tom clancy :: essays research papers

"Vampire, Vampire!" The CIC talker said aboard Ticonderoga. "We have numerous incoming missiles. Weapons free."1 Tom Clancy, the best modern fiction writer, and probably, one of the all time best. Above was an excerpt from his second number one bestseller, Red Storm Rising. Tom Clancy is a civilian genius that knows more about top-secret weapons systems than the men who designed them. This makes for an explosive, could be real, story. It is because of his gripping story lines, and powerful descriptions of battle scenes that have drawn me, along with millions of other Americans to his master works of art. Ironically Mr. Clancy’s dream of becoming a writer was not fulfilled until he wrote The Hunt For Red October in 1984. Until then, he was an insurance salesman whose previous stories had been turned down. That is another thing that I like about Mr. Clancy, he doesn’t give up. Clancy once said, "In America, there ain’t no excuses. You can go out and do anything you damn well please if you try hard enough."2 Finally, this author, was the only one that didn’t p ut me to sleep with a warm cup of milk. Thomas L. Clancy Jr., son of a mailman and department store credit employee, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1947. He attended a local catholic parochial elementary and secondary school. Most of his friends were interested in sports, and following their favorite teams throughout the season, but Tom had more important things on his mind like guns, tanks, and planes. He went to Loyola College, a Jesuit college of liberal arts in Baltimore where he majored in English. While attending college he joined the ROTC in order to serve in Vietnam, but poor eyesight kept him from fulfilling his desire. The first short story he wrote was rejected by Analog Sci-Fi magazine, crushing another dream of having his name on a book. In 1973 he became an insurance agent, as he wasn’t making any head way as a writer. Eventually he joined his wife’s father’s insurance agency, and later bought it in 1980 for $125,000. It was an established business with around 1,000 clients. Tom was so effective, and the business so profitable, that he could accomplish all the work in the morning and have the rest of the day to devour all sorts of technical journals and papers.3 After his writing career took off in 1984, he eventually moved into a 400 acre estate on the Chesapeake Bay.

The Road Not Taken Analysis :: Free Essays

Line 1 In this line Frost introduces the elements of his primary metaphor, the diverging roads. Back to Poem Lines 2-3 Here the speaker expresses his regret at his human limitations, that he must make a choice. Yet, the choice is not easy, since "long I stood" before coming to a decision. Back to Poem Lines 4-5 He examines the path as best he can, but his vision is limited because the path bends and is covered over. These lines indicate that although the speaker would like to acquire more information, he is prevented from doing so because of the nature of his environment. Back to Poem Lines 6-8 In these lines, the speaker seems to indicate that the second path is a more attractive choice because no one has taken it lately. However, he seems to feel ambivalent, since he also describes the path as "just as fair" as the first rather than more fair. Back to Poem Lines 9-12 Although the poet breaks the stanza after line 10, the central idea continues into the third stanza, creating a structural link between these parts of the poem. Here, the speaker states that the paths are "really about the same." Neither path has been traveled lately. Although he’s searching for a clear logical reason to decide on one path over another, that reason is unavailable. Back to Poem Lines 13-15 The speaker makes his decision, trying to persuade himself that he will eventually satisfy his desire to travel both paths, but simultaneously admitting that such a hope is unrealistic. Notice the exclamation mark after line 13; such a punctuation mark conveys excitement, but that excitement is quickly undercut by his admission in the following lines. Back to Poem Lines 16-20 In this stanza, the tone clearly shifts. This is the only stanza which also begins with a new sentence, indicating a stronger break from the previous ideas.

Essay --

Introduction: The microgrid system comprising of small-scale distributed generation system and loads can be promptly incorporated by means of the renewable energy sources [1-2]. Numerous researches have been conducted on the microgrid notion [3-5]. The performance of microgrid system is complex and irregular while some microsources are associated. In order to understand the behavior of a microgrid with several microsources, key issues such as microgrid control, stability and protection have to be considered in detail. Background: The increasing require of electricity, fast exhaustion of fossil fuels, diminution of CO2 emissions, in conjunction with the incapability and ineffectiveness of present electricity grid are motivating chief changes in electricity production, circulation and consumption guides around the globe. In recent times, smart electricity grid configurations comprised with interlinked small or medium dimension generators, energy storage elements as well as power electronic technologies have been germinated to find the key limitations of the conventional grid structure. Microgrids are major ingredients of these promising grid configurations. Even though microgrids are received as feasible solutions to power stability and quality topics in ac power systems, the ambiguity in the capacity of microgrids are to deal with serious changeable load and fault situation is the most important pertain in the function of these novel grid confi gurations. In the previous decennium, enormous attentions were elevated on the subject of distributed generation units, for instance solar photovoltaic panels, wind turbine generators, fuel cells, and so on. These Distributed Generations ... ...bjectives: The focus of this research proposal is to develop of a microgrid management system for reliable operation which will be incorporated with modeling, controlling, and power management of microgrid applications. Toward this proposal a theoretical investigation of the basic function of a feeble grid will be presented. A novel grid management strategy under changeable loads will be proposed for power management. Simulation work and experimental test will also carry out to demonstrate and validate the proposed control system for the operational improvement of the DG networks. The main objectives of this research project can be described as †¢ Development of novel control techniques, flexible and advanced, for system control improvement in a feeble power system. †¢ Improvement of power conversion efficiency. †¢ To examine how a feeble power system can be built up

Eprecision Manufacturing Company Essay

In a recent staff meeting, John Winkleman, president of ePrecision Manufacturing Company, addressed his managers with this problem: Intense competitive pressure is beginning to erode our market share in handhelds. I have documented 11 large orders that have been lost to Beckman and Wiston within the past three months. On an annual basis this amounts to nearly 10,000 units and $1.5 million in lost opportunities. Within the last 18 months, at least 16 serious competitors have entered the market. Two thirds of these DMMs have continuity indicators. The trend is the same for European and Japanese markets as well. Our sales of handheld DMMs in fiscal year 20_1 is forecast to grow only 1.7 percent. According to Dataquest projections, the handheld DMM market will grow 20.9 percent for the next five years. I think that figure is conservative. Our competitors are gaining attention and sales with added features, particularly at the present time with continuity indicators. Since a new el’recision general-purpose, low-cost handheld is two years from introduction, it is important that something be done to retain the profitable position of market leader in our traditional direct and distributor channels. Next meeting I want s?me ideas. The ePrecision Manufacturing Company is a major electronics manufacturer in the Northwest of USA, producing many varied products. The three products that most concern Mr. Winkleman are the Series A handheld digital multi meters (DMMs). As an innovator in the field of handheld DMMS, Mr. Winkleman saw his business flourish over the last two years. But now, with his three most successful products in late stages of maturity and a recession in _ full swing, times are not looking as rosy. The three multimeters of concern are model numbers 1010, 1020, and 1030. These three models form a complementary family line. The 1010 is a low-cost unit containing all standard measurement functions and having a basic measurement accuracy of .5 percent. The 1020 offers identical measurement functions but has an improved basic measurement accuracy of .1 percent. The top of the line is the 1030. In addition to a basic accuracy of .1 percent, the 1030 offers several additional features, one being an audible continuity indicator. (See Exhibit 1 for sales and projected sales of these three models.) EXHIBIT 1 Selected sales and projections Model 1020 1010 1030 Total FY 20 0 actual 67,534 37,455 25,602 130,591 (number of units) What we need is a face-lift of our existing product line to hold us over the next two years. Changes in color, a new decal, some minor case modifications, and most important an audible continuity indicator in the 1010 and 1020 should give us two more years of product life to tide us over. We can call this Series B to retain continuity in switching from the old to the new. As my analysis indicates, ePrecision’s decline in 101011020 sales could be reversed and show a modest increase in market share over the next two years with the inclusion of the Series B features [see Exhibit 2]. Discussions with large-order customers indicate that ePrecision could have won 40-60 percent of the lost large orders that were mentioned at our last meeting if our entire handheld family featured audible continuity. As you well know, the popularity of continuity indication has been confirmed in several other studies conducted over the past two years. An estimate of sales of Series B has been generated from inputs from field sales, distribution managers, and discussions with customers. Conservative estimates indicate that sales of Series B will increase 6.9 percent above current Series A levels, with a marginal revenue increase of $1.5 million at Us. list, and assuming the same list prices as the current Series A models. * Dollars During this current period of tight economic conditions, the market is becoming increasingly price sensitive. I am aware that our normal policy dictates multiplying the factory cost by three for pricing purposes and that the added factory cost of an audible continuity indicator is $5.00,. but for income purposes we should not tack this on to the current prices. My analysis indicates that an increase of $5.00 would reduce incremental sales by 20 percent, and an increase of $10.00 would reduce incremental sales by 80 percent. JR1024 EXHIBIT 3 Engineering Costs and Schedule The objectives for Series B, Models 1010, 1020, and 1030, are: †¢ All case parts moulded in medium grey †¢ New decal for all units †¢ Pulse-stretched beeper for 1010 and 1020 †¢ Rubber foot on battery door †¢ Positionable bail †¢ Manuals updated as necessary For these objectives, NRE costs will be: Manual (updated schematics for 1010, 1020, along with instructions for operation of beeper; model number and front panel changes for all units) Battery door mould (add three units) Battery door foot die Decal Bail improvement Photo lab PCB fab (prototypes) Engineering labour (25 person-weeks) Also remember that we must pay for some nonrecurring engineering costs (NRE) [see Exhibit 3]. These must come out of our contribution margin-which at el’recision is calculated by taking the total dollar sales less the 28 percent discount to distributors less factory cost for those units. I believe that increasing these prices will reduce our margins significantly, hindering our ability to cover the NRE, let alone make a profit. Therefore I propose we go ahead with Series B and hold the line on prices. Dennis Cambelot, a longtime ePrecision employee, spoke up with a comment on Dave’s proposal: Dave, I think this Series B idea shows a lot of potential, but pricewise you are way out of line. We have always added the standard markup to our products. We make quality products, and people are willing to pay for quality. The only thing your fancy MB.A. degree taught you was to be impractical. If you had gotten your experience in the trenches like me, your pricing theories would not be so conservative, and this company could make more money. At the close of the meeting, Mr. Winkleman asked that each manager consider the Series B proposal. He directed that this consideration include: (1) whether or not to adopt the B series; (2) if yes, at what price level; (3) alternative suggestions.

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 1

Gillian Lennox didn't mean to die that day. She was mad, though. Mad because she had missed her ride home from school, and because she was cold, and because it was two weeks before Christmas and she was very, very lonely. She walked by the side of the empty road, which was about as winding and hilly as every other country road in south-western Pennsylvania, and viciously kicked offending clumps of snow out of her way. It was a rotten day. The sky was dull and the snow looked tired. And Amy Nowick, who should have been waiting after Gillian cleaned up her studio art project, had already driven away-with her new boyfriend. Sure, it must have been an honest mistake. And she wasn't jealous of Amy, she wasn't, even though one week ago they had both been sixteen and never been kissed. Gillian just wanted to get home. That was when she heard the crying. She stopped, looked around. It sounded like a baby-or maybe a cat. It seemed to be coming from the woods. Her first thought was, Paula Belizer. But that was ridiculous. The little girl who'd disappeared somewhere at the end of this road had been gone for over a year now. The crying came again. It was thin and far away-as if it were coming from the depths of the woods. This time it sounded more human. â€Å"Hello? Hey, is somebody in there?† There was no answer. Gillian stared into the dense stand of oak and hickory, trying to see between the gnarled bare trees. It looked uninviting. Scary. Then she looked up and down the road. Nobody. Hardly surprising-not many cars passed by here. I am not going in there alone, Gillian thought. She was exactly the opposite of the â€Å"Oh, it's such a nice day; let's go tramping through the woods† type. Not to mention exactly the opposite of the brave type. But who else was there? And what else was there to do? Somebody was in trouble. She slipped her left arm through her backpack strap, settling it on the center of her back and leaving her hands free. Then she cautiously began to climb the snow-covered ridge that fell away on the other side to the woods. â€Å"Hello?† She felt stupid shouting and not getting any answer. â€Å"Hi! Hello!† Only the crying sound, faint but continuous, somewhere in front of her. Gillian began to flounder down the ridge. She didn't weigh much, but the crust on the snow was very thin and every step took her ankle deep. Great, and I'm wearing sneakers. She could feel cold seeping into her feet. The snow wasn't so deep once she got into the woods. It was white and unbroken beneath the trees-and it gave her an eerie sense of isolation. As if she were in the wilderness. And it was so quiet. The farther Gillian went in, the deeper the silence became. She had to stop and not breathe to hear the crying. Bear left, she told herself. Keep walking. There's nothing to be scared of! But she couldn't make herself yell again. There is something weird about this place†¦ Deeper and deeper into the woods. The road was far behind her now. She crossed fox tracks and bird scratches in the snow-no sign of any-l thing human. But the crying was right ahead now, and louder. She could hear it clearly. Okay, up this big ridge. Yes, you can do it. Up, up. Never mind if your feet are cold. As she struggled over the uneven ground, she tried to think comforting thoughts. Maybe I can write an article about it for the Viking News and everyone will admire me†¦ Wait. Is it cool or uncool to rescue somebody? Is saving people too nice to be cool? It was an important question, since Gillian currently had only two ambitions: 1) David Blackburn, and, 2) To be invited to the parties the popular kids were invited to. And both of these depended, in a large part, on being cool. If she were only popular, if she only felt good about herself, then everything else would follow. It would be so much easier to be a really wonderful person and do something for the world and make something important of her life if she just felt loved and accepted. If she weren't shy and short and immature looking†¦ She reached the top of the ridge and grabbed at a branch to keep her balance. Then, still hanging on, she let out her breath and looked around. Nothing to see. Quiet woods leading down to a creek just below. And nothing to hear, either. The crying had stopped. Oh, don't do this to me! Frustration warmed Gillian up and chased away her fear. She yelled, â€Å"Hey-hey, are you still out there? Can you hear me? I'm coming to help you!† Silence. And then, very faintly, a sound. Directly ahead. Oh, my God, Gillian thought. The creek. The kid was in the creek, hanging on to something, getting weaker and weaker†¦ Gillian was scrambling down the other side of the ridge, slithering, the wet snow adhering to her like lumpy frosting. Heart pounding, out of breath, she stood on the bank of the creek. Below her, at the edge, she could see fragile ice ledges reaching out like petals over the rushing water. Spray had frozen like diamond drops on overhanging grasses. But nothing living. Gillian frantically scanned the surface of the dark water. â€Å"Are you there?† she shouted. â€Å"Can you hear me?† Nothing. Rocks in the water. Branches caught against the rocks. The sound of the rushing creek. â€Å"Where are you?† She couldn't hear the crying anymore. The water was too loud. Maybe the kid had gone under. Gillian leaned out, looking for a wet head, a shape beneath the surface. She leaned out farther. And then-a mistake. Some subtle change of balance. Ice under her feet. Her arms were wind-milling, but she couldn't get her balance back†¦ She was flying. Nothing solid anywhere. Too surprised to be frightened. She hit the water with an icy shock.

Where Do Artists Get Their Ideas?

How does an artist really see the world? The real source of ideas for their masterpieces is a mystery. Many believe that the artists’ sources for their ideas are included in their surroundings and what they may have experienced. Well, those two things are the source of their ideas, but artists look at these things from a different perspective; much different from the normal point-of-view. To explain how artists decide on what to paint, there will be two paintings to be used as tools. Both of these paintings were made by artists from the Ancient world. The first painting, â€Å"Alexander the Great confronts Darius III at the Battle of Issos,† was created by Philoxenus of Eretria, a Macedonian artist who lived during the 4th Century B. C. , much later than Alexander’s rule (Smith 911). He was most likely requested to paint the masterpiece which was to be commissioned to King Cassander later on. With that statement, a clear reason for his decision to paint the masterpiece sprang out. During this period, artists were skilled-workers who had powerful clients; in his case, King Cassander. However, it still did not say why he chose that particular battle of Alexander the Great. By analyzing the painting itself, a person could easily conclude that it was recreated to assert Macedonia’s dominance over Persia. Besides that, Alexander the Great was the greatest Macedonian hero. This may very well be the reason why Philoxenus chose to paint the epic battle. It was simply fit for King Cassander, who was also known as the most powerful man in Macedonia during this period—Post-Alexander. A painting that defines power and Macedonia fits a man who defined power and Macedonia during his reign. This may have been Philoxenus’ idea after all. The second painting, â€Å"Battle of Centaurs and Wild Beasts,† was created by Zeuxis from Ephesus, a Greek artist who lived around 5th Century B. C. It was later on revealed that a mosaic of this was found in Roman Emperor Hadrian’s villa. Zeuxis was very well known for a host of Centaur paintings, one of which was the painting mentioned and the painting â€Å"Helen of Troy. Zeuxis’ central theme for this painting was the Greek mythological creature, the Centaurs, and their struggle against the wild beasts. It may have been an imagery of the imminence of the Persian invasion on Greek soil, since Xerxes was already amassing an army for the attack; the Greeks as the outnumbered but powerful Centaurs against the wild beasts as the invaders. Zeuxis lived around this period being knowledge of the upcoming or o ngoing Second Persian War. The painting, however, was most likely a symbolism of the First Persian War. One possible reason why he decided to paint this event could be because it was the most significant event at that time for most Greeks. He had the talent to portray the event on a panel or a wall, just as the artists at that time did, in an artistic way—sometimes with the use of characters similar to that of the painting. Unlike the first one by Philoxenus, this painting was more metaphorical or symbolic than direct. If the central idea was really about the Persian war—the first or the second—then it would be almost quite similar to that of the Alexander painting. These events were of great importance to the people and were great sources for flourishing art work, especially the heroes that played a major role in it. Heroism has greatly contributed to the formulation of ideas for the masterpieces. Philoxenus and Zeuxis, both artists from the Ancient world, depicted two great encounters by infusing them into art. Both were inspired by war against a common enemy but were separated by time. Both also told stories of heroism but were separated by earch artists’ painting styles. Works Cited â€Å"Kassander†. In2Greece. 11 March 2009. < http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/history/ancient/kassander.htm> Mansfield, Elizabeth C. Too Beautiful to Picture: Zeuxis, Myth, and Mimesis. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2007. Philoxenus. Alexander the Great Confronts Darius III at the Battle of Issos. 11 March 2009 . Smith, William. A School Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1870. Zeuxis. Battle of Centaurs and Wild Beasts. 11 March 2009 .

“Eating green” by Margaret Lundberg Essay

In Margaret Lundberg’s short story â€Å"Eating green† she has a theory about the planet becoming a healthier place to live if everyone became a vegetarian, which I believe is true. Lundberg talks about her childhood and how right off the bat her mother had her eating healthy food and that pretty much stuck with her through out her whole life. â€Å"We had two vegetables with every meal, ate plain yogurt for breakfast, and excercised with jack LaLanne.† If most families started off like that it would be easier for kids to enjoy eating healthier food now instead of them liking junk food. Most people do not realize that what they eat does effect the planet and how we live on a daily basis and how badly it effects our health. If everyone became a vegetarian the rates of obsesity, diabetes, heart disease and other illness might become lower. The process of getting meat is causing some severe problems on earth such as pollution, global warming, and the dependence on f ossil fuels. â€Å"The energy it takes to raise, package, transport, store and prepare food is not the single largest contributor to global warming.† (Kate Geagan) If all those problems could be solved by switching some of the things we eat, why not do it? It would definitely be hard and a cultural shock to Americans but if it can help our future loved ones I would be with it. The meat that is produced is not how it once use to be. Cows do not live their lives on Pastured lands eating grass anymore they are now fed a diet that is not intended for them; fed corn in a short time as possible to speed up the process of being slaughtered and sold. That doesn’t sound so healthy or appetizing after reading those facts. â€Å"Livestock raised for meat production are responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions-more than the cars we drive.† Not only is it Some what unhealthy for us to eat but for the world we live in also. Meat all together is not competely horrible for you it’s the portions we eat. Meat has nutritional value and even the fat in meat are sometimes healthy. The stearic acid found in fat in meat can actually lower blood cholesterol levels. With the pros there’s the cons as well, â€Å"Americans are now eating nearly 200 pounds of meat, poultry and fish every year; an increase of 50 pounds per person in the last 50 years† ( Lumdberg) some very high numbers for what the appropriate amount should actually be. Farmers do not want to be looked at as the bad guys in all of this, which they aren’t, everyone has to make a living. A group of New York farmers thought of an idea to work with General Electric to produce  renewable energy from cow manure. That is a pretty good idea to try and atleast get something good out of the slaughtering of the cows to try and help the planet Earth out. If successful the dairy industry would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent in 2020, basically the equivalent of getting 1.25 million passenger cars of the road every year. That is a good idea but it still does not solve all the other major problems that switching your diet could help. In conclusion, I personally feel that it will not hurt to try something new. Like I mentioned earlier it would be extremely difficult to get used to but if it is benefiting you, others and the planet might as well take a chance. Why wait till it is to late to change your habits of wanting a 16 oz steak over a green salad knowing how many pros it would be to choose that salad. If things continue to go as they do, there will be no more places to raise these cows to produce meat because global temperatures are raising, causing serious climate changes In places that are specifically used for farming. Eventually there will not be enough meat to feed everyone leaving everyone to forcefully change their diets, why not do is a choice and not because you have no other options.