Mighty Win

          I feel the warm air brush against my cheeks as I am sprinting. People in the stands are screeching, "Go TA, you can do it". The cheers surround the team with confidence and push us to our limit. The sound soon fades away as I pass by. I notice two South Portland runners zoom by leaving a trail of wind that hits our skin. I start to pick up my speed, noticing that I'm lagging behind. One, two, three people I pass from the boost in speed. I almost feel invincible and am really picking up the lead at this point. I see the shocked looks on the opponents, since I am about to beat them. 50m, 40m, 30m. People start to catch up. 20m, 10m. I'm almost there and a South Portland runner is right beside me. I feel my lungs about to burst from all the air I'm gasping for. Then, I pass through the finish line. I quickly turn my head to the results board. My name is in first place. I am a true Trojan after all.

Mighty Team

          I look up from the red ruberized track and see a huge crowd cheering us on from the bleacher. We are TA, the mighty Trojans. How could anyone ever beat us? We are the strongest track team in in New England and plan to keep it that way. That's at least what we are hoping for. We all hear the man with the signal gun to get in our running stances. We are against one of our most competitive opponents, South Portland, so we have to try our hardest. Everyone gets in position and the we begin to feel the heat on our backs. It is the hottest day in the summer and I am already drenched in sweat from the anxiety. I feel the pressure coming on as every second passes by. Then the man with the signal gun yells the usual starting commands. "On your mark". "I am totally ready for this, what am I thinking." "Get set". I can feel every heart beat as it thuds on my chest. "Pow", goes the cap gun. Next second I know, I am gliding through the hot summer air. 

Afghanistan in Conflict

Great Game-A geopolitic contest between Britain and czarist Russia.

-Russians wanted the south and British wanted to protect India.

-Area is difficult to control.

Soviet War in Afghanistan- Leaders turned against each other in 1979 and the Soviets intervened to flank. Kremlin leaders sent tens of thousands of troops there, which turned into a hopeless battle.

Mujahedeen- US and allies supporting Afghan guerrillas who battled the Soviet Union.

Proxy war- Fighting against an enemy through another source.

Al Qaeda- Radicial Islamist who accept outside aid as a necessity, which turned on the US later on.

Kabul- Capital of Afghanistan where a divided coalition of Afghan guerrillas pushed the communists out.

Taliban- A group of Muslim students from Pakistan.

ISI- Pakistans military intelligence service.

Ahmad Massoud- A former Mujahideen leader returned to the north to form a resistance on the Taliban.

Northern Alliance- Dostum joined forces with Mossoud

-In August 1998, Al-Qaeda bombed the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killing more than 250 people.

-October 12, 2000, Al-Qaeda bombed the USS Cole in the harbor of Aden, Yemen killing 17 US soldeires and wounding 37 others.

Hamid Karzai- A leader of the most prominent Pashtun families.

US Plans Toward Afghanistan

-Immediate response to capture/kill Al-Qaeda.

-Taliban defeated, but Osama still out there.

Operation Enduring Freedom- US war plan to attack Al-Qaeda.

Phase 1- deploy US troops to neighboring countries of Afghanistan.

Phase 2- Air strikes on Afghanistan targets with Taliban help.

Phase 3- Launch ground invasion.

Phase 4- "Security and stability operations".

-88,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan on April 16, 2010.

Stanley McChrystal- Given military command of forces in Afghanistan.

David Petraus- In military command after Stanley.

Insurgency- 2006 military violence in Afghanistan.

Federally Administered Tribal Areas- Insurgency fighters safe heaven.

-90% of the worlds opium is in Afghanistan.

Blowback- US supports a government that is perceived as corrupt and that causes people to support the insurgency against the US.

Innovation

Innovation is the key to success. 

The road on which one must follow.

Which paves the path toward creativeness.

It clears the mind to let in new thoughts.

A person can learn from this.

The mind is like a receptor that receives information.

Information that leads to this innovation.

It transforms from one source to another.

One large source to an even larger image.

The image is viewed by others, which gets passed on.

Just like the earth.

The Impossible

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
-Francis of Assisi

This quote explains the significance of trying new things. There is no need to be afraid to at least try because there is a possible outcome of succeeding. These successions might even eclipse previous attempts to do the "impossible". People should start right from the beginning, or basics and work their way up the ladder. After every time there is success, one can practice even more to surpass that previous goal. It is courage that fuels this process and paves the road toward the impossible.

Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Within 20 minutes: 

-Blood pressure and pulse rates drop.

-Body temperature in body parts return to normal.

Within 8 hours:

-Oxygen levels return to normal.

In 24 hours:

Chance of heart attack begins to decrease.

In 48 hours:

-Nerve endings begin to regrow.

-Senses of taste and smell go back to normal.

In three days:

-Breathing capacity becomes better as lung capacity increases.

Within two weeks to three months:

-More energy and body colors changes.

-Lungs function up to 30% better.

Within one to nine months:

-Ling cilia begins to regrow and coughing and sinus congestion and shortness of breath decrease.

In one year:

-The risk of coronary heart disease is cut in half.

In five years:

-The risk of lung cancer and cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus is reduced by 50%, stroke risk is also decreased.

In ten years:

-The risk of cancer of the bladder, kidney, cervix, and pancreas decreases.

Saudi Arabia Important Figures and Components

-Owns 23% of the world's oil reserves.

Saudi Royal Family- Navigated to the modern political landscape to avoid being taken advantage of by other superpowers.

Wahhabism- Ultra-conservative form of Sunni-Islam.

Hajj- Holiest site in faith located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

ARAMCO- Key US company for cheap oil to help strengthen the U.S.- Saudi relationship.

Mahdi Army- 1979 terrorist group that took over the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden- Osama bin Laden's father.

Al Qaeda- Osama bin Laden developed it with his inheritance from his father.

Persian Gulf- Waterway where oil tankers travel.

Zacarias Moussauoi- Claimed more than a dozen Saudi figures where donors to Al Qaeda and that a Saudi diplomat in Washington discussed with him a plot to shoot down Air Force One.

-1980s- US and Saudi Arbaia were partners in bankrolling the Mujahedeen.