Learn More About the Riverine Command Boat (Experimental) (RCB-X)

Learn More About the Riverine Command Boat (Experimental) (RCB-X) The Riverine Command Boat (Experimental) (RCB-X) is an experimental military craft that is testing alternative fuel blends. RCB-X uses a blended fuel consisting of 50 percent  algae-based biofuel and 50 percent NATO F-76 fuel. The goal is to reduce the Navy’s consumption of petroleum-based fuels. RCB-X is an experimental version of the Swedish Riverine Command Boat. Over 225 Riverine Command Boat’s are in use worldwide. Riverine Boat Specs Riverine Command Boat (Experimental) (RCB-X) is a 49-foot long, 12-foot wide craft that is fast and agile. The vessel is designed for use on rivers for patrols and assaults by small forces. The RCB-X has a top speed of 44 knots, 1,700 horsepower and a crew of four. It also has a 3-foot draft allowing for easy travel on most rivers. It has Swedish built engines and Rolls Royce twin-ducted water jet propulsion. The bow is reinforced allowing the craft to be run onto shore at full speed without damage. RCB has a range of 240 nautical miles on rivers or open water. There are six gun mounts on the vessel. One on the bow and another behind the mast are remote- controlled from the cockpit. The other four are used for manned weapons. It can carry .50 caliber machine guns, mortar, 40 mm grenade launchers or Hellfire missiles. The mortar launcher is a twin-barrel 12 cm. mortar. RCB can carry up to 20 troops at one time, and be transformed into a dive support vessel or a command craft. The boat can also be configured as an ambulance to take wounded soldiers off the battlefield by river. Made of heavy-duty aluminum, it has a 580-gallon fuel tank that contains a large, high-speed fuel fill capability. The bow drops down making it easy to disembark and return to the craft quickly. The cockpit is armor plated for protection and the cabin can be sealed against nuclear, chemical and biological agents. Over 4 tons of cargo can be carried on the craft. RCB-X and RCB’s are built by Safeboat International under license from the Swedish company Dockstavarvet. The first models cost anywhere from $2 to $3 million each. Bio Fuel Because the Riverine boat is a test version for fuels, it garners power from a 50 percent  algae-based and 50 percent NATO fuel called hydro-processed renewable diesel or HR-D. If the RCB-X used 100 percent biofuel, it would contain water which fouls the engines of Navy craft. Biofuels also have a six-month service life and the blend allows for longer term storage of fuel. The biofuel blend is made by a company called Solazyme, which calls the fuel Soladiesel. Soladiesel is designed to be used directly in place of conventional fuels, with no modifications to the engines or fuel system of the craft. In 2010 Solazyme delivered 80,000 liters of Soladiesel to the U.S. Navy and was under contract for an additional 550,000 liters at the time of publication. The fuel is produced in partnership with Chevron and Honeywell  in Illinois. Solazyme also makes a replacement for jet fuel and standard diesel vehicles. Solazyme’s algae grows in the dark using sugars from plants such as sugar cane and corn. Their system uses standard, industrial fermenters allowing for rapid scaling of production. Solazyme is based in San Francisco, California. Future The Navy  began testing the Riverine boat in 2010. It planned to deploy a strike group for local operations using the blended fuel in 2012 with full deployment in 2016. The Navy is testing the RCB-X, and it may be a possible fast craft for going from brown water (river) to green/blue water (ocean).

The Portfolio of Current Issues in Risk Management Assignment

The Portfolio of Current Issues in Risk Management - Assignment Example Warren Buffett is a respected billionaire investor in the United States and major shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate financials and investment company. According to Buffett, â€Å"it takes 20 years to build a positive reputation and only five minutes to destroy it† (Rushe 2011, p.1). The article describes a black eye incident that has potentially damaged the credibility and reputation of Berkshire Hathaway amid a resignation scandal occurring on the back of questionable securities sales by an insider manager. The article insinuates that conversations between Buffett and David Sokol, an executive leader, provided insider trading knowledge to Sokol, leading to public and governmental scrutiny and investigation. Adding more enquiry to this situation is the fact that Sokol suddenly resigned from his position, which could indicate there is something to hide in the securities transactions in question. Personal Commentary Why is this relevant for risk man agement and ensuring reputational risk management for the organisation? For some organisations, the brand and its reputation in key target markets is one of the most fundamental competitive advantages sustained by the organisation. Especially true in saturated markets where public and private investments are traded in highly-publicised media, businesses require a differentiated brand name that is considered credible and adheres to the principles defined by corporate social responsibility. It is only when consumers become attached and loyal to a brand that they will begin expelling personal and social resources to supporting and defending the brand against negative criticism (Aron, Aron and Smollan 1992; Muniz and O’Guinn 2001). The situation involving Berkshire Hathaway reminds the risk management professional to carefully monitor and control the activities of internal staff members. Since this is an organisation that has much scrutiny by a variety of stakeholders and importa nt shareholders, the organisation cannot afford for representatives of the business to damage brand reputation. According to the lectures, the brand reputation of a business should be considered just as paramount as traditional risk management activities. Farris et al. (2010) reminds us that the use of a customer satisfaction metric is a vital tool in monitoring business reputation and securing brand reputation. This article seems to reinforce the importance of showing transparency and accountability as part of corporate social responsibility especially when the internal activities and investment selections of a major holdings company can be observed by a global mass market audience. Under Kantian deontology, the highest good comes from duty. For example, a merchant attempts to build a good reputation simply to ensure profitability. However, this is not a moral good since it does not stem from social duty toward others (Bowie 1999). When assessing risks or establishing a risk evalua tion tool, it is necessary to consider how the stakeholder and customer will view business actions. They will either attribute actions to moral and ethical behaviour or witness trust reduced in the corporate integrity of the business. Corporate social responsibility must be a major factor in setting up a risk management model to keep a positive reputation and avoid public scrutiny. Student’s Name: Review No.: 1 Source of article: Is your culture a risk factor? Business and Society Review 111(3) Author’

Assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Assignment 3 - Essay Example There is a large pool types of contacts to choose from. The lawyer should help you chose the most favourable one for the sale of the toys. Contracts may be sealed, implied, bilateral, void or voidable. Some requires company of legal enforcement whereas some do not; some are in writing while others are oral (Franco 31). In this case, the lawyer will help you chose one that will accompany the international sales. The contract should be flexible for easier handling of the business. The lawyer should choose the best law to govern the contract. The court will apply the law that the parties have chosen provided it is in line with the type of business and that parties have good intentions. There are various laws that govern diverse range of contacts. The lawyer must choose one that favours parties whose businesses are in divergent states .The lawyer will provide professional advice on why u should retain and leave out some aspects in the contract. This will ensure flexibility of the contract and easy comprehension. The good will have to describe and expounded in details. You should discuss about quality and quantity of the Woogles together with how and where distribution would take place (Goldman, Arnold & William 243). Such factors are important to consider because they will ensure efficient flow of the business. This will also help identify the rate of manufacturing which is more effective to ensure constant supply of woggle toys. The quantity and prices here helps in identifying how much the company will make per sale. Now that the buyer will buy 10,000 at a dollar each, it will result to $10,000. The procedures of sending the delivery notes and invoices should be included in the discussion. The attorney should also explain any limitation that may be encountered during shipment and when sending delivery notes and invoices There are various forms and the lawyer should choose the most preferred. These forms are necessary to ensure that the buyer pays in time

Deafness and Fury Essay Example for Free

Deafness and Fury Essay If I were in their position I wouldnt know what to do, I think I would take into consideration all benefits and dangers of getting the implant before making a decision. Before I took this ASL class I didnt know anything about deaf culture. When you explained the difference between Deaf and deaf I realized that not every deaf person are alike. For instance, Heathers parents were both Deaf and they were very proud of who they were. They were both actively involved with their Deaf friends and family, and they felt most comfortable being around their â€Å"own kind†. Although Peter was very comfortable in his own skin, I felt like he was very close minded when it came to talking about the possibilities of Heather getting and implant. Even when they visited the family with the young girl that had the implant, he was very closed to the idea that one day her daughter could have the opportunity to be able to hear what goes around in the world. Peter and Nita were very surprised and somewhat disappointed when Heather told them she wanted to get the Cochlear implant because she really wanted to hear. Peter rejected the idea but I feel Mariche 2 that Nita was a little more open to it because she secretly wanted to somewhat be part of the hearing world. She also stated that she was open to the idea of the implant because she didnt want her daughter to go through all the tribulations that she went through when she was young. It also seemed that both Nita and Peter were rejecting the Cochlear, because they were afraid Heather would become too involved in the hearing world, that she would forget all about the deaf culture. There was a particular scene where Nita asks Heather if she still wanted the implant, and Heather ends up telling her that she didnt want the implant because her parents said she couldnt have one. I feel like it was wrong that the parents didnt let their daughter get the implant without really giving it thought,but they are proud of who they are so in the end it didnt matter. My opinion is that is was wrong of them to reject the Cochlear without letting the little girl make the decision for herself. Even though Heather was a little girl, it seemed to me that she really wanted to hear and the implant could of offer her many great opportunities. The movie also showed me that there are many things that separate the deaf world from the hearing world. One of the things that struck me the most is that in reality, many hearing individuals tend to feel â€Å"sorry† for deaf individuals, because they see deafness as a disability. For example, the couple with the twins expressed that they were devastated when they were informed that one of their twins was deaf. Even though deafness ran in their family they were still heartbroken because they saw the baby as disabled. Although I felt disappointed that they took their child’s deafness as a bad thing, they did point out some very interesting and somewhat truthful things. For example, being deaf in the hearing world can shut many doors for these individuals. Deaf people are often discriminated, misunderstood, and shut out of the hearing world. Although it is true that deaf individuals face many obstacles in their lives, Peter (and many others) showed us that a deaf person can be just as successful and any hearing person. When I was a waitress at a very popular restaurant, I remember that one of my regular clients Mariche 3 was a deaf man. He was very friendly and although I had a very hard time communicating with him, he was always patient and willing to try his best to communicate with me. When people saw that he was deaf and that his speech was very limited, many laughed and made really stupid and ignorant comments. To our surprise it turned out that he was a very successful businessman, so in reality he was definitely not a â€Å"handicap†. I definitely understand why the couple in the movie considered getting the Cochlear Implant for their child. I also have a 5 year old niece who is deaf, and although we have a really hard time communicating with her it seems to me that she actually likes the way she is. I think at her young age she embraces her deafness. Everyone is different and like in this movie everyone has to do what is best for THEIR family and what they felt most comfortable with. In conclusion, the movie gave us different perspectives of both the hearing world and deaf culture. One family showed us how proud they were of being deaf, and they refused to let their child get a hearing implant because they thought she would loose touch with deaf culture. The other family showed us that they saw deafness as a disability. They decided to let their child get the implant because they felt it was the best thing to do for him and his future. Although being deaf can bring many obstacles, families ultimately have to decide what ever is best for their lives.

Cause of Eating Disorders Essay -- essays papers

Cause of Eating Disorders In America, today we often hear of people who suffer from illness such as cancer, aids etc. what we often don’t hear about is the illness that effects a lot of people each year that being eating disorders. Whenever I hear about eating disorders it remains me of one of my cousin who had suffered from anorexia. It all started when her family and acquaintances started to say that she was fat and chubby. In her family everyone is very slim and tall so her brothers started teasing and calling her fatty and used to say that she need to loose weight otherwise nobody will marry her or even wants to be with her. She used to worry so much about her weight and wanted to loose weight. The only way she found for loosing weight was stop eating. She starved herself and lost couple of pounds. She was happy with the result and had great determination of loosing weight. Nobody noticed anything wrong until one day she was completely dehydrated and fainted at school. She was hospitalize d for almost a week. But she got all the help and support that she needed from her Doctors, family and got better. Eating disorders have become serious issues in the past 25 years. Many people have been diagnosed with eating disorders. More teens out of any other age groups suffer from it. Sports, body image, peer pressure and low self-esteem can cause teens to be driven to eating disorders. Anorexia and bulimia are the two main types of eating disorders. Anorexia is the self-starving behavior that can lead to severe health problems an even death. Bulimia is when a binge/ purge cycle is used or laxatives are used at an excessive amount. Anorexia and Bulimia affect persons thoughts and feelings as well as his or her body. ... ...happy with any thing they do. Being over weight is hard to cope with in this day and age. Many teens get very depressed when they are over weight because people tease them they cannot fit in with the crowd. Sometimes even if a teenager is not overweight, they feel they must maintain their body size, so they can look like models. It is unfortunate, but in today’s society, people have forgotten that it is what inside a person that counts, not what’s on the outside. In conclusion, we need to start loving and accepting each other for who we are, and not what we look like. We need to teach our children to be proud of whom they are. Parent’s needs to also teach our children the value of healthy leaving and not send the message that being thin is important. Family and peers need to support people with weight problems and not make them feel guilty about how they look.

User Manual Critique

I used the following criteria to critique this manual, audience recognition, components of instructions, safety instructions, instructional steps and anally graphics and videos. The first criteria I used is audience recognition. This manual is written for landscape professionals who have some experience using this type of machinery in the past. The terminology that is used throughout the manual suggests that the user knows what the overall operation of the machine is for.This is a good idea because if the machine Is not used properly it could have the potential to be dangerous, causing injury or even death. This Is also a problem because If someone is not familiar with the machine and attempts to use It the manual could confuse them, and they may to assemble the machine correctly, and not follow all the safety warnings that are In the manual. This could also be a dangerous situation since the chemicals that are used in conjunction with the machine could be hazardous.The second criter ia I chose is the components and instructions of the manual. The first page shows a general overview of the sprayer with pictures of specific parts of the machine. One problem with the main page is that it said that there was a search option but I never found that option in any part of the manual. The introduction page gives a brief overview of the manual and points out potential hazards associated with the machine and identifies signal words throughout the manual such as danger, warning, caution and important and their context in the manual.It Is laid out with a table of contents and each header in the table has sub- headings that are all hyperlinked to the correct page of the manual and navigation Is fairly easy throughout the sections. The table of contents Is also presented In a logical order, starting with the introduction all the way through setting up and operating the machine, and finally ending with warranty and contact information. The third criteria I chose is safety inst ructions. This piece of machinery deals with the spraying of chemicals and therefore if not used properly can cause harm to the user or people around the area.The safety section of the manual goes over all the precautions that need to be followed when dealing with chemicals, such as wearing the proper safety gear when using the machine. Each sub-section has clearly laid out the steps required to prepare, use, and maintain the sprayer in a safe manner. One thing I noticed Is there are no links to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website which could have even more detailed safety Information for the use of chemicals. The fourth criteria I chose was Instructional steps.The manual has detailed instructions on how to setup the sprayer for use. It goes through step-by-step and sprayer. Each section has written instructions as well as pictures and videos on the installation and use of the sprayer. It goes through starting up the sprayer and how to drive it, and shut ting it down. It is a very complicated machine to use, and the writer did a good Job of trying to instruct the user on how to use it. There are some minor issues I noticed with the instructions however.The manual can be over- complicated sometimes and may lose the reader. The is a wealth of information and could have been condensed down and incorporated into smaller groups of information. Without a working search function, the reader has to go through multiple areas to find what they are looking for. The final criteria I chose is the manuals incorporation of graphics and videos. The Ritter did a great Job of having photos of each part of the machine that was being described in that section, and also includes a good amount of videos as well.The thumbnails can be clicked on and a larger image comes up, but they are still a little on the smaller side so it can be difficult on some pictures to see all the components being described. There are illustrations that when clicked on, show a d emo of what the task is, which can be very helpful to the user. The videos are useful for describing what needs to be done, and the narrator speaks in a clear tone that is easy to understand.The main issue with the videos however is they are not high quality so when they are made full screen the image is not clear and can be difficult to follow. If they had used higher resolution video they would have been that much more helpful. Overall the writer did a great Job when creating this manual and the user should not have many problems following it, as long as they are familiar with the equipment to begin with. A novice user will need more help using the machine then the manual gives, but when buying such a machine, they should be competent with using this type of sprayer.

The Politics Of Sexual Difference World War I And The...

The articles â€Å"The Politics of Sexual Difference: World War I and the Demise of British Feminism† by Susan Kingsley Kent, and â€Å"Our Freedom and its Results: Measuring progress in the aftermath of Suffrage† by Maria DiCenzo discuss arguments in relation to post war british feminism and the constitutional suffragists efforts to maintain rights especially those pertaining to enfranchisement. Kents article â€Å"The Politics of Sexual Difference: World War I and the Demise of British Feminism† states that as a result of the great war, Britain had seen an end to both militant and constitutional suffragists efforts in regards to obtaining votes for women. She argues that although the suffrage campaign was considered a mass movement due to its sheer†¦show more content†¦She argues that many suffragists and activists continued to campaign during the interwar period and as a result created the momentum needed to tackle other complex struggles on a variety of fronts. DiCenzo especially stresses the importance of not taking a forced approach to sources from the time period and encourages strategies to foster a more comprehensive understanding about feminism in the interwar period. Reading Kent’s article and her interpretation of the documents provided by suffragettes from the interwar time period, it is evident that she supports what DiCenzo refers to as the ‘demise view’ which is also a common school of thought when debating feminism in the interwar period. Her argument is straightforward and easily comprehensible in the fact that she supports her ideas with good evidence that supports her conclusion. Kent uses a collection of books and essays quoting women suffragettes and feminists themselves (both â€Å"equalitarian† and new feminism feminists) in order to achieve a well rounded opinion. Kent begins her argument by expressing quotes from many feminists that make it evident that women were feeling backlash from their male counterparts during the post war era. Many women were encouraged by men to retreat from the labor force and return back to traditional gender roles as mothers and housewives. Cicely