Essay --

Introduction: Since ancient times, human had two types of energy. The two types are conventional energy and renewable energy. At that times with the available knowledge which guided human to use solar, wind and water energy which are named as renewable energy. Renewable energy defined as the energy which produced daily from nature itself without any direct cause by humans or life creatures. The second type of energy is the non-renewable or the conventional type which is the energy kind which cannot be recreated and it is created from very long time by creature’s bodies such oil, gas and coal. 1. Discuss and write about the conventional sources of energy that is widely utilized in Oman and provide examples with statistics. Nowadays the common used energy is the conventional type. It is used all over the world widely. In Oman it is the main source of energy and economy where it generates the production of the secondary type of energy like electricity. All the modern life at all its sides and faces they depend in oil and gas only. The discovery of oil was in 1962 while the production started on the end of 1960s. Oman production of oil is about 924,000 barrels per day according to 2012 statistics. Oman consumes 124,000 barrels for entire use and the rest for export. Gas production in the same line with oil always it reached up to 936.55 billion cubic feet while the exported amount is 317 billion cubic feet only. Coal production still not utilized as a main source. Oman needs extra and extra energy year after year, all that because of the development and the rise on the population. For example between 2000 and 2010 the amount of electricity which is produced for Oman entire use increased from 8.6 to 18.6.g igawatts. As a modern l... ... for green life and for modern ways to protect all the nature resources. Renewable energy is the future of all life not only the energy because it has no side effect, and no limits for its availability. The renewable energy will be large industry same as oil and gas but it will be much easier and safer. Conclusion: References: 1. Oman’s renewable energy potential - solar and wind | Norton Rose Fulbright. 2013. Oman’s renewable energy potential - solar and wind | Norton Rose Fulbright. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/knowledge/publications/75892/omans-renewable-energy-potential-solar-and-wind. [Accessed 29 November 2013]. 2. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). 2013. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=mu. [Accessed 29 November 2013].

Applying Critical and Creative Thinking in Daily Life Essay

Critical and creative thinking skills are a must when you have a family with two working parents and two children. This past year my wife and I have had to become very creative with our budgeting to keep our family on a clear financial track. Raising a family can be tricky for anyone but when financial problems unexpectedly arise it really throws a curve ball in the mix. We had to do some quick thinking and come up with some unusual methods to keep our family on track with the holidays quickly approaching. We used creative thinking to look around for the ideas and critical thinking to put those creative ideas out and decide which ones would work best for our situation. Last October with very little warning I lost my job. Now since my wife only works part time, I am the major bread winner in our family. My job supplies our money for our monthly bills, our health insurance and our life insurance. My wife’s paycheck is more for spending money and savings. However, our savings was extremely low because we had just purchased a new home a couple months before and had to make two unexpected trips home to Illinois within three weeks the month before because of illness in the family. When I came home and told my wife I was losing my job she was definitely extremely worried. We had to come up with a plan to keep our financial heads above water and quick. First we sat down and went over each and every expense in our household. We took out the ones we didn’t really need such as extra internet fees and clothing allowances for the next couple of months. These were just luxuries and our clothing was fine for now. We wanted to try our best for now to keep the kids’ lives minimally changed. Next we looked at ways to make extra income while I was unemployed. I am an IT security engineer so we knew that more than likely I would not be unemployed for long but we needed to plan for three months minimum. Also included in these three months was of course Christmas, which of course  means even more money is needed. I was previously in the military so I would continue to get my GI Bill money since I was going to school so that was helpful. My wife picked up extra hours anytime she could get them at work and I took small jobs on the side helping friends fix computer problems. Since I was home the daycare needs were able to be stopped and when I had interviews my wife found friends that could help out. The problems arose when we had to have some unexpected plumbing done in this time period. We do not typically use credit cards. We keep two on hand for times of emergency but after some bad experiences when we were younger we make it a must to pay them off immediately. Together we decided it was a must to put the plumbing fees on them and pay it off as soon as I got another job. Our daughter performs in a school activity and we had to ask her grandparents to help out with the fees to that. We told them she would understand if it was part of her Christmas present. It worked out great and helped her to understand that as a family we needed to work together. Keeping our house and vehicle payments, the utilities and food on the table were the most important things. All in all with some creative and critical thinking we have come through what could have been a complete financial crisis for us. We did not get too behind and as soon as I started working again we made sure to get all credit card bills paid back off and money back into our savings in case this ever happens again. REFERENCES Ruggiero, Vincent Ryan. (2012). The Art of Thinking: A Guide to Critical and Creative Thought, Tenth Edition. New Jersey: Pearson

Battle of Eutaw Springs in the American Revolution

The Battle of Eutaw Springs was fought September 8, 1781, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Armies Commanders Americans Major General Nathanael Greene2,200 men British Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Stewart2,000 men Background Having won a bloody victory over American forces at the Battle of Guilford Court House on March 1781, Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis elected to turn east for Wilmington, NC as his army was short on supplies. Assessing the strategic situation, Cornwallis later decided to march north into Virginia as he believed the Carolinas could only be pacified after subjugating the more northern colony. Pursuing Cornwallis part of the way to Wilmington, Major General Nathanael Greene turned south on April 8 and moved back into South Carolina. Cornwallis was willing to let the American army go as he believed that Lord Francis Rawdons forces in South Carolina and Georgia were sufficient to contain Greene. Though Rawdon possessed around 8,000 men, they were scattered in small garrisons throughout the two colonies. Advancing into South Carolina, Greene sought to eliminate these posts and reassert American control over the backcountry. Working in conjunction with independent commanders such as Brigadier Generals Francis Marion and Thomas Sumter, American troops began capturing several minor garrisons. Though beaten by Rawdon at Hobkirks Hill on April 25, Green continued his operations. Moving to attack the British base at Ninety-Six, he laid siege on May 22. In early June, Greene learned that Rawdon was approaching from Charleston with reinforcements. After an assault on Ninety-Six failed, he was compelled to abandon the siege. The Armies Meet Though Greene had been forced to retreat, Rawdon elected to abandon Ninety-Six as part of a general withdrawal from the backcountry. As the summer progressed, both sides wilted in the regions hot weather. Suffering from ill-health, Rawdon departed in July and turned command over to Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Stewart. Captured at sea, Rawdon was an unwilling witness during the Battle of the Chesapeake in September. In the wake of the failure at Ninety-Six, Greene moved his men to the cooler High Hills of Santee where he remained for six weeks. Advancing from Charleston with around 2,000 men, Stewart established a camp at Eutaw Springs approximately fifty miles northwest of the city. Resuming operations on August 22, Greene moved to Camden before turning south and advancing on Eutaw Springs. Short on food, Stewart had begun sending out foraging parties from his camp. Around 8:00 AM on September 8, one of these parties, led by Captain John Coffin, encountered an American scouting force overseen by Major John Armstrong. Retreating, Armstrong led Coffins men into an ambush where Lieutenant Colonel Light-Horse Harry Lees men captured around forty of the British troops. Advancing, the Americans also captured a large number of Stewarts foragers. As Greenes army approached Stewarts position, the British commander, now alerted to the threat, began forming his men to the west of the camp. A Back and Forth Fight Deploying his forces, Greene used a formation similar to his earlier battles. Placing his North and South Carolina militia in the front line, he supported them with Brigadier General Jethro Sumners North Carolina Continentals. Sumners command was further reinforced by Continental units from Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. The infantry was supplemented by units of cavalry and dragoons led by Lee and Lieutenant Colonels William Washington and Wade Hampton. As Greenes 2,200 men approached, Stewart directed his men to advance and attack. Standing their ground, the militia fought well and exchanged several volleys with the British regulars before yielding under a bayonet charge. As the militia began to retreat, Greene ordered Sumners men forward. Halting the British advance, they too began to waver as Stewarts men charged forward. Committing his veteran Maryland and Virginia Continentals, Greene stopped the British and soon began counterattacking. Driving the British back, the Americans were on the verge of victory when they reached the British camp. Entering the area, they elected to stop and pillage the British tents rather than continue the pursuit. As the fighting was raging, Major John Marjoribanks succeeded in turning back an American cavalry attack on the British right and captured Washington. With Greenes men preoccupied with looting, Marjoribanks shifted his men to a brick mansion just beyond the British camp. From the protection of this structure, they opened fire on the distracted Americans. Though Greenes men organized an assault on the house, they failed to carry it. Rallying his troops around the structure, Stewart counterattacked. With his forces disorganized, Greene was compelled to organize a rearguard and fall back. Retreating in good order, the Americans withdrew a short distance to the west. Remaining in the area, Greene intended to renew the fighting the next day, but wet weather prevented this. As a result, he elected to depart the vicinity. Though he held the field, Stewart believed his position was too exposed and began withdrawing to Charleston with American forces harassing his rear. Aftermath In the fighting at Eutaw Springs, Greene suffered 138 killed, 375 wounded, and 41 missing. British losses numbered 85 killed, 351 wounded, and 257 captured/missing. When members of the captured foraging party are added, the number of British captured totals around 500. Though he had won a tactical victory, Stewarts decision to withdraw to the safety of Charleston proved a strategic victory for Greene. The last major battle in the South, the aftermath of Eutaw Springs saw the British focus on maintaining enclaves on the coast while effectively surrendering the interior to American forces. While skirmishing continued, the focus of major operations shifted to Virginia where Franco-American forces won the key Battle of Yorktown the following month.