Republic Plato Essay Example for Free

Republic Plato Essay A noble lie is necessary for smooth and peaceful governance. In Republic, Plato offers a wide account that seeks to justify the use of lies among the societal elite. Using the example of a stratified society that is made up of rulers, auxiliaries, and farmers, Plato emphasizes that a society needs these clear strata for a peaceful co-existence. However, this stratification needs to be solidified and justified by a pack of lies which he calls, The Noble Lie. For instance, the people need to be assured that these strata are not as a result of forces within their control but it is the will of God that demands so. It is the will of God that intervenes during birth; so that some people are born with gold entrenched in their souls, others with silver, and others with iron. Apparently, those born with gold make the rulers’ class while the silvers are the auxiliaries and those born with iron are the farmers’. It was believed that if the rulers sired children with silver or even iron they would definitely relinquish their rulers’ status and take the auxiliaries or the framers status depending on the metal in their souls. The same case applied to those in the auxiliary and farmers’ category that were with gold – they would be promoted to the rulers’ class. To mitigate such scenarios, it was also believed that people from different metal classes should not intermarry – marriage was strictly within the same classes (Pangle, 1988). Fundamentally, the noble lie is comparatively similar with the contemporary religion given that they all aim at piecing the society together so as to avoid unnecessary wrangles. Religion, like the noble lie seeks to instill a sense of confidence and trust in the supreme deity who is conventionally believed to be responsible for all issues affecting human kind. Though the myth is a work of fiction from a fertile mind, it succeeds in hammering home its message. The noble message is that human beings cannot be morally and socially equal; some will be rulers while others will be the servants to the rulers. Perhaps Plato’s decision to use noble lie was informed by his conviction that not many people in the society are capable of making good leaders, given that good leaders are expected to make smart decisions. Apparently, those smart decisions need to be laced with â€Å"necessary lies† capable of holding the society together even in the thick of temptations (Pangle, 1988). A good example of noble lies applied in contemporary governance matters is the Iraqi invasion by the western world led by the United States and United Kingdom. Ideally, both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair administrations used the noble lie(s) to drum support from the public that indeed an Iraqi invasion was justified. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Americans developed a feeling that terrorism needed to be fought even no matter the consequences. On the other hand, the British public like very many others at the time, particularly non-Muslims had great fears on Saddam developing weapons of mass destruction. These situations provided the best opportunities for the Bush and Blair Governments. For instance, it was very easy for the Bush administration to tie up a few truths (fighting terrorism) with the big lie, that Saddam Hussein was giving refuge to terrorists to justify an invasion. On the other hand, Blair had an easy time convincing the British public that invading Iraq would rid Saddam Hussein of the deadly weapons of mass destruction. Both lies were indeed â€Å"noble† given that they were based on the notion that a toppled Saddam Hussein leadership would create a peaceful world to live in (Postel, 2003). The main reasoning behind Plato’s conception of a stratified society is that a society needed all categories of people for it to be productive. Leaders provided ideas responsible for holding the society together while the auxiliaries provided the critical guarding services to critical personalities and places, with the farmers providing the menial labor for various activities. To him, the lie did not matter or even loose morality given that people believed that their â€Å"God† was responsible for putting a different metal in each individual’s soul and bloodstreams before s/he was born. If the people believed, just as religion demands of them in God then the society will be more governable in a â€Å"just† manner (Mason, 2004). Similar sentiments are shared by Pfaff (2003), when he argues â€Å"that the essential truths about society and history should be held by an elite, and withheld from others who lack the fortitude to deal with truth. Society, Strauss thought, needs consoling lies. † Ideally, this was a conviction based on the notion that the auxiliaries and farmers alike were not fit to enjoy explicit freedom or even capable of cushioning the potential shocks in the event they were told the â€Å"truths. † Or even as Urdaibay (1) asserts, There are different kinds of truths for different kinds of people. There are truths appropriate for children; truths that are appropriate for students; truths that are appropriate for educated adults; and truths that are appropriate for highly educated adults, and the notion that there should be one set of truths available to everyone is a modern democratic fallacy [that] †¦ doesnt work. After all, Plato reasoned that any attempts to tell them the truth would be an exercise in futility as they would not understand the gist of any truths given that their iron coated souls and bloodstreams undermined their potential for grasping truthful things – they could only understand lies which were laced with some elements of nobility. It is only to assert that if they realize the truth behind the laws of nature that are taught to them that, â€Å"the right of the superior to rule over the inferior, the master over the slave, the husband over the wife, and the wise few over the vulgar many† they will definitely revolt against the set social norms and order (Mason 2004). In fact, those rulers should be those people who know and acknowledge that there is no morality or ethics, and that oppression should be applied among the masses to ensure no one challenged the big lie. Strauss galvanizes this argument by asserting that, people should not told about such fundamental truths and that selective teaching should be encouraged in order to keep the masses within the limits of noble lie(s). And that the masses need not be taught beyond what they ought to know (Postel 2003). Work Cited Mason, John, G. Leo Strauss and the Noble Lie: The Neo-Cons at War. Available at: http://www. logosjournal. com/mason. htm/ accessed on July 24, 2010. Pangle, Thomas, Ed. The laws of Plato by Plato. University of Chicago Press, 1988. Pfaff, William. â€Å"The Long Reach of Leo Strauss,† Op-Ed, International Herald Tribune, May 15, 2003. Postel, Danny. Noble lies and perpetual war: Leo Strauss, the neo-cons, and Iraq, October 16, 2003. Available at: http://www. opendemocracy. net/debates/ accessed on July 24, 2010. Urdaibay, Alan. Atheism Central for Secondary Schools, 1999. Available at; http://www. eclispe. co. uk/thoughts/noblelie. htm/ accessed on July 24, 2010.

Texas Lottery and Education Funding Essay Example for Free

Texas Lottery and Education Funding Essay Texans believe that participating in the Texas Lottery helps the Texas Education Foundation but little do they know; how much money actually goes to the Texas Education Foundation. The effect of the Texas Lottery is causing more of a negative impact on Texans than the Education Foundation is benefiting. The Texas Lottery negatively impacts the people that play the lottery and the programs that are supposed to benefit from the proceeds. Because of the big dream of winning, the lottery has taken a toll on Texans. â€Å"People believe that the Texas Lottery is their only chance to strike it rich† (Buckland, 2010). There is not near enough money going towards the Texas Education Foundation. When the lottery first started, the Texas Education Foundation was promised to benefit much more than they are now. Since 1996, the money raised for the Texas Education Foundation paid for two weeks of schooling but today it has plummeted greatly to only paying close to three days of schooling (Dexheimer, 2010). The outcome of the lottery is not what was projected. The current cash flow does not match the projections for the education fund as when the lottery was first initiated. â€Å"Last year, the lottery sold nearly $700 million more tickets than in 1998 – and gave schools $160 million less† (Dexheimer, 2010). The Texas Lottery is negatively impacting the poor and uneducated population. The Texas Lottery demographic studies provide contradictory information concerning the games and the profits benefiting the Texas Education Foundation, and prey on the poor (Turner, 2012). Statistics show the difference in average money gambled between the educated and uneducated population. â€Å"College graduates spent a median ten dollars a month; those without high school diplomas, $25† (Turner, 2012). This research proves the negative social impact of the Texas Lottery. â€Å"In one of the most depressing, ever perpetuating social economic trends, new research from the Journal of Risk and Uncertainty shows that poor people continue to spend about nine percent of their annual income on lottery tickets† (Buckland, 2010). Texans believe that the Lottery is benefiting the Education Foundation but in reality the Texas Education Foundation is not receiving their fair share of proceeds. Therefore, the Texas Lottery advertisement has been misleading to the public. In a nut shell, the Texas Lottery is not delivering the benefits that were promised for Texans. According to the Texas Lottery in 1992, approximately 27 cents of every dollar the organization earned went to support Texas Education, but then in 1997, the Texas Legislature stepped in and made a difference by dedicating Texas Lottery Funds to the Texas Foundation School Fund and the Texas Lottery funded 13 billion dollars just within that year of change. (Hood,2011). History In 1991, before the lottery was approved by Governor Ann Richards in a televised address, she told voters that they had to choose between a huge tax bill or the lottery, if they wanted good schools. Then The Robin Hood Plan was proposed in 1993. This plan was endorsed by the State to offer court mandated fair school funding for the schools in district. Similar to the tale of Robin Hood, the law collected property tax money from wealthy schools and redistributed the funding to poor schools attempting to balance all school districts in Texas. This plan ended up falling through because the Texas Supreme Court found that the majority of school districts were being taxed the maximum rate, which the Texas Constitution prohibits.(Heines and Tinsley, 1997). In 1997, the lottery funds were placed in a general fund that was distributed to public education, health, public safety and human services. â€Å"There is no question that the Texas Lottery is the most successful state lottery in the co untry and is contributing more than a billion dollars a year to state coffers† (Heines Tinsley 1997). This was the year where the State Representative Richard Raymond and D Benavides law makers believed that the lottery funds should be dedicated to education. Texans voted for a constitutional amendment that allowed funds of the lottery to be dedicated to education funding. But the Texas Legislature examined Lottery funds of other states including California and Florida who had dedicated lottery money to the education and discovered that these states had less money for education. Critics from this era believed that states without lotteries collected fewer taxes than the states with lotteries. (Heines Tinsley 1997). In 2009, a great amount of the stimulus funds were designated for education spending. The 91 billion dollars that was supported by this fund did not cover the total federal spending on education of the years 2008 to 2009 which summed up to be 667 billion dollars. An estimation of 570 billion dollars was not supported by the total education bill of federal spending. It costs an estimated 35 billion dollars to cover kindergarten through twelfth grade on a yearly basis. (Voice,2011). â€Å"Texas law says lottery proceeds are supposed to go toward education† (Oberg 2011). The lottery has only given one billion dollars every year to Texas Schools since 1998, but since lottery sales have become greater, the lottery has not been giving more money to the Texas schools. Even with the lottery earnings increasing the amount of money applied towards the Education Fund has not shown the difference of cash increase. One of the reasons why education is not benefiting is because the Lottery Managers are making the jackpots too large. So much so it is more than they can manage to afford. Sixty-two percent of money raised by the Lottery pays for the winners’ prizes. They also have to use ten percent of the money to run the lottery’s game and use more expenses to maintain the lottery program. After all of the money already mentioned is paid out, the little bit of money that is left is given to the Education Fund. (Work, 2011). In the years that the Texas Lottery has been contributing to the Education Fund, studies now show the truth on really how much is actually funding the schools. People can now be more informed on how the lottery distributes their funds and have an understanding of how much taxes public schools are being funded. With the Texas Lottery being in affect for many years it will never catch up to the economic growth of school finances. With each year school finances increases; the lottery should consider matching the percentage rate of education funding distributed from the lottery. If they cannot match the financial increases then the Texas Lottery should not be supported by Texans. As a result, The Texas Lottery has become a negative impact on the poor and uneducated and has not provided the dividends that were expected for all Texans. References Buckland, Jason. â€Å"How Lottery Tickets Ravage Low Income Families,† MSN MONEY, May 28, 2010. http://www.everydaymoney.ca/2010/05/how-lottery-tickets-ravage-lowincome-families.html Dexheimer, Eric. â€Å"A Different Game than State was Sold Two Decades Ago,† AMERICAN STATESMAN-STAFF, September 7, 2010. http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/texas-lottery-a-different-game-than-state-was-so-1/nRxZd/\ Heines, Vivienne and Tinsley, Anna M. â€Å" Most Texans think lottery is good way for state to raise money† Harte-Hanks Communications, February 24, 1997. http://www.texnews.com/texas97/texpoll022497.html Hood, Rebecca. â€Å"I Wonder: Texas Lottery and Education,† KVUE.COM, April 4, 2011. http://www.kvue.com/news/local/I-Wonder-Texas-Lottery-and-education-119036764.html Oberg, Ted. â€Å"How Much of your Lottery ticket is helping education† ABC 13 News, May 18, 2011. http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/in_focusid=8136388 Turner, Allan. â€Å"Texas Lottery Proved Popular Last Year,† HOUSTON CHRONICLE, January 18, 2012. http://www.chron.com/news/texas-lottery/article/Texas-Lottery-proved-popular-last-year-2591258.php Voice â€Å"Getting Educated† The Daily Hurricane, March 28,2011. http://dailyhurricane.com/2011/03/gambling-with-our-chidrens-education-and-our-future.html Work, Ann. â€Å"Schools get $1 billion from lottery† Times Record News, April 28,2011 http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2011/apr/28/schools-get-1-billion-from-lottery/?print=1. Bibliography BUCKLAND, JASON. â€Å"How Lottery Tickets Ravage Low Income Families,† MSN MONEY, May 28, 2010. http://www.everydaymoney.ca. (11/19/2012). DEXHEIMER, ERIC. â€Å"A Different Game than State was Sold Two Decades Ago,† AMERICAN STATESMAN-STAFF, September 7, 2010. http//www.statesman.com. (11/19/2012). HEINES, VIVIENNE and TINSLEY M. ANNA. â€Å"Most Texans Think Lottery is Good Way for State to Raise Money† HARTE-HANKS COMMUNICATIONS, February 24,1997. http://www.texnews.com. (11/19/2012) HOOD, REBECCA. â€Å"I Wonder: Texas Lottery and Education,† KVUE.COM, April 4, 2011. http://www.kvue.com. (11/19/2012). OBERG,TED. â€Å"How Much of Your Lottery Ticket is Helping Education,† ABC 13 NEWS, May, 18, 2011. http://abclocal.go.com. (11/19/2012). TURNER, ALLAN. â€Å"Texas Lottery Proved Popular Last Year,† HOUSTON CHRONICLE, January 18, 2012. http://www.chron.com.(11/19/2012). VOICE. â€Å"Getting Educated,† THE DAILY HURRICANE, March 28,2011. http://dailyhurricane.com. (11/19/2012). WORK, ANN. â€Å"Schools Get $1 Billion from Lottery,† TIMES RECORD NEWS, April 28, 2011. http://www.timesrecordnews.com. (11/19/2012) Work Cited 1.Jason Buckland. â€Å"How Lottery Tickets Ravage Low Income Families,† MSN MONEY, May 28, 2010. 2. Eric Dexheimer. â€Å"A Different Game than State was Sold Two Decades Ago,† AMERICAN STATESMAN-STAFF, September 7, 2010. 3.Eric Dexheimer, Pg. 1. 4.Allan Turner. â€Å"Texas Lottery Proved Popular Last Year,† HOUSTON CHRONICLE, January 18, 2012. 5. Allan Turner, Pg. 1. 6. Jason Buckland. Pg.1. 7.Rebecca Hood. â€Å"I Wonder: Texas Lottery and Education,† KVUE.COM, April 4, 2011. 8. Vivienne Heines and Anna M. Tinsley â€Å" Most Texans Think Lottery is Good Way for State to Raise Money† HARTE-HANKS COMMUNICATIONS, February 24, 1997. 9. Voice â€Å"Getting Educated† THE DAILY HURRICANE, March 28,2011. 10. Vivienne Heines and Anna M. Tinsley, Pg. 1. 11. Voice, Pg. 1. 12. Ted Oberg â€Å"How Much of your Lottery ticket is helping education† ABC 13 News, May 18, 2011. 13. Ann Work â€Å"Schools get $1 billion from lottery† Times Record News, April 28,2011.

Solving Large Systems of Linear Simultaneous Equations

Solving Large Systems of Linear Simultaneous Equations NICOLE LESIRIMA METHODS OF SOLVING LARGE SYSTEMS OF LINEAR SIMULTANEOUS EQUATIONS PROJECT DESCRIPTION Linear systems simulate real-world problems using applied numerical procedure. The main aim of this project is to consider what factors affect the efficiency of the various methods of solving linear simultaneous equations. So far, one of the main factors is rounding errors that can produce inaccurate solutions. Moreover, MATLAB programs have been produced to time the calculation speed to determine the efficiency of the methods. Generally, these methods are subdivided into two; direct and iterative methods. Direct methods are commonly used to solve small systems of equations. The iterative methods are used to solve real-world problems that produce systems of equations for which the coefficient matrices are sparse. The relevance of studying these methods have its real world applications. The real world applications can be seen in various fields such as science and engineering, accounting and finance, business management and in operational research. The approach provides a logical framework for solving complex decisions in a wide range of industries. The advantage is that, decisions are founded on data analysis. Environmentalists and meteorologists may use large systems of simultaneous linear equations to predict future outcomes. For instance, to predict weather patterns or climate change, a large volume of data is collected over a long span of time on many variables including, solar radiation, carbon emissions and ocean temperatures. Queen Mary University of London (2015). This data is represented in the form of a transition matrix that has to be row reduced into a probability matrix that can then be used in the prediction of climate change. The objective of an enterprise is to maximize returns while maintaining minimum costs. Whereas the use of large systems of simultaneous linear equations may provide a basis for evidence based business decision making in an enterprise, it is important to know which linear systems are most appropriate in order to minimize undesirable outcomes for an enterprise. PROJECT REPORT OUTLINE Chapter 1 Introduction Large systems of linear simultaneous equations are used to simulate real-world problems using applied numerical procedure. The real world applications can be seen in various fields such as science and engineering, accounting and finance, business management. The approach provides a logical framework for solving complex decisions in a wide range of industries. The advantage is that decisions are founded on data analysis. The aim of this project is to explore the efficiency of a large systems of linear simultaneous equations in the optimal decision making of an enterprise. Chapter 2 Direct Methods: Gaussian Elimination and LU Factorisation Direct methods of solving linear simultaneous equations are introduced. This chapter will look at the Gaussian Elimination and LU Factorisation methods. Gaussian Elimination involves representing the simultaneous equations in an augmented form, performing elementary row operations to reduce the upper triangular form and finally back substituting to form the solution vector. LU Factorisation on the other hand is where a matrix A finds a lower triangular matrix L and an upper triangular matrix U such that A = LU. The purpose of this lower triangular matrix and upper triangular matrix is so that the forward and backward substitutions can be directly applied to these matrices to obtain a solution to the linear system. An operation count and computing times using MATLAB is calculated so as to determine the best method to use. Chapter 3 Cholesky Factorisation Introduction to the Cholesky method. This is a procedure whereby the matrix A is factorised into the product of a lower triangular matrix and its transpose; the forward and backward substitutions can be directly applied to these matrices to obtain a solution. A MATLAB program is written to compute timings. A conclusion can be drawn by comparing the three methods and determining which is the most suitable method that will produce the most accurate result as well as take the shortest computing time. Chapter 4 Iterative Methods: Jacobi Method and Gauss-Seidel This chapter will introduce the iterative methods that are used to solve linear systems with coefficient matrices that are large and sparse. Both methods involve splitting the matrix A into lower triangular, diagonal and upper triangular matrices L, D, U respectively. The main difference comes down to the way the x values are calculated. The Jacobi method uses the previous x values (n) to calculate the next iterated x values (n+1). The Gauss-Seidel uses the new x value (n+1) to calculate the x2 value. Chapter 5 Successive Over Relaxation and Conjugate Gradient Other iterative methods are introduced. The Successive Over Relaxation method over relaxes the solution at each iteration. This method is calculated using the weighted sum of the values from the previous iteration and the values form the Gauss-Seidel method at the current iteration. The Conjugate Gradient method involves improving the approximated value of xk to the exact solution which may be reached after a finite number of iterations usually smaller than the size of the matrix. Chapter 6 Conclusion All the project findings and results are summarised in this chapter. Conclusion can be made from both direct methods and iterative methods whereby the most accurate method with the shortest computing time can be found. Drawbacks from each method will be mentioned as well its suitability for solving real world problems. PROGRESS TO DATE The project to date has covered the direct methods of solving simultaneous equations. Gaussian Elimination This involves representing the simultaneous equations in an augmented form, performing elementary row operations to reduce the upper triangular form and finally back substituting to form the solution vector. For example, to solve an mxn matrix: Ax = b The aim of the Gaussian elimination is to manipulate the augmented matrix [A|b] using elementary row operations; by adding a multiple of the pivot rows to the rows beneath the pivot row i.e. Rià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   Ri +kRj. Once the augmented matrix is in the row echelon form, the solution is found using back substitution. The following general matrix equation has been reduced to row echelon form: This corresponds to the linear system Rearranging the final solution is given by For all other equations i = n 1, . . ., The operation count and timing the Gaussian Elimination was performed. The total number of operations for an nxn matrix using the Gaussian elimination is with O(N3). LU Factorisation This is where a matrix A finds a lower triangular matrix L and an upper triangular matrix U such that A = LU. The purpose of this lower triangular matrix and upper triangular matrix is so that the forward and backward substitutions can be directly applied to these matrices to obtain a solution to the linear system. In general, L and U is an m x n matrix: L =   U =   For higher order matrices, we can derive the calculation of the L and U matrices. Given a set of n elementary matrices E1, E2,†¦, Enapplied to matrix A, row reduce in row echelon form without permuting rows such that A can be written as the product of two matrices L and U that is A = LU, Where U = En†¦E2E1A, L = E1-1 E2-1†¦En-1   For a general nxn matrix, the total number of operations is O(N3). A Matlab program has been produced to time the LU Factorisation. So far, this method has proven more efficient than the Gaussian Elimination. Cholesky Factorisation This is a procedure whereby the matrix A is factorised into the product of a lower triangular matrix and its transpose i.e. A = LLT   or    =      The Cholesky factorisation is only possible if A is a positive definite. Forward and backward substitution is employed in finding the solutions. The method was also timed at it can be concluded that it is the most effective and efficient direct method for solving simultaneous equations. The indirect methods have been introduced with a short outline of what each method entails. Work Still to be Completed       As from the objectives layed out from the terms of reference, the following are the objectives that are yet to be completed. Week 13 16: Evaluating the convergence rate of the iterative methods in detail as well as finding out which method improves the solution efficiency.   Production of MATLAB programs analysing the different methods and other methods. Over the next 3 weeks, the conditions for convergence will be analysed. One of the most important conditions that will be studied is the spectral radius. This is a condition applied on the indirect methods to determine how fast or slow a method takes to achieve the state of convergence. Moreover, the project will also produce Matlab programs for the iterative methods and employ the spectral radius on these programs to determine the speed of convergence for large sparse matrices. Weeks 17 19: Introduction to the Successive Over-Relaxation (SOR) method and the Conjugate Gradient method. Successive Over-Relaxation method improves the rate of convergence of the Gauss-Siedel method by over-relaxing the solution at every iteration. While the Conjugate Gradient improves the approximated value of x to the exact solution. Matlab programs will be produced for the two methods together with the speed of convergence of different sizes of matrices. Week 20 24:Writing the findings and conclusions of the report, finalising on the bibliography and doing a review of the project as a whole.   Preparing oral and poster presentation.

Ireland Conflict :: essays research papers fc

Conservation of the Amazon Rain Forests The rainforests are essential for life on earth, and destroying them could result in an ecological imbalance and the loss of many valuable resources; therefore measures must be established to protect the world’s rainforests. The rainforests are a major factor in the stability of the environment, especially in the greenhouse effect and the help to fight pollution. The Amazon Rain forest is the largest tropical rain forest of the world. It covers about 2 million square miles and about two-thirds of the forest is in Brazil. The rain forest lies in parts of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, and Venezuela. The rainforest receives about 50 to 175 inches and the average temperature is about 80 degrees. The Amazon rain forest contains a huge variety of plants and animals than any other place in the world. A statistic shows that a two and half acre area contains about 280 or more species of animals and trees. The growth of resources has made the rain forest decrease in size over the years. Only six percent of the rain forests are being protected today. Human activities are out of control and the forests are depleting rapidly. The rain forests are the homes to a variety of animals. These animals such as monkeys, gorillas, and leopards are a big source of food, which the native villagers heavily depend on. Many villagers depend on certain animals for me dicine. The two major factors that are destroying the rain forests are logging and poaching, logging being the greater of the two. â€Å"The further aspects of man’s impact on the vegetation of the rain forests must be mentioned: (1)the commercial exploitation of trees for lumber, (2)the continued exploitation of wood for fuel, including charcoal, and (3)the introduction of exotic trees for production of raw materials.†(Bennett 230) Logging itself, does not have to be so destructive. The multiple clearances of land are what is so destructive. The forest has the ability to replenish itself if given the proper time to. The problem is that as soon as the new trees reach a suitable size they are cut again. Some areas of the rain forest have been cleared three times in thirty years. Logging has grown extensively, and there is a spread of it into the last intact forests. One of these is the Amazon River Basin. The Basin is being logged from every side.

The Role of Mrs. Hammond and Emily in Rebecca Rushs Novel Kelroy Essay

The Role of Mrs. Hammond and Emily in Rebecca Rush's Novel Kelroy In this day and age, women have liberties that are often taken for granted. Women have the freedom to choose which university they will attend (if they plan on attending college), what career they wish to pursue, and also whom their mate in marriage will be. In early American days, liberties of women were looked upon from society as being wealthy and holding high social status. Many did not have the opportunity to pursue a career, much less decide what university they preferred to attend. They were fortunate to even have the opportunity receive a higher education beyond reading! Choosing the right men for their futures ensured them the luxuries they wished to maintain. If they were not already included in "upper society," their chances of upward mobility were slim to none. If the family lost their fortune, their only salvation was to be married back into wealth, another slim to none chance. This is the reality Rebecca Rush clearly paints in Kelroy. Rush projects her jud gment on early American society and the role of women and marriage. Using the creation of two main characters, Mrs. Hammond and Emily Hammond, Rush is able to project her disapproval of society's ways through their opposing views and personalities. The opening of the novel begins with a transparency of American society. Rush quickly illustrates how "the good natured world" orchestrates. The reader is not disillusioned to the reality of the Hammond's society. A reality Mrs. Hammond herself is fully conscious of. "Still she retained an unabated relish for show and dissipation, which her knowledge of the world, on which she prided herself much, taught her could only be o... ... They are viewed as gossips only concerned with the display of proper mannerisms and fashions. Rush is able to enlighten readers to see that even though women were allowed little liberties, they could still provide a higher level of human nature. Something that neither liberty nor education can provide. Through Mrs. Hammond, she displays the outlook of society's views on women and how many women perceived it as their only reality. Through Emily, Rush is able to challenge society in all its vanity and selfishness. Emily represents the future aspiration of women and the mark they will leave for following what they know to be true, their hearts. Work Cited Murray, Judith Sargent. "On the Equality of the Sexes." Ed. Paul Lauter.The Heath Anthology of American Literature, third edition. Volume 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1992. 1058-1064.

How to Find and Buy Quality Websites :: Sell Websites Buy Websites

How to Find and Buy Quality Websites Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com Most buyers don’t realize that very few of all website buyers are successful in buying a quality website. VotanWeb receives email form website buyers daily and the frustrations I hear from them are usually pretty much the same. Buyers need to know how the game works when buying a website. It is a lot like finding that great job – it takes a lot of work and patience. Most website buyers are unprepared, unrealistic, and think they will easily find that perfect website. If you are thinking of buying a website, you need to carefully read and follow the points below to be successful. To successfully buy a website you need to: 1. Have a one page â€Å"Acquisition Criteria/Resume† ready at all times - this info consists of the types of websites you are looking to purchase, what amount you have are willing to invest, how much adjusted net income you expect from the website you are buying i.e. return etc. Make sure you have your name, address, all phone numbers to be contacted at, email address, and fax number. 2. You need to understand as a buyer that most websites listed for sale have little or no value – you need to know this when you go searching. Searching for a website to buy is not like looking for a house to purchase. Houses may be overpriced, but most houses listed for sale have some inherent value. Most websites offered for sale have no value at all. 3. Take confidentiality agreements seriously. If you are going in with someone else to buy a website (like a partner) make sure you both sign and get it back to the owner immediately – don’t expect much information about the website without signing one. Keep all info about websites you look at confidential – you break the agreement and you will never have access to any other confidential information about any website on the internet. Of course, there are also legal ramifications in many instances. 4. Never ever tell a website owner these things: â€Å"Don’t worry I have plenty of money to buy a website – it’s none of your business†, â€Å"I’m looking at all websites for sale – I am not picky† – when website owners hear these comments and other nonsense from buyers they know you’re not a professional and they will usually pass on you.

Customer Benefit Package †Walmart versus Luxury Clothier

Walmart is no one of the largest retail stores in North America. It is considered to be one of the most efficiently run retail business worldwide. To compare Walmart to luxury retailers has numerous contrasting factors both in goods and services provided. The most significant factor is the price when comparing Walmart to luxury retailers. Walmart is committed to saving its customers money so they can live a better life; this is why their products are reasonably priced goods whereas luxury retailers tend be highly priced.Walmart’s mission statement: â€Å"People, Saving Money, Living a Better Live† To contrast the Customer Benefit Package of Walmart against a luxury clothier for purchasing a new formal dress, there are many contributing factors. Depending on the person will dictate the types of benefits from the products to satisfy your needs. Typical sources of a Customer Benefit Package are GOOD COMPARATIVE PRICE, GOOD QUALITY, GOOD WARRANTY SERVICES, REPUTABLE COMPANY , KNOWN PRODUCT/BRAND, LOW AFTER-SALES COSTS, PROMPT DELIVERY, WELL DESIGNED PRODUCT, FASHIONALBE, and EASE OF PURCHASE AND RELIABLILITY.Price, Walmart has definitely an advantage over its competitors particularly a luxury clothier for the purchase of a formal dress. I would like to compare Walmart to Lane Fashions; this is a local luxury ladies shop in my local community. Lane prices are definitely higher than Walmart, but in terms of quality, Lane sources out quality products to consumers and this is a quality that the customer expects as compared to Walmart, which has limits on their stocks on per style, per season based on purchase cost.Shopping at luxury clothier gives the customer a sense of pride knowing that not too many others will have the same item in their closet. Luxury clothiers are focused on quality, style and design for their business. Lane Fashions carries numerous well-known brands, for example Artex, Bianca Nyard, City Girl, FDJ, Joseph Ribkoff, and so on. They a re trusted brands for style, designs, fit, and sophistication with upscale fashion and offer excellent one on one customer services.These would be an advantage over Walmart, also, if living in my community, there is no Walmart, you would have to travel 45 minutes to the nearest store outlet. Luxury clothier provides their customer with assistance in referring or suggesting other products, and such accessories that go well with your purchase. In Walmart they have their house brand, â€Å"George† which provides the customer with reasonable priced products. They do carry other brands so there is more for the consumer to choose from, but nothing to compare to a luxury clothier.The difference here would be the preference of the customer, do you want a good fitting piece of clothing, and do you care about the brand name. A luxury clothier will have the variety of choices in clothing, and in accessories to go well with the clothing they sell. The staff is knowledgeable about the pro ducts they are selling are very able to assist the customer with their purchase. Walmart does not provide these kinds of services, there will be no suggestions on products or accessories, their staff are not trained to provide these types of services.Service is a major factor in the contrast between Walmart and a luxury clothier. This is a major role in the decision making process of the customer. Am I satisfied with how the store staff assisted me? Did I have an intimate shopping experience? How long did I have to stand in line to pay for my purchase? Was the store staff courteous and knowledgeable about the products? If your experience is a wonderful one you will come back to this store as a repeat customer, due to how the staff treated you, if they make you feel like a V. I. P.Walmart offers various after sales services, in some locations they are open 24 hours a day. The Cash Back Reward program that they have entices customers to shop in their stores and keeps customers coming back. These could be an advantage over the luxury clothiers, as they may not have these programs or services available for their customers. They also have a very adequate return policy wherein they freely accept returns within a specified time frame, but in my experience, if the staff does not check out the returned items and re-shelf them, then other consumers will purchase the defective/returned product.Walmart has numerous cashiers but often there are very few open and so you usually are standing in line for a while. For a luxury clothier they usually have a couple of cashiers, and on a busy day, like the Christmas season you could have to stand in a line but normally on a regular day there would no long lines at the cashiers. Walmart’s purpose is â€Å"by offering the best possible prices on the products our customers’ need, so we can help them afford something extra† to provide the customer with a â€Å"one-stop† shopping experience.They offer variou s products, food, clothing, housewares, gift items, garden centre, automobile centre, salons, and photo centre. They provide fast food within the store, Tim Horton’s and McDonald’s. They also provide on-line shopping. There are definitely numerous contrasts of ideas between Walmart and a luxury clothier. In this document there have been many contributing factors mentioned. Why does the consumer shop at Walmart?I believe like many consumers the main reason would be convenience, one-stop shopping centre and once you are in the store you definitely impulse buy; after sales service and the price. In a luxury clothier, it is for the experience of one on one customer services, the brand name of the clothing you are looking for, the quality, reliability of the product, image of a luxury clothier, updated style/fashion. I will always shop for certain products at Walmart, but for my evening wear I will always shop at a luxury clothier.