2007-2008 Non-Producer Compensation &Amp: Fill & Download for Free

Ok, so the blended wing body (BWB) passenger airplane is coming back again, thanks to Airbus. It promises fuel efficiency, more passengers, and so on and so forth. NASA studied BWB concept starting around 2007–2008 for large airplane applications such as airliners and cargo:X-48B subscale demonstator by NASAComparison of theoretical BWB airliner with 747Potential advantagesAs of now, the X-48 is still under study, potentially leading to a larger demonstrator airplane that is closer to the size of actual airliners. Still, that is a long way to go.On one hand, yes, a BWB theoretically could be more aerodynamically more efficient than conventional “tube and wing” metal airplane. And yes, they can fit in more people due to their large central cabin area. Obviously, this is very attractive to airliners because they can reduce fuel consumption and squeeze more people. On top of that, BWB airplanes generally looks sleek and futuristic; it’s something that I’m more than willing to fly in, provided there are no problems.But there are major problems.One of the biggest issues with BWB is emergency evacuation. In a conventional airliner, you’re never too far away from the exits:This is based on FAA requirements on emergency exit availability:14 CFR § 25.807 - Emergency exits.I’m going to direct your attention to part (f) and (g), it says:No emergency exits will be further than 60 ft from the next emergency exitThere is a ratio on how many exits to the number of seats/passengers to prevent overcrowdingHowever, if we look at the theoretical seating configuration of a BWB airliner:I have serious doubts that those seated in the center would have enough time to evacuate. The problem is only exacerbated when you consider a “double decker” BWB. Sure, those on the top deck can, theoretically, exit from the top (I doubt the FAA would let that pass though, since climbing on top requires some physical strength that younger, elderly, and injured passengers and crew may not have), but those on the bottom deck… we’ll they’re screwed.Another issue that may arise is because of the engine placement on top of the fuselage:If those engines got detached, one way or another, there is a concern that they’ll come off forward, crushing the cabin. Not a pretty outcome given how heavy that thing is and how many sharp blades it has.The other thing that may present certification issue (see where this is going?) is that the most recent iteration of BWB airliners are tailless (at least it won’t have horizontal tails). The tail of the airplane is used for stability and control. In military airplanes, where performance is king, this issue is mitigated using advanced flight computers that would automatically compensate for any instability. But these can, and have, failed:B-2 flying wing crash in Guam a few years ago, due to short circuit because water managed to seep into the computer system.A civilian airliner, carrying hundreds of people, would need to have safeguards against that. One obvious way of doing it is to make the V-tail in the back large enough. But this means that tail is very likely going to be humongous, adding drag and weight as well as offsetting the potential environmental benefits.Another way of doing it is to make the control system extremely robust, but again this can cost a lot of money and additions, maybe to the point that it’s not that different from conventional airliners.Large passenger capacity, while on paper sounds great, is not necessarily going to guarantee success. Take the Airbus A380, for example, an airplane that can carry 850 passengers max.Airbus is ending A380 production in 2021, not because it was a terrible performing airplane, but rather because Airbus misjudged the market. There is simply no demand for such a large, long-range airliner today.Lastly, there is also an issue that those seated in the middle won’t be able to see out of the windows. but this is more of a trivial issue, if at all, and today we have VR and other wonderful technologies that we can use to offset this.Basically, BWB airliners are going to be a nightmare to certify using current standards. They may need their own, special rules. If BWB airliners are ever going to be commercially feasible, it’s most likely not going to happen anytime soon. Maybe 50–70 years from now, maybe more.HOWEVER, for non-civilian applications, BWB are already in use (though they don’t really look that futuristic compared to current concepts):Tu-160 bomberB-1B bomberSR-71 recon airplaneThe requirements for military airplanes are generally different. As I noted earlier, performance comes above everything else. I could see that there may be a room in the market for BWB military transport, but this is more speculation. In any case, BWB haven’t been used much in the military anyway; these 3 examples are the only ones to have been produced in large (enough) quantities.

Thailand is special. On the one side, it's a unique Southeast Asian country which has never been colonized. On the other, Thailand compensates its high level of external firmness with an extreme level of internal political instability. After converting from the absolute to constitutional monarchy at 24 June 1932 Thailand has had 19 coup d'etat. It has resulted in 20th different constitutions latest of which was adapted 7 August 2016. Today Thailand is under the military rule yet again (headed by the National Council for Peace and Order).Another paradox is that Thailand's political instability goes in line with a relatively high level of the economic prosperity. It is the second largest economy in Southeast Asia with its GDP exceeding $400 billion. At the same time Thailand's economy is sufficiently diverse. Using its advantage in low labor costs and influx of direct investments from China, in the past 20 years Thailand has been able to develop competitive electronics manufacturing industry. Thailand is the second biggest producer of HDD disks in the World. On the other hand, historically, Thailand has had very sound agricultural exports. Thailand had long been number one World's exporter of rice. Country's tourism and service industries are also extremely well developed. Thailand became a major beneficiary of international travelers' boom of 1990th when the collapse of communistic block had brought to Thai beach resorts millions of Eastern European and Russian tourists. Thailand unemployment rate is uniquely low (less than 1%). It's explained by the fact that Thai population (specifically in rural areas) are massively involved into the non-formal economy such as home works or seasoned agriculture jobs.In 1998 Thailand became the first victim of Asian financial crisis. In 2004 major tsunami devastated broad coastal regions of the Country hammering tourism industry. This chain of event coupled with 2007-2008 World's financial crisis has significantly slowed Thailand's economic progress. It's GDP growth rate plummeted from 5-7% in 1990th to1-2% in 2016 . Currently, one of the most daring economic problem of Thai economy is the high level of corruption in federal and local governments.Perhaps, one of the most important contributors to the political instability inside Thailand is high level of income separation and over-concentration of economic and political power in hands of Thai elite. Notwithstanding Thailand's impressive progress in poverty reduction (the poverty rate has dropped from 32% in 2003 to 13% in 2011) country's per capita is not currently exceeds $6000. Obviously, this progress is not enough to satisfy the majority of Thai population.Today's Thailand presents itself a paradoxical picture of the thriving economy presided by the military government. Although, militants in Thailand have traditionally played a very important role in internal affairs of the Country (as Royal Throne's guardians), Thai educated middle class ('yellow shirts') as well as the growing mass of disenfranchised citizens ("red shirts") do not fully agree with restrictions imposed on their freedoms. That may only lead to more destabilizing events on the internal political front of the Thailand Kingdom.

I'll try to cover both households and businesses. I have a lot more insight on household, having advice from 3 generations of people who thrived through major financial crises. For businesses I don't have the same insight, but I hope the advice is helpful nonetheless.For a household:1) Stay out of debt. Zero credit card debts, zero home equity loans, zero auto loans, zero student loans. Mortgage is a tougher issue, but don't count on your home as a financial asset.Image source: Worldwide Debt Crisis Unravels: Doomsday Scenario for the MarketsIn a super inflationary environment, your debts get wiped out just because they're worthless, so it'd be a woohoo moment if you carried debt, but in a depression environment your debts would become your undoing, likely having everything taken from you to pay what's possible. In either case, zeroing out your debt leaves you in a better position.(It also leaves you in a better position without a crisis).2) Invest in old shop skills that used to be a staple of high school education. Learn how to fix your own car. Learn how to build your own shelves, cabinets, furniture, etc. Learn how to pull wires and hook up appliances. Learn how to do all your landscaping and other outdoor work yourself.Oh, and go ahead and buy some power tools. Make sure you get good ones that are going to last.3) Invest in food. Learn how to grow a garden and/or orchard. Learn how to preserve fresh food. Start producing your own produce and preserving what you harvest but don't eat.It takes surprisingly little land to produce more than enough produce for you and your family. Share with the neighborhood.And if you don't own land, you can garden in pots.It depends on how much light you can give them, but you'll be surprised how well some of the food plants can yield.2 and 3 are good to learn even fully absent a crisis. Learn to fix and build your own stuff, and you'll be amazed at how many things you used to spend money on, and how much money you all of a sudden find in your pocket. Fresh food is expensive. Car repairs are expensive. Carpentry is expensive. Your labor is almost as cheap as free. But if you think it's tough to afford these things in good times, just wait until a crisis and you'll find out those things get really expensive.4) Invest your time in your community. You'll find when everybody knows everybody, they'll be a lot nicer to each other and become a great support to each other. When somebody goes through a crisis in my community, the rest of us get together to support that family until they get back on their feet. You never know when that will be you, and you'll want a support network. The best way to become a recipient of a support network is to be a contributor to that network.(Since Quora has a large atheist community, I may get a few tomatoes thrown at me for mentioning it, but a lot of the investment in community can often come from being an active, participating member of a church.)5) Invest in family. If you or your family members find yourselves in dire straits in a major financial crisis, you'll find it much more economical to share a home than to pay for several individual houses.6) Store food and other household essentials. I'd recommend a year's worth, but any amount that you can manage to get together is better than nothing. Don't get the storage all at once, just buy more non-perishables than you need each week and put some into storage and gradually build up. And you'd be surprised how much you can store without feeling like it's intruding. I managed to get a few months worth while living in a tiny 2-bedroom apartment without even having to look at it except when drawing from it or adding to it.7) Don't strain yourself in doing all these things. Don't feel rushed, don't feel panicked, don't feel obligated and guilty if you're not already doing them. There's no set speed, and there's no "check this whole list or you're going to hell" thingy. You have more time than you think. After all, you're on Quora right now, aren't you?All in all, predicting which way the crisis is going to go is a crapshoot. Pick the path that gives you the best chances either way the crisis goes. You may be able to see the trend a year in advance, but it will most likely take 2 or 3 years to adequately prepare for it -- that is, by the time you know which way it's going, then unless you're already well into your preparations then you won't have time to really prepare.For businesses:Boom strategy and the strategy when expecting a bust are quite different. Everyone these days seems to be running on the boom strategy, so when the next bust hits it will be quite interesting to watch . . .So, bust strategy. If anyone suggests major revisions or corrections to me, I'm open to them as I don't have nearly as much experience in it -- just the experience of a few very close relatives who have run small businesses.1) Be debt averse. While some is unavoidable, growing your business to serve customers you don't have isn't a wise choice. Likewise, getting more customers than you have resources to serve also isn't a wise choice. In all this, try to grow as organically as possible -- that is, don't lever up until your customers are confident you'll be able to deliver long-term, and you're confident your customers will be buying long-term. Growing faster than your customer base is a sure-fire way to dig yourself a money hole you can't get out of.2) As soon as it's possible, sit on cash surpluses. Use cash to grow instead of debt, and keep a reserve in case revenues drop below operating costs. National Instruments does this, and during the 2007-2008 financial crisis they didn't have to lay anyone off and in fact used the opportunity to hire highly skilled engineers who had been laid off by other companies. Don't rely on financing to make payroll.3) Invest in your most valuable resources -- your employees. Rather than giving yourself a big bonus when the company does well, do things to make the employees feel you care about them. Make them want to stick around even if they have to take a small pay cut.4) The first expense you should slash if you need to cut costs is your own compensation. If it's not, then your employees won't be very happy about whatever budgets of theirs get cut -- either their compensation or their numbers.