Burj Al Arab Strategic Plan Essay

Executive Summary The following report aims making a strategic plan for the real-time company. The chosen company is The Jumeirah Group and the selected hotel is Burj Al Arab, which is the only seven star hotel in the whole world. The report presents a brief synopsis of the Hospitality industry in Dubai and briefly introduces the profile of Burj Al Arab. The company conducts an internal and external analysis with the help of SWOT analysis and Porter’s Five Force Analysis to examine the current state of the environment and plan against future threats and opportunities. The report identifies the major competitors of Burj Al Arab. It then uses the above information to formulate strategies which would enable the company to maintain their profit levels and enhance their market share in a time of the economic crisis. It also designs an implementation plan that would identify the activities to be implemented by the company to achieve their desired strategic objectives. The report recommends that the company should avoid offering price discounts or adopt any strategy that would affect the market positioning of the company. Nevertheless, they should work towards offering more value for money to their customers and look for new ways to attract them. Introduction The following report aims making a strategic plan for the real-time company. The chosen company is The Jumeirah Group and the selected hotel is Burj Al Arab, which is the only seven star hotel in the whole world. The report conducts an analysis to understand the current trends in the internal and external environment of the company. It uses strategic tools to understand the positioning of the company in the Dubai market. It then formulates strategies which would enable the company to emerge successful in the current market environment. It also recommends activities to be initiated for the implementation of the strategic plan. Dubai Hospitality Industry Dubai has experienced tremendous growth in various sectors since it started diversifying their activities and building up their infrastructure. The  emirate gradually gained the reputation of being the business hub of the Middle East region. The emirate also experienced a heavy influx of tourists as the Government worked hard to promote the plus points of the place. The increasing growth rate of the Dubai tourism industry had a direct impact on the Dubai hospitality industry. The investment efforts of the government were internationally recognized with the launch of the Burj Al Arab, the first seven star hotel in the world. The below graph shows how the hotel room occupancy levels had increased between 2000-2006. In 2008, the hotel attracted more than 7 million hotel guests [1]. Source: DTCM Statistics, 2006 However, the global financial crisis affected many of the sectors in the Dubai economy resulting in a reducing growth rates in these sectors. These negative trends were also relevant in the Dubai hospitality industry which got majorly affected by the global financial crisis due to the decline in the number of tourists travelling to the country. â€Å"The hotel revenues in Dubai fell by more than 40% in May 2009 as compared to the figures during the same period in 2008. This was mainly because fewer people throughout the world were considering traveling due to the impact of the global financial crisis (Walid, 2009). The hotel occupancies in Dubai fell by more than 14.5% in May 2009 as compared to the figures during the same period in 2008 (Walid, 2009). Burj Al Arab â€Å"Burj Al Arab belongs to the Jumeirah Group. The legendry hotel has a symbolic value attached to it which has gained international attention and put them in awe of Dubai’s innovative capabilities. The hotel is one of the most photographed structures in the world. The hotel is shaped like a billowing sail and has the height of approximately 321 meters. The hotel stands illuminated during night times and is simply individual, inspired and impressive. This all-suite hotel reflects the very finest that the world has to offer. The hotel’s highlights include chauffeur driven Rolls Royce, discreet in-suite check-in, private reception desk on every floor and a brigade of highly trained butlers. These services and many more assure customers of the ultimate in personal service throughout their stay† [3]. Target Customers The profiles of the target customers for Burj Al Arab are as follows: Tourists who belong to the high income group and are willing to spend a premium amount for luxury, personalized service and comfort. Their main purpose is to enjoy leisure activities and/or shopping. Business professionals who value professional high-tech environments that enable them to keep in touch with the rest of the world while travelling. Families who value living spaces offering excellent views with high class service, relaxation and entertainment. Tour groups that value luxurious lifestyles and indulge in various types of activities and are willing to pay a premium for it. Customer Value Proposition The customer value proposition of Burj Al Arab is: â€Å"Offers high class customer service coupled excellent view, luxurious lifestyle, comfort, entertainment and relaxation to their customers. Offers 202 spacious duplex suites ranging from 170 to 780 square metres Six award-winning signature restaurants Facility of world class conference and banqueting venues In-suite check-in & check-out Butler service around the clock Helicopter transfers and scenic tours Majlis Al Bahar exclusive private beach Unlimited access to Wild Wadi Waterpark Yacht charter services† [7] SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis is a strategic tool that enables business planners to study the performance of the company and analyze its market position. Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Popular brand image throughout the world Over dependence on Dubai Government Expand into other countries of the world Declining growth rates in the tourism industry Support and patronage of Dubai Government Charges very high prices which limits them to a narrow target market Expand within the Middle East region Low demand due to the effect of the global financial crisis on the UAE market Financial Strength Invest in related services like sightseeing services, restaurants, etc. Spread of the swine flu Trained and customer focused staff Threat of a terrorist attack in Middle East region Excellent location Only seven star hotel in the world Personalized service coupled with luxury and comfort Porter’s Five Force Analysis This section presents the Porter’s Five Force analysis which is a strategic tool that the management utilizes to examine the power and weaknesses of each force operating in the external environment of the company. Threat of new entrants The hotel and its conception was the idea of the Dubai Government who launched it through its conglomerate Dubai Holding. Therefore, the hotel enjoys the support and patronage of the Dubai Government. Moreover, the Government also exercises control over the type and brand of hotels entering the Dubai market. Furthermore, entry into the UAE market with a similar concept would require the competing company to make huge investments in terms of location, view and promotion of the brand image. Therefore, there  exists a high entry barrier for new companies which reduce the threat of new entrants to the company. Threat of substitutes The only substitutes for the company’s products and services are the five star hotels that aim at matching the same level of experience and customer service. This is mainly in terms of the service offered to their suite customers. These hotels aim at attracting customers by offering highly customer focused service and charging a much lower price as compared to Burj Al Arab. Many customers get attracted towards these substitutes as they offer value for money and personalized services. Examples of such hotels are Emirates Palace, Atlantis etc. These hotels also have the advantage of offering an excellent view. Therefore, the company faces a high threat from these new entrants and should work towards communicating their Unique Selling Proposition to their customers which would make them stand out against their recent competitors. Bargaining power of suppliers The suppliers in the hospitality industry do not have a high bargaining power as there exist a large number of companies supplying the same kinds of products and services. Moreover, the companies are financially less powerful than the top hotels in the UAE market. Furthermore, these companies also aim at getting associated with these top brands of hotels as that would enhance to their brand image. These factors prevent the suppliers from exercising any control over the existing companies in the industry thereby reducing their bargaining power in front of the hotels. Bargaining power of customers The customers have the choice of selection between a wide variety of hotels in the Dubai market. Moreover, high income individuals are usually demanding in nature and have specific demands and expectations from companies. This makes it essential for companies in the industry to study customer preferences and demands and work towards fulfilling them. In fact successful companies aim at understanding customer demand even before the customer knows about the need himself. The customers in this industry enjoy a high bargaining power and have the capability to influence changes. Therefore, the luxury hotels in the market give high priority to the customer and constantly work towards pleasing them. Competitive rivalry within the  industry There exists a strong competitive rivalry between the companies in the hospitality industry. The major competitors of Burj Al Arab are Atlantis Palm Jumeirah, Emirates Tower Hotel, The Fairmont Dubai, Al Qasr Madinat Jumeirah, The Address Downtown Burj Dubai and Grand Hyatt Dubai. These hotels have excellent locations and work towards offering world class service to their customers with the aim of gaining a customer loyalty and a higher market share. Burj Al Arab should work towards establishing a unique place or position in the market and in the eyes of the customers in order to stand out from the competition. The company should also be alert against any new competitors entering the market. The forces operating in the environment are favorable for the company. However, the company should focus on adopting strategies that would enable them to better deal with their competitors. Competitors The major competitors of Burj Al Arab are as follows: â€Å"Atlantis Palm Jumeirah – The hotel has the strengths of excellent view, architecture and splendid service. The hotel comprises of 1,373 guest rooms and there are a separate 166 suites. The rooms are designed with oceanic and Arabic influence† [1]. â€Å"Emirates Tower Hotel – Jumeirah Emirates Towers is a city lifestyle destination beyond compare. Set in the heart of Dubai alongside Sheikh Zayed Road, a few minutes walk from the Dubai Metro Station and just a short drive away from pristine beaches, this established landmark encompasses a fully integrated five star business hotel with high octane luxury setting the scene with 400 spacious rooms and suites, paired with creative meeting and business facilities† [8]. â€Å"The Address Downtown Burj Dubai – Located in the happening heart of Downtown Burj Dubai, the hotel has the world’s tallest tower, Burj Dubai and the stunning Dubai Fountain on its doorstep and is flanked by Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment centre. The Address Downtown Burj Dubai reveals a new art in offering service and comfort, where every guest’s stay is treated as an individual experience. A combination of  outstanding facilities and superlative attention to detail makes it the premier lifestyle destination for international travellers. Standing an impressive 63 storeys high and featuring 196 lavish rooms and 626 serviced residences, The Address offers an extensive range of gourmet experiences, modern meeting and event venues, a signature Spa, a fully equipped Fitness Centre, chilled pools and indulgent amenities and services† [9]. Strategies to be adopted to survive the crisis The company should adopt the following strategies to maintain their profitability and market share in the Dubai market: Pricing Strategy – Burj Al Arab should revise their pricing strategy by including more products and services in their packages. This is because the hotel cannot reduce their prices as it might have a negative impact on the brand image of the company. The company should work towards offering more value for money to their customers as this would act as an incentive to people in times of economic crisis. For example, the hotel can include spa services in the room rates for a limited period of time. Promotion Strategy – Burj Al Arab should modify their promotion strategy whereby they should offer product bundle promotions to their customers. The company should avoid offering price promotions as this could negatively affect the image of the company. The company can offer promotions based on the usage of their services whereby more usage will result in more benefits. For example, the company can offer free lunch to customers who are staying for a minimum of three nights at the hotel. Innovative products and services – Burj Al Arab should work towards offering innovative products and services to their customers as this would add value to the current product and service portfolio offered by the hotel. This would attract customers towards the hotel and enhance their preference with the hotel in comparison with the other new hotels that have recently come up. For example, if the hotel starts offering the services of dermatologists then some customers might be likely to choose Burj Al Arab over Atlantis or other competitors. Target new customer segments – Burj Al Arab should work towards targeting new customer segments from different parts of the world. This can be done by targeting people from countries where the economic impact of the global financial crisis has not been much. They should work towards targeting business executives and high net worth  individuals. This would enable the hotel to get access to a new set of customers which would enable them to maintain their level of profitability and their market share in the time of crisis. The hotel should work towards maintaining their level of profitability and market shares in comparison to peak profitability levels in 2007. Promote new services – Burj Al Arab should also work towards promoting their other services like conference rooms, business halls, etc. The hotel should liaise with exhibition and event organizers who usually travel in groups. This would also give the hotel the opportunity to access the customer base of these companies. The company would therefore be able to expand their operations, enhance their profitability and increase their market share by targeting exhibitors and business officials who would utilize the other services offered by the hotel.

Jack Ma (Ma, Yun), “Alibaba” of China’s E-Commerce Business

Alibaba Group, even only with 12years history, is one of the biggest e-commerce platforms for small businesses in the world. Its business includes: Alibaba. com, which is for small firms to find customers and suppliers without going through middlemen, has 57million users, nearly in every country. Another marketplace, Taobao. com, is for individuals buying goods from each other; it has 300million customers and $29 billion-worth of goods. Also, China Yahoo! , One of China's leading Internet portals, was acquired by Alibaba in 2005 as part of its strategic partnership with Yahoo! Inc. In 2010, the revenue of Alibaba Group increased by 49% and with 47% profit increase compared to 2009. It had been named by Forbes as one of the best B2B platforms in the world for 5 years. Jack Ma (Ma, Yun), the founder of Alibaba, is the key to lead the success of Alibaba. Ma was chosen by the World Economic Forum as a â€Å"Young Global Leader† in 2001; He was named one of the â€Å"25 Most Powerful Businesspeople in Asia† by Fortune in 2005. He shows his charisma always, in front of his employees, and also be admired by all youngsters in China who dream to found their own companies. Jack Ma reveals his transformational leadership from the set-up stage. By envisioning his vision and the desirable future, even though without any promises of return, he built up an 18-â€Å"Arhats† team to start this â€Å"new concept† business in China. After developing B2B business, Jack Ma has created and grasped big opportunities in these 12 years in C2C platform, online payment system, loan service, etc†¦huge investments didn’t give him and his team any chances to retreat, with the high expectations ; inspirational motivations, his team has gained successes of almost all strategic business plans. But recently in Feb, 2010, Alibaba admitted that it had granted â€Å"gold† global suppliers (a mark of supposed integrity) to 2,236 dealers who it says subsequently defrauded buyers globally in 2009 and 2010. The top two executives at Alibaba. com have resigned to accept responsibility. In the statement from Alibaba, an internal investigation had found that about 100 sales staff and â€Å"a number of supervisors and sales managers† were â€Å"directly responsible in either intentionally or negligently allowing the fraudsters to evade† various controls. Conclusion of the investigation report is: Excessive pursuit of performance makes the sales/managers to obtain short-term economic interests by any means, leading to the persistence of fraud. Jack Ma expressed his pity to lost 2 good leaders, especially when they were not personally involved in the fraud for any direct benefits. But Alibaba should be holding on the ethical principles, customer first value. Jack Ma emphasized that Ethics is the baseline when pursuing for performance. Although CEO or Alibaba. com – David Wei had lead to 4 years big increases, he still chose to agree his resignation. However, it shows that as the company is getting bigger, Jack Ma met difficulty to drive his own values ; principles to the whole organization sustainably, if just by personal influence. As a big company already, should be Alibaba directed and managed by one people, or managed based on effective systems are more important at this stage? The origin of the fraud was: the performance evaluation system in B2B team(Alibaba. com) relies on Sales KPI too much. If Ma wants to get company’s value ; principles back, review and re-design would be necessary. As an individual, Ma can’t influence over 22,000 employees directly. When getting to mature stage of Alibaba, Ma’s leadership needs to be more focusing on build up the suitable systems to motivate employees in the right direction. This also reflects in another area, assessing ; selecting the right leaders and the systems to develop talents. In the past 4 years, Ma changed 3 people for CEO for Yahoo(China) from hiring externally. Furthermore, he is still the one who leads the business direction/strategy on his own. In stead of challenging the followers to get them developing fast enough to lead the business, Jack Ma preferred to hire CEO out of Alibaba in the past few years. but still, what’s getting better is, we can see recently, he started to put his followers into bigger ; leading roles to lead the business directly as they are getting more mature. Jack Ma ; Alibaba Group is facing fierce competitions from the threat of new entrants-some big internet companies in China. Let’s talk a look whether Ma’s leadership will help Alibaba group achieve it’s â€Å"Big Taobao† strategy, and go forward in the future. References: 1. Alibaba, China's king of e-commerce, http://www.economist.com/node/17800299 2. Alibaba and the 2236 thieves, http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/02/online-fraud_scandal_china 3. www.alibaba.com 4. http://baike.baidu.com/view/2296.htm

A power amplifier

A power amplifier Introduction: A power amplifier is an electronic device that changes the magnitude of a signal. It is usually used to transfer high power to a low output load such as speakers where there load is about 8 ohms [1]. The relationship between the output and input is called the transfer function. An important aspect of the amplifier is the gain. The gain is the ratio between input and output whether this input is current, voltage or power. Therefore, the gain does not have a unit. The quality of the amplifier is determined by many aspects, which are gain, bandwidth, efficiency, linearity, noise and others. As one of these characteristics increase the others may decrease. Therefore, the amplifier will be designed to meet the required specifications determined by the application for which it will be used for. The various designs of the amplifiers are classified into many types which include A,B,C,D and some other types derived by combining the basic ones such as class AB which is obtained from class A and class B pertaining to their efficiency and linearity [1]. Ideally, power amplifiers are supposed to deliver 100% of the power to the load. However, as some of the power dissipates in the components of the amplifier, hence we do not have ideal power amplifiers. It is found that the linearity has an inverse relationship to the efficiency of the amplifier. The classes A, B and C power amplifiers are considered inefficient but linear whereas the other types are considered efficient but more complex than the basic types. Class A power amplifiers are least efficient than the others. The efficiency of class B is much higher than class A, however, class C has the highest efficiency level compared to class A and B [2]. The scope of this paper is to discuss class B power amplifier in details. Class B power amplifier: This class of amplifier was developed in order to improve class A power amplifiers, which have low efficiency rating. [1-3] shows and explains the internal desig n, the efficiency, the advantages and disadvantages, and the applications of class B power amplifiers. Internal circuit and operation: To get a sufficiently good amplification of the input waveform in the output, a push-pull class B power amplifier configuration must be used. This configuration is based on two transistors. The term push-pull comes from the fact that two transistors in a class B amplifier conduct in alternating half-cycles of the input [1]. Moreover, there are two types of push-pull configurations, one with transformers and one without transformers [2]. A balanced centre tapped input transformer is used to split the incoming waveform signal into two equal cycles that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other. Another center-tapped output transformer is used to recombine the signals. If the transformer is ideal we can get two collector currents that flow in opposite directions, hence no magnetization of the transformer core takes place which in turn minimizes the d istortion in between the two signals. Both transistors used are of NPN transistor type where their emitter terminals are connected together [2].

Ebola and the US Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ebola and the US Response - Essay Example This was highlighted when the first Ebola cases were reported in Texas and New York. Despite the mad scramble for some semblance of coherent response, the government’s policy appears to be uncoordinated, unprepared and inadequate. Perhaps the appropriate development that could best define the government’s response to Ebola was when President’s Barack Obama appointed Ron Klain as the â€Å"Ebola Czar†. Klain does not hold any medical degree because he is a political operative. His appointment was supposed to help the government navigate through the intricacies of the bureaucracy, coordinating various federal and state agencies to solve the problem. His political acumen was also expected to effectively articulate governmental policy and response. Unfortunately, this move reflects an erroneous strategy that appears to approach the issue from the political point of view, keeping the focus from the medical and the scientific. It sends the wrong message, contributing to public hysteria because it appears that the government is not taking matters seriously. Indeed, there are already public officials who are undermining the federal response to the problem such as New Jersey Governor Chris Christi e, who have imposed stricter quarantine guidelines (Sanchez & Cohen, 2014). The case would have been different had an expert was appointed to the post. Any policy pronouncement would be credible and authoritative. There are several implications to the inadequate and confused government response. First, there is the case of the quarantine, which could impinge on people’s civil liberties. The federal government appears to be delegating much of policymaking in this area to the states. Benjamin Hayes, the Center for Disease Control spokesman, was quoted as saying, â€Å"We don’t have the authority to tell the states what to do when travelers end up in their states†¦ We set the base guidelines, and the states have the choice to tighten those guidelines† (Dizard, 2014).

Human Rootedness and Its Importance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Rootedness and Its Importance - Essay Example By establishing a hierarchy in the appreciation of the senses though, there is also the propensity for man to detach himself from his inherent humanness. Apparently, it is not just vision that makes a human being; it is also the other four senses. Aside from sight, man can only enjoy his existence and make it relevant if he has the senses of hearing, touch, scent, and taste. In fact, he can even discern further on the existence of other things by using not just his eyes but all the other faculties related to the other four senses. This is the point raised by Juhani Pallasmaa in the book The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. In Vision and Knowledge, which is a definitive portion of the book, the renowned architect provides valuable philosophical inputs on the dominant mode of thinking regarding the designs of buildings and other works of architecture. Pallasmaa categorically expresses the perspective that the overemphasis on vision and the tendency to set aside or to rele gate the other senses to a minor role can be seen in the very architectural designs that are prevalent. As a consequence, building designs too are no longer anchored on comprehensive humanness but only one aspect, vision, which is often associated to aesthetics when it comes to architecture. Pallasmaa’s view, however, is not only relevant to architecture. It may even be considered as a current truth seen in how human beings actually treat themselves and everything else that surrounds them. By ignoring the importance of the other four senses, people are predisposed to lose their human rootedness. By losing such rootedness, they drift towards the creation of objects that are not really founded on the most positive and innate characteristics of humans. The feeling of the alienation and detachment not just from others but from one’s own humanness can be attributed to environmental factors. Ironically, such external conditions are not natural but are made by man too. As an architect, Pallasmaa points out that the man’s own products in building design and construction have led to such situation. He writes that â€Å"the growing experiences of alienation, detachment, and solitude in the technological world today, for instance, may be related with a certain pathology of the senses.† (284) It is clear that technology is a product of man’s ingenuity. Since it is always associated with the future, technology is a product of man’s vision. The other senses could only appreciate the present; it is vision that is capable of grasping the things that has yet to come. However, alienation and solitude are obvious symptoms of the lack of human rootedness. Human rootedness is the condition in which an individual is in touch with himself and with the world around him. This can only be achieved by relying on all his senses and not just sight. Sight can take one’s attention away from objective conditions but the other senses would cert ainly keep him grounded. It is true that having sight means having sense of direction. With it, man is able to build and travel from the present to the future. However, â€Å"the art of the eye has certainly produced imposing and thought-provoking structures, but it has not facilitated human rootedness in the world.† (Pallasmaa 286) There are beautifully designed buildings that satisfy the sight but have failed to provide contentment to the individual. There are structures that may be visually appealing but also strike a feeling of loneliness and of isolation. There are imposing buildings that convey authority but these also trigger the sense of isolation of those who do not own or control it. All these are proofs that the neglect of other senses and the overemphasis on sight can adversely affect

Skill versus Talent Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Skill versus Talent - Research Paper Example When one uses the skill, one begins by taking in knowledge about oneself – one's strength and weaknesses as an individual. According to Niven(2008, pg. 25)â€Å"Talents are recurring feelings, behavior, thought that distinguish a person. They are innate and very difficult to teach†. A person who cannot attain talent has to be trained in order to possess qualities equivalent to it. Unless you are born with talent it is difficult to cultivate it through practice. No job is too simple or complex to require talent. Talents are difficult to teach, unlike skill. A person with talent is indeed an asset to an organization but a person who is trained to gain valuable experience also can contribute a lot to organizations. Skill is required in many fields of human activities like talent. People can be motivated to acquire skill but talent is the gift of nature. The Concept of Skill The skill is a concept about change and a change that is based on learning. Skill is like self-coach ing and is necessary for individuals to advance in the personal and professional field. People who are mastered in skill can invariably become more effective and efficient in their careers. Without skill people can suffer in many areas and acquiring skill can promote their professional and personality status. Skill can be acquired in specific areas and this needs to be done by getting training under a special mentor. Skill can be acquired on communication, sports, writing, creativity, management and so on. Skill can only be possessed by having complete knowledge about a particular subject. Skills have less value compared to knowledge. The concept of skill is extremely important in education, profession, and life. Human skills vary from people to people. Every person possesses a skill in a particular subject. People come with different nature and hence the skills possessed by them also differs. A skill is something which we have learned with an effort from our side like learning to c ook, drive a car, or learn to sew. Acquiring a skill is in the hands of an individual and with his knowledge and expert, he can master any skill he will for.

Providing Feedback and Communicating About Change Assignment

Providing Feedback and Communicating About Change - Assignment Example fectively but times have changed and new tactics are required for improving efficiency and effectiveness of the organization and for the advancement of your career. Through market research and analysis and using benchmarks, we have come to the conclusion that the 360 Degree feedback method of performance appraisal is very effective in enhancing performance (Clampitt, 2010, p. 161). This will be used alongside management by objectives method for your own self-appraisal. The critical incident method was being considered but we found that it would be unfair to some employees as it requires the discretion of supervisor who is vulnerable to bias. We therefore chose this method as it will also be an indicator of whether all the stakeholders are contented with our services and they can also make recommendations to us on how to improve. This will help the organization achieve success and credibility (Dainton & Zelley, 2010). You also stand to benefit as you will know how other people rate your performance and you can also be able to improve your skills through the training and development we will offer you through this process. Moreover, you also stand to benefit in the end through the various rewards such as promotion and bonuses that will offered. Through this method, each and every employee will be evaluated by different stakeholders including the shareholders, customers, suppliers, supervisors and your fellow colleagues. They will fill out forms regarding how they view your performance and return at the end of every month. After every three months, a meeting will be arranged between you and your supervisors in your respective departments to review your performance and to see how your performance can be improved (Clampitt, 2010). This will assist you to improve on your weak areas and also ensure that production requirements are met in time. Those of you who will perform well will be rewarded at the end of the year with whichever type of reward the management will deem

Write a memorandum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Write a memorandum - Essay Example Due to this, the City Council is losing significant revenue collections, crime has gone high, the decline in the waterfront area is more real, and the economy is dwindling. As a result, the council is deciding on how to react on these complaints. In doing this, the Council will use the Measure A, that seeks to revitalize the economy on the waterfront area where the Marina sits. It also relies on the amended Referendum 3 that aims at limiting the government’s eminent domain power by restricting the permissible interpretations of the â€Å"public use† requirement for eminent domain (Dyson 1-2). The council seeks to take over the waterfront area and compensate the owners like Mr. Park. Henceforth, the city plans to transfer the land to public use where it hopes to derive jobs, revenues, and minimize noise on Elm Street. The City also relies on Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 case studies (2005) to succeed in its quest. Mr. Park’s house, marina is on that st reet and the council is bound to make it a stadium. Hence, Mr. Park is seeking legal advice on how to stop the council from taking his waterfront home. In 2000, New London, a city in Connecticut, used its eminent domain powers to acquire private property for purposes of selling it for private use with an aim of boosting the city’s economy. In doing this, New London sought to create more than 1000 jobs, revitalize the economy, and increase tax revenues. As such, aggrieved owners took the matter to court arguing that the seized property was not for public use and the Fifth Amendment Takings limits the government from seizing private property for public use without just compensation. The legal question in this question was whether the city’s seizure and selling of the reference property is of â€Å"public use† according to the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. In a majority ruling, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled for New London qualifying the city’s

American history questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American history questions - Essay Example It established the notion of an international justice system that can be resorted to in cases when criminal acts are committed by a country against the citizens of another country or when they are committed by a government against its own people. The relevance of the Trials was that they served as precedent to future cases. In the subsequent cases, for example, crimes against humanity like genocide and ethnic cleansing committed in Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Indonesia, the principles of the Nuremberg Trials were employed to try the accused. At the close of the war, the threats to these freedoms were once again resuscitated by the actions of the USSR. Harry Truman who succeeded Roosevelt to office saw the Russians’ foreign policy as emphatic on the communist ideology, suspicious, aggressive and close to and of the world around it. Soviet seemed so suspiciously obsessed with its security. Truman then decided that the best way to deal with the Russians and Stalin was a hard-line approach to contain communism and defend American interests. Thus, there was a discarding of the policy of compromise and the adoption of the policy of containment. In addition, Truman took a lesson from the past. His ‘Iron Fist’ approach was a reaction to the appeasement approach that was employed by the British towards Germany and Hitler before the outbreak of the WWII. Since the appeasement approach seemed to have goaded Hitler into being an airhead and declared war against the allies. Truman thought that from then on such an approach is not only futile but also dangerous and so he took a different tact. Another threat that communism brought to the US is the fear that that it’s spread in Europe would curtail US trade in that market. The revival of Europe after the war was especially important to the consumer-based US and therefore it must be safeguarded from communism. Q8 Some historians argue that the

Project eliverables, WBS and Gantt hart Assignment

Project eliverables, WBS and Gantt hart - Assignment Example Objectives of new market viaduct replacement project:  The main objectives of the new market viaduct replacement project are;1. Construction of fourth southbound lane from Gillies Avenue to the Green Lane.2. To upgrade the current viaduct’s edge protection, traffic load capacity and seismic performance.3. The ability to maintain operation on the local roading network during construction.4. To achieve a residual design life for 100 years.5. Opportunity to provide the collection, treatment and disposal of storm water to Auckland regional council TP10.6. To provide maximum retention of motorway debris and recognizing the land beneath the viaduct. This project involves the replacement of 700 m long new market Viaduct with a pre-cast segmental balanced cantilever structure constructed in two stages using an 800 t gantry. It includes the deconstruction of the existing bridge in two stages by implementing extensive temporary works to maintain stability of the construction. It also includes   50 m long Gillies Avenue over bridge with a Super-T bridge, realignment of the State Highway 1 off-ramp at Gillies Avenue and on-ramp at St. Marks Road to connect the realigned State Highway 1, installation of extensive concrete mass block walls for   on-ramps, and construction of the new Dilworth footbridge. They provide the gate way to Auckland.Scope Details:The NZ Transport Agency utilized the construction and deconstruction staged approach for the implementation of motorway project.

The General Strike Of 1926 Essay Example for Free

The General Strike Of 1926 Essay K. O. Morgan (Wales 1880 -1980) argues that it is clear that the War marked an immediate break with the past, in social and ultimately in political terms. In no part of the British Isles was the contrast between pre- and post-war conditions more pronounced than in Wales. The governments of the 1920s had similar aims and policies with regards to unemployment. They believed that they could best help by trying to restore pre-1914 conditions. That meant reviving the freemarket economy at home, while seeking to restore the international financial and trading system abroad. As far as the government was concerned private enterprise was the main agent of economic recovery and after November 1918, state controls over the economy were rapidly demolished. The government also saw high wages as a hindrance to economic recovery as high wages resulted in higher prices and a consequent loss of foreign trade. Despite a number of strikes over wage levels, by 1923 wage rates were on average down to nearly two-thirds of their 1920 level. A further government initiative to reduce high prices and encourage trade to recover was to reduce government expenditure. Lloyd George followed such a policy as did successive governments. As a result government expenditure was cut by about a quarter in real terms, some of the national debt was paid off and taxes were reduced a little. Whilst cuts in taxation were a help to an economy in depression, unfortunately they also tended to reduce the level of domestic demand for industrial goods. Government policy therefore was probably making unemployment worse. From 1923 to the latter years of the 1930s parts of Wales and England suffered from a prolonged economic depression and this was especially true of the coalfield areas. They experienced mass unemployment – more than 2 million people were unemployed throughout this period and poverty without equal in Britain, a depression, hopelessness and despair that crushed their society and left deep scars on the consciousness of the people who lived through the depths of the Depression. In 1918 there was not a traditional election. David Lloyd George decided to fight the election as a coalition government. Lloyd George had formed the coalition government in 1916 to fight the war. The supporters of the coalition tended to be the Conservative party members and Lloyd George Liberals. David Lloyd George was popular and the coalition government won 478 seats in the House of Commons. There were huge problems for Lloyd George to deal with following the war. He had promised a ‘land fit for heroes’ and that was going to be a difficult trick to perform. Initially he had to deal with the large numbers of soldiers who were released from service. There were brief strikes but many found work in the short post war boom. In 1918, there was a sudden period of inflation. Prices and profits increased but wages lagged behind. Trade Unions became increasingly powerful and were determined to protect workers from the wage stagnation. In 1919 and 1920 there were 2000 strikes throughout Britain. The strikes were not just about wages however. The workers were bitter about their lives in the trenches and still after all their efforts the capitalists were still making vast profits- mainly from war production. The Russian Revolution had publicised government control and nationalisation, leaving the British government panicking that the strikes could turn into something far more serious. One of the most serious strikes took place in Glasgow. The Clydesdale engineers and shipbuilders demanded a 40 hour week and hoisted a red flag in George Sq, Glasgow. On the back of this the miners threatened a strike if they did not have a six hour day, thirty percent pay increase and nationalization of the mines. Lloyd George compromised and gave the miners a seven hour day, continued government control for the foreseeable future and initiated a Royal Commission. The Sankey Commission investigated the problems in the coal industry. By the end of 1921 approximately two million people were unemployed. The slump was a result of a lack of investment in some industries and a lack of demand in more traditional industries such as shipbuilding and coal etc. In 1920 Lloyd George passed the Unemployment Insurance Act. This built on the 1911 Act and covered all workers earning less than two hundred and fifty pounds excluding agricultural labourers, domestic servants and self employed people. The contributions increased but so did the allowances. Allowances increased from five shillings to seven shillings a week. Unfortunately, as unemployment increased the system could not cope as outgoings far exceeded incomings. The government could not abandon the system only one year after implementation so they extended benefit for a slightly longer period and many believe this prevented revolution in Britain. The Sankey Commission could not come to a suitable conclusion regarding the problems in the coal industry. The government decided not to continue nationalisation, leaving the coal pits in private hands as from April 1st 1921. As exports had declined wages would have to be dropped. This was announced to the miners who threatened a National Strike. The three largest unions had joined together- the railwaymen, transport workers and miners, creating a Triple Alliance. This fell apart in 1921 as the railway workers and transport workers did not support the General Strike. The miners carried on regardless but failed after three months. Lloyd George had averted a strike on a national scale but was fast losing popularity. The government lost significant sums of revenue and had to cut back on issues such as education, the army and navy, health services and council house building. It was known as Geddes Axe as Sir Eric Geddes recommended these drastic cuts in expenditure and the government reduced spending by sixty four million pounds. The General Strike had its origins in the coal industry, which was a need of modernisation and investment. The miners themselves believed that the only way in which efficiency and modernisation could be achieved was through nationalisation. Originally the mines were under government control during the war and then under David Lloyd George and the coalition government. In the 1920’s the condition worsened as the Ruhr in Germany was producing significant quantities of coal and therefore the worldwide price dropped. The return to the Gold Standard under Winston Churchill as Chancellor meant that British exports were over priced and of course coal was one of the largest exports out of Britain. The coal owners proposed a wage cut but this was rejected by the workers. The government averted a strike initially by offering two things. Firstly, by offering subsidies and secondly, by appointing the Samuel Commission. The TUC was ready to support the miners as usually all wages followed the trends of the miners. However, the TUC and miners thought the Samuel Commission would solve any problems and bring the situation to an end. The Samuel Commission report was published in March 1926. The document was fairly conservative and proposed that the mine owners should continue with reorganization and modernization, should not as k for longer hours but the document also suggested that the miners should not ask for higher wages and the government should not continue giving subsidies-at least until the crisis was over. Neither mine owners nor workers accepted the report, but the TUC continued to negotiate on behalf of the miners. The mine owners announced there would be a pay cut on 30th April. In retaliation the miners threatened a strike on May 1st. The coal owners locked the doors on 30th April in an attempt to stop a strike. The TUC still attempted negotiations with the Conservative government, but this proved useless and no solution was reached. There were approximately one and a half million workers on strike during this time and the TUC made it clear they did not wish to inconvenience the public or bring down the government. What they did want was protection for coal workers wages. The TUC still negotiated with the government with Samuel acting as mediator. The government showed no signs of softening and the TUC called off the General Strike on May 12th. Samuel had made a number of proposals, which they hoped would be accepted. Unfortunately, the miners rejected the proposals and the miners continued to strike, whilst believing the TUC had betrayed them. The coal strike continued until December and eventually the coal workers had to return to work with longer hours and less pay. The consequences of the General Strike were mainly negative. The majority of trade union members became disillusioned with the TUC and membership numbers dropped. Approximately 1.1 million members had left the TUC by 1933. The coal industry continued to decline with no investment or modernization in evidence. Even more problematic was the decline in exports. The coal industry was suffering a slow and painful death. In 1927 the government passed the Trade Disputes Act which made another General Strike impossible. Union funds could be seized and no other industry could go on a sympathy strike. More positive results of the strike gave the Labour Party more support and in some industries the strike acted as a wake up call. Some employers such as the Imperial Chemical Industries started to improve labour relations. IN 1929 the Conservatives announced the general election. The Conservatives had the most votes but not the most seats and the result was a little indecisive. In 1929 we see the second Labour government who had to face the huge problems to come. The Conservatives had lost a lot of support due to the General Strike and Trade Disputes Act. Unemployment had also played a huge role. In 1929 unemployment still stood at one million

Influence from Mexican and Puerto Ricans in the Us Culture Essay Example for Free

Influence from Mexican and Puerto Ricans in the Us Culture Essay The U. S. culture has been saturated with Mexican and Puerto Rican influences. Influence is defined as a cognitive factor that tends to have an effect on what you do. I believe most of the influences are good but there are also some that are bad. The two major influences that will be brought up would be the influence of human creativity and violence. Puerto Ricans had a unique blend of human creativity. â€Å"Fueled by that political awakening, a cultural renaissance emerged among Puerto Rican artists. † By the 1960’s salsa music began to emerge. Puerto Ricans rooted this category of music especially in the New York area. Fania Records became the dominant record label in the early salsa music scene. Juan Gonzalez mentioned artist such as Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, Willie Colon and Ray Barretto. They provoked with there politically charged lyrics. It also sprang up writers such as Piri Thomas and Nicholasa Mohr mentioned by Juan Gonzalez. Piri Thomas was born in the Spanish Harlem section of Manhattan and is known for his best seller autobiography â€Å"Down These Mean Streets†pg63 and describes his struggle having Puerto Rican heritage. Nicholasa Mohr her works also told of the difficulties of growing up in Puerto Rican communities in the New York area. As more Puerto Rican came to into the States a big clash of racial identity rose. Black and White was a struggle in itself then Brown came in to the mix it mad things twist. â€Å"A dwindling tax base, brought about by the flight of industry and skilled white workers to the suburbs, massive disinvestment by government in public schools and infrastructure, and the epidemics of drug and alcohol abuse, all tore at the quality of city life†Pg 64. Lack of investment in the infrastructure and public schools by the government was a major contributor to this especially since most did not know how to speak English and the teachers did not know how to translate to the students. â€Å"The third generation of Puerto Ricans, those who came of age in the late 1980s and early 1990s, found themselves crippled by inferior schools, a lack of jobs, and underfunded social services. They found their neighborhoods inundated with drugs and violence. They grew up devoid, for the most part, of self-image, national identity, or cultural awareness. They became the lost generation. †Pg63 Mexicans also had there share of influencial human creativity. Mexicans are known for developing corrido music. They were smart about this music though because they were used to inform. They had dates names warnings and some were stories of crime or love. † The average corrido was usually so filled with dates, names, and factual details that it functioned not only as entertainment but also as a news report, historical narrative, and commentary for the mass of Mexicans who were still illiterate†. pg124. To change up the creativity from the arts to a more meaningful influence would be the founding of MAYO and no not the one you eat but Mexican American Youth Organization. This was intended to protect the civil rights of Mexican Americans. â€Å"One of the most influential groups to arise during the period was the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO), founded in San Antonio by Willie Velazquez, a young community organizer for the Catholic Bishop’s Committee on the Spanish Speaking, and Crystal City’s Jose Angel Gutierrez. †pg 69. Mexicans have been picked on for decades and are still being hated upon. What was heavily impacted were schools and nothing was done about it. MAYO staged school walk outs to gain power. These acts would allow them to earn seats on school boards which in turn allowed them to participate in deciding what was best for their own people. In turn violence also was majorly influence. The US culture was raised to hate Mexicans. † Once the Great Depression hit and unemployment surged among whites, though, not even Mexicans who spoke fluent English escaped the anti-immigrant hysteria. More than 500,000 were forcibly deported during the 1930s, among them many who were U. S. citizens. † Speaking spanish a lot of times was a burden for mexicans which made them targets since most that all they spoke. To conclude Puerto Ricans and Mexicans have influenced the US culture. It still hasn’t stopped it continues to. More than likely it will still influence for many more years to come. They have been put down but they come right back up and stronger. They have given a lot to stop and to soak in many years of heritage. So go dance to some salsa or sing a corrido for a change.

Concepts on pilgrimage as a social process

Concepts on pilgrimage as a social process To what extent do Turners concepts of liminality and communitas cast light on pilgrimage as a social process? The concepts of liminality and comunitas is evanescent, like a wisp of smoke in the wind. (Shure, 2005) It attempts to achieve some formalization of a social process in a theoretically perspective, though academically this can be achieved; it is very hard to master the full and in-depth concept of the pilgrimage. As all academic essays require the clear and standard definition of the question, Turners concepts will subsequently be explained and furthermore the meaning behind both the pilgrimage and social process will be dealt with in detail. Turner draws on concepts of Van Genneps model of rites of passage; liminality is a state of transition argued by Turner, it is neither here nor there; they are betwixt and between the positions assigned and arrayed by law, custom, convention, and ceremonial. (Turner, 1969, p. 95) The attempt of the essay will show how the liminality iden tifies itself as period of transition with the social process of a pilgrimage, identify the equality and communitas will attempt to illustrate the process of a pilgrimage, however is structure truly lost during a pilgrimage and what is the concept of a social process and does a pilgrimage really fit into this definition, is a pilgrimage one of equality and individuality or that of a structured formation or a social experience. The rite of passage, focuses on the fact that a member of a group neither belongs to the group she was a part of or the group she will belong to after the luminal stage has been completed. A typical liminal stage can be seen as the child between becoming an adult and staying a child, puberty as a liminal stage in every individual persons own life pilgrimage. (Turner V. E., 1978) Continuing with the notion of liminal periods one can observe that in Mary Douglas Purity and Danger, illustrates that the individual is a polluting force on the external groups as liminal individuals are of no status, insigniakinship position, nothing to demarcate them structurally (Turner V. , The forst of symbols: Aspects of Ndembu ritual, 1967, p. 98) Liminality, In the use of Van Genneps model of the three, Turner illustrates the phases of the ritual, the ritual is an catalyst and exemplifies the transitional period. The transitional period is identified as the liminal period. (Turner V. , 1967, p. 94) S eclusion from everyday life is a typical consequence to the liminal period which is the attempt to remove the individual from the society, subsequently forcing the individual into an interior pilgrimage of development of self. The application of classification is often used, in doing so this continues the transition and the removal of previous identity, furthermore denoting the status of transition. Turner develops this concept further in the ambiguity that is suggested, the concept of seclusion, and the non identification of the individual of gender or class. Turner continues to suggest the equality of this transitional period however many anthropologist are hesitant to apply this to an overall spectrum as in various societies the formation of structure is still imposed. (Turner V. , 1967) Turners three phase concept is simplistic in concept and difficult in application, phase one being the communication of sacra, where secret symbols are communicated to the ritual subjects in the form of exhibitions of sacred articles, actions, and instructions; the symbols represent the unity and continuity of the community. This then transcends into the liminal period of ludic deconstruction (Deflem, 1991, p. 13) and then subsequently the recombination of the individual; Turner develops on this and we move into the phase three, which is the removal of all social structure and what is left is solely the authority of the instructor and aim of the ritual. (Turner V. E., 1978) This phase three fuelled Turner into formalising the concept of Communitas as the identification of one. Anti-structure and Communitas are blood brothers in the opposition to structure, Turner clearly notes that communitas is present within in a liminal stage when structure is not present (Turner V. , 1969, pp. 94-96) as criticised above Turner clearly identifies this to be present within a period of liminality in a ritual process. The removal of all social elements and the exclusion from this constitutes a community bond, one of human kindness; constituting this ritual communitas of individuals in a separate transition society such as the concept of limbo between heaven and hell, between life and death. Turner further explains communitas in the Ritual Process, explaining that they refer to two further modalities of society. (Turner V. , Pilgrimage and communitas, 1974) A Dialectic process between various communitas, a general view of equality of individuals (later works such as Eade argue against this concept) and that of the structured individuals in a hierarchical system such as in t he Hindu religion. The Dialectic has been used throughout time such as in Revolutions and the maximization of communitas provokes maximization of structure, which in turn produces revolutionary strivings for renewed communitus. (Turner V. , 1969, p. 129) Communitas is observed as something that is a phase in a process of a ritual not something that will continue after the process has been completed as the fate of any type of communitas is inevitably a decline and fall into structure and law (Turner V. , 1969, p. 132), after which a new form of communitas may rise again. (Turner V. , Pilgrimage and communitas, 1974, p. 282) The concept of a pilgrimage and the community are centred to many scholarly debates, Eade and Sallnow question the role of the pilgrimage in sustaining or negating the social structure. (Sallnow, 1981) In following onto the concept that is discussed, the contrast to Marxist understanding to the pilgrimage as a structural maintenance juxtaposed with Turners pilgrimage concept of spontaneous communitas. Therefore in discussion of the experience does it not bind one to the larger concept of a community? (Eade J. a., 1991, p. 5) The pilgrimage is an area of anthropology that had lacked any in-depth focus within the field till Turners Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture and when formalising concepts on the pilgrimage one is prone to focus on the most powerful rituals performed by religious members and not necessarily the simplistic rituals of everyday life Eade Coleman suggest that pilgrimage has been neglected due to this assertion of a pilgrimage of a liminal nature, and that of a daily life furthermore suggesting that a pilgrimage is something of extraordinary nature such as the pilgrimage to Mecca, a pilgrimage to a holy shrine Why in this definition has pilgrimage has been removed from everyday life and imposed on that of a religious ritual background, one could suggest that the simplistic notion of going in search of a new pair of shoes or a job is a pilgrimage of the individual. In doing so one is removing themselves from the pre-persona and transition into the new entity and within this liminal stage they are neither. (Eade, 2004) Though Turner states that the individual accounts such as documents or oral narratives of the personal experiences allow us to envisage the social process of a pilgrimage, subsequently suggesting that even though a pilgrimage maybe an interior one between the divine or one or a social community to Mecca, a pilgrimage none the less is a social process. The pilgrimage as a social process is formed on the symbolic and structural elements, directly important when considering the apparent or lack of structure, anti-structure, communitas, and liminality. (Turner V. , 1974) (Turner V. , Pilgrimage and communitas, 1974) Turner observes structure as a more or less distinctive arrangement of mutually dependent institutions and the institutional organization of social positions and/or actors which they imply. (Turner V. , 1974, p. 272) Therefore in such pilgrimages as Muktinath in Nepal such social relations as caste cause the formation of distance and ine quality (Turner V. , 1974, p. 272) (Edwards, 1972) That religious pilgrimage serves to highlight social principles which are idiosyncratic to a particular religious system (Messerschmidt, 1980) Most of Turners work was based on the Christianity bases of a pilgrimage as a result communitas behaviour was expectedinherent principles and idealistic expectations (Turner V. E., 1978) though juxtaposed with the pilgrimage of Hinduism, it is very much a contradiction as a Hindu society is hierarchical and subsequently even though through transition this structured formation is enforced. In relation to the question being addressed, this example illustrates Turners specific concepts of liminality and communitas do not act coherently throughout all religious pilgrimages. Even though structure plays an element in this example of a pilgrimage. Pilgrimage does not inherently maintain or remove the structure, though Starke and Finke suggest that it rather strengthens the bonds between the individual to a symbolic community. Therefore even though Me sserchmidt suggests that structure is within the liminal stage and subsequently communitas does not exist, could not suggest that the symbolic bond that is being achieved is subsequently causing a communitus that exists in a greater place. (Stark, 2000) If we look at the Hajj, it is one of the largest and most well known religious pilgrimages to date, that brings pilgrims back into the time of the Prophets and into the utopian-like society that previously existed. This pilgrimage is international, members of Islam ascend Mecca to fulfil a once in a life connection to a spiritual community, it is a pilgrimage of the individual however a social process which will forever be linked into history, with the notion of communitus one could further suggest that the linking with a spiritual holy place one is not just linking to a communitus of the present but that of the past and future. If all are equal at this period of time and structure therefore the communitus above time. (McCarter, 2005 ) Turners concepts of liminality and communitas cast a light on the social process of a pilgrimage in some specific notions. It has been clear that Turner has centred all research majorly on a Christianity stance and subsequently foreshowing other religious pilgrimages that actually do not have the removal of the structure within the liminal stage and therefore the inherent structure is transposed from the pre to post formations of the individual. As the question directly asks to what extent does Turners concepts cast light, it can be seen that metaphorically Turner has been the lighthouse to the development of anthropology of the pilgrimage; however inevitably with the development of theories, Turners concepts notwithstanding will always foreground others. Though as Modern development requires less need for lighthouses, so do the concepts of Turner no longer stand alone with theories of social process and pilgrimage. Turner illustrates that ritual is a response to a societys demand bu t that is actively involved in the human interaction and meaning. His actions and concepts are far from static. (Deflem, 1991) Furthermore supported in new research of John Eade, one can see that within Turners concepts the expression of a pilgrimage as something that is not a daily process has once again cast a shadow on the mundane concepts of a pilgrimage. One, can see that the direct social understanding of a pilgrimage is that of a religious one; the search for the divine inspiration and where miracles once happened, still happen, and may happen again (Turner V. E., 1978, p. 6)

The Chemistry of Knowledge Essay -- Philosophy Knowledge Knowing Plato

The Chemistry of Knowledge Hippeas thought he had all the answers. â€Å"I have never found any man who was my superior in anything,† he boasted. Then he meets Socrates. Though he had made thousands of public speeches about virtue, a dialogue with the wisest of Athenians leads Hippeas to confess that he â€Å"cannot even say what [virtue] is† (Hippeas 70). Lesser Hippeas discredits Hippeas but offers little more than a negative definition of knowledge. Meno, Phaedo, and the Republic provide a more comprehensive discussion of the definition, the good and the teaching of knowledge. The following pages will explore Plato’s theory of knowledge and will conclude with an examination of organic chemistry at Swarthmore College. According to Plato, knowledge requires the reasoned understanding of essences. To know the qualities something possesses, one must grasp â€Å"what something is† (Meno 60). Knowledge entails an active understanding capable of weathering the rigors of a probing discussion. In Lesser Hippeas, Socrates uncovers the knowledge deficit underlying Hippeas’ opinions and skills. Plato makes a clear distinction between Hippeas’ mastery of facts and the possession of true knowledge: â€Å"I certainly do not think I am guessing that right opinion is a different thing from knowledge† (90). Facts and opinions require little more than memorization and regurgitation. Acquiring knowledge, on the other hand, can only be done â€Å"with an effort† (Republic 776). Plato’s Cave analogy in the Republic likens the path to knowledge to the transition from a dark cave to a sunny hilltop. Plato allegorizes the â€Å"ascent of the soul† (776) from a world of shadows, reflections and half-truths into the â€Å"world of knowledge† (776). Plato maintains that cave dw... ...nt of the reason why† (90). Only knowledge boasts longevity. For me, perhaps the most disconcerting thing about organic chemistry is the rapidity with which my memory of it has faded. Some three months removed from a final exam, I recall virtually nothing. So why don’t we get knowledge, if it would serve us so much better than limited-warranty opinions? Thinking takes time. And there are only fifteen weeks to a semester. Professors need empirical measurements of student progress in finite periods of time, even when it is clear that cursory thought emasculates knowledge. After all, â€Å"All late papers will be penalized" Professor Richard Schuldenfrei Works Cited Plato. Five Dialogues : Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo. Trans G. M. A. Grube. Hackett Publishing Company, 2002. Plato. The Dialogues of Plato. Trans. B. Jowett. New York: Random House.

The Empire Strikes Back Essay -- French Revolution, French Society

France’s revolution of 1789-1799 destroyed the age-old monarchy, eliminated aristocratic privilege, and established the inalienable rights of all citizens. Dedication to the ideals of equality and freedom for all men is enshrined in the national motto, â€Å"libertà ©, à ©galite, fraternità ©.† Regardless of France’s longstanding commitment to the principles of liberty, contemporary social attitudes and policies have fallen far from the revolutionary ideal, particularly vis-à  -vis France’s burgeoning population of immigrants and their descendants. Despite its extensive and tortuous history of immigration, twenty-first century France remains vehemently committed to antiquated notions of citizenship and national belonging. France’s persistent refusal to acknowledge its de-facto multiculturalism has created a brutal cycle of marginalization, in which ethnic minorities are prevented from expressing their cultural identities and successfully in tegrating into mainstream French society. Immigrants from the Maghreb – a hilly, arid region in North Africa situated between the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea – represent the largest segment of France’s considerable ethnic population. France is currently home to over 3.5 million foreigners, more than a million of whom are Magrà ©bins, primarily from Algeria and Morocco (Sekher 25). Contemporary Magrà ©bin immigration began in earnest in the years following World War II. After defeating Germany, the United States launched an ambitious program to revitalize the devastated economies of Western Europe and create dynamic markets for mass-produced American consumer goods. From 1948-1951, The European Recovery Program, commonly known as the Marshall Plan, provided unprecedented levels of developm... ...ologist Franà §ois Dubet notes, â€Å"Une socià ©tà © construite sur une à ©galità © des chances parfaitement juste pourrait, en mà ªme temps, à ªtre parfaitement inà ©galitaire† (qtd. in Rosello 237). To provide special benefits to minorità ©s visibles would undermine the egalitarian ideal of â€Å"republican assimilation† by treating them as more than equals. Such reverse discrimination would represent an unacceptable breach of the sacred credo of â€Å"libertà ©, à ©galite, fraternità ©.† Hence, minorità ©s visibles generally receive an insufficient level of social spending, with derelict public housing projects and minimal welfare payments the only programs currently providing benefits (Smith 176). Continued adherence to outdated concepts of citizenship therefore facilitates the separate and unequal treatment of minorità ©s visibles by concealing persecution under the guise of official equality.

Ghosts †Seeing is Believing :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

Ghosts – Seeing is Believing   Ã‚  Ã‚  I live in a ghost hallway. They come and go whenever they want, like the transparent, blow-away wings of bees. Their spirits hover inside this house on Mechanic Street like a twilight hue filling a wine glass. I live more or less inside their moods, which they carry behind them in traces of light that flood the panes one window at a time and the creaky flutes of rusty hinges. The ghosts don't say â€Å"boo† and they don't swing chains. They're good ghosts as far as I can tell, calm as a cup of tea, considerate and watchful and able to pay attention to the least thing for many hours. I like how they watch me read without telling me what to think; I like how they touch my mind with ghost memories, laughing and smoking on the porch with their neighbors. I like how they stared out these same windows serious and alone in their own thoughts, unable to share with each other the deepest parts of themselves because the inner commotion was too great to put into words. I s ee how after a fight or death in the family they sat by themselves in the living room, wanting things to be good again, wanting to be healed but not being able to do anything but wait.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What they have left behind is shorn of all eventfulness as if what happened here long ago in this quasi-dilapidated shotgun house still lingers on as after-tone slowly turning into something else, the echo of their memories which I navigate now with a cup of coffee and a three-day beard. I'm doing a soft-shoe in my slippers through their long recollections, the fog that hangs in the trees between dreams. They heard the same front door whine and clatter and the soft thudding of footfalls on the sidewalk: they heard the wind in the trees and the wash of rain tearing through them on its way to another season carrying a hundred small deaths in its wake. Their senses are alive in mine, just as mine are remade in the memory of theirs. It's a mysterious transference that I do not understand. I don't necessarily like to feel the pangs of sorrow the woman felt that beetled up and down her spine like a slug of mercury, finding her defenseless in her own house at different times in her life, like a painful sickness that keeps coming back. Ghosts – Seeing is Believing :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay Ghosts – Seeing is Believing   Ã‚  Ã‚  I live in a ghost hallway. They come and go whenever they want, like the transparent, blow-away wings of bees. Their spirits hover inside this house on Mechanic Street like a twilight hue filling a wine glass. I live more or less inside their moods, which they carry behind them in traces of light that flood the panes one window at a time and the creaky flutes of rusty hinges. The ghosts don't say â€Å"boo† and they don't swing chains. They're good ghosts as far as I can tell, calm as a cup of tea, considerate and watchful and able to pay attention to the least thing for many hours. I like how they watch me read without telling me what to think; I like how they touch my mind with ghost memories, laughing and smoking on the porch with their neighbors. I like how they stared out these same windows serious and alone in their own thoughts, unable to share with each other the deepest parts of themselves because the inner commotion was too great to put into words. I s ee how after a fight or death in the family they sat by themselves in the living room, wanting things to be good again, wanting to be healed but not being able to do anything but wait.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What they have left behind is shorn of all eventfulness as if what happened here long ago in this quasi-dilapidated shotgun house still lingers on as after-tone slowly turning into something else, the echo of their memories which I navigate now with a cup of coffee and a three-day beard. I'm doing a soft-shoe in my slippers through their long recollections, the fog that hangs in the trees between dreams. They heard the same front door whine and clatter and the soft thudding of footfalls on the sidewalk: they heard the wind in the trees and the wash of rain tearing through them on its way to another season carrying a hundred small deaths in its wake. Their senses are alive in mine, just as mine are remade in the memory of theirs. It's a mysterious transference that I do not understand. I don't necessarily like to feel the pangs of sorrow the woman felt that beetled up and down her spine like a slug of mercury, finding her defenseless in her own house at different times in her life, like a painful sickness that keeps coming back.

Dbq French and Indian War Essay

Before 1754, both the French and British had huge masses of land in America. Also sharing the land, was the natives, who were exceedingly nervous about the Englishmen taking away their land. This conflict eventually led to the French and Indian war, also known as the Seven Years war (1754-1763). The French and Indian war altered the political, economic, and ideological relations Britain and it’s American colonies in many ways where it ultimately led to the American Revolution because of the strain that was developed between them. The French and Indian war altered the political relations between Britain and it’s American colonies because of what happened before and after the French and Indian war. Before the war, the British had let colonists be and do whatever they wanted. But after the war, Britain had gained more land, as seen in Doc. A, and salutary neglect ended. This then brought up a feud on colonist’s representation in Parliament. To control the colonists, a British army was put in place that they told everyone was for their own protection from the Natives. The Proclamation Line was also executed, which was that a imaginary line that separated the colonists and the Natives(Doc. B). The British saw this a protection for the colonists, but it was actually just a negative for those saving up to buy land in new territory. Having the British soldiers guard the colonists from the natives became expensive, so the Quartering Act was put into place to make sure that every soldier would have a place to stay and then, the Restraining Act was enforced to make the colonist’s pay for the soldiers. This only enraged the colonists more because they were forced to house and support the enemy that was sent to take away their rights. All British relations in politics with the Americans were ruined because of acts put in place, causing the colonist’s to want to separate from Britain. The French and Indian war eventually slid the British back into a economic recession. They had to find a way to get their money back from the war. In Britain’s mind, the only logical place to get the money was from the American colonists because the money was technically spent on them, as seen in Doc. F. But The British was not expecting the hostile response from their Stamp Act and having to pay for the war damages. The colonists have never been taxed before, and they couldn’t understand why they had to pay without having representation for themselves. The Stamp Act really affected every colonist because they were forced to pay for every day items. The Stamp Act Congress sent appeals to Britain’s government to try to convince them of the insanity of the act, but the government was not going to change their mind(Doc. G). While going against the Stamp Act, the Colonists mocked the act by placing skulls in the place where the stamp on documents and letters would go(Doc. H). It was clear from the American response that they were not going to just give up and let the English tax them without a clear fight. Both the colonists and the British both had their different opinions, which created an even stronger strain between them, reeling in the American Revolution closer and closer. The ideological relations between the colonists and the British were undeniably a part of the developing strain after the French and Indian war. Before the war, North America was where the former England settlers went, and they still considered themselves as a part of their homeland(Doc. E), until the England government taxed the colonists and not their country as a whole(Doc. F). The colonists changed their ideology about staying loyal to their mother country because of this and slowly started to drift towards rebellion. The Natives also were about of the developing strain between the British and the colonists. The Natives were solely afraid that the British would take their land for farming, and they thought that the British people had no right to settle there(Doc. B). And then, after the Proclamation line was present, the military had come in to protect the colonists, but it is proven true that the armies were seen as scum (Doc. D). The American colonists just wanted equality and liberty from the British empire, but it was obvious that they weren’t going to get that because of the British taxes and not letting further settling in the other parts of the American land. Both of these contributions led to the colonists wanting to succeed from the British empire. The French and Indian war changed the political, economic, and the ideological relations between Britain and it’s American colonies because of the developing strain that eventually led to the American Revolution.

Not Enough Time to Spend with Family Members Essay

One doesn’t have to look far, in current circumstances throughout the world, to see that people are migrating from one country to another to earn bread and butter. There is a widely held view that, due to this trend, vast numbers of people are not able to spend quality time with their nearer and dearer ones. Similar to every other trend, there is no exception in this case also that it has its own ups and downs. To begin with, it is abundantly clear that due to globalization, opportunities are not limited to one corner of the world. Simultaneously intensive competition is present for each such chance. To prove mettle, Individuals are ready to sacrifice their family member’s feelings, joy and agree to work on remote location without family. Moreover, parents are forced to celebrate festivals, birthdays and auspicious days without their kids. Last but not least, they feel gap in life when their kids are not around during their bad phase. At the other end of the spectrum, it brings sense of satisfaction when caretakers see their kids, who are now grown human being, working with multinational organizations. Due to higher wages and salary, they can afford luxurious items like car and furniture. In my personal experience, I have seen that my parents are now living affluent and comfortable life. This is largely due to my increased income which happened when I move to Australia from India. However, we missed each other during celebrations and functions At the end of the day, I pen down saying that once has to be flexible to survive in this world which is now running on 24X7. I strongly believe that separation for short time can bring happiness for long time.

Narrative on Culture

Culture Crossing Do you ever look at a complete stranger and immediately categorize that person? I will be the first to admit that I have done so more than I would care to acknowledge. I was definitely raised to look down upon people, especially the Jewish, in spite of what my parents will tell you. Although I was never actually told not to like or associate with a Jewish person, the adults in my family made it known that it was unacceptable by saying unpleasant things about them. I heard the jewish would come to nice neighborhoods, take them over, and ruin them.I also heard that they killed Jesus. It was inevitable that I too would see Jewish people as inferior to me. With all the bad things I heard, it only seemed natural. I thought Jewish people were arrogant, greedy, conniving, and uneducated. I thought they should leave our country because their religion and cultural beliefs were un-American. From the time I was a little girl through my early twenties I looked down upon Jewish p eople until I met Joel one day while I was working. It was a typical Friday at the Department of Motor Vehicles.It was fifteen minutes until closing time and the place was packed. I was about to call my next customer when a short man dressed in black and white from head to toe with long chin-brushing curls as sideburns wearing a black hat approached my window. He was a Hasidic Jew and I was not happy. I acknowledged him. â€Å"Yes? † â€Å"Are you going to call this ticket number? † â€Å"Nope. Have a seat,† I said annoyed. â€Å"I'm sorry to have bothered you. † As he was sitting back down I noticed the ticket number he had in his hands. It was a dealer ticket. We stop calling dealers at 4:30 p. m because it's time consuming.I was contemplating if I was going to tell him this or let him find out the hard way. There was a big sign by the ticket machine that clearly states that we don't accept dealer paperwork after 4:30 p. m. Some of my coworkers noticed him and started making fun of his clothes, yiddish accent and, stupidity for not reading the sign. Although I tended to agree with them, I decided to be nice and help this man because I was sick and tired of hearing my coworkers ridiculing him. He was, after all, in hearing distance. I motioned the Hasidic man up to my window with my index finger. Sir, I normally would not help you because we don't accept dealers after 4:30 p. m but, I see you only have one deal so I will help you just this one time. † He smiled from ear to ear and thanked me. I knew from experience that Hasidic men are not allowed to touch an object at the same time as someone from the opposite sex so, I was very surprised when he handed me the papers through the bars rather than sliding them underneath the window barrier. I didn't know what to do. Should I let the papers fall to the desk? I did not want to be impolite so I took the papers from him.After looking at his papers I soon realized that I would be u nable to process the transaction and I delivered the bad news to him. Expecting the worst, I was ready for the hostile reply I usually get from anyone I give unpleasant news to. Instead, he was polite and humble. He thanked me over and over for taking him. I was pleasantly surprised and smiled. I told him the additional papers he needed and even wished him a good evening. He was walking away when he turned and asked, â€Å"What is your name? † â€Å"Ann† I suspiciously replied. â€Å"My name is Joel. Have a great weekend Ann!I will see you first thing on Monday,† he said cheerfully as he walked towards the door. I wondered what was wrong with him. I had never came across a Hasidic man like him. As the metal gates lifted to the D. M. V entrance Monday morning, I noticed Joel was the first in line. He waved. Oh, geez. That was weird. My coworkers took notice of him and started to tease me. â€Å"Look, there's Annie's special friend,† said one. â€Å"Annie' s curly locks is here,† snorted another. I chose to ignore their snide remarks and called him up to my window. â€Å"Good Morning Ann! How was your weekend? † Joel asked.He placed a small tin of cookies on the counter. â€Å"These are for you. They are from my brother's bakery in Brooklyn,† he joyfully said as he slid the tin underneath the window bars. I told him that I couldn't accept them and thanked him. â€Å"You have kids? Yes? Please take them home to your children then,† he insisted. I took the cookies and hid them in my desk draw. â€Å"Thank you Joel, that was very kind of you. My children will love the cookies. † I hoped no one noticed the exchange. I did not want to be teased my coworkers. While editing and processing his paperwork, Joel started telling me jokes.They were funny but I didn't dare laugh because they were about the Jewish. â€Å"Not all Hasidic's are extremists, Ann,† he laughed. I didn't know how to respond. I never met a Hasidic man that was as friendly and talkative as Joel. I wondered if he was from Kiryas Joel, the village within the town of Monroe where it's residents strictly observe the Torah and its commandments. If he is, I'm thinking he shouldn't be talking to me like this. Hasidic men are proscribed from associating with woman who are not their wives or relatives. What if another Hasidic witnessed him talking to me? Joel, do you live in Kiryas Joel? † I shyly asked. â€Å"Yes, I do. Why do you ask? † â€Å"Um, can't you get in trouble for talking to me? † I had a hard time getting the words out. I was embarrassed. â€Å"I have many rules but it doesn't mean that I follow them to a T? † I was intrigued. I knew little about Hasidism. I determined this would be an excellent opportunity to learn. â€Å"Would you mind if I asked you questions about your religion? † I quietly asked. Joel gave me permission to ask him anything. As time went on, I called hi m right up to my window.None of my coworkers wanted to help him anyway and, I looked forward to our conversations. I asked him questions about everything from having sex through a hole in the sheet to having a holiday that they are ordered to get drunk. Joel eagerly shared his experiences in detail leaving nothing out. He explained holidays, the importance of tradition, and beliefs. I learned the life of a Hasidic from birth through marriage. Joel educated me on why they dress all in black, what kind of education they receive, gender roles, acceptable entertainment, and any other aspect that I thought to ask him about.He explained the discipline involved to abstain mainstream American culture. When he spoke about his arranged marriage, I began to understand and respect the idea behind it. It did seem safer in the big picture because partners were picked that were good for a lifetime not short infatuations. I was amazed how open-minded I was becoming. I had gained respect for his rel igion and became quite fond of Joel. I saw him as a whole person rather than the Hasidic Jew I once seen. My religious and cultural upbringing fostered my ignorance.I grew up feeling superior to people outside my culture and religion because I simply didn't know any better. Meeting Joel changed my view on culture and religion. Through sharing his traditions and beliefs, I realized that other cultures interact differently and it's often misconceived as rudeness, anger and, foolishness. Getting to know Joel made me see that our cultural and religious beliefs didn't make us any less or any more of a person. Based on our common humanity, I learned to respect cultural and religious diversity.

God’s Existence and Aquinas Objection Essay

I was in the debate team in high school. And there were times that our team would take the against side of the statement. In his famous work Prologion, written in 1077-1078, Anselm presents the idea the God exists because God is the greatest thing of all, that the idea of thinking of God exists prove its existence. Hundred of years later, Thomas Aquinas brings up the account that addresses Anselm’s idea in objection 2 of Question II, First Article of Summa Theologica. Aquinas objects Anselm’s argument later in his work by attacking the idea that God is something that can be thought greater. To understand Anselm’s argument for God’s existence, one must first understand the principles that forms the argument. The first principle is the claim that â€Å"nothing greater can be thought. † There is too types of existing, existing in understanding (existing0) and existing in reality (existing1). Then, we try to think of something is existing1. Anselm let â€Å"something† be â€Å"something than which nothing greater can be thought (NGT),† or in another word â€Å"a being than which nothing greater can be conceived† according to the Proslogion. The very first act of thinking that something is existing1 serves as the basis of it existing0. Because in the process of trying to think of something greater, we already establish its existence0. For example, there is a flower A, existing1. This flower A is the most beautiful flower, that this flower is a NGT. In order to prove this flower is NGT, one has to think of all the flower he has seen, flower B, C, or D. In the process of searching through one’s mind trying to think of a flower that is more beautiful than flower A, flower A already exists in one’s mind, which is existing0. To open his argument, Anselm then said an example of NGT is God. The second principle is the principle of â€Å"thinking of non-existing objects (Principle E). † Anselm uses the example of a painter conceiving the drawing he will paint, then executing his plan in mind to make the painting exists in reality. To breakdown his argument, let’s begin with something that exists0. Because one has the ability to imagine that something exists0, one can also imagine that the same thing exists1. This priniciple is the most uncontroversial because it is just a matter of imagination. The fact that one has imagination allows him to imagine whatever he wants. For example, one imagines he won the lottery and has a million dollars. It is safe to say that one can proceed to think of that million dollars is existing1, regardless of if the million dollars truly exists1. Applying Principle E back to the argument of NGT, if one can imagine NGT in existence0, one can also go ahead and imagine NGT existing1. The third principle is â€Å"thinking something greater than something (Principle G). This principle compares the greatness of existing0 and existing1. Anselm proposes that â€Å"greatness† has two faces: qualitatively and existentially. To further support his argument, Anselm implies that greatness qualitatively means everything positive, such as, more beautiful, more knowledgeable, more influential, etc. Base on this assumption, Anselm argues that, â€Å"Suppose it exists in the understanding alone: then it can be conceived to exist in reality; which is greater. † To apply this principle in daily life, one can relate to a million dollars example above. One can imagine having a million dollars in his mind, but that million dollars doesn’t exist1. In another case, one owns a millions dollars, which means that million dollars exists1. The rhetorical question here will be, which case is more appealing to you, which scenario is â€Å"greater? † Back to Anselm’s claim, the â€Å"it† in his argument is, of course, NGT, which is God. That God exists1 is better than God only exists0 but not exists1. The next principle returns to the basic meaning of NGT. Principle N presents the idea â€Å"if something can be thought to be greater than x, then x is not an NGT. † Assume something is an NGT, nothing greater can be thought. If there is another thing that is greater then it. This â€Å"something† is no longer an NGT. This principle is pretty self-explanatory. To put it in everyday examples, imagine the beautiful flower A is the most beautiful flower in the whole wide world. However, one found another flower more beautiful than A. Now A is no longer an NGT, regardless in existence0 or existence1. Now substitute God in for NGT in the equation. Because Anselm already claimed that God is an NGT, if one can think of something greater than God, God is no longer an NGT. According to the Proslogion, â€Å"God cannot be conceived not to exist. –God is that, than which nothing greater can be conceived. –That which can be conceived not to exist is not God. † The upcoming principle’s idea bases that of principle E. Principle T simply proposes the idea that â€Å"an NGT can be thought. † Because one has the ability to think of an object either exists0, exists1, or even both, one can also think of NGT existing0, existing1, or both. The idea that one can think of something is very broad and universal, that â€Å"something† can simply be anything. The final piece of Anselm’s argument is Principle M. This principle presents the very vague idea that â€Å"if something must be thought as existing1, then it exists1. † If one must think of a flower exists1, then that flower does exist1. Now that all principles Anselm needed to support his argument that God exists are gathered, he begins his argument with a â€Å"fool (thinker)† that â€Å"understands [God] is in his understanding; although he does not understand it to exist. † To fully understand this argument, one has to accept Anselm’s assumption that God, indeed, is an NGT. The argument that the thinker has the ability to think of NGT existing1 is based on Principle E that if one can think of an object then he can think of it existing1. The idea of thinking NGT exists1 is â€Å"greater† than the idea of thinking NGT exists0 but doesn’t exist1 (Principle G); therefore, one can think of something greater than the NGT that exists0 but not in reality. However, this violates the basic meaning of an NGT (Principle N), nothing greater can be thought. So the idea that one can think of something greater than the NGT that exists0 but not in reality is contradictory to the fundamental element of an NGT. Which comes to the agreement that if one think of an NGT it is to be existing1. The conclusion implies the principle that one can thought of NGT exists1 (Principle T). Also, one can and must only think of an NGT exists1. This lead to the final conclusion. If one has no choice but think of something exists1, that something must be existing1 (Principle M). Therefore, an NGT, God, exists. Aquinas gives an condensed version account of Anselm’s argument in Summa Theologica. In objection 2 of question II, â€Å"Whether the existence of God is self-evident? †, Aquinas addresses the idea much abruptly. He first implies that Anselm’s idea of God is an NGT is equivalent to saying â€Å"things are said to be self-evident which are known as soon as the terms are known,† that the significant of the word â€Å"God† is nothing better can be conceived. He follows the account by stating that the word â€Å"God† â€Å"exists actually and mentally is greater than that which exists only mentally. † Therefore, if the word â€Å"God† is understood mentally it has to be understood to exist actually. Both Anselm’s argument of Aquinas’s account of it come to the same conclusion that God exists, that the thought of it existing lead to its real existence. Aquinas objects Anselm’s idea by stating that not everyone understands the word â€Å"God† will agree that it is an NGT. He follows his objection by stating: Yet, granted that everyone understands that by this name God is signified something than which nothing greater can be thought, nevertheless, it does not therefore follow that he understands that what the name signifies exists actually, but only that it exists mentally. Aquinas’s main objection is that the idea of NGT can be interpreted that it can only exists mentally. However, for Anselm’s argument to work, one has to understand that God can exists in reality; therefore, Aquinas further objects Anselm’s claim by stating those â€Å"who hold God does not exist† will not admit the fact that God is an NGT and it exists in reality. In Anselm’s defense, he based all his argument on the fact that God is â€Å"a being than which nothing greater can be conceived. † As a true believer of God, Anselm would have simply oppose those who does not believe in God has not fully understand the meaning of â€Å"God†; therefore, they fail to grasp the idea God exists in reality. If one understands God, he will be able to think of God’s existence in mind then agree to think of it in reality. After reading excerpts both from the Proslogion and the Summa Theologica, I am more inclined to support Aquinas’s claim. Although I do not think Aquinas has successfully destroyed Anselm’s argument, I think there are more weak links in Anselm’s argument than that of Aquinas’s. The most apparent loopholes are Principle M and Principle G. First, Principle M states that if one has to think of something as existing1, then that something has to exists1. However, Anselm neglects the fact that what one believes exists1 does not has to be true. For example, children were told to believe Santa Claus exists in reality and many of them do believe that idea. The contradiction being what those children â€Å"can and must† think exists1, Santa Claus, does not exists1. Second, the positivity of â€Å"greatness† implied in Principle G is too vague. The concept of greatness of reality is â€Å"better† than that of in mind can be subjective. Just because one person thinks the existence in reality is greater than existence in mind does not equal others perception of greatness. With doubts in Principle M and Principle G, I think Aquinas has a stronger position compare to Anselm does.