Monday, September 30, 2019

Going home Essay

This is a first person narration of a soldier in Iraq who had been victim to an evening ambush by offensive troops. The narration begins with the soldier already in the infirmary, months after the ambush incident, nursing a fractured right foot. At about this time, word also came out that President Bush was going to withdraw five thousand plus men from Iraq so that they could be home for the holidays. The soldier hopes that he is part of the list of men who would be recalled. In the meantime, the soldier recounts the events that led to his current situation. The soldier reveals that many had died in the ambush and he was merely one of those who survived. The ambush took place while they were on their way to the North US Detachment. While recounting the story of how he had become a wounded US soldier, the narrator also offers insights into how war can be patriotic and how it can change the course of events for the world at large. The soldier also mentions in his reminiscing that they were not the true heroes of war, rather the true heroes were the families they left back home. The narrator dwells on this topic and comprehensively explains how the families back home should be the real heroes in a war and not the soldiers who are actually in the war. The soldier also offers insights into how gruesome a war can be and how wasteful it is when it comes to lives wasted; but despite his views on the war, the soldier remains steadfast in his beliefs and holds on to the thought of his family waiting back home. The narration ends with the soldier being called to the mess hall along with many others for the announcement of the list of recalled soldiers. Find out if he is one of those who will return home. (YOUR FULL NAME) (PROFESSOR’S NAME) (COURSE AND SUBJECT) (DATE OF SUBMISSION) GOING HOME – A SOLDIER’S STORY Christmas is fast approaching and I am hoping to have an early Christmas gift as President Bust announced last September that about 5,000 plus of us would be home for the Christmas holidays. This was part of the limited troop reduction that was to be implemented on US troops before the military surge in March next year. We are still waiting for the final list of soldiers who would be sent home and I am hoping that I would be in the list. I am useless here in the field anyway. I have been in the infirmary tent for the past three months because my right foot suffered segmented fractures after an ambush attack on our team while we were driving to the North detachment. We were fifteen in the truck. I was one of the lucky seven who came out of the attack alive. I was in the back of the truck and as usual, I felt like I had to watch my own back as well as I was watching the backs of the other soldiers who were with me in the truck. It was about eleven in the evening. We all had to travel in the cover of darkness to avoid being detected by hostile troops. From a distance, the sound of mortar seemed as natural as the crack of thunder on a balmy evening. A false, red sunrise could be seen from the horizon as flames from explosives incessantly lighted up the horizon. It was cold – in the desert, the temperatures are extreme. Daytime is extremely hot and the evening can be as cold as it is hot during the day. We were all in our camouflage uniforms, but these were only flimsy fabric – weak protection from possible bullets coming our way or even stray shrapnel from distant explosions. I feared for my life but also thought of the country, and the world, and what it would be like if the US did not launch an offensive against hostile troops here in Iraq. In my heart I could not understand why I had to go through such horror and put my life on the line for such a cause; but when I think of my young wife waiting for me back home, and my three month old daughter, I understand why I have to be here. The weapons of mass destruction that Iraq may be hiding from the world may be cause for the destruction not only of the US but also of the world as we know it and this alone told me that my being here was worth everything I had; but then again, I can never deny the fact that there could have been better days. About an hour into the trip, the truck grinded to a halt; a co-soldier who was seated beside the driver saw something through his night vision binoculars. A group of armed men were stationed about half a mile away and it seemed that they did not notice our approach because they were huddled together in a close circle seemingly having a drink. We did not find this cause for alarm because sporadically, throughout the road, were friendly troops from the other side who were securing travel routes for civilians. However, since we could not identify them from a distance, there was no choice but to be on guard and move forward until we were close enough to identify them. The driver had turned off the headlights and slowed down to a crawl to prepare for our approach. When we were just a few meters away, I heard one of the men stationed at the road cry out a piercing yell that to me sounded like a death sentence. At that very moment a volley of gunfire punctuated the distant explosions and we all lay flat on the floor of the truck. In what seemed like forever, the truck turned around and sped towards the other direction back to the camp. The gunfire continued and it was at this moment that I felt warm liquid seeping into the fabric of my uniform from the back. I turned around to see one of my co-soldiers slumped on my back with blood streaming from his neck. I quickly stood to check on the other men with me in the back of the truck. Four of them had been badly hit, two were unharmed, and seven of us suffered minor injuries. Mine was a gunshot wound that pierced my right ankle. Later, it turned out that the driver had been badly hit as well, so it was the other army officer with him in the front seat who was already driving the truck. We made camp about three hours after the incident. We had already been halfway through the six hour trip that was supposed to take us to the North detachment. We were all brought to the infirmary and the dead immediately interred into shiny black body bags that reflected the red glare that rose up from the distant horizon. The camp chaplain said a prayer over the dead and another officer bend down to take out their dog tags, they name patches, and some of their personal effects. I imagined how difficult this was for the officer. I imagined how it would have been had I been one of them. The following day two or three officers from the US Military back home would be at the porch of our house delivering the sad news to my wife and my daughter. I imagined how they would feel, and how much they would hate the state for sending me to war; but I was lucky to be alive, or not. Now, I had to deal with the gruesome images that I had witnessed. I had to spend my life thinking of what is and what could have been. I would probably be found gazing into the blackness for many solitary hours trying to find a decent and even logical reason for this manslaughter – but I was determined to go home in one piece, if not for my wife and daughter, at least for a country and a world that was waiting for a glimmer of hope that could come out of this bloodshed. Logically, bloodshed is bloodshed and nothing good could come out of war. It was always like choosing between two evils – the lives of hundreds of men and women in exchange for the peaceful future of my country and the world. The choice was always easy and I found it an honor to be fighting for this cause, albeit momentary periods of questioning and reasoning and questioning again. I felt that I was not a hero here; the real heroes are the families we have left behind; mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, daughters, and sons. They are the real heroes for having to deal with our absence and having to live their lives every day with the knowledge that we may not even return alive. They are the real heroes for having to lie to the innocent ones about fathers and mothers who were out there fighting for the country because this was the only way to ensure the future – of course, there are other ways, but when some other ways seem bleak and unfeasible, war is often the method of choice. These people are the real heroes not because they sacrificed anything but because they refuse to just fade into the sunset and let go of the prospects of peace and unity for the whole world. They are there back home not for any reason, but for a reason that all of us in this world would one day recall and be grateful about. We, in the field, we are here because of them and their unfailing belief and hope in our cause; we are here because of their love and the fact that before we sleep at night our minds swim in oceans of faces – the faces of our real heroes. The bugle had been sounded. Our superior had called us all to the mess hall to announce who would be going home for Christmas and who wouldn’t. With my crutch in tow and a foot heavy with plaster dragging behind, I go to the mess hall. The superior went through the list. The lights have been turned out after the list was read. I was walking back to the infirmary. I was going home.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” Essay

I chose to write a comparison essay on Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and William Faulkner’s â€Å"Barn Burning†. Both of these stories share central characters with similar personalities as well as similar themes and conflicts through the stories. The Grandmother, in â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†, is an old woman with old-fashioned ideas and manners. She considers herself to be a good person, but she is also very selfish and manipulative. She makes up lies to get what she wants, such as when she tells the children about a secret panel in the plantation house that she wants to visit just to intrigue them into wanting to stop there. She tries to come across as an honest and holy religious woman, when in actuality, she is just the opposite. She uses the term â€Å"good man† quite loosely whenever she wants to please a man. Sarti’s father Abner, in â€Å"Barn Burning†, also posses the same two character flaws as the Grandmother, selfishness and manipulativeness. He uses his authority as an adult and as a father to put guilt trips on Sarti. He tells him that no matter what, he should never go against his own blood because blood is thicker than water. Another similarity in the two characters is that they are both responsible for the actions that take place throughout the stories. The Grandmother is constantly trying to direct the family’s vacation and tell them what to do. She feels that she knows best because she is old and wise. This is ironic because listening to the Grandmother is what gets the family into the predicament in the end. Because she insists on visiting the old plantation house, the family winds up getting lost. Because she sneaks her cat along for the trip, Bailey get startled which causes the family to get into a car accident. All of this leads up to the family meeting up with Misfit and his two accomplices, which in turn, causes the death of all five people. Abner, like the Grandmother, can not accept the fact that most of his actions caused his problems. He also feels that he knows it all and does not think of the future consequences of his actions. He feels no remorse in telling Sarti to lie for him because he feels that what he did was justified. Both â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and â€Å"Barn Burning† involve the theme of a conflict between youth versus age. The Grandmother and Abner both have authority over the other characters because of their age. In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, the characters disregard the Grandmother in the beginning when she says that she will not take her family to Florida because of the murderer who is loose there. But they do make the decision to listen to her when it comes turning around and looking for the plantation house, which turns out to be a fatal decision. In â€Å"Barn Burning†, Sarti starts off obeying his father, but then makes the fatal decision to turn him in. The small difference in these stories is that the family’s decision affects each one of them to where the outcome is the same for all, death. While Sarti’s decision does change his life and the course that it would take, it only causes death for his father. In conclusion, Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and William Faulkner’s â€Å"Barn Burning† are both stories that involve a central character whose actions seal the fate of all the other characters. They both have similar traits and views. Most importantly, neither of the two characters will ever openly accept responsibility for what happens, although they may feel it inside. Both short stories also involve a similar theme of choices. The characters make their choices of whether or not to do what the Grandmother and Abner say, according to what they feel is the right thing to do. Even though the Grandmother from â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and Abner from â€Å"Barn Burning† are extremely different people in very many ways, they are also quite similar.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Master of MSC marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Master of MSC marketing - Essay Example According to the research findings branding is considered as one of the hottest topics in the business field as its overall attraction and significance has become more important in the recent past. With the rise of the web and other I.T. technologies, the need to have effective branding strategy has became more significant. Further, the emergence of e-commerce has made it critical for the brand managers to develop effective and innovative branding strategies for their consumers. Over the period of time, organizations have used branding as one of the important strategic tools to improve and consolidate their relationships with the customers. However, more importantly, branding has provided the organizations a strong chance to further penetrate into their chosen target markets. The strategic use of branding therefore is considered as one of the key strategic variables for organizations to manage and control effectively. An effective branding strategy therefore allows organizations to b ecome competitive and generate and deliver the kind of competitive advantage which allow them to better utilize the power of their brands. It is also important to note that the emergence of the globalization and the spread of Western values across the globe have increased the exposure of international brands to really diversified range of markets. In such a situation, it has become more critical for the brand managers to actually to use their branding strategy to achieve the competitive advantage at global level.... Further, the emergence of e-commerce has made it critical for the brand managers to develop effective and innovative branding strategies for their consumers.( Gammoh, Koh, & Okoroafo, 2011). Over the period of time, organizations have used branding as one of the important strategic tools to improve and consolidate their relationships with the customers. However, more importantly, branding has provided the organizations a strong chance to further penetrate into their chosen target markets. The strategic use of branding therefore is considered as one of the key strategic variables for organizations to manage and control effectively. An effective branding strategy therefore allows organizations to become competitive and generate and deliver the kind of competitive advantage which allow them to better utilize the power of their brands. (Ille, & Chailan,2011). (Kippenberger,2000). It is also important to note that the emergence of the globalization and the spread of Western values acr oss the globe have increased the exposure of international brands to really diversified range of markets. In such a situation, it has become more critical for the brand managers to actually to use their branding strategy to achieve the competitive advantage at global level (Buggie, 2001), One of the important and emerging themes regarding the impact of IT in branding, generally, is the ease with which marketers can actually communicate with their customers. The advent of the different digital media and the spread of internet have allowed brand managers to improve the coordination between the customers and the organization itself and hence the brands are getting better exposure in their target markets. e.( Davey, 2010). Some studies suggested

Friday, September 27, 2019

Human Resource Management Program in Electronic Firm in Ontario Case Study - 1

Human Resource Management Program in Electronic Firm in Ontario - Case Study Example Evaluators are likely to dismiss or assign scores based on their liking. Third, the success rate of the test is extremely low which raises eyebrows. If only 20% are likely to pass the test then it seems like its serving a totally different purpose other than the intended. 50% success rate would be reasoning enough if the tests were valid and reliable (Gatewood, et al., 2011). Based on the above-highlighted problems reported on the selection program, a more motivating program that serves a relevant purpose should be adopted. First, the management team should devise and develop academic/mental interview questions and evaluation criteria that can assess employees in the electronic arena which is relevant to their job descriptions and not ask outrageous questions. To test for practical skills, the panel should ask the employees to perform some relevant operations using electronic equipment and replace the metal peg activity (Gatewood, et al., 2011). Also, much more transparency in the manner in which the procedure is undertaken should be enhanced such as openly printing out the results with the score criteria clearly elaborated. The union has valid arguments that can be backed up by the payment/compensation packages offered by the company. It can compare the kind of work the employees do with the remuneration. As reported, the company seeks to hire inexperienced workers so as to pay them as little as possible. Consequently, the confidentiality of the procedure is a point worth noting. The union can claim that the examinees’ results are tampered with since they are enclosed. Thirdly, the invalidity of the test questions is a strong argument to bring across as the activities asked to be performed are irrelevant to the nature of work. This is an indication that there is a hidden motive (Gatewood, et al., 2011).

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Life Styles and Food Habits Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Life Styles and Food Habits - Research Proposal Example Thus, in the modern day Canada, obesity has become a serious threat to the health of the citizens due to their changing lifestyles and food habits. In the backdrop of the prevalence of obesity as a public health problem in Canada for the last three decades, there is an emerging need to devise appropriate intervention strategies â€Å"aimed at reducing† the problem across communities (Twells et al, 2014, p.E18). Currently, the issue has acquired alarming proportions as data reveals that 55.4% of Canadians are either â€Å"overweight (34.2%) or obese (21.2%)† (p.E22). Many studies identify sedentary lifestyle and food habits of the modern humans as the major causative element for a rampant prevalence of obesity and the researchers propose the promotion of â€Å"healthy lifestyles† and improvement of â€Å"healthy eating† as the main intervention strategies for containing the menace of obesity (p.E25). In this scenario, this study gains validity as it will enable a proper understanding of how the lifestyles and eating habits of Canadians are causing the spread of obesity in the country. The scope of this research envisages the exploration of the role of sedentary lifestyles and eating habits of the Canadian people in contributing to the development of the problem of obesity in them. Some of the evidence evaluated during the course of this research has revealed that there is a dearth of investigations that explore the role of physical activity in causing obesity and the available data that connects â€Å"economic instruments† to physical activity is very â€Å"limited and indirect† (Faulkner et al, 2010, p.21). Therefore, it appears that there is much scope for the review of economic measures to encourage physical activities as an intervention strategy for the prevention of the onslaught of obesity. Similarly, food habits of the Canadians have  been seen as another major contributing factor in the development of obesity and evidence suggests that the tax policies on unhealthy food items have only a â€Å"limited impact† on the level of obesity (p.19).  

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Marketing Channels and Logistics. Pepsi Cola in Ukraine Essay

Marketing Channels and Logistics. Pepsi Cola in Ukraine - Essay Example Also at the time when the case was written Coca Cola had setup their own plant in the area and since Pepsi only had bottling plants in the area they felt threatened by their entry as earlier they had the full control of the soft drink market. The case discusses the internal and the external factors that are affecting the supply and the distribution of the Pepsi in the country of Ukraine. TASK 1 There were many problems that existed there, the problems will be discussed one by one and later the four major ones will be given. Ukraine is a very poor country, with loads of issues of their own; the people are living in utter discomfort and have hardly any money for spending on luxurious goods and even many a times they do not even possess enough to be able to afford any other goods that are counted as a necessity. There have been a lot of skirmishes amongst the people themselves who are all fighting for limited resources. In countries like Ukraine it is a norm that people fight with each other for the limited resources that exist and hence there are a lot of issues. The economic situation of Ukraine is really very bad, there is increased terrorism in the whole country and nothing is safe. The economic conditions are real worse here. There is a lot of privatization that is going on and people feel that it would turn out to be a harbinger of a positive change in the whole society; people will start having enough disposable income to spend on luxurious goods and other luxurious items. The people generally are very poor and struggling to even meet their basic needs. A cold drink beverage is a luxury, in areas where purchasing pure water is out of reach for many. The economic condition of the place is really poor. The inflation is quite high in the area. This has reduced the purchasing power of the people living there. Inflation has caused the prices of daily consumer goods to increase as well. As mentioned in the case, it is clearly mentioned that the absence of any pro per supply chain has caused the Pepsi to cost far more than it would actually had there been a proper channel. The marketing channel is responsible for making sure that the produced goods reach the consumer without increasing the cost. The greatest disadvantage that Pepsi had in this regard was that they did not have a proper marketing channel, there were no campaigns and the transportation of the Pepsi was never done officially. This lack of proper transportation failed to create an everlasting image in the minds of the locals. They will stop associating it with some kind of an international brand and end up thinking of it as a local brand. Even they had to change the packaging of the whole thing as people had actually started considering it a local brand. There was a serious mishap in the understanding of the perception of the people. The promotion, placing, pricing were all at a loss here, as people got it through, at a minimum, three to four middlemen, this made the prices go up as each man wanted to earn profit. This is one very discouraging factor that was there in Ukraine. Placement of the product was also very faulty and there was no other way for Pepsi to do it until unless they started their own freight services. The logistics issue was so great that there was no proper transportation, the use of trucks was also not a good option as people weren’t learned enough to differentiate between the kind of truck that is

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Maintenance Management of Engineering Assets Assignment - 1

Maintenance Management of Engineering Assets - Assignment Example Ventilation systems allow for the supply of air into the building and cooling in normally necessary to lower the temperatures The boilers: The boilers normally produce water that is hot and in some instances produce steam to be distributed in the space within which the system operates. This is achieved either by the use of coils or the use of water pipes leading to the radiator of the HVAC system. The chiller: This is the cooling component of the system. It is normally treated with air that is normally blown over the coils carrying the chilled water in the space of operation for cooling to take place through the ventilations. The fault tree analysis (FTA) can be used to analyze the major faults that are likely to occur in the HVAC system. The major faults that are likely to be encountered in the system can either be controller based or mechanical faults. The FTA diagram below analyses these faults. Control faults of the HVAC system occur in the functional components of the system. The faults can be in the form of variations in the thermal conductance of the fluid in the coils, dehumidification faults and non-linearity in the variation of the control system. These faults in the control system can only be solved through maintenance operations of the system. This is a procedure that is used for the evaluation of the various aspects of a functional system so that we are in a position to identify the critical failures that are likely to occur in the system so that we can be able to minimize or eliminate them through correction of designs. The main objective of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is to make a determination of the parts that have the highest probability of failing in an assembled system (Salsbury, 2003). The process of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) starts with the smallest components of the system and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 18

Leadership - Essay Example The first and foremost way in which the Japanese nation is helping the government is by acting normally. They take disaster as a destined event, and maintain a realistic approach towards perceiving and reacting towards it. Earthquake happened, but people maintained their regular life style. They went to work, so that systems keep functioning in the routinely fashion, and the government may be facilitated in assisting the nation. Along with the whole nation, the government is displaying excellent leadership skills. Japanese government is using all resources and leadership skills to help improve the conditions that have resulted from the recent disaster. Leadership skills require rational decision making at the right time to cope with the difficulties. Government is constantly working to provide the population with safety. The government had moved disaster management teams right from the instant the incident took place. Affected people have been provided with food and shelter, and are being compensated in order to improve their

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Resistance of a Wire Essay Example for Free

The Resistance of a Wire Essay Steps 1 to 5 were repeated but the number of wires between the crocodile clips was increased by one each time until the total number of wires was The diammeter of the Constantan wire was measured using the Micrometer Screw Gauge. The diammeter was measured at two different places along the wire and the average value used in the calculation of the area. Measurements;   The length of wire between the crocodile clips was measured (L) using the metre rule.   The Potential Difference across the wire (V) was measured using the Voltmeter. The Current through the wire was measured twice and the average taken. This measurement was made using the Ammeter.   The diammeter of the wire (d) was measured using the Micrometer Screw Gauge. Results and Calculations Resistance (R) Resistance was calculated using each pair of values of V and Iaverage using the relationship R = V/Iaverage Cross-Sectional Area (A) The cross-sectional area was calculated using the relationship A = ? d2/4 d1 d2 daverage A = ? (daverage)2/4 mm mm mm x 10-2 mm2 0. 26 0. 26 0. 26 5. 31 The total area is given by A = Cross-sectional area of one wire x the Number of Wires Resistance and Length Potential Difference (V) Current (I1) Current (I2) Current (Iaverage) Length (L) Resistance (R) Volts Amps Amps Amps cm Ohms 3Resistance and Area Potential Difference Number of Wires Current Current Current Area 1/Area Resistance (V) (I1) (I2) (Iavge) (A) (1/A) (R) Volts Amps Amps Amps x10-2mm2 mm-2 Ohms Graphs of Results A Graph of Resistance against Length A Graph of Resistance against Area This graph is obviously not a straight line through the origin. A Graph of Resistance against 1/Area Conclusion Resistance and Length The graph of Resistance against the length of the wire is a striaght line passing through the origin. This means that the Resistance is directly proportional to the length of the wire as long as the cross-sectional area is constant. Resistance ? Length R ? L Doubling the length of the wire causes the Resistance to double. This agrees with the prediction that I made using my scientific background knowledge. Resistance and Area The graph of Resistance against cross-sectional area is NOT a straight line through the origin. The graph of 1/(cross-sectional area) is a straight line through the origin. This means that the Resistance is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area of the wire as long as the length is constant. Resistance ? 1/(cross-sectional area) R ? 1/A Doubling the cross-sectional area of the wire causes the Resistance to halve. This agrees with the prediction that I made using my scientific background knowledge. Evaluation Justification of the Conclusions Resistance and Length All of the experimental measurements of resistance and length lie on or close to a straight line through the origin on the graph. Resistance and Area All of the experimental measurements of resistance and 1/(cross-sectional area) lie on or close to a straight line through the origin on the graph. Uncertainties Measurement of Voltage The Voltage was measured using a 0-5 Volt d. c. Analogue Voltmeter. The smallest scale division on this scale was 0. 2 Volts This gives an uncertainty of + or 0. 2 Volts allowing for an uncertainty in the setting of the zero on the Voltmeter. Measurement of Current The Current was measured using a 0-1 Amp d. c. Analogue Ammeter and a 0-5 Amp d. c. Analogue Ammeter. The smallest scale division on the 0-1A scale was 0. 02 Amps. This gives an uncertainty of + or 0. 02 Amps allowing for an uncertainty in the setting of the zero on the Ammeter. The smallest scale division on the 0-5A scale was 0. 1 Amps. This gives an uncertainty of + or 0. 1 Amps allowing for an uncertainty in the setting of the zero on the Ammeter. Changing from one scale to another is bad practice as the two scales may not have been similarly calibrated. Measurement of Length The length of the wire was measured using a metre rule. The smallest scale division on the rule was 1mm. This gives an uncertainty of + or 1mm. There is an uncertainty of + or 0. 5mm at each end of the length of wire. It was difficult to ensure that no kinks occurred in the wire. Kinks in the wire would have meant that the wire was actually longer than the measured value. Measurement of Diammeter The diammeter was measured using a Micrometer Screw Gauge The smallest scale division on the Micrometer Screw Gauge was 0. 01mm. This gives an uncertainty of + or 0. 01 mm allowing for an uncertainty in the setting of the zero on the Micrometer Screw Gauge Resistance The contacts between the crocodile clips and the wire may have introduced extra resistance into the circuit. The amount of extra resistance cannot be estimated and will have changed during the course of the investigation. Temperature The resistance of a metal wire does change with temperature and despite keeping the voltage low, the temperature of the wire will have changed during the investigation. Constantan wire was selected for the investigation because its resistance does not change very much as the temperature changes. The wire was laid out on the desk so that any heating effect would be minimised. The heat generated would have been lost to the surroundings. The resistance of a metal wire increases as the temperature goes up. Anomalous Results All of the values plotted on the graphs of Resistance against Length and Resistance against 1/(cross-sectional area) were close to the straight line (the line of best fit). This was certainly true within the limits of accuracy of the experiments. There were no anomalous results. Improvements Contact Resistance at the Crocodile Clips. It should be possible to develop a technique for connecting the wires into the circuit which would eliminate any uncertainty due to the contacts. This might involve soldering connections to the wire under test. This would involve quite a lot of extra work which would not be justified by the increase in accuracy obtained. Increased Number of Values of Cross-Sectional Area Because the final graph used was Resistance against 1/(Cross-Sectional Area) the points plotted were not evenly spaced. Keeping the Temperature of the Wire Constant There are two ways in which the temperature of the wire could have been kept more nearly constant. Using much smaller values for the applied Potential Difference and therefore the current through the wire. This could have been achieved by placing a large value resistor in series with the wire say 0-5000 Ohms. We would have needed to use a much more sensitive ammeter and voltmeter.   Placing the wire in a water bath as shown in the diagram below. The temperature of the wire would have been the same as the water bath. A large amount of heat energy is needed to change the temperature of the water bath because of the high value for the Specific Heat Capacity of water. Extension of the Investigation. Different Materials Different metals have different values for their resistivity ? . A series of experiments could be carried out to measure the resistivities of different metals and alloys. Change of Resistance with Temperature A series of experiments could be carried out to measure the change in resistance of a fixed length of Constantan wire as the temperature of the wire is changed. This could be done by placing the wire under test in a water bath and changing the temperature of the water bath by heating it with a Bunsen burner. The length and cross-sectional area of the wire would be kept constant.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Countries seeking to be admitted to the EU community Essay Example for Free

Countries seeking to be admitted to the EU community Essay The countries the have been recognized as accession candidates include Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey. They have all applied for the accession and their applications have been principally accepted. All these countries have already started or will in due course begin the process of accession by adopting the European Union law which will bring to the same level as other member states. Macedonia and Croatia applied for EU membership recently, these two states originated from the former Republic of Yugoslavia. On the other hand, Turkey has been a candidate for accession for several years; it formally applied for the accession in the year 1987 and only became a candidate in 1999. the delay have been caused by the complicated nature of making Turkey at par with the standards of EU and also as a result of the political concerns that surrounds Turkey thus making the conclusion of its accession difficult. However, none of these countries is yet to gain membership as they are all in the process of the negotiations (Mauro, 2006). Croatia applied to be a member of EU membership in 2003; the commission of the union has already recommended it and is thus Croatia is now officially a candidate. The status Croatia as an accession candidate was granted by the council of the union in 2004. The early negotiations were set to kick off in early 2005 but were delayed until late in the same year. After the negotiations finally started in October, the screening process of thirty three aquis chapters with the state was eventually completed in October of the following year (Mauro, 2006). After the state of Croatia has fully recovered from its breakup from the Yugoslavia, it has very high hopes of becoming a second state of the Yugoslavia to be accepted as a member to of the EU community. The market economy of the state of Croatia is stable; it in fact, has far many superior statistical indicators as compared to Romania and Bulgaria which joined the EU in 2007. Close to the end of 2005 the officials of EU predicted that Croatia accession is expected to occur as early as 2010 but can delay up to 2012. The conclusion of all the aquis communautaire chapters is likely to take place in 2009 while the accession treaty is likely to be signed in 2010. Before negations with the state of Croatia started, the aquis was split into thirty five chapters which were four more than the usual number of thirty one. The chapters which were new were formerly included in the policy of agriculture, which is an area that is expected to be quite troublesome as it was the case with other such applicants (Mauro, 2006). Macedonia just like Croatia originated from Yugoslavia; the state of Macedonia applied for EU membership in 2004. In the following year the commission of the EU recommended Macedonia to the council for it to become a candidate of accession. The leaders of the European Union accepted the commission’s recommendation which finally made the state of Macedonia to become an accession candidate officially. However, there has been no date which has been mentioned to start off the negotiation process. Peace in the country is observed although there are ethnic tensions which are still underlying in the country. The ethnic tensions in Macedonia are as a result of the Albanians, who after the Ohrid Accords were implemented became more autonomous. But despite the political challenges facing the state, the council of the European Union congratulated and welcomed the achievements so far attained by the state in implementing a number of agreements and reforms. As a result the European Union recognizes the nation as a republic that broke away from Yugoslavia, and in fact, this is the major denotation by which EU may hold any fruitful negotiations with the country. This issue’s resolution, in fact, became an accession precondition for Macedonia. However, it might take more time before Macedonia is accepted by EU since the state has numerous problems in achieving the standards required by EU such as sound economy and respect for the rule of law. There are also incidences of irregularities and violence especially in the recent parliamentary elections which were held in 2008, this particular event cast a lot of doubts on Macedonians candidacy (Roney, Budd, 1998). In the recent past, the status of Turkey in respect to joining the European Union has become an issue of chief significance and substantial controversy. Turkey is among the founding states of the Europe Council and the country has since 1964 been an associate member of EU. Turkey applied for EU full membership in 1987 and it took twelve years for the EU commission to recognize the candidacy of Turkey, it was recognized as a candidate in 1999 during the Helsinki Summit. After the 2004 summit which was held at Brussels the council of EU formally announced that the negotiations for membership with the country of Turkey were to be opened in 2005. The process of screening started in the same year and was completed in the following year (Arikan, 2003). The country of Turkey is recognized as a developed nation, its economy is the 7th largest among the members of the Europe Council, while in the world, the economy of Turkey is ranked at position fifteen. This has made the Turkey’s proponents for EU membership to argue that the country is a chief economic power in the region which also supported by the fact that it has the 2nd largest force of military in NATO. These are very important factors in enhancing the position of EU as a geo strategic global player, considering the geographic location of Turkey, its political stability, economic power together with its cultural and historic connection in the region which is endowed with a lot of natural resources its accession can be of much significance to the entire EU community. The proponents of Turkey also argue that the country abides to nearly all the conditions set by the EU for accession, they in fact, hold a firm position that it is unfair for EU to continue refusing the accession of Turkey arguing that its candidacy has been open for more than four decades. Turkey has also made a lot of reforms in respect for the rule of law and respect for the human rights, in order to satisfy the accession conditions (Arikan, 2003). However, there are countries such as Germany and France that are still opposed to the accession of Turkey. They argue that Turkey fails to respect the main principles expected in any democracy that is liberal such as expression freedom. In addition, Turkey laws which are potentially repressive such as Article three hundred and one. Both France and Germany further argue that the Turkish army plays a major role in the country’s administrative foreground. Another major issue about Turkey’s accession into EU is due to the fact that it still occupies the Cyprus Island, which since 2004 became a member of the EU. Turkey has more than forty thousand troops in the island since 1974 and continues to be acquainted with the fact that Cyprus has authority over the island. It is not clear when the accession of Turkey will take place since some members are opposed to the country’s accession while others are of the idea (Arikan, 2003).