Moral Responsibility Essay Example for Free

Moral Responsibility Essay ? Most people have natural desires such as getting higher social status; making more money; travelling all around the world; or collecting specific objects like cars, shoes, watches, dishes or stamps. Often this desire becomes a reason why people wake up in the morning, work hard, deal with all their troubles, or patiently save money. Eventually when the person achieves their desire, he/she feels great happiness, and it remains in their lives as a pleasant memory. However, sometimes people have conflicts between their wants and their moral responsibilities. What should human beings put first in their lives? Is there a method that helps human beings to find a balance among different values? My desire was to have designer bags. It started when I was a freshman in college. I had no knowledge about designer brands before I came to college because my parents have never put value on material things and have shown thrifty living is more meaningful than luxury living. I had had no issues with what my parents taught me, but starting in college I have struggled with my original values. My professor made fun of my clothing and accessories, which I bought at the supermarket, with obscure brand logos. She said if I wanted to be a good designer I had to be aware of fashion trends and style, and I also had to use those items. Moreover, the professor advised me that I should treat myself like a professional designer instead of a naive country girl, so I should take more care of my outfit. What she said it made sense to me but it hurt my self-esteem first. After that I started to look at people around me and I realized I had to change from head to toe. I asked my parents to buy new clothes, shoes and accessories, and not at the supermarket. So we went to a department store and I saw the new world at age 19. Everything looked fabulous and beautiful, but also very expensive, especially compared to what I used to wear and carry. That first shopping experience at the luxury department changed my entire value system. I used to give tithe and offering to church without thinking or counting. It was my duty as a Christian and I knew how the church would spend the money that I donate. The church I attended had a partnership with a local orphanage and a nursing home and I regularly went there to serve people with other church members. It was such a significant experience which taught me the spirit of sharing and happiness from contribution to people who are in need. Since my entire values changed, I started to calculate the money I spent for donation and to fulfill myself. I tried to find a few reasons why I did not have to donate. First of all, I worked hard to earn money; second of all, I would sacrifice my short-term wants to save money for a new designer bag. Thirdly, there are many people who are wealthier than I who would give more. A few months after, I had money to buy my first designer bag, so I went to the department store to buy my long-term goal. That bag made me feel happy and satisfied and I found myself showing off my pleasure to people around me.. I thought once I had a bag that I wanted to have it would be just enough, but soon after, I found a new bag that I hoped to have. This started my moral dilemma between satisfying my material greed and the spirit of sharing. I asked my parents to give me wise words about the situation that I faced. They said I should not stop donating money if I feel guilty from it, but I should stop donating money if not getting a bag made me unhappy. They also said I had to think about why I had a part-time drawing teaching job. I said that I worked because I wanted to build my career and to take financial responsibility for myself, so there was no problem with that. I pointed out the amount of fulfillment was greater and longer when I carried out my moral responsibility for orphan children and seniors who were in nursing homes. Therefore I decided to put my moral duty first, but I also made special savings for myself which could afford my personal desire for bags. It seemed the problem was solved but it is not fully solved yet. As my eyes become more sophisticated, my desires grow bigger and more expensive and it will not stop. The utilitarian philosopher, Peter Singer, emphasizes the scientific evidence on conditions of happiness, which shows that once human beings have enough to satisfy their basic needs, they cannot maximize their happiness anymore by gaining wealth. I do partly agree with his opinion because human beings need continuous stimulation, so they work and make progress in their daily lives. The New York Times Op-Ed columnist David Brooks believes that human beings need a reward as motivation in order to work harder and being productive, which means people are supposed to help each other but human beings have natural preference to put themselves as the highest priority, so self-satisfaction is more important than taking moral responsibilities. Although Brooks’ opinion makes sense to me according to my experience, I am not 100% sure which opinion is right and I should follow. In my mind the most important matter is what makes people happier and brings no regret, while finding a balance between self-satisfaction and looking after people who are in need with a true heart.

Electric Vehicles And Their Effect On Society

Electric Vehicles And Their Effect On Society With the depletion of the earths ozone layer and the shortage of our oil supply becoming an issue, we have had to look at alternative fueled vehicles that will not harm the environment, but will still provide us with a reliable source of transportation. Compared to gasoline powered vehicles, electric vehicles are considered to be 97 percent cleaner, producing absolutely no tailpipe emissions that can place particulate matter into the air. Particulate matter can increase asthma conditions, as well as irritate respiratory systems. Because Electric Vehicles produce no emissions, there are no requirements for Electric Vehicle owners to ever take in their vehicle to an Emissions Testing Facility for an emissions inspection. Another factor that makes these vehicles so clean is that since they dont use half of the parts that a gasoline powered vehicle does (including gasoline and oil), they are not at risk of shedding any worn out radiator hoses, fuel filters, etc, to be dumped in our over crowded landfills, and leaking contaminated oil into our water supply, killing plant and animal life. Exceptionally quiet, Electric Vehicles produce no noise pollution. In fact they are so quiet that manufacturers are thinking that Electric Vehicles may one day require some kind of noise device on them to alert pedestrians that they are within the area. In a gasoline powered vehicle, the then engine must be kept running even when the vehicle is idle. When an Electric Vehicle is idle, the electric motor is not running and the vehicle is not using any energy. On hot days, a few hundred gas-powered cars sitting on the freeway produce an unimaginable amount of pollution. Electric Vehicles can run during hot days, cold days, at night, and can accelerate or remain idle and not produce any pollution. Many people claim that Electric Vehicles merely relocate the source of pollution to the power plants. Even though Electric Vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions, they still need electricity to be recharged, which means they need power plants to produce the electricity. These people fail to realize, however, that many modern power plants (especially in states like California) are clean, meaning they produce no pollution. Examples of clean power plants include nuclear reactors, windmills, hydroelectric plants and solar panels. Also, it is much easier to deal with isolated pollution sources such as power plants than it is to deal with millions of automobiles, each a source of pollution. As more and more power plants become clean and as more people realize what Electric Vehicles can do for the environment, Electric Vehicle use will increase, and our environment will become much nicer. Electric cars have been thought of as one answer to our dependence on fossil fuel burning vehicles. Their main appeal is that they produce no air pollution at the point of use so provide a way of shifting emissions to less polluted areas. Unfortunately also out of sight are the environmental consequences of manufacturing and recycling the lead- acid batteries electric vehicles require to run on. A recent drew attention to the problem of lead batteries in electric cars: Smelting and recycling the lead for these batteries will result in substantial releases of lead to the environment. The researchers compared the power, efficiency and environmental effects of electric cars with gas powered vehicles. Not only are electric cars comparatively slower and far more restricted in the distance they can travel but release more lead into the environment as well. The study showed that an electric car with batteries made from newly mined lead releases 60 times more lead than that of a car using le aded gas. Although the lead discharged in lead smelting and reprocessing is generally less available to humans in the U.S. than that dispersed by leaded gasoline cars driving where people are still using leaded gasoline. Even when precautions are taken there are still significant hazards. Lead processing facilities release lead into the air and waterways, and lead in solid waste leaches slowly into the environment. Clearly electric cars, despite their good for the environment image create far more of a problem than leaded gas cars and unleaded gas cars. In addition if a large number of electric cars are produced, the demand for lead for batteries will surge, requiring more lead to be mined. Manufacture needs to be halted until an alternative safer power source is found. These rules out current alternatives such as nickel-cadmium and nickel metal hydride batteries which are also highly toxic and far more expensive. Researchers speculate that lithium-polymer technologies may eventuall y be used. Should cities with a population in excess on 5 million such as LA, New York or Mexico city, which suffer from the adverse effects of smog, implement an electric car society, or a car tax by 2009 or would these measures be too costly to execute and burdensome for the average citizen. The creation of an electric car city would be a grueling task indeed. For it follows that the car in many countries is ubiquitous. A cultural symbol that is deeply embedded in the worlds psyche from the day it was created. To some it seems as though it is an impossible task, that we replace so many cars or that we limit the number of cars in the populated areas Although many argue that it is the car that contributes to the blight on this earth, spewing its pollutants into the air, and that a society without them would be a better one. The nature of todays world and in todays modern cities demands that we have a form of fast transportation. We would not function at all without it and walking, while it woul d make us all healthier, would consume too much of our time. I feel that if carefully planned and thought out, we neednt get rid of one without having to lose the benefit of the other. It is felt by many that the cause of urban pollution is as a result of too many cars. The poor design of many cities with regard to transportation has caused urban congestion. Consider of course the fact that many cars right now in cities are running but not moving. For example, in New York City, trying to find a parking space is both a cause and symptom of poor urban design. Clearly when there is not enough space in the city to house all of our cars, when parking space is considered a rare commodity then we have a problem. But in other cases such as Mexico City or Los Angeles the problem of poor urban design is even worse. Clearly when these cities were built the planners did not foresee the large number of gasoline chugging vehicles that would clog them. In addition there are various health problems that are suffered by urban dwellers as a result of the pollution. Asthma is a prime example, as it is the fastest growing childhood disease in urban areas, and most likely the result of the billions of particulates spewed into the atmosphere. Electric vehicles have more than technical hurdles to overcome: Some experts fear that the vehicles environmental impact is no lighter than that of gas-powered vehicles. And the biggest concerns center on the vehicles all-important batteries. Now researchers have published the first in-depth environmental analysis of electric cars using lithium-ion batteries, and have found that they beat their gas-fueled counterparts. When experts consider batteries environmental footprint, they worry about a range of issues, including the impacts of mining the necessary metals, the chemical manufacturing process, and whether the batteries end up in landfills or get recycled. According to the researchers analysis, about 15% of an electric vehicles total environmental burden comes from manufacturing, maintaining, and disposing of the lithium-ion battery. Most of those costs, about 50%, stem from mining and manufacturing the copper and aluminum used in the battery and its connecting cables. Extracting the necessary lithium produces only 2.3% of the batterys total environmental footprint. Still, the largest contributor to electric vehicles total environmental burden comes from recharging the battery. These operational costs were three times greater than the battery alone, but they fluctuated when the researchers looked at other electricity sources besides the typical European power mixture that includes nuclear power, hydropower, and fossil fuels. When the vehicles charged up on electricity from coal-fired plants alone, their total environmental impact increased by 13%, but it dropped by 40% when the electricity came solely from hydropower. Overall, when the researchers compared battery-powered vehicles to their gas-fueled counterparts, they calculated that a car with an internal combustion engine would need a fuel economy of about 60 to 80 mpg to achieve a lower environmental impact than a battery-powered electric vehicle that recharged using Unites States power sources. Overall, Electric Vehicles are stating to change the way people think about à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Going Greenà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ . With the advancement of battery technology and alternative fuels, these vehicles are producing fewer emissions and going further than ever before. We need to start relying on these technologies to start reducing our carbon footprint. As the years continue to pass, these vehicles are going to start changing the way we live, and operate in society. Bagatelle-Black, Forbes. EV WORLD: Electric Vehicles and the Environment. 27 Nov. 2007. Web. 04 May 2011. . Electric Vehicle. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 04 May 2011. . Gustafson, Sven. How Would Electric Cars Affect Our Environment? Michigan Local News. 14 Feb. 2008. Web. 04 May 2011. . Zemanta. The Negative Impact of Electric Cars on the Environment. News and Reviews on Electric Cars, Hybrids, Plug-in Electric Vehicles 9 Mar. 2010. Web. 04 May 2011. .

Marketisation of Education Analysis

Marketisation of Education Analysis Marketization of education refers to privatization of the education industry in the process of providing educative services. Economic advantage is the main driving force for the emergence of this style of education. An instance involves the period 1998, where the government published a report comparing the GCSE and Standard Assessment Tests of Schools giving parents a choice between different competing schools (Bates, 2011; Friedman, 2003). This meant that Schools performing well attracted high number of parents, resulting to increased revenues from fees. In analyzing this aspect of education, my key concern is if this process meets the objective of providing the best educative services, and an equal opportunity for students. To answer this question, we need to identify and analyze the concerns of this aspect of the education system, and inclusion is economic revolution. Economic revolution came as a result of industrial revolution in Europe, and it brought changes in the systems of governance making economic gains an issue in evolution of education. Friedman (2003) in his analysis of Marketization of education agrees with this notion. He argues that the evolution of this style of education is as a result of the liberalization of the structures of government including economic structures (Friedman, 2003). Liberalism is an aspect of governance which Karl Marx, many centuries ago predicted will limit the interference of government in the provision of education services. The concepts of economics as a motivator to marketization of education are highly criticized by Lauder (2006). In Lauderà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s analysis, he argues that economic factors have replaced the learning aspects of education to more material oriented learning processes, whereby schools concentrate on how they can achieve customer satisfaction as opposed to impartation of knowledge and skills (Lauder, 2006). This happened because of decentralization of the structures of government, and less regulation of the education system due to liberalization of the economy where organizations are allowed to offer services without regulation from the government (Dewey, 1998). Lauder further argues that marketization of education arose due to the emergence of the class system. Parents from rich backgrounds saw the need of taking their children to special schools, because they offered quality education than state schools (Lauder et al, 1999). This aspect caused rift between the rich and the poor in the educative process in terms of acquisition of knowledge. Bates et al (2011) and Kishan (2008) observe that parents with low income struggle to take their children to state schools, and this accelerates the process of social segregation. In socialist states, education is controlled by the government and it develops school curriculums which are strictly followed. This is as opposed to the liberalized states such as America and Britain. The European Research institute of education conducted a research on marketization of education in Europe. They found that the state had lost its ability to regulate the education system in Europe (Kishan, 2008). This proves that governance and politics are the main motivators of this approach to education, and not economics. Another aspect of marketization of education is the changing needs of the society that the education system needed to address. This issue is vague in its description, because education is age old, and issues affecting the society are the same. Lauder (2006) agrees with this notion and notes that the education system concerns itself with impartation of skills necessary for an individual to survive in the world. This was the objectives of the education system in the former centuries, the needs of the society is always the same, but how to solve such needs differ. The main needs of the society are survival in a fierce competitive environment, and an education system that offers mechanisms and skills to survive in such an environment is welcome. Government schools also offer such skills and those who argue that this style of education emerged due to changes in the needs of the populace are misguided. The schooling system has evolved to an extent that business organizations make a commercial presence in schools, and this is evidenced by the commercial advertisements on teaching materials. On this notion, educative services are seen as a business opportunity. To Friedman, marketization of education arose due to the need of allowing free flow of education. Friedman notes that the combination of marketization, liberalization and privatization in the education sector ensures that the development prosperity and cooperation is achieved in the world, because information is shared freely. Without marketization of education, Friedman argues that government institutions can interfere with the process of free flow of information (Friedman, 2003; Bates, 2011). Lauder (2006), argues against this system of education and maintains that marketization of education is a replacement of instructive thoughts to economic thoughts. He argues that instead of preparing students for social and personal development, the education system concerns itself with aspects of client satisfaction, cost effectiveness and competitiveness. Bridgehouse (2011) asserts that marketization of education has resulted into the neglect of children with special needs for schools and focuses on how to minimize costs (p.32). This is because schools aim at profit making and see the need of hiring specialized staff as costly. In conclusion, Marketization of education is the emerging trend of education system in the world but it does not provide equity in the provision of educative services. The poor are disadvantaged and due to lack of economic might, their children do not have an access to high cost schools which have superior teaching resources as compared to state schools where majority of economically disadvantaged parents take their children. This inequality in the education system develops the class system brought about by industrial revolution. Schools do not concentrate in imparting skills to their students instead; they are concerned with profit making and client satisfaction at the expense of offering knowledge. Government should regulate the education system and ensure quality education is offered at all levels of the education system by state and private schools. Bibliography: Bates, J,.Lewis, Sue and Pickard, Andy.(2011). Education Policy, Practice and Professional.Continuum: Continuum International Publishers. Friedman, M. I. (2003). Educators handbook on effective testing. Columbia, SC: InstituteforEvidence-Based Decision-Making in Education. Bridgehouse, H. ( 2007). On Education.United States of America: Routledge Publishers. Kishan, N. R. (2008). Privatization of education. New Delhi: A.P.H Pub. Corp.. Lauder, H. (2006).Education, globalization, and social change. Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress. Lauder, H and Hughes, D ., eds ( 1999). Trading in Futures, Why Markets in Education Donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t Work.Buckingham: Open University Press. Ozmon, H., Craver, S. M. (1986).Philosophical foundations of education (3rd ed.). Columbus: Merrill Pub. Co.. SAMPLE PAPER 2 Experiential Learning Name: Course Code: Professor: Date of Submission: Many learning institutions have introduced the concept of learning through experience, referred to as experiential learning. This process of learning can either be dramatic or open and it was advocated by scholars such as Aristotle and Kolb. To Aristotle, learning to do things through experience is better than learning through teaching (Curren, 2000). While, Kolb defines experiential learning as a process that involves real life experience in acquisition of knowledge and skills, its elements are experience, observation, reflection and experimentation (Ozmon and Craver, 1986). In Experiential learning, the question is, does it require the guidance of a practioner for learning to take place? Practioners are always necessary in any process of learning, and experiential learning is not an exception. To acquire new knowledge from experience, an individual has to have problem solving skills which enable him/ her to make decisions. This skill is essential to enable a student to apply skills gained through the experience undergone while learning (Maxwell, 2011). Experience as an issue in experiential learning is not the main factor that a student can acquire knowledge from. To Aristotle, passing through experience, acquiring skills and inability to implement the skills gained is not the objective of education. By learning, a student has to acquire the ability to apply skills gained in real life situations and challenges (Curren, 2000). The applicative part of skill acquisition is the problem and for a student to implement a skill, he/she needs guidance and this normally comes from the practitioners. The idea of learning through experience has a long historical perspective and it is John Dewey who proposed it. Dewey (1998) states that experience is an integral part of learning; and practitioners play an important role in this process, to ensure students are able to apply knowledge gained from an experience in different perspectives of their lives. This notion of Dewey, clearly agrees with my views of experimentation as an aspect of experiential learning. It is necessary for practitioners to introduce the curriculum when students are taken to the outdoor learning with supervision from educators; this would allow students to learn from a series of real life adventures. Dewey (1998) in his analysis of experiential learning observes that reflection must occur in this process. Students must engage actively in the learning, and reflect on the experience to grasp the new ideas instilled. Its only after effective reflection that skills are acquired. Reflection as an issue of experiential learning is not beneficial without supervision. There are many aspects of reflective tendencies during the process of experiential learning. However, it has some drawback (Palmer and Cooper, 2003); student will not think deeper into the meaning of the experience passed as he/she might take it as play attained. It might involve lack of concentration from the student. According to Kolb, learning is a multidimensional process (Palmer and Cooper, 2003) and it involves four stages that are to experience, observe, reflect and experiment. Kolb advocates for supervision of a learner during the process of reflection. After a period of time, learning will have taken place as students had gained an educative experience with useful guides given from the practitioners. The reason is that constantly, the student will reflect on the experience he/she has just gained and consider the advice given from the practitioners (Maxwell et al, 2011).This process of experiential learning requires a practitioner at all stage to facilitate studentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s learning. Therefore practitioners play an important role and their input should not be neglected. Experiential learning was formally recognized as a field of education in 1970s and a great achievement for advocators of experiential learning was made in 1977 when the association of experiential education was established (Palmer and Cooper, 2003). It is in the 20th Century that educating through experience has been appreciated as a vital foundation of the learning process and it was precipitated by the work of John Dewey in 1998.The ideas of experiential learning are relevant to the concepts of adult learning. David Kolb (Palmer and Cooper, 2003) argue that experiential learning is a four stage process and he identifies Dewey as the main pioneer of this learning system. Kolb (Palmer and Cooper, 2003) discusses experience and reflection as issues in experiential learning. He gives an analysis of the steps of experiential learning which are experience; observation, reflection and experimentation. To Kolb, experience and reflection are necessary for learning to take place but with guidance of a practitioner while to Dewey, the guidance of a practioner is not necessary (Dewey, 1998).However, Rousseau Palmer et al, 2003) state experiential learning is an important aspect of education and notes that education comes from nature, men and environmental surroundings thus everything plays an important role in the impartation of knowledge. Rousseau argues a child obtains passivity by being taught and resent from punishment and therefore the best way for a child to learn is through experience which allows him to see the consequences of his actions. To Rousseau, experience coupled with tutorship is the best form of education since passivity in learning will be removed and therefore leaning becomes a process of mutual understanding and consent (Ozmon and Craver, 1986). Experiential learning has been adopted in the curriculum in many schools across the country. The new curriculum emphasizes the importance of children learning through experience and thereby developing skills from out of class activities. It is used to denote various models and due to the differences of value and thoughts, educators develop curriculums and programs that fit their understanding of experiential learning. To gain knowledge and skills in the process of experiential leaning, guidance given from practitioners to student is necessary. Practitioners must be trained in all aspects of education in order to be skillful in applying knowledge acquired through experiences in their practice.

The Western as Commentary about Decaying Values Essay -- Western Cultu

The Western as Commentary about Decaying Values The Western, as a genre, is subversive of the values that its Christian characters possess. Western films frequently depict social depravity in terms of the mythology that developed during westward expansion. The mythology was inspired by the threat of the frontier wilderness to Puritan culture. In order to preserve their society, some Puritans departed from their ideal Christian lives. Western films portray compromises that cultures make of the values that they define themselves by in order to protect the integrity of their other values. A contemporary Western, Open Range, which Kevin Costner stars in and directed, released in 1995, deals with a conflict between morality and justice and the genre mythology. In it, Boss Spearman and Charley Waite herd cattle across the Western frontier. When they allow the herd to free-graze in Fort Harmon country, they infuriate a prominent rancher, Baxter, who tells them â€Å"Free-grazers ain’t gonna take the feed off my cattle.† A confrontation with Baxter’s henchmen results in them killing one of Boss’ helpers and another, Button, is severely hurt. Boss and Charley are faced with the options either to run away, in which case Button would die, or to risk their lives by entering the town to find him a doctor. Boss and Charley both are generous to each other, their workers, and people they encounter. Charley is a former Civil War fighter who is trying to escape his past with the guidance of the old, collected cowboy, Boss. Both have clearly been in fights before; however, Charley’s past troubles him in a deeper way than his demeanor suggests. He explains that he first shot a man in the throat ... ...fe from the dangers of their enemies and feel that they have the freedom of pioneers. Even as the wilderness and the frontier become more distant, the mythology that arose in the American west keeps its people inexorably determined to maintain the democracy and the freedom that it provides. Works Cited Fiedler, Leslie A. The Return of the Vanishing American. Briarcliff Manor, NY: Stein and Day, 1968. Slotkin, R. Regeneration Through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier 1600-1860. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1973. Turner, Frederick J. â€Å"Contributions of the West to American Democracy.† The Turner Thesis: Concerning the Role of the Frontier in American History. Ed. George R. Taylor. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath and Company, 1972.

Biotrim: True Weight Loss or Scam? Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive P

Biotrim: True Weight Loss or Scam? In today's society, everybody wants a quick fix to all of their cosmetic problems. Whether we want better faces, better bodies, whatever, we want it now and we surely do not want to work for results. Due to this incredible demand for immediate self-improvement, the weight loss market has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry preying on people who are uniformed about weight loss and the body's capabilities. Many products and programs such as Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and the like are useful to many people and teach them how to maintain their entire lives in addition to their weight. Unfortunately, there are also products on the market today that offer false claims about individuals' ability to lose weight. One such product, the topic of this investigation, is called Biotrim. In the following paragraphs, we will look into its claims for weight loss and make an educated conclusion about the possibility of success by using this product. Before ever reading the advertisement I found for Biotrim, I took a look at the pictures of satisfied Biotrim customers. Here, I saw photographs of people who were overweight and looking unhappy before using the product, and then photographs of those very same people slim and happy after their success with weight loss by using Biotrim. There are little captions of personal letters from these people singing the praises of their incredible results and how they were happier, better adjusted human beings based on their appearance. This underlying claim that losing weight will make you a better person is just one of the many ways these companies target people who are insecure and uninformed. Reading on in the advertisement, this product promises not onl... ... bottom of the advertisement that the results shown are "atypical." Also, the cost to the company to make the product is substantially less than the $23.95 that it costs the consumer to buy it, so even if half of the customers ask for a refund, the producers of Biotrim still make money. Well, I hope that this investigation into the weight loss claims of the Biotrim product had been informative. If nothing else, I hope that you will read claims very carefully in the future, and keep in mind that many products that promise quick results with no effort on your part are on the market simply to take advantage of people that should know better but just do not take the time to investigate the claims. Take care in buying these products, because most of them will not deliver. Beware of scam artists, they will prey on your desire for a better you. Don't waste your money.

Zheng He or Christopher Columbus?

who was the greatest explorer Christopher Columbus or Zheng He? Tristan Stanchfield A great explorer in my mind requires being a visionary thats willing to pursue his goal despite the challenges faced, supported by high risk undertakings where the winnings are all or nothing, set on the uncertain future with a non back looking persona. That, and if the outcome is great is what my judging is based on. Zheng He, originally named Ma He, was born into a Muslim family just beyond the borders of China (later Yunnan Province in the southwestern part of China) in 1371.In 1402, after Emperor Cheng Zu of the Ming Dynasty ascended the throne, he dispatched Zheng He and Wang Jinghong to lead a giant fleet to the Western Sea (today's Southeast Asia), carrying members of soldiers and large quantity of goods. The fleet reached the countries of Southeast Asia, east Africa and Arabia, initiating a feat in the history of navigation and regarded as an unprecedented great historical period in Chinese hi story of trade and cultural exchanges. He led his fleet to voyage to the Western Sea for seven times.The number of ships of his fleet was from 40 to 63 each time, taking many soldiers and sailors on the voyage, with a total party over 27,000 people. and also took with him ships almost four-hundred feet long. Explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa, Italy. His first voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in 1476 nearly cost him his life. (attacked by french privateers). In 1492, Columbus left Spain in the Santa Maria, with the Pinta and the Nina along side in search of a new trade route to Asia.Instead he sailed West and discovered America, and has been credited for the colonization of America also. in my opinion the greatest explorer was christopher columbus. this was because he was he founded America, and this took the high risk of sailing across the north atlantic ocean which he acomplished. Then he made several more voyages back and fourth fr om europe and America trading goods also at the same time creating colonies in the new world we live in today known as the United states of America. cites: iphone siri, http://www. biography. com/people/christopher-columbus-9254209, wikipedia. com.

Aristotle vs. Plato Essay

Born in Northern Greece, Aristotle’s father was a court physician to the king of Macedon where Aristotle himself would be requested by King Philip II to tutor his son Alexander (who grew up to become â€Å"Alexander the Great†). Aristotle, one of the most influential thinkers in philosophy including political theory is also known as the legendary Greek philosopher, logician, scientist, and student of Plato. Aristotle studied in Plato’s Academy in Athens. Plato being the student of Socrates and also known as the father of political theory helped educate and shape the mind of young Aristotle who then became  known as the first political scientist. It was the diverse atmosphere in which Aristotle was raised, along with his education and then his many travels that gave him the depth of being able to experience and see the good and the faults in the world. Aristotle saw philosophy within the physical world. He believed that our truths came from physically breaking down systems and examining them to understand them. He had experience with traveling and seeing different world regimes. Aristotle believed one had to break things down empirically and scientifically. Thus gaining his title of political scientist who used  scientific methods to analyze and conclude his beliefs, thoughts, and opinions. Aristotle believed that one must think critically and rationally using inductive reason and an empiricist approach. Aristotle studied over 100 regimes and analyzed which ones were the strongest, how they functioned, and which best served the people. He concluded that the best type of government regime was that of one with a strong middle class to balance the upper and lower classes to create the most stable and just society. He believed that this regime would be a combination of aspects from a polity (an elected government that has the  majority of the common people’s best interest), aristocracy (rule by the rich but with the people’s interest in mind), and monarchy (a single ruler if there is the potential that that city has a qualified ruler as such which Aristotle admits is rare and can easily turn into tyranny). Aristotle felt that most people did not have enough intelligence or power to handle running the government so it is best to put those in power who do. In his work, The Politics, Aristotle is explains that a city is made up of many people, many individuals who possess different views and values. It is the  diverse group of the city that makes it a city. If a city were to become more and more a unit then it would lose its uniqueness in opinions and make up and defeat the entire definition of a city. Aristotle believes that people are entitled to their own thoughts, opinions, and ownership. He states in his work (Politics, page 40-41) that is not in the nature of a city to be a unit. Aristotle believes that cities are made up different parts and different entities that work together as a whole. They do not function as one but rather work together. Aristotle states that extreme unification of a city is not a good  thing. Aristotle states that â€Å"The city exists for the sake of a good life†, meaning that a city is there to function as an outlet to meet the needs of each of its citizens. Each citizen has his own need to be met. Aristotle realizes that what makes one person happy may not make the other happy. â€Å"It is obvious that a city which goes on becoming more and more of a unit will eventually cease to be a city at all. A city, by its nature, is some sort of plurality† (Aristotle, p. 39). Aristotle is arguing that if a city becomes more and more unified then only one voice is heard and it will then lack the very  unique components of different voices, functions, and views that made it a city in the first place. Aristotle believed that a cities purpose was to enhance plurality, a diversified city that comes together to function. Known as the first political philosopher, Plato saw all physical things to be illusionary, to be â€Å"a shadow of reality† (Simile of a Cave) and he stated that humans are falsely led by their senses. Because of this, according to Plato- only a society lead by Philosophers is a just society (Republic 473-475). Plato believes that philosophers are the only ones to seek out absolute truth and  justice and will therefore be more educated and more inclined to make the best decisions for the group. At the same time Plato thought that every person had the potential to obtain reason, truth, and knowledge by â€Å"stepping out of the cave and seeing the â€Å"light†. Plato believed that if people were educated properly then they would make good decisions. He believed people’s basic nature to be good. Whereas Aristotle tended to more of a realist and knew that some people did not have it in them to â€Å"reason† or to â€Å"see the light†. In his book, The Republic, Plato discusses his belief in creating a city like  utopia where there are no classes and everyone shares everything including women, children and property. Plato’s views are a bit unrealistic because he seems to not take into consideration human nature. Humans are naturally competitive and with time would become more individualistic. Plato would not agree with Aristotle’s passage that a city that grows into a unit will eventually cease to be a city. Plato on the contrary would state that the more of a unit the city becomes, the more of Utopia it will be with everyone in common thought and agreement, common ownership of land, animals, and women. Plato’s ideal city was that of a Utopian that would be governed by philosophers. He desired a perfect society with no problems where people were happy. His society would consist of three classes: rulers, auxiliaries and laborers. The rulers would be the philosopher kings, would always rule the state. The auxiliaries (warriors) would defend the state and the laborers would be responsible for material production of goods needed by the state. Plato believed that the philosopher kings should run the state being that they are the wisest and best possible candidates. Plato was completely molded by his teacher Socrates, taking on all of his  thoughts and philosophies whereas Plato’s student Aristotle took on many of his own conclusions and thoughts many times contradicting Plato’s. Plato was more of a dreamer while Aristotle was more of a realist. Where Plato sought out the â€Å"Utopia ideal situation†, Aristotle sought out how to better the current situation. Another difference about Aristotle and Plato’s approach is that Plato is more focused on the perfection of the world and how people come to know about this. While Aristotle focuses more on the observations in nature and he knows not everything in nature is perfect. Aristotle, unlike  Plato, was not focused or concerned about the idea of a perfect society; instead he wanted to improve upon the one that he was part of during his existence. He believed that society should strive to utilize the best system it can attain. He felt that utopia was unrealistic and pointless. It would be best that society was at its highest potential and you can only improve upon the existing one. Therefore the unity of a city would diminish the individuality and different components that uniquely make up a city, thus in the end the destruction of the very meaning and function of what a city ought to be.