The 10 Most Bizarre Easter Traditions

The 10 Most Bizarre Easter Traditions Whips, water, and fire – not exactly the things you might think of when you think of Easter traditions. In a few days, the U.S. will be filled with children dyeing eggs, eating chocolate bunnies, and making trails out of jellybeans. Still, Easter is one of the few holidays that is celebrated worldwide. Because of this, there are some very unique ways of celebrating Easter that may shock you. 1. Knock-knock, Who’s There? Louisiana Egg Knocking Even though it’s a part of the U.S., parts of Louisiana are more foreign that countries outside of our borders. In some of the deepest parts of the bayou, Easter celebrations begin with an egg-knocking ceremony. Teams of competitors tie their eggs with strings and knock them together. The person whose egg cracks first loses, and the game is played until there is an â€Å"Egg King.† 2. Go Fly A Kite In Bermuda, the weeks leading up to Easter are marked by building kites which are only flown on Easter Day. These kites are made of anything that local kite-makers can find, from crates to ties and old clothing. One of the most important elements of the Bermuda Easter kites is the â€Å"hummer,† which makes a loud buzzing sound when the kite is in flight. 3. Whips and Water? In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, whipping and water are just normal parts of the Easter festivities. On the Monday after Easter, men craft colorful whips from Willow branches and give the women in their lives playful lashes. The whipping is supposed to keep women beautiful and fertile for another year, and also acts as a flirtation device. But, the women aren’t without recourse. The next day, they retaliate by throwing water on the heads of their attackers. 4. A Fair Egg Exchange In places where Hungarian is spoken (Translyvania, Southern Slovakia, and parts of Serbia), there is also a tradition of pouring water. In these countries, the day after Easter is called â€Å"Watering Monday.† Men will traditionally visit families with women and girls and sprinkle them with perfume in exchange for the Easter eggs. 5. Trick or Easter In Finland and Sweden, the one tradition most Americans think of as Halloween-ish are celebrated at Easter. Children in these countries often carry pussy willows on Palm Sunday instead of palms. Then, the day after Easter, they decorate the pussy willows in colorful paint and knock on doors. The community gives children candy in exchange for the beautiful decorations. 6. Light it Up In a number of countries, Easter is celebrated by huge bonfires. Often, children (especially teenage boys) run through town gathering any scrapwood that they can find. These fires act as a competition, with the boy who has the largest fire as the winner. In Italy, the Scoppio del carro lights a fire from shards from the Holy Sepulchre which in turn sets off a huge fireworks display. 7. Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’ In England, Ireland, and Scotland, children participate in egg rolling as a part of their Easter fun. The goal is to roll an egg the farthest which makes the owner of the egg the Easter victor. There is also a superstition that eggs that don’t make it down the hill intact must be crushed completely, or the egg may be used by witches to do evil magic. 8. Pace Egg Plays Although this particular tradition fell out of style for a while, in recent years the Pace Egg Plays have become a fun part of Easter for many English, Irish, and Scots. These plays date back to the Crusades and revolve around the fictitious antics of St. George and a troublemaker named Old Tosspot. Watchers are encouraged to give Easter eggs to the two characters in exchange to see their traveling show. 9. A Man-Made Holiday In Russia, men aren’t allowed to cook, clean, or otherwise work on Easter. In fact, there is a tradition that says men shouldn’t even be allowed in the kitchen at all. If a man does, it’s said that his beard and moustache will immediately turn grey and he will age before his time. 10. Egg-Zellent In Bessieres, France, there is a tradition of feeding the whole town with a single omelet. According to legend, Napoleon stopped in the little village one night and ordered and omelet. He was so pleased with his meal that he asked all the villagers to bring their eggs so that the chef could create a meal for the whole town. Now, the feast is made from 15,000 eggs and 25,000 kilos of oil each year. Easter doesnt seem so boring now, right? This year you can try something new, celebrating Easter abroad or at least trying the weird Easter traditions with your friends in US. Have the Happy Easter, and tell us your stories!

The Wright Brothers Famous Quotes

The Wright Brothers Famous Quotes On December 17, 1903,  Orville Wright  and  Wilbur Wright  successfully tested a flying machine that took off with its own power, flew at even speeds, then landed safely without damage and started the era of human flight. The year before, the brothers tested out a number of aircraft, wing designs, gliders, and propellers in order to understand the complexities of aerodynamics and hopefully create a powered craft capable of prolonged flight. Throughout this process, Orville and Wilbur recorded many of their greatest quotes in the notebooks they kept and interviews they made at the time. From Orvilles thoughts on hope and living to both brothers interpretations of what they discovered during their experiments, the following quotes encapsulate the thrill the Wright brothers felt when creating, then flying, the first self-propelled airplane. Orville Wright on Dreams, Hope, and Life The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our  ancestors  who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through. The  airplane stays up  because it doesnt have the time to fall. No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris†¦[because] no known motor can run at the requisite speed for four days without stopping. If birds can glide for long periods of time, then†¦ why cant I? If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance. We were lucky enough to grow up in an environment where there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests; to investigate whatever aroused curiosity. Orville Wright on Their Flight Experiments In our gliding experiments, we had had a number of experiences in which we had landed upon one wing, but the crushing of the wing had absorbed the shock so that we were not uneasy about the motor in case of a landing of that kind. With all the knowledge and skill acquired in thousands of flights in the last ten years, I would hardly think today of making my first flight on a strange machine in a 27-mile wind, even if I knew that the machine had already been flown and was safe. Isnt it astonishing that all these secrets have been preserved for so many years just so we could discover them! The course of the flight up and down was exceedingly erratic, partly due to the irregularity of the air, and partly to lack of experience in handling this machine. The control of the front rudder was difficult on account of its being balanced too near the center. When the machine had been fastened with a wire to the  track so that it could not start until released by the operator, and the motor had been run to make sure that it was in condition, we tossed a coin to decide who should have the first trial. Wilbur won. With 12 horsepower  at our command, we considered that we could permit the weight of the machine with  an operator  to rise to 750 or 800 pounds, and still have as much surplus power as we had originally allowed for in the first estimate of 550 pounds. Wilbur Wright on Their Flying Experiments There is no sport equal to that which aviators enjoy while being carried through the air on great white wings. More than anything else the sensation is one of perfect peace mingled with an excitement that strains every nerve to the utmost if you can conceive of such a combination. I am an enthusiast, but not a crank in the sense that I have some pet theories as to the proper construction of a flying machine. I wish to avail myself of all that is already known and then, if possible, add my mite to help on the future worker who will attain final success. We could hardly wait to get up in the morning. I confess that in 1901, I said to my brother Orville that man would not fly for 50 years. The fact that the great scientist believed in flying machines was the one thing that encouraged us to begin our studies. It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill. The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who...looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space...on the infinite highway of the air. Men become wise just as they become rich, more by what they save than by what they receive.

Love and marrage for normal people and gay &lesbian marrige Essay

Love and marrage for normal people and gay &lesbian marrige - Essay Example In your childhood, age all what you ask your parents for is love. A trophy for a little child is a kiss. In addition, when you get angry at children forgiveness for them is a huge. All that they understand is your emotions even if they cannot talk. They become very emotional as they grow up. When a child is three years old he or she become jealous, they want their parents to show this love only for them. At that time, the child is more emotional than any time before. Moreover, they get angry with you when you show love to their older or younger siblings. When Bell Hooks said† I talked to large audiences and even had wee one- on- one conversation with children about the way they think about love†(Yagelski, 256). She mentioned children because the angle they looked at love is concerned with care and trust. Considering children in love, is like defining love as pour emotions that start from youth until our hair is white. Love continuous in it is different stages as we go older. A teenager believes in love as a boyfriend or as a girlfriend. They have a different definition than the one that children had. However, some of them believe that love is all about sex. Moreover, they are confused between love and admiration. However, the presence of love still exists. Not to mention that in this age they become very emotional and sensitive. Teenagers feel that nobody understands them; they feel that the parent’s marriage atmosphere is not suitable for them. Some scientific theories say that they do not manage to control their emotions at this age. In fact, all that they think of in this age is seeking for love. The confusion that drives them to be emotional is due to the fact of building their selves. At this age, you realize what is your interest or what are your goals that you want to approach when you get older. As you become grown, and you get older, you recognize the real definition of love. You understand that love is an endless

Research about Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research about Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The regime uses security forces and the military to crack down on protesters (Amnesty International on human Rights web). According to the International Crisis Group, Saudi Arabia is a troubled place coupled with militant activities. Execution of innocent civilians is the order of the day and the same usually go unreported. The Shiite group, which is the minority group, has been economically displaced in their own country (web). The U.S department of State has echoed the same sentiments about Saudi Arabia. Although many issues mentioned by U.S department of State talk about conflicts, the most discussed issues about Saudi Arabia are political and socio-economic issues (U.S department of State web). Internally Displaced Monitoring Center (web) presents valuable information regarding Saudi Arabia social issues relating to internal displacement. It is claimed that the number of internally displaced citizens is increasing and more aid has been directed towards efforts to sustain the internally displaced persons. With all these conflicts, social, and political issues going on, a viable solution needs to be put in place. Amnesty International. â€Å"Saudi Arabia†. 2012. Web, 5 March, 2012.

Role Of The Citizen On Earth Essay Example for Free

Role Of The Citizen On Earth Essay The role of every element on earth is indeed found in its nature and it is the same for man, but instead of functioning exclusively as humans, we intentionally bludgeon our role as defined by nature trying to be something beyond our reach, and creating more problems than nature itself can solve, calling on us to reverse our course and get back to nature. The Earth is being destroyed by human actions. Deforestation, industrial factory, nuclear industry, dam construction, the use of chemical substances and poisonous gas that pollute the environment and are harmful to the ozone layer, mining, and so on are the dangers that the Earth is facing. Humans are who cause the problems, but they are also who find the solutions. Therefore, the destiny of the Earth is shaped by everyone. If we want to make a difference on the Earth and lead the Earth to the peace and happiness, we need to start now. A citizen could be described as an individual who is born into a country or acquires it through naturalization, which connotes the fact that it is your paternal right to contribute meaningfully towards the development of that nation or country. As far as this true, the context of this essay will enlighten as well as portray the impact and role that I have played as a universal citizen of our beautiful mother earth which is currently faced with environmental destruction, resource depletion, wars, conflicts, poverty among others.

A Comparison of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman and A Raisin

The Value of a Dream in Death of a Salesman and A Raisin in the Sun      Ã‚   How does one value a dream? This question arises while reading both Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman and Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun.   Although the two novels are very different, the stories and characters share many likenesses.   Death of a Salesman concerns a family’s difficulty in dealing with unrealized dreams.   A Raisin in the Sun focuses on a family's struggle to agree on a common dream.   In each of these stories, there are conflicts between the dreams that each character is struggling to attain.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Death of a Salesman, Happy and Biff are uncertain of where they are in life, and only reach out for the simple, already-tangible things at hand. Biff: "I don't know- what I'm supposed to want", and Happy:   "I don't know what the hell I'm working for", means that they bothh feel they havn't progressed.   All they want to do is work with their hands, with their shirts off and their backs to the sun.   Neither Biff nor Happy have struggled to get to where they feel secure, otherwise they would not be admitting such things.   And both have also dismissed the truth; Biff saying "Never mind. Just don't llay it all to me" and Happy saying, "Just don't lay it all at me feet."   Happy also wants to believe that everything is alright; Happy is fine, so long as he can make himself believe that everyone around him is fine.   Towards the end of the story, when Biff accuses everyone of lying, Happy exclaims, "We always told the truth!" b ut in the beginning, he admitted to Biff, "See, Biff, everybody around me is so false that I'm constantly lowering my ideals."      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willy Loman wants his dreams so badly that, in his ... ...o survive.   The Youngers never left the house; the house was the only place of action.   It was the pillar, even though it wasn't a great one.   They made it the pillar by their pride and faith.   Willy Loman died with somewhat of a sense of honor and dignity.   He knew he would make his family finally and truly proud, and, most importantly, he knew that Biff loved him, and he always had.   There is no such thing as a wasted life, so long as there are dreams to cloud up reality and, possibly, make them possible.      Works Consulted: Bloom, Harold. Twientieth-Century American Literature. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Draper, James P. Black Literature Criticisms. Detroit: Gale Research Incorporated, 1992. Hansberry, Lorraine.   A Raisin in the Sun.   New York:   Signet, 1988. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman.   New York: Viking, 1995.   

Hamlet-Soliloquy

Hamlet's perceptions of himself and his way of responding to his ‘quest' for revenge? Upon examination, It is clear that Hamlet Is ‘a divided mind' due to his Introspective way of thinking; a typical Renaissance character. Soliloquy 3 reveals that Hamlet has realized that his honor code demands him to exact revenge upon Claudia. However, halls moral code manifests itself Into constant self-recrimination, testament to his character.Hamlet begins by metaphorically comparing himself to a â€Å"peasant slave†, indicating that he has not dressed his honor code, as this distinguished the aristocrat from the peasant in Elizabethan times. The use of the exclamation is the first sign of his denunciation of himself due to his lack of action. This theme is advanced when he classically alludes to Hachure in reference to the play he has Just witnessed. Hamlet is ashamed that â€Å"he should weep to her† and ponders what the actor would do â€Å"had he the motive and the cue for passion that I have? Along with revealing the intellectuality of the Renaissance Hamlet, the classical allusion demonstrates that he is clearly frustrated by his Impotence for revenge. This is consolidated In the simile â€Å"Like John-a-dreams, unapparent of my cause† where Hamlet blatantly admits to Inaction, cutting a self- deprecating Image of himself. The rhetorical question â€Å"Am I a coward† attests to his Introspective nature as he Is self-analyzing whether the last portion of his soliloquy Is true or not.This begins a series of rhetorical questions in an attempt to conjure up a ensue of passion in the demoralizes Hamlet, which culminates with the fragmented sentence, â€Å"Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain! O, vengeance! † We can finally observe Hamlet thinking about revenge and this is affirmed when he begins to devise a plan to catch his Uncle's guilt, so that he â€Å"knows his (my) course†. Despite acquiring this new-found passion, his introspection still comes through when he claims that â€Å"The spirit I have seen may be the Devil†.This religious allusion reminds Hamlet of the mantra, ‘innocent until proven guilty, and Hamlet Is out to rove Claudia' guilt as â€Å"the plays the thing wherein he'll (I'll) catch the conscience of the king†. This rhyming couplet sets the stage for his plan for revenge and affirms that he Is truly â€Å"looking for certainties In a world of Gardner). All in all, soliloquy 3 is a perfect summation of Hamlet's complicated Renaissance mind: a journey from self-deprecation to blatant passion, culminating in the official beginning of his quest' for revenge.Hamlet-Soliloquy 3 By capital responding to his ‘quest' for revenge? Upon examination, it is clear that Hamlet is ‘a divided mind' due to his introspective way of thinking; a typical Renaissance demands him to exact revenge upon Claudia. However, his moral code manifests itself into constant self-recrimination, testament to his character. Hamlet begins by by his impotence for revenge. This is consolidated in the simile â€Å"Like John-a-dreams, unapparent of my cause† where Hamlet blatantly admits to inaction, cutting a self- deprecating image of himself.The rhetorical question â€Å"Am I a coward† attests to his introspective nature as he is self-analyzing whether the last portion of his soliloquy is can finally observe Hamlet thinking about revenge and this is affirmed when he reminds Hamlet of the mantra, ‘innocent until proven guilty, and Hamlet is out to that he is truly â€Å"looking for certainties in a world of uncertainties†(Helen Gardner). All in all, soliloquy 3 is a perfect summation of Hamlet's complicated Renaissance mind; a Journey from self-deprecation to blatant passion, culminating in the official beginning of his ‘quest' for revenge.

The Great Controversy of Newton and Leibniz

The great controversy as to who discovered the Calculus first, either Isaac Newton or Gottfried Leibniz, is indeed a sordid affair, which has sullied the arena of science. Boyer speaks the truth when he says that no invention in science or mathematics can be said to be the accomplishment of one or two persons (1959, p. 187). Newton himself admitted â€Å"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants† (qtd. in Rees 2006, p. 340). Such self-effacement is part of the magnanimity that we expect from a true genius. But did Leibniz conduct himself similarly? This, I believe, is the crux of the debate. Scientists not only stand on the shoulders of the giants of the past, but they also collaborate with each other. The very greatness of science stems from the fact that it is practiced in broad daylight. There should be no place for pride and vanity here. And yet the great controversy involves nothing but vanity. In the first instant it involved the vanities of two personalities, and then embroiled the vanities of two nations. If the accolade of the â€Å"inventor of the Calculus† must go to one among the two, I believe it must go to him who has conducted himself with most honor. And in this duel Newton emerges the winner. I first catalogue all that can be said in favor of Leibniz. He was truly a philosopher, in contrast to the scientific genius that Newton was. If we examine his philosophy we will find that it is in complete harmony with what the science of the calculus describes. He postulated a theory of â€Å"monads†, which are infinitesimal units of reality in which the microcosm contains the macrocosm. Calculus is the analysis of infinitesimals, and we are able to see in it a reflection of the Monadology. Therefore it is very likely that he came to an independent discovery. Calculus was on the verge of being discovered in any case, which the works of Huygens, Barrow and Fermat attest to. It is recorded that Leibniz began work on the Calculus in 1674, independently of Newton (?), and was the first to publish in 1684 (Stillwell 2002, p. 159). His unique approach (the dy/dx notation) demonstrates clearly his originality. And because he starts from a philosophical point of view, his analysis is more intuitive and suitable to demonstration. This is why the Leibnizean notation and approach that has become the norm. But the fact remains that Newton was the first to come a thorough formulation of the Calculus. In a note to a paper written in 1666 we find him deriving a tangent to a curve using his â€Å"method of fluxions†. In this note there is as aside that reads â€Å"This is only a special case of a general method whereby I can calculate curves and determine maxima, minima, and centers of gravity† (Boyer 1959, p. 207). This clearly indicates that Newton had come to a complete formulation. But he has no regard for the vanity of publication, being the consummate scientist that he was. In the height of the controversy Newton is reported to have said, â€Å"I have never grasped at fame among foreign nations, but I am very desirous to preserve my character for honesty† (Brewster 2004, p. 72). Calculus to Newton was merely a tool that he required to come to his universal theory of gravitation and motion, and not something that should be flouted separately. He was even reluctant to publish the revolutionary Principia, and did so only after the prodding of Edmund Halley. Leibniz, on the other hand, was eager to publish and propagate his findings. While we admit to his originality to a large extent, the conduct of Leibniz is highly suspicious in the proceedings. He makes no defense of his integrity, as Newton does, but instead seem entirely intent on pushing the evidence alone, as if defending himself in a court of law, and this makes us feel that he is hiding something. Subsequent scholarship does indeed reveal that he manipulated documents before being released. He is also found to have possessed crucial papers of Newton which he fails to admit of, which C J Gerhardt unearthed in 1849, even though he did make such an admission shortly before his death (Cajori 1898, p. 240). We must judge by circumstantial evidence, because it is all that we have at this distance. When we focus on the conduct of the two disputants, Leibniz is certainly the suspect one. There is no doubt that they both collaborated with each other. But plagiarism must be construed when any one among them fails to be completely honest and forthcoming. From this point of view the accusation falls on Leibniz, who has surely acted suspiciously. Even by his own admission he was aided by Newton’s papers, yet he failed to acknowledge his debt in time. This amounts to plagiarism. And since it is Newton that he plagiarized from, it is fair to name Newton as the inventor of the Calculus. Reference List Boyer C B. (1959). The History of the Calculus and Its Conceptual Development. Chelmsford, MA: Courier Dover Publications. Brewster D. (2004). Memoirs of the Life, Writings and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton Part 2. Whitefish MT: Kessinger Publishing. Cajori F. (1898). A History of Elementary Mathematics. London: Macmillan. Rees N. (2006). Brewer's Famous Quotations: 5000 Quotations and the Stories. New York: Sterling Publishing Company. Stillwell J. (2002). Mathematics and Its History. New York: Springer Publishing Company.   

How Writing at the University Influences Your Future Career

How Writing at the University Influences Your Future Career Academic writing is a skill that you will need in order to increase your chances of gaining a salaried position instead of working for an hourly wage. Almost every position in the corporate world requires the ability to write reports and create other types of written documents. In addition, it is vital that your writing abilities are developed at the university level so that you can better utilize your intellect and make correct decisions. Here are three ways in which academic writing helps you: It organizes your thoughts. It stimulates your imagination. It improves your comprehension. In order to understand these ideas better, it would be a good idea to analyze each one of these points in more detail. This will allow you to apply them practically when you are involved with any sort of task that involves the training and improvement of your academic writing skills. Writing is an Efficient Way to Organize Your Thoughts. Academic writing can be thought of as a tool that allows you to take multiple ideas about a subject and place them in a structured format that allows you to understand how they all relate to each other. Oftentimes, there are many different concepts and approaches that are swimming around in your head. When you write these things down, you solidify them into system that allows you to comprehend everything more effectively. Writing makes all of these moving parts stabilized so that a core understanding can be created, and this foundation allows you to mentally digest everything with greater ease. Writing is a Productive Way to Stimulate Your Imagination Another great thing about academic writing is that it allows your imagination to flow because you are gaining a greater understanding about many different types of topics. When your imagination has new facts to ponder, it can take these elements and create even more ideas. Writing also lets you formulate your thoughts in a way that provides you with the ability to create many new options. When contemplating all of these new choices, you can whimsically juggle concepts and terms you may have never considered before. Writing is an Effective Way to Improve Your Intellect Academic writing is an expressive form of communication that increases your overall ability to think properly because you are exercising your intellectual prowess in a way that allows it to process new data in an improved way. Continual repetition and proper criticism will ultimately produce a superior ability to use your mind. Academic writing is training for your intellect in the same way that physical exercise is training for your body. This is the main reason why writing skills are so vitally important for your education. And if you want to improve your academic writing skills you can request professional help from specialized services like CustomWritings.com. Therefore, it is absolutely critical to gain as many new writing skills as possible while you are in college, so you will have more success when you go out and find a job. When you write well, you not only make yourself more intelligent, you also improve your odds of finding higher quality employment that pays you more money. Academic writing is the key that unlocks the doors to your greatest chances for success, so dont think of writing as a chore; think of it as an investment in your future. It is also important to realize that you cannot stop learning once you do get a job. You will always be required to keep learning new things as technology and ideas develop. Therefore, you need to write well, so you can keep the job you have. If you experience problems with academic writing now, CustomWritings.com essay writing service can help you!

Pacific Island Hopping in World War II

Pacific Island Hopping in World War II In mid-1943, the Allied command in the Pacific began Operation Cartwheel, which was designed to isolate the Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain. The key elements of Cartwheel involved Allied forces under General Douglas MacArthur pushing across northeastern New Guinea, while naval forces secured the Solomon Islands to the east. Rather than engage sizable Japanese garrisons, these operations were designed to cut them off and let them wither on the vine. This approach of bypassing Japanese strong points, such as Truk, was applied on a large scale as the Allies devised their strategy for moving across the central Pacific. Known as island hopping, U.S. forces moved from island to island, using each as a base for capturing the next. As the island-hopping campaign began, MacArthur continued his push in New Guinea while other Allied troops were engaged in clearing the Japanese from the Aleutians. Battle of Tarawa The initial move of the island-hopping campaign came in the Gilbert Islands when U.S. forces struck Tarawa Atoll. The capture of the island was necessary as it would allow the Allies to move on to the Marshall Islands and then the Marianas. Understanding its importance, Admiral Keiji Shibazaki, Tarawas commander, and his 4,800-men garrison heavily fortified the island. On November 20, 1943, Allied warships opened fire on Tarawa, and carrier aircraft began striking targets across the atoll. Around 9:00 a.m., the 2nd Marine Division began coming ashore. Their landings were hampered by a reef 500 yards offshore that prevented many landing craft from reaching the beach. After overcoming these difficulties, the Marines were able to push inland, though the advance was slow. Around noon, the Marines were finally able to penetrate the first line of Japanese defenses with the assistance of several tanks that had come ashore. Over the next three days, US forces succeeded in taking the island after brutal fighting and fanatical resistance from the Japanese. In the battle, U.S. forces lost 1,001 killed and 2,296 wounded. Of the Japanese garrison, only seventeen Japanese soldiers remained alive at the end of the fighting along with 129 Korean laborers. Kwajalein Eniwetok Using the lessons learned at Tarawa, U.S. forces advanced into the Marshall Islands. The first target in the chain was Kwajalein. Beginning on January 31, 1944, the islands of the atoll were pummeled by naval and aerial bombardments. Additionally, efforts were made to secure adjacent small islands for use as artillery firebases to support the main Allied effort. These were followed by landings carried out by the 4th Marine Division and the 7th Infantry Division. These attacks easily overran the Japanese defenses, and the atoll was secured by February 3. As at Tarawa, the Japanese garrison fought to nearly the last man, with only 105 of nearly 8,000 defenders surviving. As US amphibious forces sailed northwest to attack Eniwetok, the American aircraft carriers were moving to strike the Japanese anchorage at Truk Atoll. A principal Japanese base, US planes struck the airfields and ships at Truk on February 17 and 18, sinking three light cruisers, six destroyers, over twenty-five merchantmen, and destroying 270 aircraft. As Truk was burning, Allied troops began landing at Eniwetok. Focusing on three of the atolls islands, the effort saw the Japanese mount a tenacious resistance and utilize a variety of concealed positions. Despite this, the islands of the atoll were captured on February 23 after a brief but sharp battle. With the Gilberts and Marshalls secure, U.S. commanders began planning for the invasion of the Marianas. Saipan the Battle of the Philippine Sea Comprised primarily of the islands of Saipan, Guam, and Tinian, the Marianas were coveted  by the Allies as airfields that would place the home islands of Japan within range of bombers such as the B-29 Superfortress. At 7:00 a.m. on June 15, 1944, U.S. forces led by Marine Lieutenant General Holland Smiths V Amphibious Corps began landing on Saipan after a heavy naval bombardment. The naval component of the invasion force was overseen by Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner. To cover Turner and Smiths forces, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of the US Pacific Fleet, dispatched Admiral Raymond Spruances 5th US Fleet along with the carriers of Vice Admiral Marc Mitschers Task Force 58. Fighting their way ashore, Smiths men met determined resistance from 31,000 defenders commanded by Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito. Understanding the importance of the islands, Admiral Soemu Toyoda, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, dispatched Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa to the area with five carriers to engage the U.S. fleet. The result of Ozawas arrival was the Battle of the Philippine Sea, which pitted his fleet against seven American carriers led by Spruance and Mitscher. Fought June 19 and 20, American aircraft sank the carrier Hiyo, while the submarines USS Albacore and USS Cavalla sank the carriers Taiho and Shokaku. In the air, American aircraft downed over 600 Japanese aircraft while only losing 123 of their own. The aerial battle proved so one-sided that US pilots referred to it as The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. With only two carriers and 35 aircraft remaining, Ozawa retreated west, leaving the Americans in firm control of the skies and waters around the Marianas. On Saipan, the Japanese fought tenaciously and slowly retreated into the islands mountains and caves. U.S. troops gradually forced the Japanese out by employing a mix of flamethrowers and explosives. As the Americans advanced, the islands civilians, who had been convinced that the Allies were barbarians, began a mass suicide, jumping from the islands cliffs. Lacking supplies, Saito organized a final banzai attack for July 7. Beginning at dawn, it lasted over fifteen hours and overran two American battalions before it was contained and defeated. Two days later, Saipan was declared secure. The battle was the costliest to date for American forces with 14,111 casualties. Almost the entire Japanese garrison of 31,000 was killed, including Saito, who took his own life.   Guam Tinian With Saipan taken, U.S. forces moved down the chain, coming ashore on Guam on July 21. Landing with 36,000 men, the 3rd Marine Division and 77th Infantry Division drove the 18,500 Japanese defenders north until the island was secured on August 8. As on Saipan, the Japanese largely fought to the death, and only 485 prisoners were taken. As the fighting was occurring on Guam, American troops landed on Tinian. Coming ashore on July 24, the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions took the island after six days of combat. Though the island was declared secure, several hundred Japanese held out in the Tinians jungles for months. With the Marianas taken, construction began on massive airbases from which raids against Japan would be launched. Competing Strategies   Peleliu With the Marianas secured, competing strategies for moving forward arose from the two principal U.S. leaders in the Pacific.  Admiral Chester Nimitz  advocated bypassing the Philippines in favor of capturing Formosa and Okinawa. These would then be used as bases for attacking the Japanese home islands. This plan was countered by General Douglas MacArthur, who wished to fulfill his promise to return to the Philippines as well as land on Okinawa. After a lengthy debate involving President Roosevelt, MacArthurs plan was chosen. The first step in liberating the Philippines was the capture of Peleliu in the Palau Islands. Planning for invading the island had already begun as its capture was required in both Nimitz and MacArthurs plans. On September 15, the 1st Marine Division stormed ashore. They were later reinforced by the 81st Infantry Division, which had captured the nearby island of Anguar. While planners had originally thought that the operation would take several days, it ultimately took over two months to secure the island as its 11,000 defenders retreated into the jungle and mountains. Utilizing a system of interconnected bunkers, strong points, and caves,  Colonel Kunio Nakagawas garrison exacted a heavy toll on the attackers, and the Allied effort soon became a bloody grinding affair. On November 27, 1944, after weeks of brutal fighting that killed 2,336 Americans and 10,695 Japanese, Peleliu was declared secure. Battle of Leyte Gulf After extensive planning, Allied forces arrived off the island of Leyte in the eastern Philippines on October 20, 1944. That day, Lieutenant General Walter Kruegers U.S. Sixth Army began moving ashore. To counter the landings, the Japanese threw their remaining naval strength against the Allied fleet. To accomplish their goal, Toyoda dispatched Ozawa with four carriers (Northern Force) to lure  Admiral William Bull Halseys U.S. Third Fleet away from the landings on Leyte. This would allow three separate forces (Center Force and two units comprising Southern Force) to approach from the west to attack and destroy the U.S. landings at Leyte. The Japanese would be opposed by Halseys Third Fleet and  Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaids Seventh Fleet. The battle that ensued, known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf, was the largest naval battle in history and consisted of four primary engagements. In the first engagement on October 23-24, the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, Vice Admiral Takeo Kuritas Center Force was attacked by American submarines and aircraft losing a battleship,  Ã‚  Musashi, and two cruisers along with several others damaged. Kurita retreated out of range of U.S.  aircraft but returned to his original course that evening. In the battle, the escort carrier  USS  Princeton  (CVL-23) was sunk by land-based bombers. On the night of the 24th, part of the Southern Force led by Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura entered the Surigao Straight where they were attacked by 28 Allied destroyers and 39 PT boats. These light forces attacked relentlessly and inflicted torpedo hits on two Japanese battleships and sank four destroyers. As the Japanese pushed north through the straight, they encountered the six battleships (many of the  Pearl Harbor  veterans) and eight cruisers of the 7th Fleet Support Force led by  Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorf. Crossing the Japanese T, Oldendorfs ships opened fired at 3:16 AM and immediately began scoring hits on the enemy. Utilizing radar fire control systems, Oldendorfs line inflicted heavy damage on the Japanese and sank two battleships and a heavy cruiser. The accurate American gunfire then forced the remainder of Nishimuras squadron to withdraw. At 4:40 PM on the 24th, Halseys scouts located Ozawas Northern Force. Believing that Kurita was retreating, Halsey signaled Admiral Kinkaid that he was moving north to pursue the Japanese carriers. By doing so, Halsey was leaving the landings unprotected. Kinkaid was not aware of this as he believed Halsey had left one carrier group to cover the San Bernardino Straight. On the 25th, U.S. aircraft began pummeling Ozawas force in the Battle of Cape Engaà ±o. While Ozawa did launch a strike of around 75 aircraft against Halsey, this force was largely destroyed and inflicted no damage. By the end of the day, all four of Ozawas carriers had been sunk. As the battle was concluding, Halsey was informed that the situation off Leyte was critical.  Soemus  plan had worked. By Ozawa drawing away Halseys carriers, the path through the San Bernardino Strait was left open for Kuritas Center Force to pass through to attack the landings. Breaking off his attacks, Halsey began steaming south at full speed. Off Samar (just north of Leyte), Kuritas force encountered the 7th Fleets escort carriers and destroyers. Launching their planes, the escort carriers began to flee, while the destroyers valiantly attacked Kuritas much superior force. As the melee was turning in favor of the Japanese, Kurita broke off after realizing that he was not attacking Halseys carriers and that the longer he lingered, the more likely he was to be attacked by American aircraft. Kuritas retreat effectively ended the battle. The Battle of Leyte Gulf marked the last time the Imperial Japanese Navy would conduct large-scale operations during the war. Return to the Philippines With the Japanese defeated at sea, MacArthurs forces pushed east across Leyte, supported by the Fifth Air Force. Fighting through rough terrain and wet weather, they then moved north onto the neighboring island of Samar. On December 15, Allied troops landed on Mindoro and met little resistance. After consolidating their position on Mindoro, the island was used as a staging area for the invasion of Luzon. This took place on January 9, 1945, when Allied forces landed at Lingayen Gulf on the islands northwest coast. Within a few days, over 175,000 men came ashore, and soon MacArthur was advancing on Manila. Moving quickly, Clark Field, Bataan, and Corregidor were retaken, and pincers closed around Manila. After heavy fighting, the capital was liberated on March 3. On April 17, the Eighth Army landed on Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines. Fighting would continue on Luzon and Mindanao until the end of the war. Battle of Iwo Jima Located on the route from the Marianas to Japan, Iwo Jima provided the Japanese with airfields and an early warning station for detecting American bombing raids. Considered one of the home islands, Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi prepared his defenses in-depth, constructing a vast array of interlocking fortified positions connected by a large network of underground tunnels. For the Allies, Iwo Jima was desirable as an intermediate airbase, as well as a staging area for the invasion of Japan. At 2:00 a.m. on February 19, 1945, U.S. ships opened fire on the island, and aerial attacks began. Due to the nature of the Japanese defenses, these attacks proved largely ineffective. The next morning, at 8:59 a.m., the first landings began as the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Marine Divisions came ashore. Early resistance was light as Kuribayashi wished to hold his fire until the beaches were full of men and equipment. Over the next several days, American forces advanced slowly, often under heavy  machine-gun  and artillery fire, and captured Mount Suribachi. Able to shift troops through the tunnel network, the Japanese frequently appeared in areas that the Americans believed to be secure. Fighting on Iwo Jima proved extremely brutal as American troops gradually pushed the Japanese back. Following a final Japanese assault on March 25 and 26, the island was secured. In the battle, 6,821 Americans and 20,703 (out of 21,000) Japanese died.   Okinawa The final island to be taken before the proposed invasion of Japan was Okinawa. U.S. troops began landing on April 1, 1945, and initially met light resistance as Tenth Army swept across the south-central parts of the island, capturing two airfields. This early success led Lt. General Simon B. Buckner, Jr. to order the 6th Marine Division to clear the northern part of the island. This was accomplished after heavy fighting around Yae-Take. While land forces were fighting ashore, the US fleet, supported by the British Pacific Fleet, defeated the last Japanese threat at sea. Named  Operation Ten-Go, the Japanese plan called for the super battleship  Yamato  and the light cruiser  Yahagi  to steam south on a suicide mission. The ships were to attack the U.S. fleet and then beach themselves near Okinawa and continue the fight as shore batteries. On April 7, the ships were sighted by American scouts, and  Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher  launched over 400 aircraft to intercept them. As the Japanese ships lacked air cover, the American aircraft attacked at will, sinking both. While the Japanese naval threat was removed, an aerial one remained: kamikazes. These suicide planes relentlessly attacked the Allied fleet around Okinawa, sinking numerous ships and inflicting heavy casualties. Ashore, the Allied advance was slowed by rough terrain, and stiff resistance from the Japanese fortified at the southern end of the island. Fighting raged through April and May as two Japanese counteroffensives were defeated, and it was not until June 21 that resistance ended. The largest land battle of the Pacific war, Okinawa cost the Americans 12,513 killed, while the Japanese saw 66,000 soldiers die. Ending the War With Okinawa secured and American bombers regularly bombing and firebombing Japanese cities, planning moved forward for the invasion of Japan. Codenamed Operation Downfall, the plan called for the invasion of southern Kyushu (Operation Olympic) followed by seizing the Kanto Plain near Tokyo (Operation Coronet). Due to the geography of Japan, the Japanese high command had ascertained Allied intentions and planned their defenses accordingly. As planning moved forward, casualty estimates of 1.7 to 4 million for the invasion were presented to Secretary of War Henry Stimson. With this in mind, President Harry S. Truman authorized the use of the  new atom bomb  to bring a swift end to the war. Flying from Tinian, the B-29  Enola Gay  dropped the  first atom bomb  on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, destroying the city. A second B-29,  Bockscar, dropped a second on Nagasaki three days later. On August 8, following the Hiroshima bombing, the Soviet Union renounced its nonaggression pact with Japan and attacked into Manchuria. Facing these new threats, Japan unconditionally surrendered on August 15. On September 2, aboard the battleship  USS  Missouri  in Tokyo Bay, the Japanese delegation formally signed the instrument of surrender ending World War II.

Cost of capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cost of capital - Essay Example e returns to the company and the risks involved in the investment on purchasing the supplier has to be analysed and this process is known as the investment appraisal. Investment Appraisal is defined as; â€Å"Evaluation of the attractiveness of an investment proposal, using methods such as internal rate of return (IRR), net present value (NPV), or payback period (PP). Investment appraisal is an integral part of capital budgeting, and is applicable to areas even where the returns may not be easily quantifiable such as personnel, marketing, and training† (Gotze, Northcott, & Schuster, 2009, p24). Payback period, as the name indicates, computes the time taken for the project to generate cash flows to break even. In other words, it is the number of years that will be taken by the project to pay back the initial investment to the company (Emery, 2007). The payback period for this proposal is found to be 4 years (4 * $ 500,000). Net Present Value utilizes the discounted cash flows and computes the total worth of the project to the company. The cash flow estimates for the life of the project are discounted to present values and the net sum of the cash flows (including any outflows) provides the Net Present Value of the project (Gillespie, Lewis, & Hamilton, 1997). It indicates that the project will increase the worth of the company by this value. In this case, the NPV of the proposal is computed as shown below: The cost of capital in most cases is volatile and changes during the life of the project. This can affect the returns and the Net Present Value computed during the project start up. The internal rate of return is used to compute a maximum discount rate that can be applied to the project without incurred any losses and gives an indication of the margin of safety of the project (Emery, 2007). IRR calculation works on trial and error basis. Initially the NPV for an assumed rate is determined and based on this value; another rate is selected so that the new NPV