Creation Vs Evolution, Was Man Created Be An Almighty God, Or Is He Si

Creation vs evolution, was man created be an almighty god, or is he simply a product of modern science. This question has puzzled scholarly minds for many years and yet will for many to come. The one that makes the most sense to me and has the most supporting evidence, is evolution. Not the normal, goop to fish to creature to monkey to man, obviously I skipped some, but one not so greatly known. It is called punctual equalibrium. Punctual equalibrium is a type of evolution stating that the evolution of man was in quick great changes caused by radiation from solar flares. These solar flares caused mutations. If this is the way not only man but all organisms were formed than it would explain a whole lot. The Cambrian explosion, talked about by Graham Hudgens, in a presentation given by him to this very class, states that, " The earth's strata has a big gap between the Cambrian era and the pre Cambrian era. In the strata of the earth there is a layer abundant with life. This is the Cambrian era. Then there is a layer directly under it where there is nothing." This is where the Cambrian explosion occurred. Punctual equalibrium has a valid explanation for this. If a mutation occurred and multi-cellular life sprung from that mutation than punctual equalibrium clarifies it perfectly. It also has been said the chances of that happening are slim to none, but I disagree. There are many mutations in our world and in the animal world. So we know it isn't impossible. Opponents argue that these mutations are from human technology and only that but I disagree. Opponents also argue that a mutation is an inheritable change in the character of a gene. Stated by the Grolier multimedia encyclopedia. Mutations most often occur spontaneously, but they may be induced by some external stimuli, such as radiation or certain chemicals. The rate of mutation in humans is extremely low; nevertheless, the number of genes in a human, is so large that the chances of this occurring is high for at least one gene to carry a mutation. Creationists say that the monkey to man theory is impossible because there is no missing link. With Punctual equalibrium the missing link isn't missing because there is no need for one. The transition from is exempt. Finally, I see my beliefs as the correct ones, but I am open minded and am not scared of changing my opinions. I do challenge the rest of you to find a better fitting more probable solution to the question that has bewildered man for all time. How did we get here?

Personal Skills Development in the Teamwork

Personal Skills Development in the Teamwork Introduction In the modern world, organizations are increasingly becoming active and uneven (Barthe 2010, p. 94). Instabilities force organizations to form groups and teams that are expected to work together in order to achieve organizational goals and objectives. An organization relies on teams and groups in delivering services to clients.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Personal Skills Development in the Teamwork specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There is increased complexity regarding the composition of teams, skill requirement, and risk management. In high reliability organizations such as the telecommunication company, teamwork plays a critical role in enhancing service delivery. A small mistake would result in serious losses, as well as complaints from customers. Working in a team enabled me to learn various coping skills (Horlick-Jones 1995, p. 310). I realized that teamwork is a tool that can be utilized to achieve high results. In the Nigerian network industry, competition is stiff implying that organizations must develop some strategies in order to outsmart their competitors. MRN employs teamwork in order to conquer its rivals. Working with other experts in the organization assisted me in understanding that teamwork entails three strategies. One of the strategies employed in enhancing teamwork is grouping individuals according to capabilities. This is upon realization that people differ in terms of talent. For instance, I was placed under the supervision of a network professional, with adequate skills on matters related to networking. This was to ensure that I learn the basics of networking in detail. In the team, there were individuals with task-oriented skills while others were team-oriented. It was the role of the manager to balance the two groups (Geschwind 2001, p. 69). In the team, the management ensured that organizational goals are achieved by modifying the tasks of indivi duals and the organization structure. This was to ensure workflow in the organization. Team competency was guaranteed in the organization through continuous training. The management at MRN capitalized on team training in enhancing team performance. Scholars define team training as the application of set of instructions that depend on well-tested apparatus. This apparatus includes simulator, lectures, and videos. In the organization, the management ensured that employees are provided with relevant training lessons each week. The main aim of management was to ensure that team training replicates the general values of learning theory.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this regard, training was meant to present information regarding basic group behaviors. Training provided team members with a chance to practice the skills they learned on a weekly basis. Working u nder the supervision of an expert was vital to my career because I could get feedback as regards to my performance (Dressel 2001, p. 39). Drawing on relevant theory and concepts, would this be described as a group or a team? Usually, there is a difference between a group and a team. However, many people fail to note the difference. A team is internally structured while the group is externally structured. A team has objectives, with tasks for each team member. On the other hand, a group is a collection of individuals who share the same objective. It may include people with similar interests. In the organization, all employees belong to a group because their major interest is to earn a salary. A number of scholars have designed theories to explain the behavior of individuals in a team. However, Tuckman’s theory is the only outstanding theory that explains the activities of individuals in a team precisely (Drake, Wong Salter 2007, p. 1975). The theory suggests that a team devel ops through various stages. When an individual joins an organization, he or she becomes an automatic group member. The employee might be an underperformer but would still be a group member. Through clear stages, such an employee would develop to become a team player. From a group, a cohesive and a task-focused team would be formed. In a small group of employees, a certain structure characterizes the group. Within the group, there is a clear task for each member. Groups evolve into teams in stages. Tuckman identified four stages as illustrated in the following graph. Forming is the first stage (Chandra 2009, p. 76). Source: TuckmanAdvertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Personal Skills Development in the Teamwork specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Identify and critically reflect on the relationship between the objectives of the project/ significant operational task and your individual role and objectives The main object ive of the project was to devise, develop, and authenticate the idea of applying opportunistic networks and relevant cognitive management structures for efficient use in future internet. The project aimed at tackling a number of problems, which were correlated to the project. The objectives of the project compared closely with my personal objectives (Biswas 2011, p. 101). In my group, I requested the management to assign to me roles that were consistent with my skills. In the global market, networking is one of the new investments that have attracted the attention of many businesspersons. Networking system provides a new way of communicating. For instance, through networking, it is possible to transfer important information, including quality images. My major objective was to study the major challenges facing the internet industry since it is very important as far as e-commerce is concerned. By working in the organization, I would evaluate the effects of networking on small business es across the country. Therefore, my broad objective was similar to the main objective of the organization, which was to develop the most effective networking system. The new system would benefit from the new technological innovations, such as the invention of Smartphone. The new networking system would help in improving the performance of various sectors, such as education, tourism, and e-commerce (Barry 2005, p. 17). Apart from the general objective, the organization had four minor objectives, which were also related to mine. The organization aimed at utilizing the new software, such as digital library, to reach out to customers. Through the new software, the company would distribute networking techniques to willing customers. Since projects must aim at benefiting the society, the organization aspired to design a culturally accepted project. Therefore, the organization had to study the cultural aspects of various communities (Carlin 2009, p. 77). Projects are sometimes resisted be cause they do not comply with the norms and values of the locals. Similarly, I always believe that any project must comply with cultural issues such as religion, norms, and principles of the locals. In Nigeria, cultural values influence the performance of the company in many ways. People would be reluctant to consume products and services produced by a culturally controversial company. The company had objective of incorporating the project to the educational system. This would help many scholars in their various fields.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Though I had my own objectives, I always ensured that the objectives of the organization are given priority. My interaction with other members of the organization was very strong and productive. Since I am a natural leader, I was always confident that everything would work out for me. Therefore, I had to control my feelings and actions in order to create a healthy work milieu. I always ensured that I communicate with relevant sections in time. Moreover, communication between employees and the managers was encouraged in the organization. I used the policy to form strong ties with the management and other members of the organization. Whenever I face any difficulty, I could reach out to the management to explain myself. I used my strong interpersonal skills to ask questions to experts. Since I understand that experience cannot be obtained by simply sitting in the office and following orders, I ensured that I visit the experts in other sections of the organization to learn more regardin g the performance of the organization. Leaders in the organization were very helpful because they always ensured that employees are comfortable. They always updated employees on what was happening in the organization. Through this interactive relationship, leaders could easily identify and solve problems in time. In fact, the rapport between workers and the management was very strong. Moreover, employees respected each other and always embraced the spirit of teamwork. This was helpful to my development since I learned that communication plays an important role in achieving individual and organizational goals. In the networking organization, leaders were frequently asking questions to employees. It was very important because it gave employees a chance to express themselves. In fact, leaders were full of self-confidence and self-esteem. The type of interaction supported in the organization made each employee comfortable. It even encouraged employees to communicate among themselves. Wh enever an issue emerged, employees were open to face the leader without the fear of victimization. Whenever the management was approached with a question, answers would be provided instantly. Leaders were so receptive because they never dismissed any one for asking an irrelevant question. In other words, leaders had enough time to listen to the problems of employees. In some organizations, leaders are always against the idea of asking questions. They would only prefer that people should follow company rules strictly. Drawing on relevant theory and concepts, and with reference to 1b, evaluate how interacting with your colleagues is helpful Interaction between the management and employees was always encouraged because it helped in generating efficiency. Workers were encouraged to post their suggestions to the management without necessarily following the bureaucratic procedures. An effective communication channel helped the organization in solving serious problems. The leaders could as k employees to explain their problems even before employees could complain. In this regard, employees thought that the leaders of the organization were caring and were concerned about the plight of employees. Unlike in many organizations, leaders at the telecommunication company asked questions personally. In other places, leaders utilize the services of the internet, such as the email, to communicate with their juniors. In this forms of communication, employees are reluctant to express facts in their messages. They would tend to respond in a way suggesting that they loyal to their bosses. However, verbal communication is very important because it allows the leader to study the attitude of an employee. In other words, the employee has an opportunity of assessing the tone and nonverbal cues of the communication. This allows the communicators in the organization to understand the communication situation. Through face-to-face communication, leaders would be able to explain their intent ions more clearly. Additionally, the leader would receive a comprehensive answer and would seek clarification. In the organization, face-to-face communication was adopted because not all employees are good writers. Some are employees are good communicators only if given a chance to express themselves verbally. Looking back on the project/ significant operational task, what would be done differently and why? Regarding the project, many things would be done differently if given an opportunity to head the project. However, the management implemented it the way it was because of lack of time and resources. Given an opportunity to implement the project, I will follow the ten basic principles of project management. In the first place, I would concentrate on interfacing. This would entail exploring all available options before choosing the implementation technique. Secondly, I would organize the project team and ensure that resources are availed in time. In the organization, resources were not availed in time, which hindered the implementation process. For funds to be released, the project committee had to wait for some time. Such delays are usually harmful to the implementation process. In the organization, those charged with the designing and implementation of the project never planned technically and strategically. This aspect of project management would produce high results. Moreover, I would have incorporated Murphy’s Law in implementing the project. Even though the organization followed the law, a few aspects were left out. For instance, not all stakeholders were identified. The management was not ready to handle conflicts. Conflicts are very dangerous to the survival of projects. However, the telecommunication company was not prepared to resolve any serious conflict. This is because measures were not yet in place to counter any conflict (Carter 2000, p. 330). The original skills audit, and PDP. This should be included within the appendices and summarize d within the main body to the report In the telecommunications company in Nigeria, I acquired various skills that are vital to my career. I must admit that acquisition of these skills called for hard work and perseverance. I must also admit that the group members were supportive. This helped me in acquiring managerial skills easily. The first skill pertains to time and organization. Time is one of the skills that people find it difficult to adapt. In the organization, time is an essential resource, which is carefully measured in terms of hours, minutes, and seconds. Lateness is not tolerated at all, and all those found reporting at work late are punished severely. The organization can cancel the day’s wages if an individual fails to give a valid reason for lateness. To some extent, I was an organized person since I scored three out of the possible maximum of five. However, I was a poor timekeeper since I always reported to work late. Moreover, I never handed in assignments in time. The management praised me for being an organized person because I was always neat and clean. In matters related to time and organization, the major indicators were timely completion of paperwork, prioritizing company tasks, the ability to handle interruptions and management of the timetable. In terms of handling pressure, I was rated the best, but I could not manage my timetable well. This is because of family commitments. However, I can improve my skills when given sufficient time and support. I believe that I will score a high grade when given another chance to work in the company (Andrzej Buchaman 2007, p. 26). Decision-making and problem solving skills were also considered to be of value in the company. Therefore, the company kept a record of each person as regards to conflict resolution mechanisms. In this field, I scored the highest mark because I had four out of the possible five marks. My decision-making skills were strong because I generated solutions to various pro blems whenever called upon to do so. For instance, I was depended upon in making decisions related to customer complain. I could offer the best solutions that would be incorporated by the section manager. In any organization, evaluation of available options is critical to making strong decisions. In the organization, I never had problems choosing the best decisions. I would simply analyze an event and choose which style, method, or model to apply. Even though I was rated the highest in terms of decision-making and conflict resolution, I still believe that more needs to be done. I wish to work hard in order to perform extremely well in this field. Another skill acquired while in the organization is planning. Planning entails putting everything in order. The role I was assigned to needed a lot of planning. The management observed that I was a good planner and decided to give me a score of four out five (Panagariya 2008, p. 32). It was suggested that I have strong planning skills. Plan ning entails leading the teams, consulting team members, allocating tasks and setting objectives. Regarding task allocation, the management commented on my skills since I collaborated well with other members of my team to come up with a strong suggestion. This was achieved through consulting team members, offering strong leadership skills, and setting objectives that are similar to those of the organization. Planning is critical to the success of any project. Through proper planning, an individual would save time, resources, and energy. Other skills included delegation, motivation, coaching, target setting, interpersonal skills, written skills, and oratory skills. In written and oratory skills, I scored three out of five. In oratory skills, it was claimed that I was weak in presenting ideas, using the telephone, and attending meetings. However, I understood the structure and the format of speaking. Regarding written communication, I did not score more because I was unable to check c ompany blogs frequently. However, I followed the company proceedings through memos and reports. I scored a high mark in interpersonal skills meaning that I could easily form relationships with other members of the team. For instance, I was sensitive to the needs of other team players meaning that I responded positively to the views of others. Moreover, I scored high because I am a good listener (Wellington 2001, p. 79). Through listening, I was able to understand the problems of others in the organization. In many organizations, the greatest challenge for employees is to relate with their seniors. This was never a problem to me. Though I was rated high in terms of setting targets, I was a bit weak in offering coaching services to other staff members. A review of resources and activities used to develop those skills. You should comment on how useful these resources and activities were in developing the identified skills. If additional resources and activities were identified, post th e submission of the original PDP you should also comment on these A review of resources suggests that the organization provided its employees with adequate materials that helped them cope with the organization challenges. For each skill, the organization had resources. Regarding time management and teamwork, the organization provided materials that helped in reviewing the activities of the previous week. Such materials would always be circulated on Friday. For instance, the organization provided sites with critical information regarding time management. The management made it mandatory for all employees to attend time management course before joining the organization. The course was meant to give new individuals adequate time management skills. Apart from issuing critical information on time management, each employee was supposed to discuss with his line supervisor matters related to lateness (Weiss 2011, p. 23). The management provided enough information on areas perceived to be wi th weaknesses. For my case, coaching was another skill that I had to improve. Just like in time management, the management provided me with several websites containing critical information on coaching skills. I had to visit the sites at least one per every two weeks. However, this was not considered an effective tool to sharpen the skills of a trainee (Tanke 2000, p. 65). Each trainee with coaching weakness was required to work with his or her supervisor for a period not exceeding one month. During this period, the trainee would learn coaching skills from the supervisor and try as much as possible to apply the same skills before embarking on normal work. No trainee would be allowed to move on without mastering coaching skills. The requirements were helpful to some of us who had coaching weaknesses. Delegation was considered a complex skill and therefore, each trainee was to work hard to achieve this skill. I was instructed to delegate a role to one of my colleagues at least once per week. I was also supposed to issue clear instructions, using understandable language. Since it is one of the challenging skills to acquire, trainees were required to dig deeper into their pockets to fund delegation-training program. However, online training institutions conduct the program. Therefore, each trainee facing problems in the field was to subscribe to an online training program that would last for one month. To ensure that the trainee understands something, the line supervisor instructed colleagues to forward their feedback for analysis (Suzuki Dastur, Moffatt Yabuki 2009, p. 12). A review of the skills developed Review of the skills reveals that the organization is committed to improving the leadership styles of trainees. The skills I acquired from the institution are incomparable to any other sets of skills. The management was always friendly and willing to listen to the problems facing trainees. Scholars of communication argue that public speaking is the most difficu lt thing in the world. In fact, they argue that an individual would prefer death to speaking in public. In the organization, I gained skills regarding oral communication (Stewart 1990, p. 19). I believe that I can use the skills to conquer the world. Coaching skills are also important to the life of any individual wishing to take up managerial roles in future. I was referred to various websites that would be of great importance to my life in the future. I learned that writing and oral skills are go hand in hand. It is impossible to separate one from the other. My training with the telecommunication company was not in vain. This is because I learned a lot. However, I noted that the company suffered from delays due to inefficient system of communication. Even though the management was competent, the planning skill was still missing. It would take various days for a simple decision to be made (Steffen 2010, p. 17). It is suggested that the organization rethinks about changing its polic y as regards to planning. As shown in the flow chart below, the process of personal development entails three things. Individual and professional skills, qualities, and knowledge are developed through practice. The most important of the three is planning. It entails prioritizing some aspects. For my case, the trainee provided an opportunity to gauge my skills. Visiting the company as a trainee was the first step towards building confidence in my profession. I was able to put theories, models, and skills into effective practice. The organization gave me an opportunity to review he skills I have learned in class for several years (Minja 2009, p. 14). Skills are acquired through learning. In fact, scholars observe that it might take several years to acquire basic managerial skills such as coaching, delegating, and writing. As things stand currently, there is a cordial relationship between the implementing partners and cooperation among them can be categorized as fair. However, this mi ght change due to the time span the project is expected to take and the changing political and economical atmosphere in the world. An incident of lack of cooperation among the implementing partners can deal a fatal blow to the successful implementation of the project. This is one temptation that has previously destroyed very ambitious projects, as Kothari (2004, p. 23) states. The project faces the potential risk of introduction of new systems into the project. The purpose of this report was to help identify skills that an individual stands to benefit from working as a trainee. The responsibility of ensuring that a trainee acquires adequate knowledge and skills is the responsibility of all the concerned members of the organization. From my experience, it is clearly demonstrated that every member of the project has a role to play in the identification of skills that the trainee needs (Safizadeh, Field Ritzman 2003, p. 560). It can be concluded that skills are hard to fetch but are e asy to maintain. Members of the organization were supportive in ensuring that employees acquire adequate skills and knowledge. However, this task should not be left to one department. It is important that the management develop some measures to counter challenges that impede skill development (Shachaf 2008, p. 132). The management has an extra responsibility of ensuring that employees acquire knowledge in the organization. List of References Andrzej, A Buchaman, A 2007, Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall, London. Barry, M 2005, Crises in the Contemporary Persian Gulf, Routledge, New York. Barthe, G 2010, Verification, Model Checking, and Abstract Interpretation, Springer, New York. Biswas, S 2011, â€Å"Commitment, involvement, and satisfaction as predictors of employee performance,† South Asian Journal of Management, Vol. 18, no. 2, pp 92-107. Carlin, M 2009, Cross-cultural e-commerce design guidelines for American and Chinese College student populations: Results from a n empirical comparative study, Maryland, University of Maryland. Carter, S 2000, â€Å"Improving the numbers and performance of women-owned businesses: Some implications for training and advisory services†, Education Training, Vol. 42, no. 1, pp 326-333. Chandra, P 2009, Projects Planning, Analysis, Selection, Financing, Implementation, and Review, Tata McGraw Hill, New Delhi. Drake, AR, Wong, J Salter, SB 2007, â€Å"Empowerment, motivation, and performance: examining the impact of feedback and incentives on non management employees†, Behavioral Research in Accounting, Vol. 3, no. 7, pp 1971-1989. Dressel, K 2001, Systemic Risk: A New Challenge for Risk Management, OCED, London. Geschwind, CH 2001, California Earthquakes, Science, Risk and the Politics of Hazard Mitigation. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore Horlick-Jones, T 1995, ‘Modern Disasters as Outrage and Betrayal’, International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, vol. 13 no. 3 , pp. 305-315. Minja, D 2009, â€Å"Ethical leadership practices†, KCA Journal of Business Management, Vol. 2, no. 1, pp 1-14. Panagariya, A 2008, India: The Emerging Giant, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Safizadeh, M, Field, J Ritzman, L 2003, â€Å"An Empirical Analysis of Financial Services Processes with a Front Office or Back-Office Orientation†, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 21, no. 5, pp 557-576. Shachaf, P 2008, â€Å"Cultural Diversity, Information, and Communication Technology Impacts on Global Virtual Teams: An Exploratory Study†, Information Technology Journal, Vol. 45, no. 2, pp 131-142. Steffen, L 2010,The Principles of Green Urbanism. Transforming the City for Sustainability, Earthscan Publisher, London. Stewart, D 1990, Focus group: theory and practice. Sage, Newbury Park. Suzuki, H, Dastur, A, Moffatt, S Yabuki, N 2009, Ecological cities as economic cities, Eco2 Cities, conference edition, Hong Kong. Tanke, M 2000, Human Resources M anagement for the Hospitality Industry, Cengage Learning, Albany. Weiss, WH 2011, â€Å"Building morale, motivating, and empowering employees,† Supervision, Vol. 72, no. 9, pp 23. Wellington, A 2001, â€Å"Health Insurance Coverage and Entrepreneurship,† Journal of Contemporary Economic Policy, Vol. 19, no. 4, pp 27-89.

Human resources Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human resources Management - Essay Example d, recruitment of the manpower requirement of these stores will have to be undertaken as soon as possible and the best possible way to achieve this is to undertake a job analysis. A job analysis refers to the process undertaken to pinpoint and establish in detail the particular job duties and requirements and the importance of the same, where the analysis is conducted on the job and not the person (www.hr-guide.com). It is undertaken as an initial step towards successive human resource management actions such as defining a job domain, writing a job description, selection and promotion, training needs assessment, compensation and organizational analysis/planning (en.wikipedia.org). While the whole process may take some time to complete and shall entail the company some costs, the results of a job analysis are far greater than the time and costs involved as the same shall help spell the success of the proposed stores. The proposed job analysis may take the form of structured or unstructured interviews of incumbent employees, direct observation of employees at work, or the administration of questionnaires on existing employees. As against the interview and questionnaire methods, a job analysis undertaken through direct observation makes possible the gathering of first-hand knowledge and information about the job being analyzed as it allows the analyst to see, or experience in some cases, the work environment, the tools and pieces of equipment used, the relationships among workers and the complexity of the job. However, the observations may not be as conclusive as the presence of observers may cause alterations in the normal work behavior of the employees being directly observed (www.jobanalysis.net). The interview method of job analysis, on the one hand, requires that the interviewer possess effective listening skills as concentration can easily be disturbed by interruptions, the interviewers own thought processes and the difficulty of remaining neutral

International Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

International Marketing Strategy - Essay Example The company whose headquarters are in Switzerland has embraced an international marketing program partly because its local market is too small to address its projections (Nestle.com, 2014). Nevertheless, the program has had associations with different matters. There was a boycott that was started in the 80s against the marketing of the infant formula that is manufactured by the company in the developing countries and has progressed from time to time (Multinationalmonitor.org, 1987). In the present times, the company has had to deal with issues associated with its growth through acquisitions. This paper will evaluate Nestles international marketing strategy with specific emphasis on the strategies it uses in Europe. The present set up of Nestle was established in the early 1900 when a company that has American owners and was based in Switzerland merged its operations with a company of Swiss origins (http://www.nestle.com.eg, 2014). Initially, the American company had been employing canning technology to process milk while the Swiss company had employed technology that had fruitfully marketed infant formula (Wilkins, 2004, p. 27). The company adopted the Swiss name and started a run of acquisitions as well as a global expansion program. The initial expansions, including in to the United States, took place as the First World War progressed (Encyclopedia.com, 1999). Even though the company was largely unaffected by the war particularly because of the neutrality of Switzerland, its main markets as well as sources of milk were heavily affected (Referenceforbusiness.com, 2014). This made the owners of the company to look for diversification so that they could make sure the company could survive this and other shakeups that may be faced in the market. After the war ended, the company continued its global expansion, creating new categories of products through acquisition as

Ethics Boards. Should IRB set common rules for researchers Case Study

Ethics Boards. Should IRB set common rules for researchers - Case Study Example In America, the Institutional Review Boards is a body charged with responsibilities of ensuring that the aforementioned concerns are addressed amicably so that research can be conducted appropriately hence providing reliable findings that will change the complexity of human life. in this particular case, a conclusion will be drawn based five studies case that has indicated how unethically conducted research can affect the normal life of individuals. Considering the first case, the researchers carried out the study on the effectiveness of penicillin in curing syphilis. It is paramount to state that they acted unethically by overstretching the freedom bestowed on them. as such, they acted with least responsibility and disrespect to humanity. In the second case, the researchers disregarded the cultural practices of particular people through excavating of their keens’ remains. Similarly, with the third case, the procedures that involve getting approval by the IRB is quite restricted. As such, it is hard to get approval making some researchers disregard the regulatory body. In the fourth case, the IRB is accused of unethically derailing some mega projects on grounds that they are unethical. Finally, the fifth case concerns researchers who dishonestly obtains human specimen such as blood without properly informed consent. All researchers should seek guidance and authorization before carrying its preliminaries. In addition, they should present the research proposal beforehand to allow experts to give their opinion for or against the procedure.

Modern and Postmodern Traditions in Power and Law

Modern and Postmodern Traditions in Power and Law The Law and Power Relations in Society:  A Brief Review of Modern and Postmodern Traditions To achieve an understanding of how, at the beginning of the 21st century, law has come to be understood as a manifestation of social power, it is necessary to place the question within the framework of the dominant intellectual paradigms of the past one hundred years. Such a consideration is relevant because the two major paradigms namely, modernism and postmodernism have operated according to contrary assumptions about reality in general and social reality in particular. Modernism, which dominated Western society throughout the 20th century until the 1960s, assumed that all human enterprises should be conducted according to the principles of universal rationality, with a strongly centralizing tendency emphasized in all social institutions. Postmodernism, on the other hand, assumes that human beings are mainly motivated, not by rationality, but by a virtually endless diversity of individual and cultural values. Thus, any overarching theory about how people do, or should, live in so ciety is bound to be inadequate, and social institutions must allow for the full range of human diversity. In the discipline of sociology Functionalist Theory dominated the modern period, but during the past few decades Critical Theory has come to dominate the postmodern period. To put it simply, Functionalism assumes that society works, because of its inherent harmony, while Critical Theory assumes that society does not work, because of its inherent conflicts. As far as law is concerned, during the modern period a rationally independent and fair distribution of justice was supposed to characterize the legal system. But during the postmodern period the legal system has come to be regarded by many of its critics as the source of often inequitable i.e. distributions of power, specifically motivated by, and ultimately working for, the interests of the state in general and the cultural elite in particular. The writings of Max Weber (1864-1920), one of the founding spirits of sociology, illustrate the modern conception of law perfectly. According to Mathieu Deflem (2009: 45-46), Weber argues that the law, like all modern social institutions, including politics and the economy, is dominated by purposive rationalization, posited as the standard for both jurisprudence (legal theorizing or lawmaking) and adjudication (law-finding) in the courts. Rationalization leads to the establishment of the principle of the rule of law. This means that all social conflicts are to be settled in the courts according to established laws that are written down and codified. The rule of law is intended to be impersonal and objective, giving rise to a adage Justice is blind, a central value of Western democracies, sometimes phrased as the sayings All are equal before the law and No one is above the law. According to Joyce Sterling and Wilbert Moore (1987: 68-69), Weber accepts law as creating its own sphere of autonomous social reality, but its influence is relative, not absolute. The more a legal system looks to itself rather than to external social, political, and ethical systems in making and applying law, the greater the degree of relative autonomy. In the United States legal system The Exclusionary Rule and The Miranda Rule are examples of the law defining itself and acting independently of other social concerns. A second characteristic of legal autonomy is the principle of equal competencies whereby counsel is provided for those who cannot afford it. Weber distinguishes between subjective rationality, in which values influence individual decisions, and objective rationality, in which principles determine social decisions. He also distinguishes between formal or purely legal law, and substantive or extra-legal law. Similarly, Weber distinguishes between rational law, determined by general principles, and irrational law, determined by individual and contextual considerations. Formal rational law is called positive law, while formal irrational law is called charismatic or revealed law. Substantive rational law is called natural law, while substantive irrational law is called traditional law. In the words of Sterling and Moore (1987: 75), Although Weber denied that he was posing a unilineal process of rationalization, he did tend to view legal systems as moving from irrational to rational, and from substantive to formal rationality. Moreover, Weber links his typology of law to his typology of politics. He identified three types of po litical legitimization: traditional, charismatic, and legal. Once again, according to Sterling and Moore (1987: 76), As law becomes rationalized, it becomes its own legitimizing principle in other words, the rule of law, what Weber calls formal legal rationality. This is aided by bureaucracy and professionalization, ensuring calculability or predictability in legal matters and making the system self-contained and seamless, almost totally isolated from moral, economic, political, and cultural interests. Webers modern rationalistic conception of law has suffered a severe critical attack on various fronts since the 1960s. Austin Turk (1976: 276) sums up the critical legal position perfectly: Contrary to the rational model, law is actually a set of resources whose control and mobilization can in many ways . . . generate and exacerbate conflicts rather than resolving or softening them. In short, power is the control of resources and law is power (280). The mere mention of power in relat ion to law is bound to evoke the spirit of Karl Marx (1818-1883). According to Alan Hunt (1985: 12, 20-22), the content, principles, and forms of law are all matters of ideology that is the reflective distortion of reality in any human claim to knowledge, making Webers political legitimation by rule of law nothing more than one opinion among many (sometimes irrational) competing opinions about the proper relation of law and power. Moreover, as Elizabeth Armstrong and Mary Bernstein (2008: 75-76) point out, the modified Marxist argument whereby governments are the only rule makers and social reformers define themselves solely in relation to the state has now become obsolete. According to these authors, culture itself is constitutive of power. If this is true, then law has already lost much of its supposed power merely by definition. Kim Lane Scheppele (1994: 390-400) provides an excellent overview of critical jurisprudence theory, all of it based on the foundational belief that rational jurisprudence theory masks the fact that political interests or power relationships are what really drives the legal systems of Western democracies. An attack on liberal legalism argues that rights, neutrality, and procedural justice are all fictions designed to maintain social inequalities. The indeterminacy thesis argues that contradictions and inconsistencies within the law make purely rational adjudication impossible. There are many particular manifestations of critical jurisprudence theory. Feminist jurisprudence, for example, contends that the way gender is defined socially often makes the law patriarchal and oppressive to women, especially in regard to such issues as abortion, rape, domestic violence, pregnancy, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, child custody, and pornography. Feminists are divided on how to ri ght the wrongs of rational jurisprudence. Some advocate treating women exactly the same as men, while others argue that women should be treated differently. In either case, the objective is to achieve equality with men through the law. Similarly, critical race theory argues that people of color have been oppressed by the law by being silenced or having others speak for them, and they have pleaded vigorously for the opportunity to tell their stories, so their culture and their lives can be treated fairly by the law. In fact, the theme of the relationship of power to the law has been most compelling addressed in terms of the indeterminacy of language itself an argument expressed by Jacques Derrida in his theory of deconstruction. If the rational rule of law is enshrined as a written code, but language itself is open to a diversity of interpretation, how can the rule of law be trusted not to be abused by the judges and lawyers representing a powerful political à ©lite? Critics would argue that such an abuse is inevitable. References Armstrong, E. A., Bernstein, M. (2008). Culture, power, nad institution: A approach to social movements. Sociological Theory, 26 (1), 74-99. Deflem, M. (2008). Sociology of Law: Visions of a Scholarly Tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hunt, A. (1985). The ideology of law: Advances and problems in recent applications of the concept of ideology to the analysis of law. Law Society Review, 19 (1), 11-38. Scheppele, K. L. (1994). Legal theory and social theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 20, 383-406. Sterling, J. S., Moore, W. E. (1987). Webers analysis of legal rationalization: A critique and constructive modification. Sociological Forum, 2 (1), 67-89. Turk, A. T. (1976). Law as a weapon in social conflict. Social Problems, 23 (3), 276-291.

billy mitchell Essay -- essays papers

billy mitchell PART I The end of the era of Reconstruction in America brought forth the greatest rise in American Power. This era was known as the "Guilded Age." Big business grew all over the country producing a few tycoons such as John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpont Morgan. These men had extreme wealth through huge monopolistic enterprises. This was unfortunately at the expense of many immigrants who worked for these men. Women and children worked long hours in sweatshops for horrible wages. Men worked however they could sometimes as miners, construction workers, railroad builders, and factory workers. These immigrants came from southeastern Europe mainly. The country's population skyrocketed with the flow of immigration after the civil war. These immigrants built America, as you know it today. Due to Germany's unrestricted Submarine warfare America had no choice but to enter into World War I. on April 6, 1917 America declared war on Germany. This was to be one of the bloodiest, dirtiest wars ever. They fought in what we call trench warfare. Long trenches went all the way down the enemy and friendly lines. America's soldiers and technology had a big role in the allies' defeat of Germany. The war was ended with the Treaty of Versailles. The United States never joined in the League of Nations, which the allies had formed thus continuing isolationism. The 1920s brought about a time of prosperity for America. 50% of Americans were living in urban areas by this time. The country was going through prohibition, making alcohol illegal. Cultural change brought about many problems in the U.S. Swing dancing and loose skirts were all the rage. Women were becoming more independent. Like all great things in life this age of prosperity sharply came to an end with the Great Depression. The Great Depression started in the fall of 1929 with the New York Stock Exchange crash. With the economy resting in the hands of the tycoons like Rockefeller the depression was inevitable. By 1931, 5 million Americans were unemployed. The great nation, which was just coming to power, seemed like it was going to die out. It might have if a man named Franklin D. Roosevelt hadn't been elected president. Roosevelt began to put in effect a plan he called the New Deal. He took the U.S. off the gold standard to help the crisis. He also passed a serie... ...y time of day. This is a huge plus for the military that Billy Mitchell did not foresee. William "Billy" Mitchell was undoubtedly one of the greatest figures in American military history. He is the father of the U. S. Air Force, the one man who fought for what he knew was needed. He was a true American, unafraid of persecution and ridicule. Billy Mitchell fought his points to the point of his demise. Without this man there might not of been an Airforce. Without this man there might not be an America today. Bibliography: "American Air Superiority," Billy Mitchell's Role in the Air Force. Woodbridge, CT: Primary Source Media, 1999. Rpt. In Student Recourses Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, Dec. 2000. http://264.312.569.115/servlet/SRC 29 Sept. 2001. Bellows, John. "Billy Mitchell." Journal of American Military. 1953. 356-359. Burlingame, Roger. General Billy Mitchell: Champion of Air Defense. New York: McGraw- Hill, 1952. Hurley, Alfred F. Billy Mitchell: Crusader for Air Power. Bloomington, IN.: University Press, 1975. Jordan, Winthrop, Miriam Greenblatt, and John Bowes. The Americas: A History. Evanston, IL: McDougal, Littell and Company, 1991.

Coyote Blue Chapter 14~15

CHAPTER 14 Lies Have Lives of Their Own It took just six weeks for Samson Hunts Alone, the Crow Indian, to become Samuel Hunter, the shape-shifter. The transformation began with the cowboy on the bus mistaking Samson for a Mexican. When Samson left the bus in Elko, Nevada, and caught a ride with a racist trucker, he became white for the first time. He expected, from listening to Pokey all those years, that upon turning white he would immediately have the urge to go out and find some Indians and take their land, but the urge didn't come, so he sat by nodding as the trucker talked. By the time he got out at Sacramento, California, Samson had memorized the trucker's litany of white supremacy and was just getting into the rhythm of racism when he caught a ride with a black trucker who took amphetamines and waxed poetic about oppression, injustice, and the violent overthrow of the U.S. government by either the Black Panthers, the Teamsters, or the Temptations. Samson wasn't sure which. Samson was booted out of the truck in Santa Barbara when he suggested that perhaps killing all the whites should be put off at least until they told where they had hidden all the money. Actually, Samson was somewhat relieved to be put out; he'd only been white for a few hours and wasn't sure that he liked it well enough to die for it. His immediate concern was to get something to drink. He bought a Coke at a nearby convenience store and walked across the street to a park, where, under the boughs of a massive fig tree, amid a dozen sleeping bums, he sat down to consider his next move. Samson was just summoning up an obese case of hopelessness when a nearby bundle of rags spoke to him. â€Å"Any booze in that cup?† Samson had to stare at the oblong rag pile for a few seconds before he noticed there was a hairy face at one end. A single bloodshot eye, sparkling with hope, the only break in the gray dinge, gave the face away. â€Å"No, just Coke,† Samson said. Hope dimmed and the eye became as empty as the socket next to it. â€Å"You got any money?† the bum asked. Samson shook his head. He had only twelve dollars left; he didn't want to share it with the rag pile. â€Å"You're new here?† Samson nodded. â€Å"You a wet?† â€Å"Excuse me?† Samson said. â€Å"Are you Mexican?† Samson thought for a moment, then nodded. â€Å"You're lucky,† the bum said. â€Å"You can get work. A guy stops near here every morning with a truck – picks up guys to do yard work, but he only takes Mexicans. Says whites are too lazy.† â€Å"Are they?† Samson asked. He figured that after persecuting blacks, hiding money, stealing land, breaking treaties, and keeping themselves pure, maybe the whites were just tired. He was glad he was Mexican. â€Å"You speak pretty good English for a wet.† â€Å"Where does the guy with the truck stop? Has he been by today?† â€Å"I'm not lazy,† the bum said. â€Å"I earned a degree in philosophy.† â€Å"I'll give you a dollar,† Samson said. â€Å"I'm having trouble finding work in my field.† Samson dug a dollar out of his pocket and held it out to the bum, who snatched it and quickly secreted it among his rags. â€Å"He stops about a block from here, in front of the all-night diner.† The bum pointed down the street. â€Å"I haven't seen him go by today, but I was sleeping.† â€Å"Thanks.† Samson rose and started down the street. The bum called after him, â€Å"Hey, kid, come back tonight. I'll guard your back while you sleep if you buy a jug.† Samson waved over his shoulder. He wouldn't be back if he could avoid it. A block away he joined a group of men who were waiting at the corner when a large gate-sided truck pulled up, the back already half full of Mexicans. The man who drove the truck got out and walked around to where the men were waiting. He was short and brown and wore a straw Stetson, cowboy boots, and thick black mustache over the sly grin of a chicken thief. The men who worked for him called him patron, but ironically, the common term for his profession was Coyote. He scanned the group of men and made his choices with a nod and the crook of his finger. The men chosen, all Hispanic, jumped onto the back of the truck. The Coyote approached Samson and grabbed him by the upper arm, testing the muscle. He said something in Spanish. Samson panicked and answered him in Crow: â€Å"I'm on the lam, looking for a one-armed man that killed my wife.† To Samson's surprise, this seemed to satisfy the Coyote. The Coyote had been smuggling illegal aliens into the country for five years, and from time to time he encountered an Indian from the South, Guatemala or Honduras, who could not speak Spanish. Not being able to tell one Indian language from another, he assumed that Samson was one of these. All the better, he thought, it will take longer for him to find out. After the Coyote brought his men over the border, he gave them a place to live (two apartments in which they slept ten to a room), food (beans, tortillas, and rice), and three dollars an hour (for backbreaking work that most gringos would never consider doing). He charged his customers eight dollars per man-hour and pocketed the difference. At the end of each week he paid his men in cash, after deducting a healthy amount for food and lodging, then drove them all to the post office, where he helped them buy money orders to send home to their families, leaving them nothing for themselves. In this way the Coyote could keep a crew under his thumb for three or four months before they found out that they could make more money working at menial jobs in restaurants or hotels. Then he would have to go back to Mexico for another load. Lately, however, he had been augmenting his crew with Mexicans who had found their own way over the border, and this allowed him to stretch his time between bord er runs. The work was the hardest Samson had ever done, and at the end of the first day, back knotted and hands bloodied from swinging a pickax, he slept in the back of the truck until the patron slapped him awake and led him into the apartment to show him his cot. Sleeping in a room with nine other people was nothing new to Samson, and the food, although spicy, was plentiful and good. He fell asleep listening to the sad Spanish love songs of his co-workers and feeling very much alone. As the weeks passed he would hear the other men in the room whispering in the dark and this made him feel, even more, that he was the only person in a world of one. He had no way of knowing that they were talking about him, about how they never saw him send any money home, and about how they could take his money and no one would know because he was a dumb Indian and couldn't speak Spanish. Samson listened and imagined that they were talking about their homes and missing their families. He knew nothing of the Latin quality of machismo, which tacitly forbade the admission of a man's melancholy except in song. The plan was to wait until the boy was taking a shower, then go through his pants and take the money. If he protested, they would cut his throat and bury him on the large estate where they were terracing hills into formal gardens. Whether they would have really killed the boy was doubtful; they were good men at heart and had only turned their minds to murder because it made them feel worldly and tough. When the boy was gone their nocturnal whispers turned back to boasts of the women they would have, the cars they would buy, and the land they would own when they returned to Mexico. Samson was saved on a hot afternoon when the owner of the estate approached the Coyote while the crew was taking a break, eating cold burritos in the shade of a eucalyptus tree. â€Å"Immigration took one of the busboys in my restaurant,† the rich man said. â€Å"Do any of your guys speak English? I'll pay you to let him go.† The Coyote was shaking his head when Samson spoke up: â€Å"I speak English.† The Coyote's chicken-stealing grin dropped like a rock. He had thought that he would be able to hold on to the Indian boy for a long time, and here he had gone and learned English in his spare time. The boy was worthless now. Better to cut the loss and see what he could get. To quell their curiosity and dampen their ambition, the Coyote told the rest of the crew that the rich American had bought the boy for sexual purposes, and they all grinned knowingly as they watched Samson ride away in the long white Lincoln. Samson found that it was easier to be Mexican while working in the restaurant. The work, although fast paced, was not heavy, and he was given a cot in the storeroom to sleep on until he found a place of his own. The owner was content with speaking a pidgin English peppered with Spanish words and Samson answered him by speaking a modified version of Tonto-speak. By this time Samson had also picked up a few essential Spanish phrases (â€Å"Where are the spoons?† â€Å"We need more plates.† â€Å"Your sister fucks donkeys in Tijuana†) which helped him make friends with the Mexican dishwashers and cooks. From the moment he had arrived in Santa Barbara, a grinding homesickness began to settle in Samson's heart. When he lay in the dark storeroom at night, waiting to fall asleep, it would rise up and wash over him like a black tide, carrying with it a slithering blind predator that gnashed at the last shreds of his hope. â€Å"Forget what you know,† Pokey had told him. With this in mind he set to do battle with his rising hopelessness. He refused to think of his family, his home, or his heritage. Instead he concentrated on the conversations he overheard in the restaurant as he cleared tables and poured coffee. Because he was Mexican, and a menial laborer, he was invisible to the affluent Santa Barbara customers, who spoke openly about the most intimate details of their lives, oblivious to the Spanish fly on the wall†¦. â€Å"You know, Ashley has been having an affair with her plastic surgeon for six months and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"If I can get my legal ducks in a row, I should be able to push the convention center through the city council and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I want the bathroom Southwestern, but Bob likes Art Nouveau, so I called our attorney and I said†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know the offshore drilling is ruining the coast, but my Exxon shares have split twice in two years, so I said to my analyst†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Susan and the kids went to Tahoe, so I thought it was the perfect chance to show Marie the house. The bitch spilled a whole bottle of massage oil in the hot tub and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I don't give a damn whether they needed it or not. If you do your job right you can sell air conditioners to Eskimos; need has nothing to do with it. Remember the three m's: mesmerize, motivate, and manipulate. You're not selling a need, you're selling†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Dreams,† Samson said, coming out of his shell to finish the sentence of a young insurance sales manager who had taken his agents to lunch so he could chew their ass. Samson surprised even himself by speaking up, but the man at the table seemed to be giving the same speech that he had heard from the powder-blue dream salesman. He couldn't resist. â€Å"Come here, kid,† the man said. He was wearing a wash-and-wear suit, as were the other five men at the table. A half-dozen acrid aftershaves clashed among them. â€Å"What's your name?† Samson looked around the table at the men's faces. They were all white. He decided at that moment to use a new name, not the Mexican name he had taken, Jose Cuervo. â€Å"Sam,† Samson said. â€Å"Sam Hunter.† â€Å"Well, Sam† – he extended his hand – â€Å"my name is Aaron Aaron. And I'll bet with some training you could outsell every man at this table.† He put his arm around Samson's shoulders and spoke to the rest of the group. â€Å"What do you say, guys? I'll bet you each a hundred bucks that I can take a busboy with the right attitude and turn him into a better salesman than any of you hotshots inside of a month.† â€Å"That's bullshit, Aaron, the kid's not even old enough to get a license.† â€Å"He can work on my license. I'll sign his applications. C'mon, hotshots, do I have a bet?† The men fidgeted in their seats, laughing nervously and trying to avoid Aaron's gaze, knowing from Aaron's training that the first one to speak would lose. Finally one of them broke. â€Å"All right, a hundred bucks, but the kid has to do his own selling.† Aaron looked at Samson. â€Å"So, kid, are you ready to start a new job?† Samson tried to imagine himself wearing a suit and smelling of after-shave, and the idea appealed to him. â€Å"I don't have a place to stay,† he said. â€Å"I've been saving so I can get an apartment.† â€Å"I've got it covered,† Aaron said. â€Å"Welcome aboard.† â€Å"I guess I could give my notice.† â€Å"Fuck giving notice. You only give notice if you're planning to come back. You're not planning on moving backwards, are you, Sam?† â€Å"I guess not,† Samson said. At twenty-five, Aaron Aaron had already accumulated fifteen years of experience in the art of deception. From the time he skimped on the sugar at his first lemonade stand to the time he doubled the profits on his paper route by canceling his customers' subscriptions, then stealing the papers out of a vending machine to continue the deliveries, Aaron showed a near-genius ability for working in the gray areas between business and crime. And by balancing dark desires with white lies he was able to sidestep the plague of Catholic conscience that kept him from pursuing an honest career as a pirate, which would have been his first choice. Aaron Aaron was a salesman. At first, Aaron's only interest in Samson was to use the boy as an instrument of embarrassment to the other salesmen, but once he dressed the boy in a suit and had him trailing along on sales calls like a dutiful native gun bearer, Aaron found that he actually enjoyed the boy's company. The boy's curiosity seemed boundless, and answering his questions as they drove between calls allowed Aaron to bask in the sound of his own voice while extolling the brilliance of his last successful presentation. And too, the rejection of a slammed door or a pointed ;no; seemed softened in the sharing. Teaching the boy made him feel good, and with this improvement in attitude he worked more, sold more, and allowed the boy to share in the prosperity, buying him clothes and food, finding him an apartment, and cosigning for a loan on a used Volvo. For Samson, working under the tutelage of Aaron was perfect. Aaron's assumption that no one beside himself had the foggiest idea of how the universe worked allowed Samson the opportunity to hear lectures on even the most minuscule details of society, information he used to build himself into the image that Aaron wanted to see. Samson delighted in Aaron's self-obsession, for while the older man waxed eloquent on the virtues of being Aaron, it never occurred to him to ask Samson about his past, and the boy was able to surround himself in a chrysalis of questions and cheap suits until he was ready to emerge as a full-grown salesman. As the years passed and his memories of home were stowed and forgotten, learning to sell became Samson's paramount interest. And Aaron, fascinated with seeing his own image mirrored and his own words repeated, failed to notice that Samson had become a better salesman than himself until other companies began approaching the boy with offers. Only then did Aaron realize that most of his income was coming from the override commission on Sam's sales, and that for five years Sam had trained all the new salesmen. To avoid losing his golden goose, Aaron offered Sam a fifty-fifty partnership in the agency, and with this added security, the business became Sam's shelter. -=*=- Now, after twenty years with the business as his only security, Sam was going to Aaron to sell his shares. As he entered Aaron's office he felt a deep soul-sickness that he had not felt since he had left the reservation. â€Å"Aaron, I'll take forty cents on the dollar for my shares. And I keep my office.† Aaron turned slowly in the big executive chair and faced Sam. â€Å"You know I couldn't come up with that kind of cash, Sam. It's a good move, though. I'd have to keep paying you out of override, and with interest you wouldn't even take a cut in pay. I don't think you're in a position to negotiate, though. In fact, after the call I got this morning, I think twenty cents on the dollar would be more than fair.† Sam resisted the urge to dive over the desk and slap his partner's bare scalp until it bled. He had to take his fallback position sooner than he wanted to. â€Å"You're thinking that because Spagnola can put me with the Indian I have to sell, right?† Aaron nodded. â€Å"But just imagine that I ride this through, Aaron. Imagine that I don't sign off, that the insurance commission suspends my license, that criminal charges are filed and my name is in the paper every day. Guess whose name is going to be right next to mine? And what happens if I maintain my association with the agency and the insurance commission starts looking into your files? How many signatures have you traced over the years, Aaron? How many people thought they were buying one policy, only to find out that their signature showed up on a different one – one that paid you a higher commission?† A sheen of sweat was appearing on Aaron's forehead. â€Å"You've done that as often as I have. You'd be hanging yourself.† â€Å"That's the point, Aaron. When I walked in here you were convinced that I was hung anyway. I'm just making room for you on the gallows.† â€Å"You ungrateful prick. I took you in when you-â€Å" â€Å"I know, Aaron. That's why I'm giving you a chance to stay clean. Actually, you've got more to lose than I do. Once your files are open, then your income is going to become public knowledge.† â€Å"Oh!† Aaron stood and paced around to the front of the desk. â€Å"Oh!† He waved a finger under Sam's nose, then turned and walked to the water cooler. â€Å"Oh!† He kicked the cooler, then returned to his chair, sat down, then stood up again. â€Å"Oh!† he said. It was as if the single syllable had stuck in his mouth. He looked as if he were going to launch into a tirade; blood rose in his face and veins bulged on his forehead. â€Å"Oh!† he said. He fell back in the chair and stared at the ceiling as if his brain had pushed the hold button on reality. â€Å"That's right, Aaron,† Sam said after a moment. â€Å"The IRS.† With that Sam moved to the office door. â€Å"Take your time, Aaron. Think about it. Talk it over with your buddy Spagnola; he can probably give you the current exchange rate of cigarettes for sodomy in prison.† Aaron slowly broke his stare on the ceiling and turned to watch Sam walk out. In the outer office Julia looked up from applying lacquer to her nails to see Sam grinning, his hand still on the doorknob. â€Å"What's with all the ‘ohs, Sam?† Julia asked. â€Å"It sounded like you guys were having sex or something.† â€Å"Something like that,† Sam said, his grin widening. â€Å"Hey, watch this.† He opened the door quickly and stuck his head back in Aaron's office. â€Å"Hey, Aaron! IRS!† he said. Then he pulled the door shut, muffling Aaron's scream of pain. â€Å"What was that?† Julia asked. â€Å"That,† Sam said, â€Å"was my teacher giving me the grade on my final exam.† â€Å"I don't get it.† â€Å"You will, honey. I don't have time to explain right now. I've got a date.† Sam left the office walking light and smiling, feeling strangely as if the pieces of his life, rather than fitting back together, were jingling in his pocket like sleigh bells warning Christmas. CHAPTER 15 Like God's Own Chocolate I'd Lick Her Shadow Off A Hot Sidewalk Santa Barbara In spite of the fact that he was losing his home and his business, and was precariously close to having his greatest secret discovered by the police because of an Indian god, Sam was not the least bit worried. Not with the prospect of an evening with Calliope to occupy his thoughts. No, for once Sam Hunter was voting the eager ticket over the anxious, taking anticipation over dread. Calliope lived upstairs in a cheese-mold-green cinder-block duplex that stood in a row of a dozen identical structures where the last of Santa Barbara's working middle class were making their descent into poverty. Calliope's Datsun was parked in the driveway next to a rusy VW station wagon and an ominous-looking Harley-Davidson chopper with a naked blond woman airbrushed on the gas tank. Sam paused by the Harley before mounting the stairs. The airbrushed woman looked familiar, but before he could get a closer look Calliope appeared on the deck above him. â€Å"Hi,† she said. She was barefoot, wearing a white muslin dress loosely laced in the front. A wreath of gardenia was woven into her hair. â€Å"You're just in time, we need your help. Come on up.† Sam took the stairs two at a time and stopped on the landing, where Calliope was wrestling with the latch on a rickety screen-door frame that was devoid of screening but had redwood lattice nailed across its lower half, presumably to keep out the really large insects. â€Å"I'm having trouble with the dinner,† she said. â€Å"I hope you can fix it.† The screen door finally let loose with the jattering noise one associates with the impact of Elmer Fudd's face on a rake handle. Calliope led Sam into a kitchen done in the Fabulous Fifties motif of mint enamel over pink linoleum. A haze of foul-smelling smoke hung about the ceiling, and through it Sam could make out the figure of a half-naked man sitting in the lotus position on the counter, drinking from a quart bottle of beer. â€Å"That's Yiffer,† Calliope said over her shoulder as she headed to the stove. â€Å"He's with Nina.† Yiffer vaulted off the counter, on one arm, fully eight feet across the kitchen to land lightly on his feet in front of Sam, where he engaged a complex handshake that left Sam feeling as if his fingers had been braided together. â€Å"Dude,† Yiffer said, shaking out his wild tangle of straw-colored hair as if the word had been stuck there. Feeling like a chameleon that has been dropped into a coffee can and is risking hemorrhage by trying to turn silver, Sam searched for the appropriate greeting and ended up echoing, â€Å"Dude.† In jeans, a sport shirt, and boating moccasins with no socks, Sam felt grossly overdressed next to Yiffer, who wore only a pair of orange surf shorts and layer upon layer of tan muscle. â€Å"Calliope biffed the grub, dude,† Yiffer said. Sam joined Calliope at the stove, where she was frantically biffing the grub. â€Å"I can't get the spaghetti to cook,† she said, plunging a wooden spoon into a large saucepan from which the smoke was emanating. â€Å"The instructions said to boil for eight minutes, but as soon as it starts to boil the smoke comes out.† Sam waved the smoke from the pan. â€Å"Aren't you supposed to cook the noodles separately?† â€Å"Not in the sauce?† Sam shook his head. â€Å"Whoops,† Calliope said. â€Å"I'm not a very good cook. Sorry.† â€Å"Well, maybe we can salvage something.† Sam removed the pan from the heat and peered in at the bubbling black magma. â€Å"Then again, maybe starting over would be a good idea.† He put the pan in the sink, where a trail of ants was invading a used bowl of cereal. Sam turned on the water and started to swivel the faucet to wash the intruders away when Calliope grabbed his hand. â€Å"No,† she said. â€Å"They're okay.† â€Å"They'll get into your food,† Sam said. â€Å"I know. They've always been here. I call them my kitchen pals.† â€Å"Kitchen pals?† Sam tried to adjust his thinking. She was right – you couldn't just wash your kitchen pals down the drain like they were ants. He felt like he'd been saved from committing genocide. â€Å"So, I guess we should start some more spaghetti?† â€Å"She only bought one box, dude,† Yiffer said. â€Å"I guess we can eat salad and bread,† Calliope said. â€Å"Excuse me.† She kissed Sam on the cheek and walked out of the kitchen while he stared at the ghost of her bottom through the thin dress. â€Å"So, what do you do?† Yiffer asked with a toss of his head. â€Å"I'm an insurance broker. And you?† â€Å"I surf.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"And what?† Yiffer said. Sam thought he could hear the sound of the ocean whistling through Yiffer's ears as if through a seashell. â€Å"Never mind,† he said. He was distracted by the sound of a baby screaming in the next room. â€Å"That's Grubb,† Yiffer said. â€Å"Sounds like he's pissed off.† Unable to see the second b, Sam was confused. â€Å"I thought grub was biffed?† â€Å"No, Grubb is Calliope's rug-rat. Go on in and meet him. Nina's in there with J. Nigel Yiffworth, Esquire.† Yiffer beamed with pride. â€Å"He's mine.† â€Å"Your attorney?† â€Å"My son,† Yiffer said indignantly. â€Å"Oh,† Sam said. He resisted the urge to sit down on the floor and wait for his confusion to clear. Instead he walked into the living room, where he found Calliope sitting on an ancient sofa next to an attractive brunette who was breastfeeding an infant. The sofa was lumpy enough to have had a body sewed into it; stuffing spilled out of the arms where the victim had tried to escape. On the floor nearby, a somewhat older child was slung inside of a blue plastic donut on wheels, which he was gaily ramming into everything in the room. Sam gasped as the child ran a wheel up over his bare ankle on a kamikaze rush to destroy the coffee table. Calliope said, â€Å"Sam, this is Nina.† Nina looked up and smiled. â€Å"And J. Nigel Yiffworth, Esquire.† Nina pulled the baby from her breast long enough to puppet-master a nod of greeting from it, which Sam missed for some reason. â€Å"And that,† Calliope continued, pointing to the drunk driver in the blue donut, â€Å"that's Grubb.† â€Å"Your son?† Sam asked. She nodded. â€Å"He's just learning to walk.† â€Å"Interesting name.† â€Å"I named him after Jane Goodall's son. She let him grow up with baboons – very natural. I was going to name him Buddha, but I was afraid that when he got older if someone met him on the road they might kill him.† â€Å"Right. Good thinking,† Sam said, pretending that he had the slightest idea of what she was talking about and that he wasn't wondering in the least who or where Grubb's father was. â€Å"Nina moved in when we were both pregnant,† Calliope said. â€Å"We were each other's Lamaze coaches. I was farther along, though.† â€Å"What about Yiffer?† â€Å"Scum,† Nina said. â€Å"He seems like a nice guy,† Sam said, and Nina shot him an acid look. â€Å"As scum goes,† he quickly added. â€Å"He only lives here sometimes,† Calliope said. â€Å"Mostly when he doesn't have gas money for his van.† Nina said, â€Å"We're having a yard sale day after tomorrow to raise some money to get him out of here. You might want to look at the stuff down in storage before the sale, pick up a bargain before it gets picked over.† Yiffer entered the living room munching on a loaf of French bread. He stood next to Sam and thrust the bread under Sam's chin. â€Å"Bite?† â€Å"No, thanks,† Sam said. â€Å"Yiffer!† Calliope said. â€Å"That bread was for all of us.† â€Å"Truth,† Yiffer said. He held the loaf out to Calliope. â€Å"Bite?† â€Å"You ruined their dinner,† Nina said, letting J. Nigel's head drop and wobble. Yiffer grinned around a mouthful of bread and gestured toward Nina's exposed breast with his beer hand. â€Å"Looking good, babe.† Nina reattached J. Nigel and said to Sam, â€Å"I'm sorry, he's only like this when he's awake.† To Yiffer she said, â€Å"Take some money out of my purse and go down to the corner and get a pizza.† Sam reached for his wallet. â€Å"Let me.† â€Å"No,† Calliope and Nina said in unison. â€Å"Cool!† Yiffer exclaimed, sandblasting Sam with a spray of bread crumbs. â€Å"Go!† Nina commanded, and Yiffer turned and bounded out of the room. In a moment Sam heard the screen door open and footfalls on the steps. â€Å"Sit down,† Calliope said. â€Å"Relax.† Sam took a seat on the couch next to the two women and for the next forty minutes they exchanged pleasantries between the screaming demands of the babies until Nina handed a damp J. Nigel to Sam and left the room. Like most bachelors, Sam held a baby as if it were radioactive. â€Å"That fucking asshole!† Nina shrieked from the other room, frightening Grubb, who screamed like an air-raid siren. J. Nigel was following suit when Nina returned to the living room, her purse in hand. â€Å"He took my rent money. The asshole took all my rent money. Can you guys watch J. Nigel for a minute? I've got to go find him and kill him.† â€Å"Sure,† Calliope said. Sam nodded, adjusting J. Nigel for long-term holding. Nina left. Calliope turned to Sam and over the din of screaming infants said, â€Å"Alone at last.† â€Å"I think J. Nigel needs changing,† Sam said. â€Å"So does Grubb. Let's take them into Nina's room.† Sam had slipped into the personality he referred to as â€Å"tough and adaptable,† one he reserved for the more chaotic and bizarre situations he had encountered in his career. â€Å"I can do this,† he said with a grin. He hadn't changed a baby since the days on the reservation when he used to help with his cousins, but when he opened J. Nigel's diaper the memory came back on him like a fetid whirlwind, and he had to fight to keep from gagging. The adhesive strips on disposable diapers were a completely new adventure and he found after a few minutes that he had diapered his left hand perfectly while a squirming J. Nigel remained naked to the world. After changing Grubb and returning him to his plastic donut, Calliope liberated Sam from the diaper and started on J. Nigel, who giggled and peed like an excited puppy at her touch. Sam sympathized. â€Å"Don't feel bad,† she said. â€Å"The last time we let Yiffer baby-sit he duct-taped J. Nigel's diaper on and we had to use nail-polish remover to get the adhesive off.† â€Å"I haven't had much practice,† Sam said. â€Å"You don't have any kids?† â€Å"No, I've never met anyone I wanted to have kids with.† Sam wanted to smack himself for saying it. Remember, tough and adaptable. â€Å"Me either,† Calliope said. â€Å"But Grubb is the best thing that ever happened to me. I used to drink and do a lot of drugs, but as soon as I found out I was pregnant I stopped.† Sam looked for an opening to ask about Grubb's father, but none came and the silence was becoming awkward. â€Å"That's great,† he said. â€Å"I had my own battle with the bottle.† Actually it hadn't been much of a battle. Aaron had insisted that social drinking was part of the job, but each time Sam had gotten drunk he was haunted by the stereotype of the drunken Indian that he thought he had left behind. It had been ten years since he'd had a drink. â€Å"I'm going to put these guys down,† Calliope said. â€Å"Why don't you go in the living room and put some music on.† In the living room Sam found a briefcase full of loose cassette tapes. Most of the tapes were New Age releases with enigmatic titles like Tree Frog Whale Song Selections by artists with names like Yanni Volvofinder. With further digging he found one called The Language of Love by a female jazz singer he liked, but when he opened the box he found that the tape had been replaced with one called Catbox Nightmare by a band called Satan's Smegma, obviously a Yifferesque selection. Finally he found The Language of Love languishing boxless in the bottom of the case and popped it into a portable stereo on a bricks-and-boards bookshelf. Calliope returned to the living room just as the first song was rising in the speakers. â€Å"Oh, I love this tape,† she said. â€Å"I've always wanted to make love to this tape. I'll be right back.† She left the room again and returned in a moment with an armload of pillows and blankets, which she dropped in the middle of the floor. â€Å"Grubb sleeps in my room and he won't be asleep for a while.† She began to spread the blankets out over the floor. Sam stood by, trying to fight the objections that were rising in his mind about the speed at which things were progressing. She just assumed that he would say yes; it made him feel like – well – a slut. Then again, if this beautiful girl wanted to make love with him, who was he to object? Okay, so he was a slut; he was a tough and adaptable slut. Still, there was one thing that bothered him. â€Å"What if Yiffer and Nina come home with the pizza?† â€Å"Oh, I don't think they'll be home that soon. This first time will be pretty fast.† â€Å"Hey.† Sam thought he might have just been insulted, but on second thought he realized that the girl had just voiced something that he had really been worrying about, without even admitting it to himself. On second thought, she had relieved the pressure on him to perform. Calliope finished fluffing the pillows, then unlaced her dress and let it drop to the floor. She stepped out of it and went to the stereo, where she turned up the volume, then she crawled naked under the top blanket and pulled it up to her neck. â€Å"Okay,† she said. Sam sat on the couch, stunned. She was stunning. But where was the seduction, the deception, the sweet lies and tender posturing? Where was the hunt, the cat-and-mouse game? Sam just stared at her and thought, This is entirely too honest. â€Å"Are you okay?† she asked. â€Å"Yes, it's just kind of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You want me and I want you. Right?† Who did she think she was? You can't just go around blurting out the truth like a prophet with Tourette's syndrome. He said, â€Å"Well, I guess. Yeah, that's right.† â€Å"Well?† She threw the covers back to make room for him. Sam leapt off the couch and fought his way out of his clothes. He was under the covers, taking her into his arms, before his shirt settled to the floor. At the touch of her skin, her warmth, he felt every muscle in his body tense, then melt against her. He kissed her for a long time with none of the fumbling or awkwardness that he expected. He entered her and they began to move together in slow rhythm to the music. Calliope let out a long, low moan and dug her fingers into the muscles of his back. He joined her in the moan and pushed deeper, losing suddenly any thoughts or images or reservations, damn near losing consciousness to the warm, dark rhythm. A door slammed, violently shaking the windows of the apartment. Sam pushed up on his arms. â€Å"What was that?† â€Å"Nothing,† she said, pulling him down. Another door slammed, louder than the first. Sam pushed up again. â€Å"They're home.† â€Å"No, that's downstairs. Please.† She wrapped her legs around his back and pulled him tight. Distracted, Sam began to move again and Calliope moaned. A door slammed, glass shattered, and J. Nigel began crying in the front bedroom. â€Å"What in the hell was that?† â€Å"Nothing. Not now. Make love to me, Sam.† The house shook with the impact of a slamming door, then another, and Grubb began to cry as well. Sam winced, and came completely without pleasure. â€Å"Sorry,† he said as he rolled over onto his back. Calliope stared at the ceiling for a moment as if she was bracing for the next impact. When it came she leapt to her feet and stormed naked out onto the balcony. She bent over the railing and shouted, â€Å"Why are you doing this?† Sam turned down the stereo and listened. Another door slammed, shaking the house, then a pathetic male voice came from below. â€Å"You've got someone up there. You slut.† â€Å"Don't talk to me that way. I don't act this way when you have someone down there.† Sam wanted to join her on the balcony, come to her defense (â€Å"Hey, buddy, she's not the slut here!†), but he couldn't seem to locate his pants. â€Å"You whore!† the male voice said. â€Å"I'm taking my son.† â€Å"No, you're not!† â€Å"You'll see,† the voice said. Another door slam. Sam flinched. He was getting a little shell-shocked trying to put the pieces of this mystery together between slams. â€Å"Jerk!† Calliope screamed. She stormed inside, slammed the door, and breezed by Sam on her way to tend to Grubb and J. Nigel. Sam sat naked on the floor wishing for a cigarette, or a clue, and repeating his new mantra in his head, tough and adaptable, tough and adaptable†¦ In a few minutes, after the door slams had dwindled to one every few minutes, as if the guy downstairs was calming down, then losing his temper in spurts, Calliope appeared in the doorway, still naked. â€Å"We need to talk,† she said. Sam was dressed now, desperately yearning for a cigarette, but he'd left them in the car and he wasn't about to pass the maniac downstairs without more information. â€Å"That would be good,† he said. Calliope picked up her dress and slipped it on, then sat down on the couch. â€Å"You're probably wondering who that is downstairs.† For the first time she seemed really uncomfortable, and Sam felt for her. â€Å"It's okay. I've had some trouble with my neighbors recently. It happens.† She smiled. â€Å"I used to be with him. He's Grubb's father.† â€Å"I gathered that.† â€Å"I was doing a lot of drugs then. He was exciting: riding his Harley, tattoos, guns.† â€Å"Guns?† â€Å"I left him when I found out I was pregnant. He didn't want me to have the baby and he didn't want me to quit getting high.† â€Å"But why move upstairs?† â€Å"I didn't. He moved in downstairs. You're the first man that I've had over since the split. I didn't know he'd act this way.† â€Å"Why don't you move?† â€Å"You know how Santa Barbara is. I couldn't even pay rent here if it weren't for Nina, let alone come up with first, last, and a cleaning deposit.† Sam could see that she was still embarrassed. â€Å"You could ask the landlord to remove his doors. It would be quieter.† â€Å"I'm sorry. I really wanted it to be nice.† â€Å"Maybe I should go.† Despite the weirdness, he didn't want to leave. â€Å"I wish you would stay. When Grubb goes to sleep we can go in my room. If we're quiet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'll stay,† Sam said. â€Å"He won't come up here and shoot us, will he?† â€Å"No, I don't think so. He keeps talking about getting custody of Grubb. Killing us would look bad with the judge.† â€Å"Right,† Sam said. So what if she had been involved with a psycho. At least it was a psycho who thought ahead. Calliope led Sam down a hallway to her room at the back of the apartment. â€Å"I'll get us some salad,† she said, leaving Sam to sit on the twin bed next to the crib where Grubb was drowsily gnawing a pacifier. The room looked like it had been decorated by a Buddhist monk from â€Å"Sesame Street.† On top of the dresser sat effigies of Buddha, Shiva, Bert, Ernie, and Cookie Monster, as well as an incense burner, a small gong, and a box of Pampers. A stuffed Mickey Mouse on the dressing chair wore a necklace of quartz crystal and a rawhide ring that Sam recognized as a Navaho dream catcher. The walls were hung with pictures of the Dalai Lama, Kali the Destroyer, and the Smurfs. Looking around, Sam felt tempted to construct an excuse and bolt. Now that he'd had a moment to think about it, his tough and adaptable veneer was feeling pretty thin. If he could just get back to normal for a while he'd be okay. Then it hit him: there was no normal to return to. The controlled status quo that had been his life was no longer there; it had been shattered by Coyote, and Coyote was out there somewhere. Calliope, and all the chaos around her, had made him forget. Even with Smurfs, psychos, and kitchen pals, the forgetting was worth staying for.

Blitzkrieg Warfare essays

Blitzkrieg Warfare essays The ultimate warfare called Blitzkrieg was first used by Germany in the early twentieth century. Everyone was tired of the old trench warfare, and after World War I many speculated that a type of mobile warfare would be much more effective. The Germans tested this new-found type of combat during the Spanish Civil War (1936-38). This test proved that mobile warfare-soon known as Blitzkrieg-was a more suitable type of combat. The whole concept of Blitzkrieg is quite simple. The air force attacks their opponents front lines, rear positions, and main communication centers. Forces then plow through the weakened front-lines, and set up defenses to their rear to prevent retreat. Now, other infantry divisions will simultaneously attack portions of the front-lines preventing the enemy from knowing where the main force will attack. Their opponent is also confused because their communications have been taken out. Again, the front lines are unable to retreat because of the divisions that already broke through and set up posts behind them in their territory. The infantry divisions continue to attack the front-lines occupying them so they dont establish effective defense, and also so that the forces that have broken through can establish more defensive posts to their rear. These forces will then prepare to take their enemys artillery stores. Once this is done their enemy will definitely fall when they run out of ammunition. The infantry forces on the front lines will start to flank their enemy (to the enemys left and right) once the front lines are sufficiently weakened. Meanwhile, groups head deeper into enemy territory outflanking more enemy positions ultimately weakening even the confidence of their opponent. With everyone working together, all of the divisions eventually link up completely cutting off the enemy. This is when their opponent will surrender; everyone is taken prisoner, and any s...

Heinkel He 280 Fighter in World War II

Heinkel He 280 Fighter in World War II The Heinkel He 280 was the worlds first true jet fighter. Developed by Ernst Heinkel, the aircraft built upon his earlier successes with the civilian He 178. First flying in 1941, the He 280 proved superior to the piston-engine fighters then in use by the Luftwaffe. Despite this success, Heinkel had difficulty gaining official support for the aircraft until late 1942. Plagued by engine issues, the He 280s development was eventually halted in favor of the Messerschmitt Me 262. The He 280 represents a missed opportunity for the Luftwaffe as it could have been operational a year earlier than the more famous Messerschmitt and aided Germany in maintaining air superiority over Europe. Design In 1939, Ernst Heinkel began the jet age with the first successful flight of the He 178. Flown by Erich Warsitz, the He 178 was powered by a turbojet engine designed by Hans von Ohain. Long interested in high-speed flight, Heinkel presented the He 178 to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Reich Air Ministry, RLM) for further evaluation. Demonstrating the aircraft for RLM leaders Ernst Udet and Erhard Milch, Heinkel was disappointed when neither showed much interest. Little support could be found from RLMs superiors as Hermann Gà ¶ring preferred to endorse piston-engine fighters of proven design. Undeterred, Heinkel began moving forward with a purpose-built fighter that would incorporate the He 178s jet technology. Beginning in late 1939, the project was designated He 180. The initial result was a traditional looking aircraft with two engines mounted in nacelles under the wings. Like many Heinkel designs the He 180 featured elliptically-shaped wings and a dihedral tailplane with twin fins and rudders. Other features of the design included a tricycle landing gear configuration and the worlds first ejection seat. Designed by a team led by Robert Lusser, the He 180 prototype was complete by summer 1940. Aircraft designer Ernst Heinkel. Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-B21019 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Development While Lussers team was making progress, engineers at Heinkel were encountering problems with the Heinkel HeS 8 engine which was intended to power the fighter. As a result, initial work with the prototype was limited to unpowered, glide tests which began on September 22, 1940. It was not until March 30, 1941, that test pilot Fritz Schfer took the aircraft up under its own power. Re-designated the He 280, the new fighter was demonstrated for Udet on April 5, but, as with the He 178, it failed to earn his active support. In another attempt to earn RLMs blessing, Heinkel organized a competition flight between the He 280 and a piston-engine Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Flying an oval course, the He 280 completed four laps before the Fw 190 had finished three. Again rebuffed, Heinkel redesigned the airframe making it smaller and lighter. This worked well with the lower thrust jet engines then available. Working with limited funding, Heinkel continued to refine and improve its engine technology. On January 13, 1942, test pilot Helmut Schenk became the first to successfully use the ejection seat when he was forced to abandon his aircraft. RLM Support As designers struggled with the HeS 8 engine, other power plants, such as the V-1s Argus As 014 pulsejet were considered for the He 280. In 1942, a third version of the HeS 8 was developed and placed in the aircraft. On December 22, another demonstration was organized for RLM which featured a mock dog fight between the He 280 and the Fw 190. During the demonstration, the He 280 defeated the Fw 190, as well as showed impressive speed and maneuverability. Finally excited about the He 280s potential, RLM ordered 20 test aircraft, with a follow-on order for 300 production aircraft. Heinkel He 280 Specifications (He 280 V3):GeneralLength: 31 ft. 1 in.Wingspan: 40 ft.Height: 10 ft.Wing Area: 233 sq. ft.Empty Weight: 7,073 lbs.Loaded Weight: 9,416 lbs.Crew: 1PerformancePower Plant: 2 Ãâ€" Heinkel HeS.8 turbojetRange: 230 milesMax Speed: 512 mphCeiling: 32,000 ft.ArmamentGuns: 3 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon Continuing Problems As Heinkel moved forward, problems continued to plague the HeS 8. As a result, the decision was made to abandon the engine in favor of the more advanced HeS 011. This led to delays in the He 280 program and Heinkel was forced to accept that another companies engines would need to be used. After assessing the BMW 003, the decision was made to use the Junkers Jumo 004 engine. Larger and heavier than the Heinkel engines, the Jumo drastically reduced the He 280s performance. The aircraft flew for the first time with the Jumo engines on March 16, 1943. With the reduced performance caused by the use of the Jumo engines, the He 280 was at a severe disadvantage to its primary competitor, the Messerschmitt Me 262. Several days later, on March 27, Milch ordered Heinkel to cancel the He 280 program and focus on bomber design and production. Angered by RLMs treatment of the He 280, Ernst Heinkel remained bitter about the project until his death in 1958. Only nine He 280s were ever built. A Lost Opportunity Had Udet and Milch seized upon the He 280s potential in 1941, the aircraft would have been in frontline service more than a year earlier than the Me 262. Equipped with three 30mm cannon and capable of 512 mph, the He 280 would have provided a bridge between the Fw 190 and Me 262, as well as would have permitted the Luftwaffe to maintain air superiority over Europe at a time when the Allies would have lacked a comparable aircraft. While engine issues plagued the He 280, this was a constant issue with early jet engine design in Germany. Messerschmitt Me 262. Photograph Courtesy of the US Air Force In most cases, government funding was lacking at the key early stages of development. Had Udet and Milch initially backed the aircraft, the engine problems most likely could have been rectified as part of an expanded jet engine program. Fortunately for the Allies, this was not the case and a new generation of piston-engine fighters, such as the North American P-51 Mustang and later versions of the Supermarine Spitfire, allowed them to take control of the skies from the Germans. The Luftwaffe would not field an effective jet fighter until the Me 262, which appeared in the wars final stages and was unable to significantly influence its outcome.

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Essay Example On the other hand, if the setting is changed to a penthouse in Los Angeles, the characters of the story would probably, exhibit much more blasà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ attitude towards life and relationship. The penthouse epitomizes wealth and thus the value system of the family would not be grounded to earth, displaying a careless attitude towards familial ties and genuine concern for each other. Their superficial lifestyle would dictate their actions and behaviour in public which might be totally at odds with their nature and general attitude towards things and people. In the new circumstances, the mother would appreciate and get along better with Dee as she is more inclined to climb social ladder with her ambitious nature and inherent tendencies for ruthlessness who would not hesitate in crushing the weak to reach her goal. The mother would be impatient with the timid and sensitive Maggie and would probably keep berating her for lack of confidence and other shortcomings. Despite her big built and manly disposition, the mother would be carelessly proud of her physical stature and make sure that it becomes recognized as her style statement. Dee would grow up to be highly fashion centric person who would also be extremely self-centered because of her good looks. She would show all the characteristics of a spoiled rich girl who would continuously desire what others have. Supported by a mother who promotes her shallow aims and objectives, Dee would symbolize the degenerating values of the rich for whom wealth dominates decent human values, including love and relationships. Her material goods and artificial lifestyle would bespeak of her shallow personality that depends on the fragile covering of the modern day Cinderella that can be shorn away with very little effort. Maggie would probably be the only character in the story that would not much change. Though still timid, she would show strong character traits by