Band of Brothers Essay Example for Free

Band of Brothers Essay The book title, â€Å"Band of Brothers,† by Stephen E. Ambrose is a book that shares the risky undertaking and hazardous experience that the United States Army had to go through in World War 2. Bravery is an understatement when describing the men of East Company’s personalities. The book really helps the reader describe the relationships and friendships that were either directly or indirectly developed as a result of going to war. From the extremely brutal training, to the depths of enemy territory, these men developed a brotherhood that only can come about as a result of extreme situations such as preparing and training for war, as well as World War 2 itself. This book not only describes Easy Company but other military veterans or active service members can relate to the situations described in the book. First of all, the book’s title describes things very accurately. Like most military divisions, Easy Company which was a part of the 101st Airborne Division in the Army, had to go through an exhausting basic training course in Camp Toccoa in Georgia. This alone is going to establish bonds and friendships among the young men participating in this training, whether they are looking for a buddy or not. Much of Easy Company already had an unspoken brotherhood before they even came into basic training. Many of these men had grown up in the terrible time of the depression and many of them had something in common. During Easy Company’s time in basic training, they not only had to compete with their selves, but with other militaries. â€Å"A day or so before leaving Toccoa, Colonel Sink read an article in the Reader’s Digest that said a Japanese Army battalion had set a world record for marching endurance by covering 100 miles down the Malayan Peninsula in seventy-two hours. (p. 28)† Colonel Sink wanted to top the Japanese’s achievement so he ordered his men to do better. This was a very miserable journey and test for Easy Company but they accomplished more than the Japanese Army had. War in itself is a competition but this book also examines with detail, the miniature competitions that occurred during World War 2. This march helped bring the soldiers together even closer and it also gave them the confidence and conditioning they needed to go into the brutal battles of World War 2. Most importantly, trust develops between these men because they are confident that they have well trained soldiers going into battle with them and not people that are going to drag their feet. â€Å"They were prepared to die for each other; more important, they were prepared to kill for each other (Pg. 1). The first battle which was the invasion of Normandy proved to be an eye opener that would just only strengthen the bond and brotherhood that Easy Company had. The pure terror of landing in Normandy and facing the Nazi German in a low vision area was at this point, the ultimate test to see if the training they bared in Camp Toccoa was good enough. With bullets flying and loud bangs disrupting their hearing, many of the men could not locate the rest of the group. Winters helped to organize and reunite a few men so they could have a better chance against the Germans by sticking together. Even though men were lost, Lieutenant Winters proved in a small victory that Easy Company was a highly trained group of soldiers that could get the job done in defeating the Nazis. Winters achieved this with a small group of soldiers as well. â€Å"The attack was a unique example of a small, well-led assault force overcoming and routing a much larger defending force in prepared positions (Pg. 84). † Even though this gruesome battle was an eye opener to the horrors of war, Easy Company’s soldiers were described as confident, had a will to survive and a sense of pride.

Candle Making Essay -- essays research papers

How to Make a Candle Candles can add that special touch to any house. They can add to a romantic night. They can brighten a house up. They can also add personality into any home. Whatever the case may be, candles are great for everyday use. So why not make your own? Candles can get to be quite costly, but by making your own you are cutting down the price to a bare minimum. You may even find that you have most of the supplies that you need right at home. By making your own candle you can also create your own style making it more meaningful to you. Before you begin, it’s a good idea to cover your workspace with newspaper. This should prevent wax hardening on the surface that you are working on. Make sure that you have all your materials. You will need one pound of paraffin which can be found at most craft stores, vegetable oil, a medium sized cooking pot, an empty coffee can, an old spoon, a clean sturdy container, and store-bought pre-dipped wicks. To add personality to your candle you may also want to include crayons, glitter, fragrant oils, etc. To begin you must prepare a mold. I’ve found that many materials around the house serve as excellent molds such as empty orange juice containers, paper cups, toilet paper rolls, and drink containers. Always make sure that the mouth is the same size if not wider that the base, allowing your candle to slide out easily. You don’t want your mold to have any ridges such as in a soup can. Oil the inside of your mold for easier removal ...

Voter

Voter ignorance and special interests often result to bad policy-choices and erroneous policy making processes. In a democracy, where people’s votes are important, policy-choices are largely affected by whatever wrong or right information people may have as regards issues. Unfortunately, biases and misinformation are rampant among people, especially among voters. The problem is that, instead of correcting these biases, politicians tend to play them up to acquire votes. Many of these biases come from the field of economics, a field which is very important to voters because of its effect in the quality of people’s lives. Four of these biases are discussed by Bryan Caplan in his article, The Myth of the Rational Voter. They are the anti-market bias, anti-foreign bias, make-work and the pessimistic bias. The Anti-Market Bias may be characterized as a bias against capitalism and free-market itself, or at least most of their features. The explained cause of this bias is usually the fact that actors in a free-market model of economy are all profit-seekers. This attribution of self-interest gives birth to a prejudice that no socially-beneficial outcome may possibly result from a free market (See Caplan, 2007, p.7). The result is â€Å"a tendency to underestimate the economic benefits of market mechanism (Caplan, 2007, p.7), such as the effect of competition in lowering prices, savings and maximization of resources or efficiency. There are many variations of the anti-market bias. One of them is â€Å"to equate market payments with transfers, [while] ignoring their incentive properties (Caplan, 2007, p.8). Under this, a profit is seen to be earned by the rich, at the expense of the poor, as if there is no exchange of value that happened. It ignores the fact that profits are not acquired without doing something, and that an increase in profits is often a result of increasing efficiency in the use of resources. The second is the monopoly theories of price. Under this variation, price is seen as a function of the decision, mood and agreement among CEO’s and other similar persons, without giving due regard to the interaction between supply and demand. (Caplan, 2007, p. 9) The Anti-Foreign Bias is an argument towards protectionism. Under this, foreigners are often seen as a source of economic downfall. â€Å"Whatever the reason, [foreigners] supposedly have a special power to exploit [locals] (Caplan, 2007, p. 11). They are often used as scapegoats for all economic problems that may exist such as lack of jobs, high price of goods and others. This bias may have brought about by a similar theory between a profit-seeker individual and a poor buyer from the point of view of the anti-market bias. â€Å"A rich country, in the same manner as a rich man, is supposed to be a country abounding in money; and to heap up gold and silver in any country is supposed to be the best way to enrich it† (Caplan, 2007, p. 12). The assumption is that no country may be better off without making another country less off. The problem with this belief is that it ignores the benefit of an open market from the point of view of comparative advantage. Under the theory comparative advantage, all countries will be better off if they all specialize. Even a country that is less productive compared to other countries in all products may benefit from specializing. It is more expensive to try producing all products for consumption rather than in specializing in some and trading for the others (Caplan, 2007, p. 11-12). The Make-Work Bias refers to the conflict between the businesses’ and economists’ desire to minimize waste of resources caused by paying for unneeded or inefficient labor and the belief that, to achieve economic growth, people need to be employed. The general tendency is to underestimate the benefits of conserving labor (Caplan, 2007, p. 13). Often, the rate of unemployment is seen as an indicator of economic growth. The policy is often to give jobs to more people. This is despite the fact that the same amount of jobs are required to be done. Employment is increased at the expense of efficiency (Caplan, 2007, p. 13). Instead of trying to increase employment by increasing the GNP through efficient use of resources, the work of one is divided between two or three people, making each of them less productive (Caplan, 2007, p. 13). The result is a prospect for prosperity for the individuals who are able to obtain the jobs and a decrease in efficiency and growth for the whole economy. Pessimistic Bias refers to the people’s negative, or even cynical beliefs, about economic conditions or growth. The general rule, as observed by Caplan (2007), is that â€Å"the public believes economic conditions are not as good as they really are† (p. 16). There may be advances in the economy, but they are taken for granted by people. In times of minimal economic growth, the perception is not of growth, but of stagnation. The problem with this is that, in terms of over-all economic growth, â€Å"progress is so gradual that a few pockets of decay hide it from the public view† (Caplan, 2007, p. 17). To measure whether an economy has actually achieved growth, it is best to compare the present condition to that of a distant past (Caplan, 2007, p. 16). Moreover, over-all success is not often observable across the whole country. There are some areas where economic conditions may not be good. However, these isolated instances of economic regression give rise to â€Å"a suspicion that the riches and industry of the whole are decaying† (Caplan, 2007, p. 17), when the reality is that the country is experiencing economic growth as a whole. It is also common for the pessimistic rhetoric â€Å"to idealize conditions in the more distant past in order to put recent conditions in a negative light† (Caplan, 2007, p. 16). This is a good way to emphasize economic decline. This is a nostalgic way of viewing things wherein the lament is always that things are better in the past, prices are cheaper, living is simpler, but better and others. Increase in prices and living standards are emphasized, while the values exchanged for such increases are ignored such as improvements in goods and services (See Caplan, 2007, p. 17). As Caplan has stated in this article, these biases show that â€Å"[p]eople do not grasp the invisible hand of the market, with its ability to harmonize private greed and the public interest† (See Caplan, 2007, p. 1). For the uninformed public, free market is the enemy. This belief translates into the policies that are adopted in a democracy. Since the power is now given to the people, policy choices by candidates are geared towards pleasing them. The best way to acquire votes is not to go against the wrong beliefs of people and to correct them, but to play up the same beliefs and use them to one’s own advantage. Reference Caplan, Bryan. â€Å"The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies.†

Site Finding And Planning For Wind Farms Environmental Sciences Essay

Finding a air current farm site is a juggle act where many, frequently conflicting, issues need to be considered and balanced before a determination to develop a possible site is taken. At the most basic degree, after set uping that the end product from a air current power undertaking can be sold at an acceptable monetary value, the following are the acerb trials for any possible development: 1.Is grid connexion probably to be cost effectual for the coveted size of development? 2.Is the air current resource adequate? 3.Will the undertaking be able to obtain all the licenses necessary for the air current farm to be built? 4.Is entree to the site and building of the air current farm likely to be cost effectual? 5.Can the rights to the land be secured? A good outlook that the reply to all of the above trials will be positive is a pre-requisite for doing the investing necessary to gain a undertaking, although necessarily early determinations need to be made on uncomplete information. A Each of the issues is considered in a little more item below:Grid connexionWhen looking for a site, propinquity to a medium electromotive force grid is a good initial index that an appropriate connexion is practical. The following phase of the procedure is to keep treatments with the appropriate electrical authorization. A The consequences of such treatments will normally bespeak a cap, or a series of caps on the upper limit installed capacity at a possible site which are associated with increasingly more dearly-won grid connexion scenarios. A Some elaborate analysis by the electrical authorization, at the cost of the developer, may be necessary before even approximative figures are available. A The presence of merely a high electromotive force line n ear to a little or average air current farm may non be helpful as the cost of connexion to such a grid may be prohibitory.Wind ResourceIt is hard to generalize how best to measure the air current resource at a possible air current farm site when no site air current informations are available, as different states have markedly different air current governments. A Some general regulations, for which there are many noteworthy exclusions, are listed below: Good exposure, peculiarly in the prevailing air current way, will well better the resource at a site. The rate at which wind velocity reduces off from the countries of a site with the best exposure should non be underestimated. A An â€Å" ideal † hill would hold smooth inclines of about 17 A grades gradient. Steeper inclines do non give significant extra sweetening of the air current flow but can do separation of the flow which complicates the air current conditions at a site. A Low flora at and around a site retards the air current flow less than tall flora. A However, a site with good exposure and little trees is likely to turn out better than a site with hapless exposure and no trees. ABuilding licensesKey issues will change between parts and states but common sense indicates that countries with particular appellations are best avoided. A Low visibleness from cardinal countries of habitation or diversion is besides desirable. A If there are homes within a few 100 metres of the air current farm site noise or shadow spark may turn out an insurmountable job in some states. A Turbines can interfere with electromagnetic telecommunications signals. A The presence of a telecommunications mast at a site or such signals which cross a site may therefore perplex the procedure of obtaining a edifice license. A A cheque for telecasting communications should besides be made which may non be evident from ocular review.EntreeThe distance to the nearest route entree and t he complexness of the terrain will well act upon the capital cost of the undertaking. ALand handinessLand handiness varies from state to state but a possible site where there are comparatively few landholders and landholders who can give sole rights to the developer is the ideal state of affairs. The job of site happening lends itself good to a thorough and elaborate Geographical Information System ( GIS ) based attack where air current atlases, an electrical grid map, roads, environmental appellations and other standards can all be input and the optimum sites defined. A In pattern, nevertheless, a more matter-of-fact attack may good turn out more appropriate.2. WIND FARM LAYOUT DESIGNThe air current farm layout is typically designed utilizing a professional air current farm design bundle. A Such tools allows for an effectual loop and optimization of the cardinal parametric quantities for the layout.Preliminary layout designOnce a site has been identified and the determination has been taken to put in its development the air current farm design process commences. A This is necessarily an iterative procedure. A The first undertaking is to specify the restraints on the development: Maximum installed capacity ( due to grid connexion or Power Purchase Agreement footings ) Site boundary Set dorsums from roads, homes, overhead lines, ownership boundaries etc. Environmental restraints Location of noise and shadow spark sensitive homes, if any, and appraisal standards Location of visually sensitive point of views, if any, and appraisal standards Turbine minimal spacings as defined by the turbine provider. Constraints associated with communications signals such as microwave nexus corridors, if any. Local ordinances that limit the turbine type permissible for the development. These restraints may alter as treatments and dialogues advancement with assorted parties. For the intent of specifying the preliminary layout it is necessary to specify about what sizes of turbine are under consideration for the development, as the installed capacity accomplishable with different sizes of turbine may change significantly. A The choice of a specific turbine theoretical account is frequently best left to the more elaborate design stage when the commercial footings of the assorted providers are known.Specification of anemometryThe air current resource at the site is the cardinal parametric quantity in finding its economic viability. To measure the energy for a undertaking it is necessary to obtain informations on the local air current government. Typically this means installing anemometry equipment at the site. The preliminary layout allows the air current measurings to be made in appropriate locations. As a general regulation the mast should be at least two tierces of the hub tallness of the turbines. A utile regulation in complex terrain is that no turbine is located more than 1 kilometer from the closest mast. In really terrible terrain, the closest mast should be within 500m, but for air current farms located in simple terrain a much lower denseness of masts over the site may be appropriate. For big developments that require several masts there may be advantages in ab initio put ining merely one mast on the site. Once it is confirmed that the air current resource is sensible, other masts can be installed to corroborate the fluctuation in air current velocity over the site country. Provided the original mast remains as a changeless mention other masts can be moved after, say, six months of operation to cut down the entire figure of masts required.+Detailed layout designA cardinal component of the layout design is the minimal turbine spacing used. A In order to guarantee that the turbines are non being used outside their design conditions, the minimal acceptable turbine spacing should be obtained from the turbine provider and adhered to. The appropriate spacing for turbines is strongly dependent on the nature of the terrain and the air current rose at a site. A If turbines are spaced closer than 5 rotor diameters in a frequent air current way it is likely that intolerably high aftermath losingss will ensue. A For countries with preponderantly uni-directional air current roses, such as the San Gorgonio Pass in California, greater distances between turbines in the prevailing air current way and tighter spacings perpendicular to the prevailing air current way will turn out to be more productive. A Tight spacings require blessing by the turbine provider if warranty agreements are non to be affected. With the air current farm restraints defined, the layout of the air current farm can be optimised. A This procedure is besides called air current farm â€Å" micrositing † . A The purpose of such a procedure is to maximize the energy production of the air current farm whilst understating the substructure and operating costs and run intoing all restraints. A For most undertakings the economic sciences are well more sensitive to alterations in energy production than substructure costs. A It is hence appropriate to utilize the energy production as the dominant layout design parametric quantity. The elaborate design of the air current farm is facilitated by the usage of commercially available air current farm design tools. A Once an appropriate analysis of the air current government at the site has been undertaken, a theoretical account is set up which can be used to plan the layout, predict the energy production of the air current farm every bit good as being used to turn to economic and be aftering related issues. For big air current farms it is frequently hard to manually deduce the most productive layout. A For such sites a computational optimization utilizing a air current farm design tool may place a layout for which significant additions in predicted energy production are achieved. A Even a 1 % addition in energy production from improved micrositing could easy stand for an addition in one-year gross of $ 50,000 to $ 100,000 for a 50 MW air current farm. A The computational optimization procedure will normally affect many 1000s of loops and can include noise and ocular restraints. A Wind farm design tools handily allow many substitutions on air current farm size, turbine type, hub tallness and layout to be considered rapidly and expeditiously increasing the likeliness that an optimum undertaking consequences. A Financial theoretical accounts may be linked to the tool so that returns from different options can be straight calculated, further streamlining the development determination doing procedure. In many states the ocular influence of a air current farm on the landscape is an of import issue. A The usage of computational design tools allows the Zone of Visual Influence ( ZVI ) , or visibleness footmark, to be calculated to place from where the air current farm will be seeable. A The tools may besides be used to supply visual images, to ease the production of photomontages and to foretell the noise and shadow spark which consequences from a proposed development. A These are frequently cardinal facets of the Environmental Assessment for a undertaking. Figure 1 shows an initial preliminary layout of a air current farm consisting of 26 turbines that meets all site specific restraints. A There are two noise sensitive homes west of the proposed air current farm with a defined noise bound that are marked with brooding icons. A The solid black line represents the site boundary in which the turbines can be placed. The layout of the air current farm after the optimization is shown in Figure 2. A Compared with the initial layout the predicted energy production has increased by about 3 % . A In the upper subdivision of Figure 2 the optimised layout of the air current farm superimposed with the noise degrees predicted for this layout can be seen. A A rendered visual image of the air current farm visual aspect from a point of view sou'-east of the air current farm is shown at the underside.

A Man For All Seasons essays

A Man For All Seasons essays The definition of humanism is A philosophy centered on the values, interests and potential of human beings (Websters Dictionary 1984, p. 340). In the play, A Man for all Seasons by Robert Bolt, Thomas More is a humanist as he knows his own values, interests and potential, and observes those of other people. Thomas More was a man who held onto his values no matter what. Thomas More believed in what the church said greatly. The king had a dispensation so that he would be able to marry Catherine. When the king wanted a divorce without a true reason, Thomas More wouldnt throw his beliefs away and refused to say that he agreed with the divorce. When Thomas More refused to swear to the act he was put in prison. He was charged with high treason and was beheaded. Thomas More saw that the people in his country held no value on being true to their religion, but he did. Hear me out. You and your class have given in-as you rightly call it-because the religion of this country means nothing to you one way or the other. (p. 122). Thomas More knew that the people had given up something they once had claimed to believe in. He knew that they gave up on what their religion said because they didnt want to stand up for it. They didnt have a high enough value on it to stand up for it. Thomas More on the other hand refuses to drop what his religion says because he believed it. I will not give in because I oppose it-I do-not my pride, not my spleen, nor any other of my appetites but I do-I! (p. 123). Thomas More was against the king getting a divorce because it was a value he held. The values that Thomas More had he held onto dearly and he wouldnt change them for convenience. He did not hold a value for popularity, he held a value because it is what he truly believed to be the right thing to hold onto. Thomas More believed that a person...

Business Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Business Project - Essay Example In many cases, the solution of transferring part or all the production units in developing countries appears as the most appropriate corporate decision at least for a specific period of time. It has to be noticed that in accordance with the World Economic Outlook (2002, 82) ‘trends and cross-county differences in corporate indicators reflect a variety of country-specific institutional and macroeconomic factors, as well as industrial specialization and firm size’. In other words the decision of ‘relocating’ in a new commercial market has to based on several elements which all must be thoroughly examined before the beginning of any relevant process. The existence of factors that may not have been taken into account when deciding this option can delay the development of the relevant plan and in many cases can even lead to its cancellation. China has proved to be a place that can help the companies to survive – at least on a short term basis – and to develop their level of production while the cost involved is low. Specifically regarding the particular issue MacMurray (1994, 68) stated that ‘as Chinas enterprise reform movement accelerates, MNCs will need to closely monitor the evolution of the industries in which they participate and seek a deeper understanding of the emerging competitors and acquisition candidates in each’. In other words, relocation in China can be an appropriate solution for many corporations however all parameters have to be examined thoroughly in order to assure that in the future the company will continue to have the same benefits or at least that this decision will not be proved to be ‘fatal’ for the firm’s survival. This paper examines the ‘viability’ of a relevant decision which refers to a German automobile company, Omega Motors Gmbh. The company decided to transfer part of its production unit to China at least for a few years in order to examine if suc h a decision could help it to reduce its costs and to

UPS and TNT Express Business Model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

UPS and TNT Express Business Model - Assignment Example Its market positioning among its competitors and the pricing criteria on the services and goods it trades on are the important factors of this element. United Parcel Services incorporation on this element regard on its business model can be contributed by its type of business and how it implements its business strategy.UPS incorporation is a business entity that engages primarily in delivering of packages and documents (Fairburn and Kay 1989). Also, in the recent periods, the firm has extended its service business to supply chain solutions that involves freight forwarding, customs brokerage, fulfillment, returns, financial transactions and even repairing services. The firm also, in extension offers less than truck transportation services where it is the leading provider in U.S market. The firm delivers to 6.1 million consignee worldwide, packages to 1.8 million shipping customers each day. Its supply chain services also, extend to clients in 175 countries (Libert and Samek 1997). The firm has invested in both ground and air network worldwide to offer its service deliveries to its customers under a single integrated pickup and delivery service structure. The firm has positioned itself in the market as the leading company by leading in technology development in order to improve service delivery among the global package delivery and supply chain management companies (Hubbard, 2001). The firm has a flexible scale of services and integrated solution that allows clients have an opportunity to choose the delivery service that will fulfill their intended requirement and the price they can afford from the variety of the services offered (Henry, 2002). The firm has invested a lot in equity branding by delivering quality services that are reliable and innovative products (Damodaran, 1997). This has been made successful through investing in employees by enabling them to have stock ownership in the firm. Thus, the employees dedicate their efforts in making the firm the best among the rest because they view the company as one of their own. TNT Express is involved in the service business of transferring documents and goods globally (Porter,1985). Service delivery is customer oriented because the clients are the one who selects the time and day when to pick up an order and when it should be delivered (Gropelli, 2006). The firms culture on being a robust and strong attitude and spirit of ‘can do’, has helped the employees in solving problems to carry out daily duties and responding to shareholders and the outside world of TNT Express. TNT Express positions itself in the market as the most admired delivery company by working on the core values of being a passionate company to its customers, people caring, keeping promises and working on mentality of I can do attitude. In order to achieve its values, the company has developed and implemented a TNT Express Integrity Program and an Introduced TNT Express Business Principles structures (Reish, 198 8). Thus, the acquisition of TNT express will raise the new firm performance in the parcel and document transfer industry competitively because of the combined synergy that will be realized by the merger idea. Synergy of the new firm will be realized due to the market competitive each of the firm have in their respective domestic markets. UPS Incorporation as the leading industry player in North America will enable TNT Express services to be implemented in North America as it has rich information on how to penetrate the domestic