicles need to keep the mission going. Civil Engineering Airmen, who build or
repairing facilities with tools and heavy machinery.
Safety is still a
concern in many work environments that Airmen work in. Some areas are
completely off limits to any type of photography for security concerns and it
should be the photographer’s responsibility to ensure it is acceptable to take
pictures there. Watch and anticipate the actions and be ready to take the
picture. A fast shutter speed can be
useful to capture the action or a slow shutter to show the movement can come in
use here.
These
events will need coordination before hand. A subject matter expert should be
contacted to advise on safety concerns and location for the best views of the
action. When in an aircraft, the crews can assist with safety issues and even
possibly securing the photographer to the aircraft. These training exercises
can occur at all different times of the day, in different environments and
locations. Good advanced planning and preparation will give the photographer
the advantage on these dynamic shoots.
During training events don’t stop for the photographer so the photographer
must be on their toes.
These are just some suggestions
and tips to make a perspective photographer’s job to tell the Air Force story
possible. With the hope that these stories will be made available to the
American people, entertaining them and informing them about the great work that
these young Airmen are doing. The Air
Force is the youngest branch of service, with a different mission then it’s
brothers in the profession of arms, but no less a force of amazing abilities,
whose story must be told.
 |
| Balad Reach Mission Airman with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Joint Base Balad, Iraq carry out an injured servicemember on a stretcher from the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility outside the Air Force Theater Hospital to transfer the patients on an Aeromedical Evacuation on January 24, 2009. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Craig Lifton) |
References
Marsh,
C., Guth, D., and Short, B. (2009) Strategic Writing: Multimedia
Writing for Public Relations, Advertising and More. Pearson Education, Inc.
Military
Photographers. Retrieved on 13 May 2012 from http://www.defense.gov/home/features/military_photographers/
Starbucks, Coffee around the world -- Craig M. Lifton
 |
| Me and Coffee |
Coffee has been the drink of choice around
the world since the 9th century according to Robert Linder (2010) of
the Oregon Culinary Institute. It’s
grown and cultivated in more than 70 countries around the world. It has affected countries politics and
religion for centuries around the world, from Turkey to Germany to America. According to Linder, worldwide more than 400
billion cups of coffee are drank each and every year. The first coffee house opened in Turkey in
1554 according to Linder. Just less then
500 years later, one company has taken the simple business formula of a corner
coffee shop and created a world juggernaut of a company. Starbucks has moved from its humble
beginnings, to in 2006 it reported to have 12,000 stores in total, which
outside of the U.S., 36 countries had 4,000 of the locations. Starbucks globalization has not been without
it growing pains of bringing American coffee consumption in a culture war
around the world.
During
the ongoing conflict between Lebanon and Israel, Starbucks was targeted for an
Anti-War protests by Arabs in the region, according to Daniel Workman (2006) of
the Suite101.com website. Complaints
were made that the coffee giant was contributing funds to both the Israeli
government and the Israeli Defense Force or IDF. Even though Starbucks denied these rumors
they never denied that they had been contributing money to Israeli
charities. With growing concern of
possible terrorist attacks, unlike others carried out in Israel, Starbucks
elected to shutter each and every one of its stores in Israel. This was one of Starbucks major loses in the
American Coffee war overseas. The
violation of what the Arabs in the region perceived of their values had server
loses. Even though Starbucks was not
aiding Lebanon’s enemy, the Israel government or military forces, they were
able to influence others into believing so. This would be a informal norm, one that the
Lebanon’s would assume that Starbucks should have known before investing in
Israel during the conflict. The Arabs
for the violation of their unwritten social norm then sanctioned
Starbucks. Starbucks possibly could have
consulted Middle Eastern experts before their venture into the area.
The
next battlefield in the Starbucks culture war would lie in France. Workman describes that in France, a country
that has a rich and traditional café culture of their own, upset the older
French with the American Coffee culture Starbucks brought to their doorsteps. Caroline Wyatt (2004) of the BBC reports that
Starbucks invasion of the modern birthplace of the café society was one which
Starbucks marketing won over the younger French coffee consumers. Using exotic curiosities like caramel
coffee. The other concern in France
according to Wyatt is the fear that Starbucks will force out the family owned
cafes even in France. The dominant
ideology of the American Coffee culture is a true and viable threat to the rich
coffee heritage that French possesses.
France is not a country with coffee drinkers belonging to a subculture
but one of which coffee and tea drinking is completely interwoven into their
culture. Starbucks possibly has no
concern for this loss of the French self.
They have shown that in American by beating out and running small coffee
business out customers. The French Café
is possibly a French mores value, one of which that could be deemed very
important to the French people. The
French coffee drinking could even be considered a folkway value one of which
without the French people would be without what they consider the proper way to
prepare, present and to drink coffee.
China will possibly be Starbucks biggest
challenge to date. China, with a population of more than 1 billion people is
the largest single country population Starbucks will move into. Workmen
describes that China is historically a country of tea drinkers. Starbucks key to success will be China’s
growing middle class. Venkatraman of
Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University and Nelson (2008) of the School of
Management at Simmons College, describe the middle class as the “New
China”. They say that the “New China” is
made up of the young and upwardly mobile Chinese consumers. Venkatraman and Nelson state that Starbucks
through their business plan has successfully branded a high-end brand that
makes a emotional connection with the “New China”. This was fine example of how Starbucks has
learned better strategies in the coffee culture war. They have shown fine study into the Chinese
Norms and changing norms. China is changing, along with their change into
capitalism, and interest into other cultures.
Starbucks has made some business bloopers in
their drive for international coffee domination. They have shown failure to think out at first
of possible results into investments. At
the same time they have not given up and have not turned away from
challenges. Like Workman relates the
giant company to a giant sports star, Ty Cobb.
Ty Cobb may have struck out more times at bat but never gave up and
earned one of the highest batting averages of .366 careers. Starbucks continues to introduce a full range
of products in 25 countries worldwide and 11 other countries with retail
beverage sales. Starbucks will possibly
influence other countries now that they have pledge to become more
eco-friendly. Starbucks changing and
developing social awareness should be a lead other companies should follow when
they begin to venture internationally.
References
Linder, R.
(2010, November 15, 2010) Coffee-Panacea
or Poison? Retrieved December 5, 2010, from oregonculinaryinstitute.blogspot.com,
http://www.oregonculinaryinstitute.blogspot.com/
Venkatraman, M., Nelson, T. (2008)
From Servicescape to Consumptionscape: A
Photo-Elicitation Study of Starbucks in the New China. Retrieved
December 5, 2010, from https://simmons.edu/som/docs/ATT00969.pdf
Workman, D. (August 29, 2006) Starbucks Global Sales Retrieved
December 5, 2010, from suite101.com, http://www.suite101.com/content/starbucks-global-sales-a5823
Wyatt, C. (January 15, 2006) Starbucks invades Parisian café culture Retrieved December 5, 2010, from BBC News,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3401637.stm
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