Antigone Tragic Hero essays

Antigone Tragic Hero essays In the novel Antigone Sophocles, the author, depicts the tragic hero Creon to the fullest extent. Sophocles portrays Creon as a tragic hero by the characteristics shown throughout the story. Creon is a character that is easy to relate to in a number of ways. First, he contains many flaws which in result causes many problems. This is seen in the decision he made of becoming hubris. Hubris is a Greek term for insolence and is referred to the emotions in Greek tragic heroes and ignores the gods and thus invite catastrophe. Catastrophe is all Creon got as the novel progressed into the climax. His choices and decisions end up deciding the fates of his son, wife, and Antigone. After having an encounter however with Teiresias, Creon comes around to realize what he has done is sinful to the gods. He has put his own pride over the fact of appreciating the gods. The character Creon may not be seen as a tragic hero because of his tasteless acts, but he contains the traits eligible to be the tra gic hero in Antigone. As seen in the novel, Creon exhibits habits seen in todays life, even though Sophocles wrote this novel a long time ago. It is obvious that Creon displays an immense amount of stubbornness throughout the story. An example is seen when Antigone wishes to give her brother, Polynieces a proper burial so he can go and be with the Gods. Creon as king wishes to have him rot in the fields of war because he disowned the state in the war that preceded the events. Antigone fights for her beliefs of the divine law that one should always receive a proper burial after death, but Creon refuses and throws Antigone in jail. His stubbornness is seen here in this quote, Go join them, then: if you must have your love, find it in hell!(pg286). As seen in the quote, even after Antigone clearly makes sense in what she was doing, and the prophet also agrees with her, Creon turns to the ...

Stop looking and start writing - Emphasis

Stop looking and start writing Stop looking and start writing Conducting endless research can make you depressed and not just because you miss all your deadlines. According to psychologist Barry Schwartz, we often find it hard to make up our minds when faced with a surplus of possibilities. And this can make us miserable. Its not surprising writers are prone to falling into this trap. If theres one thing the internet offers us, its everything. And the wealth of information online means it can be tricky knowing when to stop looking, and to start writing. Less is more We tend to assume the more options, the better. But in his book The Paradox of Choice, Schwartz points out that our obsession with freedom of choice, fuelled by our consumer culture, has led to the increasing complexity of everyday decisions. For example, think about going online: whether its selecting a salad dressing or material for your report, we are subjected to an overload of promising links, images and information. And even when we pick a path, we are often only too aware of the alternatives we had to forego. No matter the genuine benefits our actual preference may bring us, the imagined superiority of the roads not taken can make us feel like weve missed out. Schwartz illustrates this decision-making paralysis with an anecdote about a company giving its employees the opportunity to invest in voluntary retirement plans. For every ten options on offer, participation dropped by two per cent. So one in 50 people effectively passed up $5,000 a year in contributions from their employers rather than make a choice. The problem was that they were offered too many ways to invest. Time out Adrian Hon, a neuroscientist and founder of online games company Six To Start, believes the only way to regain some control is to artificially limit our choices, by way of a secular Sabbath: a day without technology. Although he had the expected initial pang when disconnecting, he also found it liberating. After all, he says, It wasnt worth worrying about work or chores because there was nothing I could do about them for the next 24 hours. Were not suggesting you corner your boss and announce your own weekly secular Sabbath starting on Monday (although that would be nice). But switching off all your gadgets every now and then could not only give you space and time to finish that report it could also improve your wellbeing.

Describe the legal and administrative framework of the federal Research Paper

Describe the legal and administrative framework of the federal procurement process - Research Paper Example The FAR is issued jointly by the Department of Defense (DoD), the General Services Administration (GSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It applies not only to direct purchases made by the government, but also to purchases made by federal grant recipients. In other countries such as India, different procurement rules apply at the federal level, in the states and territories, to the central public sector units, and to public sector enterprises. Procurement is regulated through executive directives at the federal level. The Rules were revised in 2005 to afford greater flexibility while ensuring accountability in government transactions. Instructions were issued by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to supplement these regulations. At the federal level, procurement is administered by the individual government agencies. India has not established an authority that is exclusively responsible for defining procurement policies and for overseeing compliance wi th the established procedures. In Australia, the Finance Minister issues Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (CPG's). It outlines Australian federal procurement requirements. ... to be used for standing orders, which covers the procurement of several of the most commonly purchased assets including automobiles, fuel, office supplies and professional services. If the purchase surpass monetary values set for different categories, the PWGSC opens the procurement up to the bidding process. It advertises it on the Government Electronic Tendering Service. Federal procurement generally requires competitive bidding on contracts which exceed a certain monetary threshold. A request for proposal (RFP) is issued with specific guidelines. After which, the bids are submitted for review. The contract is usually given to the bidder, which can meet all of the essential specifications at the lowest price. Exemptions can occur in cases where only one source of supply exists, or when one supplier has proven to be far superior in performance to the others. Getting into the federal procurement system is hard. There are many who try. However, only the few who will persevere will be accepted. The settlements of being on the inside of federal procurement are continuous. One is that once you make it inside the system, you are inside for a long time. The government changes slowly and that includes vendors. Another reason is that the federal government’s checks do not bounce. And the biggest reason to grind it out for government procurement is that the government does nothing small. However, there is a need to understand how the government work as a profession has been sought after as a secure position where on does not get laid off, but does get an awesome retirement, and federal holidays. The downside is there is not much upward mobility, the environment does not like initiative or creativity, and the pay is typically lower than industry norms. Civil service workers

Managing multiculural teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managing multiculural teams - Essay Example The article provided an example of American team working with a Korean group. The Americans communicated a problem directly to the superiors of the Korean team. This created lots of problems because in Korea the cultural norm is for the Korean workers to explain the problems to their superiors, not for outsiders to identify the problems. Resistance to change often occurs in multicultural work teams. It is hard for people from different cultures to accept the social norms of others. The language barrier can create communication problems in multicultural teams. The knowledge I gained from reading this article can be put to good in the future by me. I leaned that it is imperative to have patience and understanding when working in multicultural teams. Due to the diversity of the U.S. workforce it is common for employees to face situations that require cultural understanding. The United States is a multicultural society. I realize after reading this article that the cultural factor is a variable that must be considered by managers. An issue that was mentioned in the article that can lead to miscommunication is direct and indirect communications. Sometimes indirect communication can lead to problems because an employee may misinterpret the message. In the future I planned on taking a proactive approach to multicultural team settings. I will study and learn about the culture of my co-workers in order to better understand their point of views. The four strategies that were suggested by the author of the article to deal with multicultural team issues were adaptation, structural intervention, managerial intervention, and exit. The adaptation strategy is more effective when team members are willing to acknowledge and name their cultural differences and assume responsibility for figuring out to live with them (Brett & Behfar & Kern). A positive aspect of this strategy

When Choosing a Career Path Essay Example for Free

When Choosing a Career Path Essay The first step that students can use to choose the career that is right for them is to take a career test. One of the most popular of these tests is known as the Holland Scale. It has six different category areas that students are attracted to such as investigative, social, or artistic. Based on these different areas, students can explore careers based on their interests (Joanna Saison). Evaluate Strengths and Skills When a student has figured out the general idea of his or her career path, the next step in the process is for them to evaluate and find out what their strengths and skills are. These are known as transferable skills (Joanna Saison)[1]. Examples of some of these skills are management and leadership skills, oral and written communication, public speaking or computer literacy (Joanna Saison)[2]. Develop Skills and Experience The authors in the article cited above also mention that if a person discovers that they lack the skills and experience needed for their chosen career field, there are several steps that they can take to gain the skills and experience necessary. First of all, a person who is employed can investigate to find out if they can get trained on the job. They can also look to find out if there are ways to be involved in projects that help to develop skills (Joanna Saison). Students also have access to resources in their community to develop their skills and experience. Chambers of Commerce in their area or state job development programs is a few of the resources that are available (Joanna Saison). Students are also able to increase their skills and experience by being involved with volunteer work or internships. The benefit of an internship is that you are able to work with people in your chosen career field (Joanna Saison). Some fields or industries have specific educational requirements and skills. An example of this would be that if a student is planning on getting into the education field, an education degree would be required. A few more options available to students are that they can take night classes or become involved with school on a part time basis (Joanna Saison). Other Factors Involved in Choosing a Career The previous section covered some of the more obvious factors involved for students trying to figure out a career path that is right for them. This next section discusses and analyzes some other factors that may be involved in choosing the right career. Are you an Introvert or Extrovert? If a student is an introvert, they will be spending much of their time alone. On the other hand, if a student is an extrovert, they will do very well in social interactions (Factors to Consider When Choosing a Career)[3]. Goals and Rewards a Person is Looking For Based on the article cited above, another factor that students may want to take into consideration is what goals and rewards they consider important for themselves. Stated another way, this can also mean what is more valued by the individual person. The author states that â€Å"some people desire to help others directly, while others seek independence and autonomy.† (Factors to Consider When Choosing a Career)[4] Career Resources for Students and Teachers The objective of this report up to this point has been to assist students on how to find career related information. The next section is going to discuss how to choose the right career using a government source. The Bureau of Labor Statistics website contains a section that lists career resources that are designed for use by teachers and students. It is located at http://www.bls.gov/audience/students.htm. Once a student is at that page, they would then need to click on this link. This section gives students access to over 60 occupations by interest or subject area. In addition, students can find out what tasks of their chosen occupation are, how to prepare for that occupation, what kind of salary they can expect and the job outlook for their chosen occupation (U. B. Statistics). Upon clicking on the hyperlink documented above, a student will discover that there is another page that groups job titles based on the skill. This means that those careers that use reading as the main skill are classified into their separate category and those jobs that use math as a main skill are grouped into that category. For example, if a student had the desire to choose a career where managing money is important, they would click on the words managing money (B. o. Statistics, What Do you Like?) To further expand on this vast topic, as an example, let us consider if a student wanted to choose one of the careers associated with managing money. The careers listed are Accountant, Financial Analyst, Loan Officer, Bookkeeping Clerk, and Real Estate Agent. If for instance, a student wanted to pursue a career as an accountant, they would click that job title when they go to the following source: (B. o. Statistics, Accountant) Upon clicking on the job title accountant, the student would then discover that there are several different types of accountants. There are public accountants, management accountants, government accountants and internal auditors listed as job titles (B. o. Statistics, Accountant)[5]. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of accountants have a college degree in accounting. If however, a student had a desire to be a public accountant, they would be required to take a special test. Upon successfully passing that test, the student would get a certification. They would then need to get a license from the state in which they reside. As of May 2008, the average salary for accountants and auditors was $65,840 (B. o. Statistics, Accountant)[6]. A student can access information about another career by following the process of steps described above.

Triangulated Polygons Essay -- Mathematics

From the beginning of time there have been many anomalies in humanity. With the advancement of techniques, tools, and knowledge, our understanding of the world aspires to clarify our curiosities. The most beneficial to factors throughout our history would include our knowledge of numbers. Numbers hold great possibilities and bring forth answers to the most complex systems of life. Our mathematics is incorporated into basic aspects of our daily lives, allowing us to unlock our potentials and give keys to uncover the hidden secrets in the universe. There are many applications to mathematics such as triangulating polygons. Triangulation is a surveying technique in which a region is divided into a series of triangular elements based on a line of known length so that accurate measurements of distances and directions may be made by the application of trigonometry. (Company, 2009) Since its discovery, triangulation has lent the world many beneficial advantages. Polygons exist as multi-sided shapes. These shapes can be subdivided into many non-overlapping triangles. These triangles connect corners to corners, creating diagonals that section it off. These sections are called convex hulls. The many uses of algorithms allow anyone to calculate these triangular hulls. The mathematics behind triangulating polygons was originated in Alexandria by the man, Euclides. Euclides was a Greek mathematician who was highly revered as the â€Å"Father of Geometry.† Euclides possessed a mysterious personal life, because his life was not documented and often confused with others. He taught many children mathematics during the reign of Ptolemy. His father and grandfather were thought to be Greek, but this is not certain considering the confusion between him... ...'s Formula. Retrieved from ENRICH: http://nrich.maths.org/1384 Company, H. M. (2009). Triangulation. Retrieved from TheFreeDictionary by Farlex: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/triangulation csunplugged. (2010, October 30). Santa's Dirty Socks (Divide and Conquer Algorithms). Retrieved from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVPCT1VjySA lecture, P. T. (1993). Triangulations and Arrangements. McGill University. Math Open Reference. (2009). Euclid. Retrieved from Math Open Reference: http://www.mathopenref.com/euclid.html Suksak, P. S. (2010, November 30). Catalan Numbers Presentation 2. Retrieved from Slide Share: http://www.slideshare.net/PaiSukanyaSuksak/catalan-number-presentation2 Teter, M. (2000, March 15). Sonar a way of seeing sound. Retrieved from Cornell Center for Material Research: http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/education/ask/index.html?quid=260 Triangulated Polygons Essay -- Mathematics From the beginning of time there have been many anomalies in humanity. With the advancement of techniques, tools, and knowledge, our understanding of the world aspires to clarify our curiosities. The most beneficial to factors throughout our history would include our knowledge of numbers. Numbers hold great possibilities and bring forth answers to the most complex systems of life. Our mathematics is incorporated into basic aspects of our daily lives, allowing us to unlock our potentials and give keys to uncover the hidden secrets in the universe. There are many applications to mathematics such as triangulating polygons. Triangulation is a surveying technique in which a region is divided into a series of triangular elements based on a line of known length so that accurate measurements of distances and directions may be made by the application of trigonometry. (Company, 2009) Since its discovery, triangulation has lent the world many beneficial advantages. Polygons exist as multi-sided shapes. These shapes can be subdivided into many non-overlapping triangles. These triangles connect corners to corners, creating diagonals that section it off. These sections are called convex hulls. The many uses of algorithms allow anyone to calculate these triangular hulls. The mathematics behind triangulating polygons was originated in Alexandria by the man, Euclides. Euclides was a Greek mathematician who was highly revered as the â€Å"Father of Geometry.† Euclides possessed a mysterious personal life, because his life was not documented and often confused with others. He taught many children mathematics during the reign of Ptolemy. His father and grandfather were thought to be Greek, but this is not certain considering the confusion between him... ...'s Formula. Retrieved from ENRICH: http://nrich.maths.org/1384 Company, H. M. (2009). Triangulation. Retrieved from TheFreeDictionary by Farlex: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/triangulation csunplugged. (2010, October 30). Santa's Dirty Socks (Divide and Conquer Algorithms). Retrieved from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVPCT1VjySA lecture, P. T. (1993). Triangulations and Arrangements. McGill University. Math Open Reference. (2009). Euclid. Retrieved from Math Open Reference: http://www.mathopenref.com/euclid.html Suksak, P. S. (2010, November 30). Catalan Numbers Presentation 2. Retrieved from Slide Share: http://www.slideshare.net/PaiSukanyaSuksak/catalan-number-presentation2 Teter, M. (2000, March 15). Sonar a way of seeing sound. Retrieved from Cornell Center for Material Research: http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/education/ask/index.html?quid=260

Case Study James Dyson

JAMES DYSON CASE Introduction You know the feeling when some everyday product lets you down. You wish someone could solve the problem. James Dyson does that. He is a man who likes to make things work better. With his research team he has developed products that have achieved sales of over $10 billion worldwide. In 1978, while vacuuming his home, James Dyson realized his bag vacuum cleaner was constantly losing suction power. He noticed how dust quickly clogged the pores of the bag and blocked the airflow, so that suction dropped rapidly. He set to work to solve this problem. Five years and 5,127 prototypes later, the world's first cyclonic bagless vacuum cleaner arrived. James Dyson offered his invention to major manufacturers. One by one they turned him down, apparently not interested in new technology. They seemed determined to continue selling bags, worth $500 million every year. Later, Hoover's vice president for Europe, Mike Rutter, said on U. K. national TV, â€Å"I do regret that Hoover as a company did not take the product technology off Dyson; it would have lain on the shelf and not been used. â€Å" Thinking about the issue of core competency and strategic capability, what is the secret of James Dyson’s competitive advantages? Early inventions The Sea Truck, Dyson's first product, was launched in 1970 whilst he was at the Royal College of Art. Sales of the Sea Truck amount to $500 million. His next product, the Ballbarrow, was a modified version of a wheelbarrow using a ball to replace the wheel. Dyson remained with the idea of a ball, inventing the Trolleyball, a trolley that launched boats. He then designed the Wheelboat which could travel at speeds of 64 km/h on both land and water. Vacuum cleaners In the late 1970s Dyson had the idea of using cyclonic separation to create a vacuum cleaner that wouldn't lose suction as it picked up dirt. He became frustrated with his Hoover Junior’s diminishing performance: dust kept clogging the bag and so it lost suction. The idea of the cyclones came from the spray-finishing room's air filter in his Ballbarrow factory. While partly supported by his art teacher wife's salary, and after five years and 5,127 prototypes, Dyson launched the ‘G-Force' cleaner in 1983, the world's first bagless vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, no manufacturer or related distributor would launch his product in the UK as it would disturb the valuable cleaner-bag market, so Dyson launched it in Japan through catalogue sales Strong brand A key task for an entrepreneur like James Dyson is to give innovation the right look, literally and metaphorically. Brand image comprises the product, its attributes and its brand personality. Customer perception of a product and its attributes are inextricable from its perceived superiority that derives from a range of factors including technical excellence and value for money. Has he been able to appropriate the rewards of the value he has added? In an attempt to maintain their competitive advantage, Dyson and his colleagues at Malmesbury have continued to develop new innovations. Determined to create vacuum cleaners with even higher suction, they have developed an entirely new cyclone system. Dyson has developed the robot cleaner that not only makes cleaning easier but guides itself even more logically than a human being would. Then, in November 2000, he launched the world's first two-drummed washing machine, the Contrarotator. Dyson's engineers constantly re-examine products of all types, including the washing machine. They found that in the traditional automatic washing machine the fabric is not flexed all that much and that washing by hand gave better results than the single drum machine. So, Dyson developed a machine that would ‘even improve on hand washing'. Reputedly, it took four years, a million man hours and ? 25 million to develop the machine, which comes with a built-in jack and trolley and a coin trap to capture buttons and loose change.

India 2014 Elections Essay

Congress had an emphatic victory in 2009 Lok Sabha elections. UPA-2 started on a high by winning almost full majority on its own. However, their second term has been marred with controversies and corruption allegations. Starting with Commonwealth Games scam, every few months saw a new scam coming out like Adarsh Society scam and the biggest of all, the 2G scam. Fuel and commodity prices have risen sharply in the past few years adding to the woes of common man. Crusade against black money and corruption by Anna Hazare and to some extent baba Ramdev has only added to the woes of Congress. But Congress is shrewd and knows politics quite well. They know that offense is the best way to defend. For every scam or corruption news that comes out, they bounce back with equally controversial news against rival parties. Their projection of Rahul Gandhi, who has not yet proved any political sense, as a Prime Ministerial candidate may help them in their campaign build up to 2014 polls. [pic][pic]M ain opposition party Bhartiya Janata Party was left down and out after the 2009 polls. BJP’s arch enemy is not Congress but BJP itself. It’s leaders have failed to capitalize on core issues of price rise and corruption against the Congress. They should have learned from how Congress and some smaller parties have been able to successfully use the anti-minority tag against the BJP for over two decades now. BJP has also lost a lot of mass appeal leaders over the years. Most popular elader in india Atal Behari Vajpayee has now retired from active politics. Charasmatic leader and face of modern India, Pramod Mahajan was killed in a tragic incident. Stalwarts like Govindacharya and Jaswant Singh were thrown out. Prime Ministerial candidate Murli Manohar Joshi has been made to sit on the sidelines with no influence on national level politics. L K Advani is close to retirement years and firebrand Sushma Swaraj hasn’t proved to be a winner yet. That leaves the party with only one leader of mass appeal, Narendra Modi, who may not yet be ready to leave Gujara t and join National level politics. Besides, everyone knows Congress will play the anti-minority tag aginst him quite well. BJP has also destroyed its chances by not forming strategic alliances with other parties in states. It used to ahve an allaince with AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, Mamata Banerjee’s TMC in West Bengal and BJD in Orissa, but they have all left BJP group now. BJP’s loss has been Congress’s gain. Third Front parties have been reduced to play a minority role at the center over the past few years. Leaders like Lalu Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Jayalalitha, Mayawati are no longer king makers. Most of them have been left with no option then to support the ruling Govt, in this case the Congress. Left Front has already become non-existent after the debacle in 2011 Assembly elections and it’d be highly unlikely that they’d make any comeback by 2014. FOr the past few years, most third Front allies have been hob-nobbing with the Congress, which raises doubts on their very existence. Third Front was formed to combat BJP as well as Congress, but if you are going to chose Congress after the polls every time, then won’t it better for people to vote for Congress directly? Third Front needs to get its priorities right and decide on thei future survival options, because as of now their future looks bleak. The Contenders for India Elections 2014: Though Congress may not admit it yet, but Manmohan Singh may be shown the door out, and Congress may prefer to field Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate in 2014. it may be too ealryfor Rahul to lead the nation as he has not proven his political accumen yet, but after the negative reviews UPA-2 is gathering, Congress amy want to chnage Manmohan Singh. As for BJP, the choice may be between one last try for L K Advani and popular leader Narendra Modi.

Renewable Energy in the UAE Essay Sample

Renewable Energy in the UAE Essay Sample Renewable Energy in the UAE Essay Sample Renewable Energy in the UAE Essay Sample UAE has for various reasons resulted to actively seeking for alternatives to replace expensive and environmentally hazardous sources of energy. The country also seeks to diversify its energy sector as well as its economy through actively developing solar energy usage. It has developed solar-energy harnessing plants, which has made the consumption of this kind of energy grow significantly in frames of the total energy consumption. The country has been actively increasing the amount of solar power plants as well as improving the technology aimed at boosting efficiency and reducing costs in all runs. Thus, this sector has seen a lot of research work done on both the materials and technology used in power generation. When the systems for tapping and storing solar energy are competitive with conventional sources, the country will be in a better position to increase the scale of energy generation and effectively replace petroleum: it will introduce an era of clean non exhaustible energy wi th very low maintenance cost. The term renewable energy has been commonly used to describe the alternative source of energy from what is considered mainstream; petroleum and coal (Alnaser Alnaser, 2011). However, the term also means a wide array of energy sources that cannot be exhausted, which means that the sources are always renewed or replenished through the Earths’ natural cycles. An example of these energy sources includes solar energy, wind geothermal energy and biomass. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with ‘green energy’ or ‘clean energy,’ which refers to energy sources that produce no emissions or pollutants in their generation and use (Rauland Newman, 2015). Renewable energy is or can be used to replace petroleum fuels in several areas that may include the generation of electricity, heating, to drive various machines, as motor fuels, or to power localized of-the-grid homes in the rural areas. This paper will look into the various types of renewable energy in use in the UAE. This paper will discuss reasons behind UAE’s high demand for energy as well as renewable energy projects being undertaken. Moreover, specific renewable energy developments, for instance, the Masdar city besides the Shams 1 scheme will be discoursed including steps taken by the UAE government to successfully and competently utilize additional renewable energy in all runs. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century- (REN 21) concluded that the renewable sources of energy constituted approximately 19% of the total energy used globally in 2014. Biomass was the most used accounting for 9%, thermal energy at 4.2%, and hydroelectricity at 3.8%. In 2012 and 2013, renewables had been used to generate 22% of the electricity consumed globally. In the year 2013, global investment in the technologies aimed at exploitation of renewable sources of energy amounted to US 214 Billion (Young, (2014). The leading countries were China and the US while the technologies that were heavily invested into included wind, solar, hydro and biofuels. The UAE The United Arab Emirates or simply ‘the Emirates’ is a country in the Arabian Headland, sharing boarders with Saudi Arabia and Oman. It shares maritime boarders with Qatar and Iran around the Persian Gulf. Several aspects make this nation have an extraordinarily high demand for energy, which may include a high population composed majorly of foreign emigrants (over 80%). The locals make a small percentage of the total population and made up about 1.4 million in 2014. The country is a confederation of seven states (Emirates), each administered by a sovereign ruler: these rulers select one of them to rule the whole country, which has Arabic as the official language and Islam as the official religion. In spite of the small size, UAE has one of the biggest per capita quantities of oil reserves in the world. Its oil reserves rank 7th in the world: the country also has 17th largest natural gas reserve in the world. After this state was founded in 1971, a large percentage of proceeds obtained from its petroleum and natural gas resources were channeled into the betterment of education, healthcare, as well as the development of highly advanced modern infrastructure (Alnaser Alnaser, 2011). It has led to the rapid industrialization and development, which made this country’s economy the most diversified in the region. Over the same period of time, the most populous city in the country, Dubai emerged as an international commercial and transport hub. The high population density, high level of industrialization and economic diversification, as well as its use as a regional business hub makes UAE have a high rate of energy consumption. Additionally, the country experiences hot summers, when all the households and offices use electricity for air conditioning. This situation significantly increases electricity consumption to an extent of making the relevant government authorities consider correcti ve measures. Summer months’ electric consumption causes a major strain to the supply grid (Alnaser Alnaser, 2011). The peak hours for air conditioning are usually between 12 noon and 6 PM in the evening. Additionally, the country lacks adequate fresh water resource for domestic and industrial consumption. As a result, a large amount of energy is consumed in the desalinization of sea water for domestic and industrial consumption. Due to large sea water desalinization plants, as well as widespread air-conditioning in the summer months, this country has the largest per capita carbon foot print. Carbon footprint refers to the total amount of carbon gasses that are produced during the production process. What may even encourage a larger carbon foot print is that petroleum-generated electricity is usually subsidized by the government before being sold to consumers at a price even less than per unit cost of its generation (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2013). Various researchers and scholars have researched and compiled materials concerning the use of renewable sources of energy in the UAE. Some of these materials focus on areas such as the generation, the use or even future plans concerning the use of renewable energy. This section focuses on such materials. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) among other parallel authorities in the seven emirates have come up with means of ensuring that the peak hour demand for electricity does not lead to damages in the grid or unnecessary costs. Measures such as avoiding wastage of grid electricity as well as using most appliances in the off-peak hours have been seen to be helpful in the short run but are ineffective and unsustainable in the medium and long run (Kumetat, 2015). Additionally, the government and other agencies have recognized the great need to use this country’s oil reserve in a sustainable way and preserve it for the future generations. The government and other agencies are attempting to shift to green and renewable energy for environmental and health benefits in all respect. For this reason, various projects, action plans and long-term investment proposals are being done to tap into the green energy for electricity generation including other domestic and industrial uses for benefits discussed earlier. Owing to the geographical locality of the country, it receives a noteworthy quantity of solar radiation, which can be utilized to produce electricity, either through photovoltaic cells (PV) or through heating (CSP) (Kumetat, 2015). Renewable energy is being considered by the UAE in spite of oil reserves it possesses. According to the Masdar Institute (UAE), IRENA and the Directorate of energy and climatic change in the Ministry of foreign affairs, raising renewable energy to 10% the totals consumption could save the country a total of $1.9billion by the year 2030. It was also established that avoiding the consumption of fossil fuel would significantly lower the overall cost of energy. Factoring in health benefits that would accrue from the use of renewable energy and reduction in the environmental pollution, renewable energy could help the country save between $1 and 3.7 billion by 2030. Since the year 2010, the cost of natural gas has been increasing, while that of PV solar panels for converting solar energy into electricity has been declining universally as a result of the improvement in know-how used in manufacturing those (Young, 2014). Additionally, the theoretical and the practical efficiencies of photovoltaic cells and panels have been on the rise. All these factors have made solar energy competitive relative to oil. Despite UAE’s large natural gas reserves, it is important to note that the country is a net importer of the same as the internal output is not able to meet the internal demand. The government through various agencies is also evaluating other renewable sources of energy such as wind while encouraging the adoption of the conversion of waste to energy. In 2014, the cost of natural gas rose to $ 8/mBtu (million British thermal units) creating a need for faster shift to renewable energy (Kumetat, 2015). According to Kumetat (2015), the average cost of natural gas may rise twofold by 2020. Considering that the UAE imports natural gas, it has taken bold steps to decrease its dependence on the same. Furthermore, UAE desires to extensively use green energy in order to expand its economy, free additional petroleum for exports as well as to reduce the rates of the environmental degradation. In order to achieve a sustainable consumption of renewable energy sources, various options in terms of the forms of renewable energy sources have been considered. The UAE has a high yearly radiation making the exploitation of solar energy reasonable and economical. Large, open fields can be mounted with photovoltaic solar panels to transform solar energy into electric energy. Additionally, sunshine can be used for direct heating. With this knowledge, the country has been rigorously promoting the generation of the solar power since early 2008. Abu Dhabi and Dubai were among the first to embrace the use of solar power, each set its own targets for future production and consumption. Abu Dhabi has set its target to have 7% of its energy consumption as solar generated by 2020 (Kumetat, 2015). Dubai, on the other hand, is aiming at 5% clean energy as a percentage of the total consumption by 2030. As a result of these visions, Abu Dhabi has launched many massive projects to harness solar power. Both photovoltaic (PV) as well as Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) are in various stages of installation. On the other hand, Dubai has in the recent past focused majorly on PV system for generating electricity. Types of Renewable Energy The growth in the use of renewable sources of energy was rather slow before 2008, in which the entire country generated only 1% of its entire energy production from solar energy. By 2014, it was estimated that the UAE held half the facilities for harnessing solar energy in the GCC combined with the Levant (Caprotti, 2015). The Masdar City This is a city project in the emirate of Abu Dhabi in the UAE. The city is under construction and is aimed at being a global model for a carbon neutral city. When completed, the city is planned to save 45% of water and 59% compared to the amount a similar sized conventional city would consume (Caprotti, 2015). Despite this city being energy and resource efficient, it will be powered majorly by renewable sources of energy. Additionally, the term carbon neutral means that it will not emit more carbon than a unit area of undeveloped space. The major sources of energy for this city will be solar power, and large areas of open fields will be installed with photovoltaic solar panels. In addition, the design of each individual structure will be such that it will need the minimum possible artificial lighting and air conditioning. Furthermore, model structures that can produce more energy than it can consume will also be integrated. The city will house a maximum of 50,000 people in addition t o 15,000 businesses (Caprotti, 2015). The core of this city is being built by the Masdar Company, which is a part of the larger Mubadala Development Company. The Abu Dhabi government has been the chief stockholder in the provision of the initial capital required. The designer of this city will be the Britishbased fosters and partners architectural firm. The city is being developed approximately 17 km in the south east of Abu Dhabi, standing adjacent to the Abu Dhabi International Airport. The city project was commissioned in 2006 with an estimated implementation period of about 8 years. The total cost was estimated at between $ 18 and 22 billion: the initial part was slated for completion before 2009. It was, however, delayed due to the effects of global financial crisis; some of the structures in phase one were not habitable by 2009 (Caprotti, 2015). With time, the total cost of the development of this city has declined by 10-15% while several variations have been made in instances where theoretical design could not be applied successfully. IRENA will have its headquarters in this city so as to demonstrate to the world the importance of green tech in the construction of modern cities (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2013). Masdar city will be a national as well a worldwide epicenter for clean tech corporations. The Masdar institute of technology was the first institution to book space in this city and become its first tenant. This institution of higher learning and research has been operating in the proposed city in various areas since late 2010, when it occupied its campus. The most striking feature of this city is that it has been developed to exclusively use renewable energy resources. Additionally, it is fitted with a system to enable the maximum possible conservation of energy. PV solar panels are used to generate the electric energy required to run this city. A total of 87,777 PV solar panels that occupy an area of approximately 22- hectare are used. Additional PV panels are installed on roofs of some structures. Another essential component of these structures is that they lack power switches and water taps. It has been done to eliminate instances where lights and water taps and appliances may be left on unnecessarily. Lighting and water points are controlled by a series of motion sensors, which has reduced water consumption to 55% and electricity to 51%. The initial plan provided for the installation of all the solar panels on the rooftops of various building. During the development phase, it was discovered that it would be much more efficient to build solar fields on the open fields in the desert. It would make it easy to brush the dirt off their surface than having cleaners climb on every roof top to clean them. Additionally, the flat open field ensures uniformity in the power generation in addition to the fact that desert has more insolation per unit area than the location of the city. In addition to PV panels, CSP plants are being tested to find out if they can effectively be used to tap the heat energy from sunshine. If this is successfully established, the amount of electricity used for heating could be saved or reduced, which would ultimately reduce the costs. In addition to the use of renewable energy sources, comprehensive water management practices are also incorporated to reduce wastage. Mechanisms are also put in place to ensure that about 80% of the water used is recycled. It includes reusing waste water whenever applicable and utilizing grey water to irrigate crops. Apart from the projects initiated and implemented by Masdar, there are several other projects across the UAE that will exclusively use solar power. For instance, in June 2015, the roads and transport authority in the UAE announced the planned commencement of the construction of 400 bus stops in Dubai. A large percentage of the new ones constructed in areas that have been off the grid will have air conditioning systems that will be powered using solar energy. This project does not only make Dubai the first city in the world to have air conditioned bus stops but also the first one to have solar operated ones. This announcement came a year after trial projects had been done in 2014 in Al Jafliya. Even if the test projects did not provide adequate power for air conditioning systems, it provided crucial information of the possibilities of successfully applying the same in the future. The tests indicated that solar power was adequate for powering lights and advertisement, but the materials used as well as structures’ shapes could not be effectively air conditioned by a solar powered system. However, more trials indicated that with the use of crescent-shaped shelters made of improved materials and heat, dust and humidity resistant paints, a number of them would support a solar powered air conditioner. The Shams 1 Shams 1 is a project that was undertaken to harness the heat energy from the sun and use it for the purpose of generating electricity. The plant is located in Abu Dhabi and is made up of a CSP plant. The plant was completed and became operational by 17th march, 2013. Shams 1 is one of the largest CSP plants in the world. The system is made up of parabolic mirrors set on both sides of a dark pipe made of a special heat absorptive material containing oil. The parabolic glasses are used to concentrate heat from sunshine onto the pipes carrying oil hence heating it. The heated oil in turn heats water which evaporates into steam which turns turbines. The mechanical energy in this turbine is converted into electricity. Since the heat obtained from the oil is not sufficient to rapidly evaporate water, a special heater that burns natural gas ‘a natural gas booster’ is used to compensate the heat difference by heating the water to the temperatures close to 400 degrees Celsius. In the Shams 1 power plant, the parabolic mirror holders are set on an intelligent system that is able to track the movement of the sun. Close to 80% of the heat used comes from the CSP units and is converted into approximately 55% of the total electricity generated. On the other hand, 20% of the heat is obtained from combustion of natural gas and accounts for approximately 45% of the total electric energy produced. From these statistics, it is crucial to note how the heat from the sunshine is greatly used to increase the systems efficiency in the use of natural gas in the production of electricity, making it possible to generate 45% of electricity from only 20% of heat from natural gas. It saves the cost of the 80% of the heat obtained from the CSP unit and is very crucial for reducing emissions (Rauland Newman, 2015). The Shams 1 management does not disclose the cost of generating one unit of power for some reason, which may include the fact that it is in power purchase contract with the management of the power grid. According to CSP professionals, an average price of a CSP system is presently between 20 and 25 cents / kWh. During the design and the developmental phase of this project, the total annual output had been estimated at slightly less than 200GWh. However, the first year of operation saw the plant produce slightly in access of 210GWh. Experts report that this is equivalent to the amount consumed by roughly 20000 homes in the UAE or  ½% of the total electricity demand in the country. The size of this CSP unit makes it cover an area of approximately 2.5 square kilometers while the total length of the parabolic trough is approximately 120 km. The large surface area seen above is very crucial for absorbing the maximum amount of heat from the sun shine. For this reason, the whole project is an environmental conservation success as it greatly reduces carbon emission. In one year, Shams 1 is capable of reducing carbon dioxide emission by about 175,000 tones, an amount that is produced by 1500cars over the same period of time. It is also the amount that can be absorbed by 1.5 million trees in one year. Shamss1 had a nominal maximum capacity of 100MW. However, the plant was seen to produce up to 125MW at one instance. Fluctuation in the amount of heat harnessed from the sunshine is observed in several instances. For example, at night, during cloudy days or in the winter, the amount of the heating obtained from the use of natural gas is increased to compensate for the deficit. The management of Shamss 1 plant only allows the use of natural gas up to 600, 000 btu (British thermal units). The operating staff is usually mandated to determine the amount of natural gas to add in order to compensate for the shortfall in the heat collected by the CSP unit. It has been observed that PV cells are much cheaper than CSP in terms of having a shorter process of generating electricity and also having fewer components. However, CSP has several advantages over the PV systems. CSP units store heat making the generation of electricity stable, even despite sharp fluctuations that may occur in the amount of sunshine received. Additionally, the system is more durable as the storage tanks for hot water can last close to 30 years, which is very long compared to short battery lives for PV systems. As discussed earlier, CSP are able to cater for sharp fluctuations in the sunshine received, making electric generation more regular as compared to PV units. CSP is also very easy to combine with conventional heat power plants and has been used in many instances to upgrade those (Rauland Newman, 2015). Shams 1 project has been very vital and will immensely contribute towards assisting Abu Dhabi to achieve 7% of renewable energy by 2020 (Rauland Newman, 2015). Additionally, it will help the whole country to reduce carbon emissions, diversify its energy sources, as well as the entire economy. It is important to note that Shams1 is run partly by Masdar. Therefore, its existence offers a great learning experience to Masdar, which is continuously looking for ways to improve the project. It offers a great opportunity for the researchers at Masdar to experiment with an aim of improving both the technology as well as the materials used in this plant to boost efficiency, durability and sustainability. How the UAE is Approaching Renewable Energy for the Future The UAE is aiming at reducing its dependence on petroleum and natural gas for generation of electricity. The primary aim of this is to free more petroleum for export, save money used to import natural gas and avoid the degradation of the nation’s natural environment. The country had an integrated long-term plan to ensure that it derived 24 % of its power from clean sources by 2030. Later on, the government plans to accelerate this plan to achieve this by 2021. Apart from the large-scale projects carried out by Masdar, including the carbon neutral city and the mega CSP Shams 1, the country has more plans to increase generation of electricity from solar energy (Sayigh, 2013). In April 2015, the government announced its plans to add an additional 100MV of electricity by installing additional PV solar panels. The FEWA (federal Electricity and Water Authority) has set up plans to initiate large-scale projects in the expansive north of the UAE. The government is also on course to in itiate several projects to generate 24% of its entire energy demand by 2021 as seen earlier. Some of the projects underway include the development of nuclear power plants. Most of these projects are meant to benefit the five remaining emirates that have not been involved in the massive projects of Masdar city and Shams 1. Emirates such as Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Umma AL Quiwain as well as Fujairah are the ones serviced by FEWA while Dubai and Abu Dhabi have their own parallel services (Kumetat, 2015). FEWA is set to collaborate with private corporations in the inception, design and development of these projects. Tenders as well as areas of co-operations are set to be awarded via a competitive tendering process. Such an approach is set to be adopted as it is very effective in ensuring that the cost is kept the lowest while maintaining the highest attainable standards. One of such tenders awarded recently include a 200MW project awarded to ACWA Corporation from Saudi Arabia to construct a PV solar field in Dubai. It achieved the lowest flat-rate tariff (5.84 ¢/kWh) in the history (Kumetat, 2015). The project is in design phase, and the company is already securing funds through low interest bank loans in readiness for the commissioning in 2017. Upon completion, it will be the largest of its kind in MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Masdar Company is already in a design stage for the first phases of the first geothermal project ever to be implemented in the UAE (Kumetat, 2 015). In addition to FEWA’s projects, Masdar and Shams 1, other plans are also underway aimed at increasing renewable power generation all across the UAE. On 15th April, 2015, Dubai announced to roll out a mega project at a cost of $3 billion aimed at boosting power generation capability to 3GW. (Kumetat, 2015) DEWA’s managing director Sayeed Tayer announced that the above plans were aimed at boosting the generation capacity of the proposed largest solar park in Dubai: Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The initial capacity of this park was planned to be 1GW upon completion in 2019 as the installation begun back in 2013. The initial authorizing of the first block of PV solar panels with a total capacity of 13 MW was also done in 2013 (Sayigh, 2013). However, DEWA has planned to upgrade the plant during and after the installation such that its capacity will triple (to 3 GW) by 2030. It shows how seriously the country is taking the harnessing and the use of renewable energy from solar power. Apart from the massive expansion of the physical capacity through the installation of larger and more powerful PV panels, the UAE is taking another very futuristic approach to the generation and storage of renewable energy. The government through its agencies is carrying out and sponsoring research to come up with futuristic ways of generating and storing energy. The Masdar institute, among others is continuously carrying out research on how to improve the generation capacities of various PV solar parks, Shams 1 CSP plant among others. Its research also includes the development of materials that are more absorptive of the solar energy. One of the ground-breaking research currently being done by this institute in conjunction with Norwegian company aims at making the storage of electricity produced by CSP solar parks more efficient. The Nest (New Energy Storage Technology) could reduce the cost of solar power by 70% in five years (Rauland Newman, 2015). The research aims at storing he at energy using special concrete material to store heat collected through CSP instead of the conventional method that is usually expensive. Another issue that has been seen to reduce the efficiency of sunshine absorption either in PV solar or CSP units is accumulation of dust. Dust or sand covers the surface needed for heat absorption: it increases costs as regular dusting and washing is required. Masdar is working to engineer transparent materials that have pore-sizes smaller than sand particle to protect the units’ surfaces. Additionally, parallel research and trials are currently underway aimed at coming up with a material that repels sand or dust particles. Materials are also being developed that have the ability to inhibit bacterial and other microbial activities that occur when dust and sand particles settle on PV or CSP units. All these are aimed at increasing the efficiency of these systems in order to generate more power, reduce cost and make the systems more sustainable (Rauland Newman, 2015). Steps described above show a country that is earnestly trying to diversify its energy mix. The diversification is aimed at attaining sustainability in all runs. With all these systems in place, the UAE seems to be ready to embrace renewable energy in the future. Research done and sponsored by various organizations may usher in an era in which renewable energy will be adequately competitive to effectively replace non renewable energy sources. Additionally, the Masdar carbon neutral city, being the first in the world, will serve as a model and an indicator of a time in the future where many other cities will be carbon neutral, therefore reducing global warming and reversing the effects of climatic change. When the systems for tapping and storing solar energy are competitive enough relative to conventional sources, the country will be in a better position to simply increase the scale of generation and effectively replace petroleum: it will usher in an era of clean non exhaustible energy with very low maintenance cost.

Spanish Vocabulary of Air Travel

Spanish Vocabulary of Air Travel Unless you live near the right international border, theres no quicker way to visit a Spanish-speaking country than to fly. And even though English is widely spoken in international travel, it is likely that your first encounter with Spanish on a vacation or business trip will be on the plane or at the airport. Study these words and phrases before you go on your trip and youll better be able to take care of your travel needs or to eavesdrop: Useful words la aduana - customsla aerolà ­nea - airlineel aeropuerto - airportla almohada - pillowel asiento - seatel auxiliar de vuelo, la azafata - flight attendantel avià ³n - airplaneel boleto - ticketel baà ±o - bathroomla clase ejecutiva, la clase turista - executive class, tourist classla comida - mealconfirmar una reservacià ³n - to confirm a reservationel destino - destinationel equipaje - luggageel horario, el itinerario - schedulela linea aerea - airlinela maleta - suitcasela oferta - special, saleel pasajero, la pasajera - passengerel pasaporte - passportla primera clase - first classel regreso - returnla reserva, la reservacià ³n - reservationla salida - departure, exitla tarifa - pricela tienda libre de impuestos - duty-free shopel viaje - journey, tripel vuelo - flight, wing Useful phrases:  ¿Cundo sale el avià ³n? - When does the plane leave? ¿Cundo llega el avià ³n? - When does the plane arrive? ¿Dà ³nde est el baà ±o? - Where is the bathroom? ¿Habla usted inglà ©s? - Do you speak English?

Hypothetical international law questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hypothetical international law questions - Essay Example Answer: As per the UN Charter of human rights, human rights of all the passengers are violated in this case. According to the International Convention Against Taking of Hostages(1979) the passengers can seek damages for the violation of their human rights. 2. They can argue that they are political criminals fighting for a just cause and are not terrorists, and it is very important principle of the International law that extradition for political crimes is not allowed. 1. The act of USA's military forces gathering just outside Libya's twelve-mile territorial sea, but within plain view of the Libya coastal defense forces is a hostile act and can be considered as an act of war against Libya. USA can not resort to such tactics without clear cut evidence of the participation of the Libyan State in the crime of hijacking, otherwise it has to be considered as a terrorist act committed by some individuals. Even if USA was convinced that the some Libyan Political leaders are clandestinely involved in this crime, in that case USA should have approached the UN security council first to take a collective action for protecting the interests of the passengers on board the aircraft. 2.

Creative non-fiction project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Creative non-fiction project - Essay Example g and hopping in their shiny school shoes, not minding how their backpacks bounced behind them, and their shrill laughter and non-stop chatter were carried by the warm breeze towards my barely open window. Even the neighbor’s golden cocker spaniel barked vigorously, like it wanted to join in the school kids’ happy disposition. They were smiling, noisy, and happy. I somehow felt a tinge of pricking pain piercing through my chest. I missed that feeling of being able to laugh carelessly again. The more I let my eyes wander, the more I absorbed things I used to merely look at, yet never see, before. Inside our backyard, a tall, sturdy tree used to hold my rope swing set. It is still there, reminding me of those times when I scraped my elbows and knees because I jumped off the swing set before it stopped swinging. Something beautiful yet mournful began to tug at my memory. I then again remembered the very reason why I was sadly looking out my window. My grandmother passed away, and it had only been hours ago at that time when I last glimpsed at her shiny casket. Somehow, I remembered how that shine was not able to look beautiful in my eyes. From that time to now, my life was totally altered. It had been several years since it all started. I was just 14 that year, turning 15 in a few months, and winter was fast approaching. Grandma lived in her house alone, and it was far from where we were staying. We all knew that she would have a hard time by her own especially when winter pounces in. However, we were all too busy moving on with our individual lives†¦my mom and dad with their jobs..and me with school. I could almost hear the weariness in her voice when she called to invite me over to stay during winter break. How could I have said â€Å"No.† when she had been my favorite person when I was a lot younger? Wasn’t she the one who picked me up from that ground every time I fell of the swing set? Wasn’t she the one who made sure the wounds would not leave