Spatial Disorientation for Pilots Research Paper

Spatial Disorientation for Pilots - Research Paper Example Three types of spatial disorientation occur in the field of aviation. Type I disorientation relates to when the pilots do not sense any unusual occurrence. The pilots tend to be in a state that makes them believe in the normalcy of the aircraft’s response to the required inputs. This results from the pilot’s lack of concentration on the primary flight instruments. Lack of concentration can be due to distractions that make the pilot shift attention to another source for a considerable amount of time. Type II disorientation occurs when the pilot senses the existence of conflicting orientation cues. The pilot becomes unsure of what the flight instruments depict in relation to their personal interpretation, as well as what the out-the-window view signals. Such cases arise when the pilots shift their attention from the flight instruments for a substantial period, or when they break from a cloud in an unusual position. In most of these cases, the pilot gets to control the air craft or manages to access the help of another pilot. On the other hand, if the pilots fail to control type II spatial disorientation, the problem becomes more risky, leading to an incapacitating spatial disorientation, or type III spatial disorientation. This involves the awareness of the pilot of the conflicting cues. However, the state of the aircraft confuses the professionals, leading to incorrect adjustments. Making changes to the incorrect actions usually poses great difficulty, which makes recovery impossible in most cases. Research by the U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center further illustrates the prevalence of accidents caused by these three types of disorientation. Type I disorientation poses the highest amount of risk, compared to the other two.This follows the fact that the pilots do not get to realize the potential danger, which means that no precautions take place to counter the hazard. Type III disorientation poses a minimal risk, which means that most pilots ga ther the courage to correct anomalies, while a small percentage fails to gather such confidence (Webb, Estrada & Kelley, 225).

Ten Commandments by God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ten Commandments by God - Essay Example Many religious convictions believe the Ten Commandments form the foundation of morality and ideal behaviour. It becomes not only vital for religious purposes, but also for guiding proper and legal values of the people (Hamilton, 2003). After critical analysis of the Ten Commandments, am still not sure about God’s existence and if given a choice will not follow the ten commands. My opinions may differ from those of Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, inventor, writer and most notably a Christian philosopher. In his arguments, known as ‘Pascal’s wager’, he explains that as finite creatures we will never be able to recognize if God exists. This leads to a situation whereby we must make a wager and come to a decision whether to believe or not to believe in God, more so since the choice is unavoidable (Hamilton, 2003). According to Pascal, if we bet on the existence of God and it turns out to be right, considering that we also decided to follow his commands a nd laws, then the reward will be an eternity of happiness. If it turns out to be a lie, then we will not have lost much, maybe just the indulgence in immoral behaviour. The other argument is that, if we wager against the existence of God, the consequence however positive, would be limited and extremely small compared to what would happen if in fact God existed and one gets condemned into infinite pain (Hamilton, 2003). Therefore, an individual has everything to gain and nothing or little to lose through belief in God. If one does not believe in God’s existence; he or she has nothing or little to gain but all to lose through not believing in him. Pascal deduces that it would be unwise not to wager for God’s existence. Though there is logic in Pascal’s reasoning and opinion, I belong to a different school of thought. Regarding the commandments, I believe there is much to be argued about them. Following some of these commands from beginning to end is objectionable and I will base my case on three commandments. To begin with, the fourth commandment states that ‘we should remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy’, and is mostly founded on the Jewish culture and history. Just to mention, a look at the number of people who currently refrain from all kinds of chores on Saturday, one may get discouraged, because there is practically none. Since this commandment does not provide room for interpretation, it translates to a situation that demands pardon from any work, especially the Sabbath day (Hamilton, 2003). Imagine of a situation whereby everyone refrained from their normal activities and duties, the consequences could be catastrophic at least. Say all the emergency services, police and the doctors downed their tools for the sake of obeying this commandment. What would happen? There would be massive damage and so many lives would be at risk. Therefore, observing this commandment would lead to serious consequences for everyone. The f ifth commandment states that â€Å"we should honour our father and mother†. This commandment ought to bring out the good aspects in children if used in a positive way. It is ought to strengthen family ties and also contribute in forming a society that is responsible and well structured in terms of morals. The main dilemma though comes about when trying to determine what honour means, and its application to certain aspects. Sometimes the children can have opinions that conflict with their parent’s due to what their parents impose on them. Sometimes obeying parents would mean prohibiting children from having freedom and emotional health, especially if the parents are insisting their children to follow certain relationships or activities that have negative results.

Postmodern Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Postmodern Design - Essay Example One manner in which postmodern jewelry may differ from that which came before is the use to which it is put and its place within the wardrobe of the person who wears it. Thus Virpilatis, the Lithuanian jewelry designer, consciously creates jewelry suitable for everyday use: This is essentially the opposite of the traditional view of jewelry, in which it is characterized as a precious, fragile and thoroughly "dead" object that must be preserved from use. In Virpilatis's view, the jewelry becomes part of the wearer and thus, like the rest of his/her clothes, and the person himself, subject to everyday use. The postmodern attitude towards jewelry counters the hierarchy of materials that exists within traditional jewelry. Thus diamonds and platinum are valorized over simple stones and steel. Within postmodern design all materials are of equal value, and the finished work does not depend upon any aesthetic sense of "beauty", but rather function or intellectual ideas. Thus Virpilatis uses raw amber, plastic and pieces of metal that he picks up off the street. Simplicity of design is another feature of postmodern jewelry that enables the wearer and the observer to inculcate their own meaning into the piece without influence from the outside. Consider the following: It is a bangle and yet it appears to have a ring of some... Consider the following: (Chateau, 2006) It is a bangle and yet it appears to have a ring of some kind attached to it. Both bangle and ring are very simple, almost primitive in nature. One without the other would perhaps be of litter interest, but together they form a whole that is beyond their individual elements. The wearer/observer is able to attach their own meaning to the piece without being forced into an interpretation by the designer. Another piece, that combines elements of many different cultural forms, is called, oddly enough Vegan Erotica: (Vegan Erotica, 2006) A sense of humor is perhaps seldom associated with jewelry, let alone the often earnest intellectual origins of postmodernism, but here an element of humor most definitely exists. The name of the piece, which is actually too small to be a traditional punk dog-collar piece (and too large to be a bangle/bracelet) juxtaposes the pure, almost sterile images of "vegan" with the entirely opposite images raised by "erotica". In a sense, in contrast to the other pieces already discussed, there is an overload of information and interpretations possible for the piece of jewelry. Juxtaposition of images occurs in the following piece of jewelry: (Dark Poison Victorian Cross) The mixture of crucifix and leather design makes a startling combination. Again, the two parts of the piece make a whole more than the two would possess if separate. But there is no seamless combination of the elements but rather harsh, apparently unconsidered joining that accentuates the fact that the two pieces were not designed together. This is perhaps the most pristine definition of postmodernism. It is deliberately unaesthetic, and yet powerful at the

Enron-The Smartest Guys in the Room paper Essay Example for Free

Enron-The Smartest Guys in the Room paper Essay Answer the following questions based on the film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005). 1. (a) Describe the ownership structure at Enron. (b) How did the ownership structure contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) When Enron became a publicly traded company, the employees and executives had more incentive to manipulate earnings and financials. With the shift in structure, there were more external stakeholders to satisfy, which caused the company to focus on short-term results, rather than long-term interests. The company went as far as to trade all sorts of things, including weather and broadband, in order to gain support from investors. Enron got a lot of that support. Investment banks put about $25 million each into the company. With high stakes and image on the line, Enron manipulated earnings to drive stock prices up through mark-to-market accounting to please its stakeholders. 2.(a) Describe the following three leaders: Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andy Fastow. (b) How did EACH leader contribute to the scandal? (20 points) Ken Lay was a very ambitious man. He was the son of a poor Baptist preacher. Because of Lay’s humble roots, Lay worked several jobs as a kid. He always dreamed about being a businessman one day and making huge wealth for himself. Lay believed he could have a better life with more wealth. He also believed in government deregulation. Lay had a PhD in economics. He aggressively pushed for deregulation of energy markets in Washington. His goal was to liberate businessmen from government’s hold. He took advantage of government letting energy prices float with the market, and started Enron Corporation through a few mergers. Jeffrey Skilling, former CEO of Enron, was said to be â€Å"incandescently brilliant† by many at Enron. In reality, he was a risky, danger-seeking gambler. Skilling had a Darwinian view and strongly beli eved in the idea of â€Å"survival of the fittest†. He implemented a group called the Performance Review Committee. The committee was involved in the â€Å"rank and yank† system, in which the bottom 15 percent of the company got fired each year. This ultimately led to numerous unethical actions and turning a blind eye to fraud because of employees’ determination for job  security. Skilling was a former nerd, and went on to change himself. He was very admired at Enron. When he got Lasik surgery, everyone else did too. Skilling was responsible for making energy into a tradable entity and for his advocacy of mark-to-market accounting, which was the main tool for Enron’s earnings manipulation. Fastow was a very greedy man. He served as CFO of Enron. He was responsible for running numerous companies that partnered with Enron. He mainly worked to cover up the financial fantasy land that Lay and Skilling had created. He was hired before age 30 by Skilling to join Enron. He always idolized Skilling and wanted to please him. He ended up hiding about $30 billion in debt through his companies. In addition, he skimmed off many of the deals he made, using Enron stocks as collateral. Fastow did not have a strong moral compass, and would play to the greed of the investment banks. He would offer investment banks accounts for their silence. One analyst, John Olsen, star ted to question the firm, and weeks later, was fired by the investment bank because Fastow paid off the bank with big Enron accounts. 3.(a) Describe the organizational culture at Enron. (b) How did the organizational culture contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) The culture at Enron was very cut-throat and filled with greed. Money drove the company and its employees. In fact, even the elevators had displays of the stock prices. The company was overtaken by hubris as well. Everyone was on the bandwagon—the accounting firm, investors, executives, and employees. The entire company thought it was changing the world. Everyone was blinded by arrogance, greed, and money. Enron was always portrayed as a super power in the market. It was said that is someone wanted to be part of the market, they had to go through Enron. In addition, many employees, including Skilling, were former nerds and had something to prove. There was a very macho culture at Enron. Skilling would organize dangerous, macho trips for employees and big clients. The stories from these adventures became legend. One man almost died from a flipp ed Jeep. Stories like that were legendary in the office. The culture ultimately led Enron to scandal because of the ideas it had put into people’s heads—that money drove everything and cash was king. 4.(a) Describe the performance management/reward system at Enron. (b) How did the performance   management/reward system contribute to the Enron scandal? (20 points) The reward systems were big. The executives and employees were all fans of the â€Å"pump and dump† system in which the employees drove the stock prices up, and would them sell the stocks off. The company was consumed by stock prices, as stocks were a large part of the compensation structure at Enron. Even the elevators had stock prices posted, so people could be reminded daily that there was more money to be made. The cash bonuses were extravagant too. In fact, a 25-year-old made a $5 million bonus. Executives were given multi million dollar bonuses. In addition, to prevent anyone from raising any flags, Enron played on the greed of the outside accounting firm, Arthur Anderson, as well as law firms. In fact, in 2001, Arthur Anderson got $1 million a week to keep things quiet and go along with everything. The la w firm was paid off handsomely as well. Analysts at investment banks would never really look into things because of greed as well. Because of all the bonuses, outsiders turned a blind eye, as did employees, which ultimately gave way to the scandal that ensued. 5.(a) Describe the regulatory/oversight weaknesses for Enron. (b) How did the regulatory/oversight weaknesses contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) Enron sought to take advantage of the low level of government regulation and the hyper capitalism created by the reigning consumer culture of the time. The company was run by a group of intelligent individuals who recognized they could take advantage of the government failure of low regulation. Early on while working for Enron, Lay founded many friends within Congress, including the friendship of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. The government helped in pork barrel legislation for the company, granting it even more power. In addition, Bush senior helped secure millions of subsidies for Enron and helped promote Ken Lay as ambassador of deregulation at large. In addition, even energy-specific regulators turned a blind eye. Pat Wood, chair of FERC, was recommended by Lay as chair, and would work with Enron in lack of government in tervention. Even the power plants in California were working with Enron at one point. Enron could call someone at a power plant and cause rolling blackouts in parts of California,  driving energy prices up. With support from the government and very low regulation and intervention, Enron had a clean path to scandal. 6.Describe three (3) specific ways, which are directly related to the above factors, that Enron-like scandals could be prevented in the future. (15 points) 1. Publically-traded companies should have a strong board of directors that oversees the company and does not have investment in the company. Greed drove Enron to do what it did, but a board of directors who has no stake in the company would be more objective and ethical in decision-making for the company. 2. There should be less compensation tied to stock performance, as that was a large incentive for fraud at Enron. People’s earnings were tied too closely to stock. 3. Analysts should be help more responsible for their actions. The investment banks they worked for got sued, but who’s to say the analysts who turned a blind eye ever got punished? They made the banks lots of money, so they probably kept their jobs and got a slap on the wrist. More consequence in the public eye would deter these actions in the future.

Race Relations Essay Example for Free

Race Relations Essay The article entitled â€Å"The state of race relations [Editorial].† was written by M. Fletcher K. Thompson was taken from the Courier-Journal website http://www.courier-journal.com/ dated January 17, 2010 but was retrieved on January 27, 2010. The article focuses on racial profiling, particularly that of Black Americans by law enforcement. The first point that Fletcher Thompson makes is how the first year of President Obama’s presidency brought the country face to face with racial schisms as much as it has promoted racial understanding. It is further implied that most Americans do not completely view President Obama as African American, citing that he is â€Å"Light-skinned†, has no â€Å"Negro dialect.† and therefore not subjected to the same police brutality as that of dark skinned African Americans such as Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Gates was arrested by Cambridge, Mass Police Sgt. James Crowley for disorderly conduct after police were called to his home suspecting to find a black man breaking into the home; Bates did not have his keys. All charges were subsequently dropped. The second point suggests that while the gap between whites and blacks has narrowed in the past decade, racial profiling and the reconciliation President Obama’s election seemed to have promised remains far off. President Obama seems to be what every red blooded American didn’t want in a president: black, little political experience, supposed Muslim beliefs and hope that Americans could become equal in all aspects of society. I am lead to believe the difference between African Americans and Anglo Americans is growing in a positive direction. As with Sgt. James Crowley, the view of black Americans remains relatively the same in a general sense, yet with the election of the first African American as President of The United States, the way law enforcement uses or collects data will be a basis for a unified change in how race is viewed throughout the world. The United States will reflect how those in authority are trained, educated and in cases where wrong doings are revealed, disciplined. No matter what changes are made in our future, wherever race is a factor there will be ignorance.

Study On Emperor Qin Shih Huang

Study On Emperor Qin Shih Huang Emperor Qin Shih Huang was the first Emperor of Chine. He unified China and built the Great Wall of China that is still intact today. Emperor Qin Shih Huang left behind many legacies that have made China what it is today. In his 35-year reign, he managed to create magnificent and enormous construction projects. He also caused both incredible cultural and intellectual growth, and much destruction within China. (about.com) Despite his good intentions in unifying China, he did many things that were deemed unpardonable by people of his time. He killed many scholars because he was afraid that they would outsmart him. At the same time, many slaves were sacrificed during the construction of the Great Wall of China. Many people have argued that Emperor Qin Shih Huang was a brutal Emperor and disregard his contributions to China. However, his contributions far surpassed his relentless action therefore; Emperor Qin Shih Huang was a noble Emperor. Emperor Qin Shih Huang was born in 259BC, and was the son of the King of the Qin state. He was named Zheng, which meant upright or correct. When the King died in 247 B.C., Zheng became King at the age of thirteen. (Chinas First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors 20) He reigned for 35 years and during his reign; it was described as the beginning of 246B.C. As Zheng was still a minor when he was King, Prime Minister Lu Bu Wei acted in his state for the first eight years. As there were rumors circulating that Lu Bu Wei was actually the father of Zheng, Lu eventually committed suicide by drinking poison. Twenty-four year old Zheng then took full control over the kingdom of Qin. (The Terra Cotta Army 56) During the time of 475-221 B.C., all the states were at war with themselves. It was called the Warring States period. (MacFarquhar and Schoenhals 2006) China was then divided into many small states and each had their own way of doing things. The states had been fighting for power and when a state won, they could take over another state. (Qin Shi Huangdi 6-7) Within twenty-five years of his reign, King Zheng was able to eliminate all the other states and have ruling power on all of them. King Zheng then named himself the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi. Qin was for his original states, Shi means first, and Huangdi was a new compound word that joins majestic with emperor. (Chinas First Emperor and His Terracotta Warriors p 26) After his new title was formed, Emperor Qin went on and chose the symbol of the state according to the School of the Five elements-earth, wood, metal, fire, and water. With the new symbolism in place, the feudal system was abolished and the Qin dynasty was divided into thirty-six provinces that each had its own governor, army commander, and an inspector. (Sunzis Art of Wat and Managemtne Strategy) As the Qin empire was now unified from the warring states, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered General Meng Tian and his soldiers to fortify the walls along the North of China which had been built earlier. (enchanted learning.com) There were multiple purposes of building the wall, firstly, it marked the boundary of where the state is, secondly, it was a defense whereby enemies will find it difficult to raid the state, and lastly, merchants and travelers who were coming into the state would have to be taxed when they were passing through the border. (The first emperor: Chinas Terracotta Army 52) There was also another importance to the building of the walls. Because the Qin empire was so large, the walls provided a means of communication within the provinces. Soldiers were situated along the walls, keeping watch of the movement of the enemies. If there was a warning, they would light the fire and the soldiers all along the wall will also light the fire. Just like a stretch of streetlights b eing ignited one by one along a dark street. As the empire can now fend for itself, Emperor Qin still had some work to do to unify all the different warring states that had many different ways of doing things. The Qin empire created a new writing system to be used throughout the empire. It reduced the complex and variable Large Seal script with its curving lines, allowed swifer writing with brush and ink-essential for imperial record keeping, and it allowed communication between people who have never been able to communicate orally. (The early Chinese empires 53) This development led to the founding of an imperial school that dealt with texts and the interpretation of meaning. Many historians during that time had to obey what he was asked to do or write. Therefore, the histories that we have today may or may not be factual but was written to the pleasing of the Emperor during that time. In 213 B.C., there were texts defaming Emperor Qin despite his great efforts in unifying China. His Grand councilor, Li Si, was furious and suggested, To ban all works of literature and poetry, historical documents and the sayings of the hundred schools of philosophy. (The Terra Cotta Army 79) This event was traditionally viewed as a terrible act of censorship and vandalism. Many people believed that Emperor Qin was ruthless because they thought he was the one who suggested burning all the books, however, Emperor Qin was the one who agreed to this suggestion only because he thought he was unifying the empire and not destroying it. He only sought for unification. In modern day, Chinas ruler, Mao also took away many books during his time of Cultural Revolution. Why was Maos way of doing things still accepted when it was similar to what Emperor Qin Shi Huang did and was deemed terrible two thousand years ago? The standardization of physical things were the emperors attempt to standardize the mind of his people because of their great diversity. He standardized weights, measures, and the coinage system. The standardized coinage system was essential for the smooth running of the new bureaucratic administration. (Chinas First Emperor and his Terracotta Warriors 89) There were many forms of money during that time and the Qin dynasty used bronze coins with a hole in the middle and two characters that states the weight of the coin- eight grammes. This new coinage system was implemented throughout the whole of the Qin empire. Weights and measurements were also standardized in the empire. With the same coinage, weights and measurement system, the economy was much stable as everything was the same. (travelguidechina.com) Emperor Qin wanted his empire to be unified and one thus, he standardized many things. However, this led to the dissatisfaction of many philosophical ideas. Legalism was the only official belief and Confucianism was not allowed. Many scholars were dissatisfied with Emperor Qin. However, in order to keep his empire, Emperor Qin had to have his people think the same way so as to control what his people might do and result in splitting China back to the different states again. (Thinkquest.com) As the Qin Empire was huge, Emperor Qin was constantly on the road, visiting all the different provinces to make sure that his governors were doing what they were instructed to do. This led to Emperors Qin decision of building speed roads from the capital to the north, northeast, south, and southeast. (Governing China: From Revolution through Reform 71) This led to the improved communication system whereby people were able to travel and spend lesser time on the roads and helped Emperor Qin spend lesser time on the road. The speed roads that Emperor Qin built more than two thousand years ago are still being used now. Emperor Qin did many things to unify and make China what it is today.

The Guide to Getting it On! :: Essays Papers

â€Å"The Guide to Getting it On!† is unlike any book on human sexuality that I have ever read. Not to say that I read a lot of human sexuality books, but the ones I have looked over (including the text for this class) are often bland and stagnant. â€Å"The Guide to Getting it On!† has an approach to human sexuality that is fun, witty, and extremely sensitive all in one. This 370 page book contains subjects on sex that are designed to make the reader think outside of the box (no pun intended) about their own sexuality and the sexuality of others. It is a playful look into the modern relationships of today, and an aid to couples wanting to spice up their love life. Topics discussed in this manual vary from getting naked and intercourse to sex toys and being gay in the 90’s. Practically any topic you can think of about human sexuality is covered in this book and makes for a heavy read. This book also has a section that reviews additional resources for the reader to investigate further. In the back of this book is a glossary of sex, slang and cultural-related words and their definitions. This guide is not for the faint of heart or closed-minded. It uses several slang, and dirty words throughout the book to describe concepts of human sexuality. It even has a chapter addressing the use of dirty words and why this book has chosen to do so. While I believe that the use of dirty and slang terms generally degrades from the value of a book, â€Å"The Guide to Getting it On!† accomplishes the task tastefully and in good humor. Most of the titles of the chapters are somewhat provocative in nature, and serve to spark interest. Prudent readers will be taken aback at first glance over the book to find chapters such as †Chapter 21: Oscillator, Generator, Vibrator, Dildo â€Å" and † Chapter 11: The Zen of Finger Fucking†. But upon further inspection they will find a very informative and thought provoking view of an aspect of sexuality that they may had little or no prior experience with. Although this book does not have any photographs, it does have quite a few explicit drawings. Some of these drawings serve to visually show the reader some of the techniques that are covered in the text.