U.S. Nuclear Weapons and Weapon Programs Essay Example for Free

U.S. Nuclear Weapons and Weapon Programs Essay Thesis Statement: Replacing the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) with the Reliable Replacement Warhead Program (RRW) may alleviate existing issues concerning the long-term reliability, safety, security, and manufacturing of U. S. weapons. However, the RRW has been cancelled due to the overwhelming concern of long-term funds to maintain RRW and Democrats feel as though the RRW is not a proven technology (GlobalSecurity. org). However, the RRW should be used as a motive not to continue nuclear testing. Currently, the SSP consists of worn weapons that are costly to maintain and are subjected to underground testing (Boyer 303). Implementing the RRW will provide cost-efficient and reliable weapons that are manufactured to last with fewer obligations to nuclear underground testing. Implementing the RRW would be a good investment for this reason alone. Overall, replacing the SSP with the RRW will establish new cost-efficient weapons with less maintenance that are less prone to underground nuclear testing; provide state-of-the art technology to protect the U. S. from terrorist’s intrusions – such as hacking and unauthorized usage, and create an efficient method for securing the decreasing stockpile. 1) Long Term Reliability of U. S Weapons. The maintenance of refurbished weapons may become more complicated due to aging. The RRW addresses this issue by implementing new weapons that are cost-efficient and safe thus providing reliable and safe weapons for the U. S. According to the article, A New Nuclear Warhead, â€Å"The RRW is committed to the smallest nuclear stockpile consistent with our security; to safe, secure and reliable weapons; and to the current nuclear testing moratorium. † Refurbished weapons tend to need more maintenance and are subject to nuclear underground testing. 2) The Safety and Security of U. S. Weapons. The SSP may not be sufficient to meet future goals pertaining to the safety and security of U. S Weapons. In the article, Reliable Replacement Warhead, â€Å"RRW aims to make US nuclear weapons safer and more secure against unauthorized use by incorporating state-of-the-art security features that cannot be retrofitted to older weapons. The ultimate goal is to transition to a smaller, more responsive nuclear infrastructure that will enable future administrations to adjust the US nuclear stockpile as geopolitical conditions warrant. † (26) 3) Maintenance of Existing Weapons may become more expensive with the SSP. Refurbished weapons require more maintenance than newer weapons thus requiring additional funds to sustain current conditions of the weapons. According to the Department of Defense news release, Kenneth Krieg states that the implementation of the RRW will reduce stockpile size by permitting new weapons with less maintenance. Newer weapons will need less maintenance and in return will be less applicable to additional funding. Members of the Nuclear Weapons Council are confident that incorporating the RRW will permit a more positive and cost-effective infrastructure by employing improved computational and experimental tools to administer the technical base (U. S. Strategic Command 1). 4) Implementing the New RRW Plan. The RRW intends to implement newer U. S weapons with higher-performance ratings and advance safety and security features while providing a less expensive maintenance plan. After examining the article in Bulletin of Atomic Scientist, the RRW is aimed at accomplishing a more cost effective and efficient method of securing the decreasing stockpile to be more reliable and safe (Drell 48). Incorporating the RRW will provide the tools necessary to ensure that nuclear underground testing is less likely to be required for future designs (A Different Kind of Complex 1). Conclusion: Unfortunately, the RRW has been cancelled due to the overwhelming concerns of long-term funds to maintain RRW and Democrats feel as though the RRW is not a proven technology. However, the RRW should be used as a motive not to continue nuclear testing. Implementing the RRW will alleviate the SSP of existing issues concerning the long-term reliability, safety, security and manufacturing of U. S weapons that are less prone to underground nuclear testing. Overall, RRW will serve as a solution to the ongoing concerns of underground nuclear testing. Works Cited Arm Control Association. â€Å"A Different Kind of Complex: The Future of U. S. Weapons and the Nuclear Weapons Enterprise. †(1997-2009): 3 March 2009 http://www. armscontrol. org/print/3454 A New Nuclear Warhead. (Editorial Desk)(Letter to the editor). The New York Times. (30 Jan 2007): A20(L). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Apollo Library. 3 Mar. 2009 http://find. galegroup. com/ovrc/infomark. do? contentSet=IAC-Documentstype=retrievetabID=T004prodId=OVRCdocId=A158559391source=galeuserGroupName=uphoenixversion=1. 0 Boyer, Paul S. â€Å"Nuclear Weapons. † The Oxford Companion to the United States History. Oxford University Press. (2001): 303 Department of Defense news release. (2March 2007): Reliable Replacement Warhead Design Decision Announced http://find. galegroup. com/itx/start. do? prodId=ITOF Global Security for America. â€Å"U. S. Strategic Commands Supports RRW Strategy. † (2007) 2 March 2007 http://www. stratcom. mil/default. asp? page=newsarticle=14 GlobalSecuirty. org. â€Å"Weapons of Mass Destruction. Reliable Replacement Warhead. † (2009) 11 March 2009 http://www. globalsecurity. org/wmd/systems/rrw. htm Interavia Business and Technology. â€Å"Reliable Replacement Warhead. † (2007): 3 March 2009 http://find. galegroup. com/itx/start. do? prodId=ITOF

My Hike in Yosemite :: Autobiography, Personal Experience

The trip began when I took a small green pencil and signed by name on the release forms needed to hike in Yosemite National Park. I and nine of my friends left the ranger station that night with a neatly folded map and a felling of excitement to what lay ahead. The long drive to the park left us tired and in need of a good night’s sleep. We decided to stay in tent city like most hikers do before they set out for their trek. Tent city was a large subdivision of tents that resembled a community of houses. Each tent was perfectly uniformed in its appearance and made up a total of fifty tents. Before we went to bead, we studied our maps and made an itinerary to the amount of hiking we would do. The next day began with an alarm clock echoing in my ears at 6 a.m. Our first days hike started early and began with one of the most impressive features of the park. El Capitan is a giant slab of granite rock that towers thousands of feet above the valley floor. Like a skyscraper, the rock has a presence of amazement surrounding its every crevice and crack. After a few minutes of starring at the rock had passed, Eric the leader for that days hike shouted that it was time to go. Because the leader was in charge of the navigation and speed we traveled, he knew that we would not make our campsite if we did not continue. Time drugged along as the weight of a forty-pound pack full of food and water dug into to my bony shoulders. My pack seemed to be getting heaver as the day went on. My shoulders pulsed with pain from the thinly padded straps that connected to my pack. Four hours of this pain was all I could handle. I decided that this was enough I needed to stop. I shouted to Eric that I needed to take a break. He quickly turned around and said it was okay if we stopped. Because it was close to lunch everyone agreed and we all set down to eat lunch. Each one of us was caring five days worth of food for our trek. Every meal was neatly packed in a clear plastic bag and labeled for when it should be eaten. I opened up a package of peanut butter crackers from my lunch package and stared into the open field we had stopped in.

Standard Costing, Operational Performance Measures

CHAPTER 10 STANDARD COSTING, OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES 1. MANAGING COSTS 1. Standard-cost systems are used to help managers control the cost of operations. The system has three components: standard costs (i. e. , predetermined costs), actual costs, and the difference between the two figures (termed a variance). 2. A standard cost for each product cost category (materials, labor, and overhead) is calculated on a per-unit basis. ? This calculation considers the planned quantity of each input factor allowed (pounds, hours, etc. and the planned price for each input factor (price per pound, rate per hour, etc. ). The total planned cost is a mini, per-unit budgeted amount. †¢ After the actual costs are known, a report is generated that shows actual costs, planned costs, and related variances. A manager can examine the variance column quickly to ascertain which exceptions require attention. ? Following up on significant variances is called management by exception. Managers focus their efforts where they are most needed in the limited time available. 2. SETTING STANDARDS . Managers set standards by analyzing historical data. However, past data must be adjusted for expected changes in technology, the production process, inflation, and other similar factors. ? Managers also use task analysis to focus on how much a product should cost. †¢ Knowledgeable people such as engineers, purchasing agents, production supervisors, and accountants should be brought into the standard-setting process. Cross-functional teams are very useful here. 4. Two types of standards may be used: perfection standards and practical standards. Perfection (ideal) standards assume that production takes place in the ideal world: employees always work at peak performance, materials are never defective, and machines never break down. ? Although some managers feel that ideal standards give employees a goal to shoot for, many behavioral scientists believe that setting unattainable goals has a demotivating effect, as employees simply give up trying to reach the standard. ? Practical (attainable) standards are set high enough to encourage efficient and effective operations but not so high as to seem impossible. Behavioral scientists feel that practical standards have a more positive effect on the productivity of employees. ? Unlike variances computed with perfection standards, variances calculated when practical standards are employed tend to be more meaningful as they represent deviations from a realistic goal. †¢ Service firms also use standards. For example, McDonald's restaurants are noted for using standards, not only for quantities of material (amount of beef per burger) but also for the time allowed to serve customers at the drive-in window or counter. . VARIANCE ANALYSIS 5. Variance analysis involves calculating the actual amount of input used and comparing it to the budgeted amount of input that should have been used (i. e. , the standard cost allowed for actual output). The variance is then analyzed into its component parts. 6. Standards are established for: ? The amount of material required to produce a finished product (the standard material quantity). ? The anticipated delivered cost of materials (the standard material price). The number of hours normally needed to manufacture one unit of product (the standard direct-labor quantity). ? The estimated hourly cost of compensation (the standard labor rate). †¢ The following model can be used to calculate variances for direct materials (DM) and direct labor (DL): DM Price = (AQ Purchased x AP) – (AQ Purchased x SP) DM Quantity = (AQ Used x SP) – (SQ Used* x SP) DL Rate = (AQ x AP) – (AQ x SP) DL Efficiency = (AQ x SP) – (SQ* x SP) * Standard quantity for the actual production levelNotice that the price and rate variances use a similar approach, and the quantity and efficiency variances use a similar approach, with efficiency being another way to say â €Å"quantity of hours† allowed. †¢ Unfavorable variances arise when the actual cost per unit of input (e. g. , gallons, hours, etc. ) exceeds standard cost and when actual quantities used (e. g. , gallons, hours, etc. ) exceed standard quantities. The opposite situation gives rise to favorable variances. 4. VARIANCE INVESTIGATION 1.A manager does not have time to examine each variance; therefore, he or she must consider selected factors in deciding when an investigation should take place. The factors include one or more of the following: ? Size of the variance (in absolute and/or relative terms, such as $5,000 or 10% of standard cost) ? Frequency of occurrence ? An otherwise small variance may require investigation if it consistently occurs, as it may indicate an ongoing problem or an outdated standard. ? Trends ? Controllability (there is little point to investigate items over which managers have no control). Favorable variances ? A manager should investigate both favor able and unfavorable variances. A favorable variance with advertising expense, for instance, could lead to the conclusion that an insufficient amount is being spent on promotion, which could lead to a loss of customers. ? Costs and benefits (the decision to investigate involves a cost-benefit analysis, as a number of investigative costs are incurred). Some companies use a statistical approach to variance investigation by preparing a statistical control chart. These charts help to pinpoint random and nonrandom variances, with a statistically determined critical value being compared to a variance to determine whether an investigation is warranted. 5. BEHAVIORAL IMPACT OF STANDARD COSTING 1. Variances may be used to evaluate personnel, often with regard to salary increases, bonuses, and promotions. ? Such incentives can have positive and negative effects, as a bonus plan may prompt a manager to pursue actions that are not in the best interests of the organization. ? An example of detri mental behavior: A purchasing manager may purchase cheap material to create a favorable price variance.That material could be of poor quality, which might result in excess usage and problems with the finished product. 6. CONTROLLABILITY OF VARIANCES 2. It is rare that one person controls any event; however, it is often possible to identify the manager who is most able to influence a particular variance. These managers are often the following: ? Direct-material price variance—Purchasing manager ? Direct-material quantity variance—Production supervisor and/or production engineers ? Direct-labor rate variance—Production supervisor ? Direct-labor efficiency variance—Production supervisor . Variances often interact, making investigation and controllability difficult. For example, a labor efficiency variance may be caused by problems not only with labor but by problems with machinery and/or material. ? Managers sometimes trade-off variances, purposely incurring an unfavorable variance that is more than offset by favorable variances. 7. STANDARD COSTS AND PRODUCT COSTING 4. In a standard-cost system, costs flow through the same accounts in the general ledger as shown earlier in the text; however, they flow through at standard cost.In other words, Work-in-Process Inventory, Finished-Goods Inventory, and Cost of Goods Sold are carried at standard cost. 8. ADVANTAGES OF STANDARD COSTS 2. A standard-cost system has several advantages, as follows: ? Managers have a sensible comparison method at their disposal, one that looks at budgeted costs vs. actual costs at the actual level of output. ? Managers can practice management by exception. ? Variances provide a benchmark for performance evaluation and employee rewards. ? Standard costs provide a stable product cost.Actual costs may fluctuate erratically, whereas standard costs are changed only periodically. 9. CRITICISMS OF STANDARD COSTING IN TODAY'S MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENT 3. Criticisms of st andard costing in advanced manufacturing settings include: ? Variances are too aggregated and arrive too late to be useful. Variances should focus on activities, specific product lines, or production batches. ? Variances focus too much on the cost and efficiency of labor, which is becoming a relatively unimportant factor of production. Standard costs rely on a stable production environment, and flexible manufacturing systems have reduced this stability, with frequent switching among a variety of products on the same manufacturing line. ? Standards focus too much on cost minimization and not enough on product quality, customer service, and other contemporary issues. 10. OPERATIONAL CONTROL MEASURES 5. Many companies now focus on an increased number of performance measures, many of which are nonfinancial in nature. Examples often include: ? Customer-acceptance measures such as customer complaints, warranty claims, and product returns. Delivery cycle time, or the average time between t he receipt of a customer order and the delivery of goods. ? Manufacturing cycle time, or the total production time per unit. ? Manufacturing cycle efficiency, or processing time divided by the sum of processing time, inspection time, waiting time, and move time. †¢ To judge how well or poorly a company is performing, many firms use benchmarking, which involves comparing existing performance levels against those of either other organizations or other units within the same organization. †¢

A Brief Biography of Fidel Castro - 1316 Words

His full name is Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz and he was born on August 13, 1926 in a Birà  n, Cuba. Castro’s parents are Angel Castro(father) and Lina Ruz(mother). His father was a wealth landowner while his mother was a cook and maid to Angel. Castro was the third of six children in his family. His parents sent Fidel to a Jesuit boarding school where he was disciplined and showed the true potential of his intellect. While in boarding school, he also showed a much bigger interest in sports rather than academics. He even won an award for best all around athlete. Castro later went on to attend the University of Havana in 1945 where he began his studies in law. While attending the university, he was involved in many protest movements and rebellions. As a lawyer, Castro would take actually take cases of people who were not able to pay him so at often times he was short on money. Fidel began to notice the issues of Cuba such as poverty, injustice, and corruption. A passion grew wit hin him that wanted to fix these issues of Cuba so Castro joined a political group that had the same views and goals as him. This new political party he joined was called the Cuban People’s Party. Fidel later became a candidate for Congress for his political party in 1952. This is when he led a group of armed citizens to attack the Moncada Army Barracks as stated on the previous page. After Castro became Cuba’s new leader on January 9, 1959, he passed several laws based on his strong view of moralityShow MoreRelatedLee Harvey Oswald’s Motives for killing President John F. Kennedy646 Words   |  3 Pageshis mental health led the way in making him the most famous assassin of the twentieth century. Lee Harvey Oswald had a rough childhood. He grew up without a father figure in his life so he was lacking direction from the most important source (Biography: Lee Harvey Oswald ). His father died two months before Oswald was born, leaving his mother with three small children. As a result, â€Å"his mother would frequently neglect and leave Lee with various babysitters† (Diamond). These babysitters reportedlyRead MoreThe Politics of Marco Rubio Essay1401 Words   |  6 Pages2006-2008 terms, Rubio was elected Speaker of the Florida State House in November 2006. Marco Rubio is a part of the Republican Party and is a Capitalist. Body: Marco Rubio was born on May 28, 1971 in Miami, Florida after his parents fled Cuba when Fidel Castro took over. At the age of eight, his family moved to Las Vegas where his father worked as a bartender for Sam’s Town, and his mom worked as a housekeeper at the Imperial Palace. Six months later, in 1985, they moved back to Miami where his fatherRead MoreBiography of Barbara Walters1711 Words   |  7 Pagesand Bill Clinton paramour Monica Lewinsky made broadcasting history as the highest-rated news program ever broadcast on a single network. Her other notable interviews range from controversial figures like Jack Kevorkian to political leaders like Fidel Castro. Currently, Walters holds the notable distinction of having interviewed every U.S. President since Richard Nixon. She is also acclaimed for her ability to elicit candid interviews from a bevy of celebrities, including Tom Cruise, Sophia Loren,Read MoreThe Most Controversial American Presidents9333 Words   |  38 Page semergency hospitalization at Yale-New Haven Hospital from January until March. In June 1934 he was admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and diagnosed with colitis. When Kennedy graduated from Choate in June 1935 his superlative in The Brief, the school yearbook (of which he had been business manager), was Most likely to Succeed. In September 1935, he sailed on the SS Normandie on his first trip abroad with his parents and his sister Kathleen to London with the intent of studying forRead MoreBible Versus the Toran12356 Words   |  50 Pagesand excludes any reference to an Old Testament. The Old Testament consists of a collection of writings believed to have been composed at various times from the twelfth to the 2nd century BC. The books were written in classical Hebrew, except for brief portions (Ezra 4:8 nd 7:12-26, Jeremiah 10:11, Daniel 2:47:28) which are in the Aramaic language, a sister language which became the lingua franca of the Semitic world. Much of the material, including many genealogies, poems and narratives, is thought