The Production Of Hydrocarbons From Conventional Resources

Introduction With increasing industrialization, energy consumption and demand have steadily grown at a rate of 2.2% per year from 2005 to 2014, and continue to rise. [1] Meanwhile, the production of hydrocarbons from conventional resources is declining. In order to meet the rise in energy demand, new hydrocarbon reserves must be found and produced. Salt is an ideal hydrocarbon trap because of it’s low permeability and capacity to deform under stress and temperature. Therefore, large oil and gas reservoirs are associated with salt formations. Oil and gas reserves associated with salt formations have been estimated at 1.2 billion barrels of oil (â€Å"BBO†) and 15 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (â€Å"TCF†) on the Continental Shelf of the northern†¦show more content†¦Well control is challenging, as predicting pore pressure, fracture gradients and the existence of fractures is difficult. Shock and vibration levels have also proven to cause problems in these formati ons. Additionally, salt flow is a positive function of time. Therefore, a high rate of penetration (â€Å"ROP†) to minimize the possibility of salt flow related problems, such as borehole deformation, is critical when drilling salt. Selection of drilling fluid is one of the most important components of a successful well construction operation. Strategies for successful salt drilling involve recognizing salt closure behavior, stresses, and adjusting drilling fluid density and temperature to minimize problems. The increasing demand, and the assumption that â€Å"easy oil† has been depleted, drives the exploration and new field development in salt formations, particularly the domal structures found in the GoM. This report will describe the challenges associated with drilling for salt hydrocarbons. In addition, best practices for overcoming the challenges presented by salt formations will be identified, including an overview of technological advancements in the field. Background Characteristics of Salt The salt deposits found in the GoM were initially created by gradual evaporation and desiccation of salt water deposited during the mid Jurassic, confined in the region throughout the late Jurassic, and ultimately forming the Louann

The Epithet in the Novel Jane Eyre - 18849 Words

INTRODUCTION The present course- paper is devoted to the comprehensive study of stylistic device – the epithet in the literary work â€Å"Jane Eyre† by Charlotte Bronte. The topicality of chosen by us theme lies in the fact that a human being perceives the reality by means of various images. These images exist everywhere: in art, in nature, in thoughts, and in speech in particular. Each of us at least ones created an image. We use different means (stylistic expressive means and devices) to achieve the aim. In our research we would like to concentrate our attention on â€Å"epithet†, a figure of speech which gives the opportunity to create the most expressive and vivid images. Despite the fact that there are many works devoted to the problem†¦show more content†¦The practical value of the work lies in the fact that the results of the investigation can be used in the courses of lectures in stylistics, seminars in style and text interpretation and also can be useful for practical courses of English language. The novel â€Å"Jane Eyre† by Charlotte Bronte is used as linguistic material for our research. In this work there were used the following methods of linguistic analysis: word’s definitions analysis, contextual-situative and text analysis for revealing the informational value of epithet. The present course-paper includes the following sections: introduction, two chapters, conclusions, bibliography and appendix. In Introduction we present reasons for choosing this theme and give the description of the paper. In Chapter I we give some theoretical information about Stylistics, style, stylistic devices and functional styles. Also we try to reveal the nature of epithets and their classification. In Chapter II we propose basic information about Charlotte Bronte and her novel â€Å"Jane Eyre† and analyze choice of epithets from his novel applying the received knowledge. In Conclusions we summarize the results which were obtained while carrying out our research. In Bibliography we propose the list of the consulted books with the names of their authors and years of theirShow MoreRelatedA Dialogue of Self and Soul11424 Words   |  46 Pagesrelation to women, though it refers brieï ¬â€šy to the ambiguous class position of governesses such as Jane Eyre. The authors analyse the intertwined processes of female rebellion and repression in the narrative and highlight in particular the reading of Bertha Mason, the mad wife, as the symbol of Jane’s repressed passion. This was later to become an accepted interpretation of Bertha. In relating the novel to Charlotte Brontà « the writer, they see the text as ultimately half-optimistic for women’s futureRead More The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination2194 Words   |  9 Pagesthat Graham assigns to her. That night she says she will never act again, yet instead has chosen to write, transferring her talent to another form of expression. As Gregory O’Dea notes in his article, â€Å"there is no sign in the beginning [of the novel] that†¦Lucy is to be heroine† (44). At first she is merely relating other characters’ words and actions without giving much of her own judgment. However, once little Polly leaves, Lucy takes the stage, finding her voice much in the same way as she does

Strategic Management and Leadership for Business - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theStrategic Management and Leadership for Business. Answer: The report talks about the business level strategies of a company in order to achieve its target and get a profit in the business. The report describes the definition of business level strategy and types of this strategy. It also explains the significance of business level strategy. It explains the various business level strategies such as cost leadership, differentiation, and focus strategies. The business level strategy is considered as a firm position in an organization. These strategies help to obtain and gain sustainable competitive advantages. The business level strategies describe as a detail action which provides value to the customers and it also helps to gain competitive advantages by exploiting core values and competencies. These strategies help to identify and analyze the customer needs, wants and requirements. Strategic management process is a process that describes the organizational strategies. It is a continuing process in which the firm decides to implement and execute few selected effective strategies in the organization to meet the long-term goals and objectives. Michael Porter has developed a generic strategic model to gain the competitive advantages in the market. Mainly porter focuses on the three core strategies cost leadership, differentiation and focus strategies. The business level strategies play a significant role in every business and trade. According to George Bock (2011), the business level strategy is a process of decision-making at the strategic business unit level. It identifies and evaluates that how strategic business unit guides and supports organizational goals and objectives (Boons, Montalvo, Quist Wagner, 2013). This strategy focuses on the specific market, product line and buyer which may show in different forms. The aim of this strategy is to gain the competit ive advantages in the market. This strategy monitors and focuses on the business units products and competitive position of the company within the specific industry and market segment. To diversify the business, the association creates various business units in the market. It supports and helps to establish competitive benefits among the competitors across the world and it also helps to reduce the cost of production. It develops innovation and modernization with the help of the company (Bocken, Short, Rana Evans, 2014). Business Level Strategies are the strategies that are made in an organization for better functioning. It creates a difference between the two competing companies according to the positions. To achieve greater heights what activities to perform to achieve those heights. In a business, every firm has to plan the best strategies as compared to its competitors. The business strategy is a blueprint which shows concern towards the customer by meeting their satisfaction and also thinking about its own position to achieve greater advantage then the competitors (Onetti, Zucchella, Jones McDougall-Covin, 2012). After various researches, it has been studied by the George Bock (2011) that business level strategy is important to achieve the long-term goals and objectives of the firm. The business level strategy focuses and monitors on the needs, requirements, and expectations of the customers in order to gain average returns. This strategy is related to the five forces of competition and competitors. This strategy provides value to customers and gains competitive benefits by exploiting core values and competencies in individual and specific product markets. In business level strategy, top management and managers will have to find a right balance between the quality and prices in order to gain revenue and profits. The various business level strategies have been discussed below (Zott, Amit Massa, 2011). The business level strategy based on the price and cost leadership. The cost is based on internal efficiency in order to maintain sustainability in the market. It is the strategy which monitors and evaluates the strategies executed in the association to reduce the cost of product and services in the market (Boons Ldeke-Freund, 2013). It helps to differentiate its products in the market on the basis of low prices and cost. The cost of goods is based on the internal efficiency and productivity of the company. In this strategy, the profit margin is managed by the top management of the firm. In the 1970s the cost leadership strategy was universal and common. The low-cost strategy provides various advantages to the company and people as well. Further, the porter five forces model also plays a significant role in business level strategy. It includes the rivalry, customers, suppliers, new entrants, and substitutes. Under the cost leadership strategy, standardized and good quality of produc ts is provided to the customers with the lower prices and cost. It also helps to reduce the competition in the market. Many companies apply this strategy in their management by executing the complex organizational system within the organization. It also controls on the prices of products by minimizing and reducing the various expenses and costs in the market (Wollard Shuck, 2011). Cost leadership strategy is completely based on the price which prevails in a competitive market. It relates to the competing factor. A customer tries to reduce the type of cost structure of the commodity. They do so to make the value of the price relatively less. Producers are responsible for managing the price and value of the commodity. Cost leadership is efficient internally. This helps in sustaining the margins. In cost leadership strategy, companies are known for its low prices and higher growth returns. The cost of the product depends on the producers. The cost leadership in critical terms is a concept which is used while making strategies in business. It is a way which creates competition between the companies. Cost leadership refers to the cost of operation in the industry at low cost (Drnevich Croson, 2013). It has been studied that rivalry plays a vital role in business level strategy. In this strategy, the association does not prefer the initiate prices of the products. Boons Ldeke-Freund (2013) believed that the main reason behind of the companies of achieving success is that the lower cost of operations than those who operate in the same business. It means that they offer the companys product at a low price to compete with other companies by reducing the cost. In the stock of similar products, customers choose the product which has the lowest price. Customers are always in search of goods and services at a low cost and companys competitive attitude allows them to meet those services. By gaining a large number of customers they are able to become the leaders in the industry. This becomes the path of winning for the company. Bryman Bell ( 2015) says, Cost Leadership is simple but it is not easy. With such price, a cost leader is able to meet the target than that of a competitor. Cost leaders usually win as they deal with mainly the price. This makes the company profitable. This makes it innovative and makes them survive with the competitors on a low margin. They try to reduce the cost and just not the prices. The differentiation business level strategy is also unique and excellent. It provides unique and good quality of products and services to customers in the market. There are various ways to differentiate the several products and services such as features, dealer network, design, and customer service. By using the differentiating strategy, the company can generate unique circumstances and conditions for their competitors and buyers. Further, the company is producing unique and effective products and services to attract the more customers in the market. High-quality product, high customer service, rapid innovation etc. are a few key points of differentiation. A differentiated marketing strategy is when a company creates campaigns that appeal to at least two market segments or target groups. It has been studied by Drnevich Croson (2013) that differentiation means setting the company, managing the products and also the services. This allows the company to distinguish the companys brand f rom other companys brand. The strategies of differentiation are a set of integration that is created for producing or delivering the goods and services. This becomes important for the customer to perceive the things in better way. It is important to differentiate the product. It is a key to achieve success in the market, to compete with other companies, and in building the sustenance. If the customer is not aware of the superiority of the product or of the service then it is hard to compete in the existing market. It is important to tell the customers about the products superiority. The differentness of the company should be different from other company. This will be helpful in customer benefits. This differentness separates the company from its competitors. The difference should meet the companys growth. The company must find that difference and communicate it to the customer (Carney, Gedajlovic, Heugens, Van Essen Van Oosterhout, 2011). It has been analyzed that focus low-cost strategy also plays a vital role in business. It focuses on the specific market, product, and buyers in the market. This strategy serves the competitors with maintaining a wide range of products and services in the market. As a result, it reduces the cost of products and it is better for the clients. In the opinion of Williams Naumann (2011) that such kind of strategy gives its services only to those segments of customers that are small and desires the product at a low cost. Focused Low Cost is a strategy related to price in which an organization gives services at a low price to meet the demands and to gain profit in the market share. It is a type of generic strategy that is generally adopted by the company to perform its function on a regular basis. The strategy usually works where the brand has less or no competitors. This increases the scale of the company and is also profitable as it increases the volume of production of the firm. It has been evaluated that Focused low Price is also known as Low Price Strategy. Further, focused cost leadership strategy is a competitive strategy which competes with other company due to the price. They usually have to target in the narrow market. The companies which follow this strategy does not have to charge the prices which are lowest. Rath er than this, the company charges low prices relative to other firms that compete within the target market. The strategy of Focused Differentiation helps the company to compete with other company on the basis of consumers targeted segment. The Company is capable of serving the customers base than the customers more efficiently. The company has also a risk of segments going out of interest (Bharadwaj, El Sawy, Pavlou Venkatraman, 2013). The Customers usually lack interest in the companys product manufacturing. This becomes a risk for them to maintain or achieve the target. A focused differentiation strategy means targeting a small group of customers with a different variety of products. The point of this strategy is described in other sense. It has been analyzed that itis the second strategy among the four. A focused differentiation strategy offers those types of features that are able to fulfill the requirements of the narrow market (Kastalli Van Looy, 2013). Integrated cost leadership/differentiation is a business level strategy where differentiated products are offered at a low cost in the market. The products of integrated differentiation strategy provide a unique value to the characteristic of the customer. It is useful in gaining strong customer support (Hrebiniak, 2013). Many other products are also responsible for the growth of the company which helps them in gaining the advantage while competing. This gives a better returns and a profitable business. Products available from companies that follow this strategy of integrated cost differentiation strategy are differentiated less than what products the companies offer. Such products that are offered by the differentiators are at a low price but not as low as the leaders of low- cost. The company which faces risk decides to form or to implement integrated cost differentiation (Grant, 2016). The strategy followed by such differentiation gives a number of advantages to the firm. It has t he ability to focus majorly on reducing the cost of the product, adding a variety of features to the product that differentiates it from the other products prevailing in the market for which customer usually have to pay a different amount. The Companies usually fail to pay continues attention toward the requirements which stuck them in the middle. This also avoids them to form generic strategies in the market (Campbell, Edgar Stonehouse, 2011). On the above discussion, it has been concluded that business level strategy plays a vital role in business activities and operation. There is a brief description of the strategies planned by the business. The report serves a benefit to those organizations that fail to achieve the target in the selected areas. The business level strategies are important in order to meet the long-term targets and objectives within the organization. Further, strategic management approaches and strategies are integral and significant part of the business and trade. The firm cannot run the business effectively and efficiently without strategic management approaches and strategies. References Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O.A., Pavlou, P.A. and Venkatraman, N.V., 2013. Digital business strategy: toward a next generation of insights. Bocken, N.M.P., Short, S.W., Rana, P. and Evans, S., 2014. A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes.Journal of cleaner production,65, pp.42-56. Boons, F. and Ldeke-Freund, F., 2013. Business models for sustainable innovation: state-of-the-art and steps towards a research agenda.Journal of Cleaner Production,45, pp.9-19. Boons, F., Montalvo, C., Quist, J. and Wagner, M., 2013. Sustainable innovation, business models and economic performance: an overview.Journal of Cleaner Production,45, pp.1-8. Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2015.Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA. Campbell, D., Edgar, D. and Stonehouse, G., 2011.Business strategy: an introduction. Palgrave Macmillan. Carney, M., Gedajlovic, E.R., Heugens, P.P., Van Essen, M. and Van Oosterhout, J.H., 2011. Business group affiliation, performance, context, and strategy: A meta-analysis.Academy of Management Journal,54(3), pp.437-460. Drnevich, P.L. and Croson, D.C., 2013. Information technology and business-level strategy: Toward an integrated theoretical perspective.Mis Quarterly,37(2). George, G. and Bock, A.J., 2011. The business model in practice and its implications for entrepreneurship research.Entrepreneurship theory and practice,35(1), pp.83-111. Grant, R.M., 2016.Contemporary Strategy Analysis Text Only. John Wiley Sons. Hrebiniak, L.G., 2013.Making strategy work: Leading effective execution and change. FT Press. Kastalli, I.V. and Van Looy, B., 2013. Servitization: Disentangling the impact of service business model innovation on manufacturing firm performance.Journal of Operations Management,31(4), pp.169-180. Onetti, A., Zucchella, A., Jones, M.V. and McDougall-Covin, P.P., 2012. Internationalization, innovation and entrepreneurship: business models for new technology-based firms.Journal of Management Governance,16(3), pp.337-368. Williams, P. and Naumann, E., 2011. Customer satisfaction and business performance: a firm-level analysis.Journal of services marketing,25(1), pp.20-32. Wollard, K.K. and Shuck, B., 2011. Antecedents to employee engagement: A structured review of the literature.Advances in Developing Human Resources,13(4), pp.429-446. Zott, C., Amit, R. and Massa, L., 2011. The business model: recent developments and future research.Journal of management,37(4), pp.1019-1042.

The Dead Essay Example For Students

The Dead Essay a. Beginning when first enters Aunts house (warmth) he is out of the snow = coldness, isolation and inhumanity. But when enters the home he is surrounded with warmth and acceptance. Pages 10-11b. Page 25 Gabriel was nervous about presenting his speech and sought comfort at a window. Looking outside at the falling snow, Gabriel he received a form of release, escape and feeling that he is unknown. c. At the end of the story, when Gabriel is with his wife Gretta, snow symbolizes a new awareness. He realizes that he looks too heavily upon himself and should look towards others and become more compassionate. a.Pages 12-13 When contemplating speech he considers changing it because he feels that nobody will be able to understand this level of intelligence. This shows that he thinks of himself to be at a higher standing than the rest, he is arrogant and vain. We will write a custom essay on The Dead specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now b. Page 14 When the aunts and Gretta are discussing the goloshes which Gabriel insisted Gretta wear, they are pleasantly mocking him and making light of the situation. But Gabriel takes it personally, because everything deals with him, and he gets angry/heated. c.Page 12 Gabriel gives a coin to Lily, the caretakers daughter, and she tried to refuse but he just keeps on walking. After leaving he was disappointed that a person would refuse his offers. He offered the coin to Lily to boost his ego. d.Pages 21-23 while dancing with Miss Ivors, she mentions to him that she has noticed his article in a Briton paper. Henceforth she gets on his case and he admits to not liking Ireland. He believes that the Irish are of lower standing, not very educated and uncultured. 3)What is realized with Gretta? What does he realize about himself? What happens?a.Gabriel find outs from his wife Gretta that he was not her first love, Michael Furey was. Knowing that Michael loved his wife more than he himself had at the time. This was when he noticed that he was vain and arrogant. Gabriel noticed that he has never touched the place in her heart that her lover of age 17 had, he died for her. Gabriel never asked of Grettas life, it never mattered to him, but now he sees how much he has never cared. a.the music which was being played was all written or performed by dead musicians type of immortalityb. the Irish traditions are dying humanity, hospitality, kindly humor a.Ireland humanity, hospitality, kindly humorb.America prayer in schools, hospitality, sanctity of marriages Bibliography:

20 Dissertation Topics in Accounting and Finance

20 Dissertation Topics in Accounting and Finance Through the years, there have been great finance and accounting stories from i taking down the mafia to how individual accountants have doubled up as excellent global inventors. Therefore, writing a dissertation on the field of finance and accounting can be considered as a truly rewarding venture since you one can juxtapose technical accounting concepts with fascinating real-life case studies. But to kick-start the writing process, it is important to understand the concept of financial accounting in order to come up with really interesting subjects to discuss. Here, we will endeavor the concepts behind finance and accounting and then provide an outline of dissertation topics in accounting and finance. Finance is the professional concept that covers the raising of funds and how they are invested by a business while accounting focuses on collating enough information that helps business owners and investors make more well-thought-out decisions. 20 Captivating Topics for a Dissertation in Accounting and Finance Exploring the Meaning of Accounting and the Role of Language in Its Formation The Origins of the Terms Finance and Accounting and their Use in Modern Times The Role of Luca Pacioli in Promoting the Field of Financial Accounting Accounting in Ancient Rome and its Role in Shaping Modern Financial Institutions The Role of Financial Accounting in Developing Business Strategies Understanding the Importance of Financial Statements to Corporate Accounting Exploring the Concept of Income Statement and Its Correlation with Financial Statements How the Practice of Societates Publicanorum Set the Foundation for Share Markets The Stock Market Structure and the 1602 Dutch Indian Trade Company Agreement The Accounting Profession and the Need for setting International Standards of Practice The Role of Accounting and Finance in Societal Building Exploring the Different Fields of Financial Accounting and Their Implementation Exploring the Role of Forensic Accounting in Law Enforcement Forensic Accounting, RICO Laws and the 19th Century Criminal Justice System. The Role of Mathematics in Developing Ancient Accounting and Finance Practices The History of the Certification Primary Accounting Exam and Its Role in Building Financial Institutions Finance and Accounting in Ancient Mesopotamia and Its Influence in Modern Times Exploring the Relationship between Financial Accounting and Economic Growth Accounting and Financial Reporting issues for Financial Institutions Accounting Standards and Practices of Financial Institutions in the Western World These are some of the captivating topics we have come up with that can help give you a head start in writing your dissertation in accounting and finance. These 20 dissertation accounting and finance topics are just the tip of the iceberg. To give an example of   how to go about writing a dissertation, a topic from this list will be developed in the paragraphs below. It is also written to serve as a tutorial for writing your dissertation. Sample Essay on the Accounting in Ancient Rome and its Role in Shaping Modern Financial Institutions The question of how financial values and practices have been passed down from generation to generation and its effects on the financial and accounting institutions of the modern world have been a bone of contention among scholars since the 19th century. My dissertation will focus on tracing the parallels between ancient financial accounting practices and modern financial standards and I intend to do this with the use of facts and critical analysis. Although traces of bookkeeping activities were first discovered in Mesopotamia, exact financial and accounting activities became commonplace and the established norm of keeping track of funds and expenditure began officially in Ancient Rome circa 63 BC. These practices were passed down by historians and mathematicians through methods that will be explored in the following paragraphs. Two Roman historians- Suetonius and Cassius Dio- recorded the first real financial accounting procedure in 23 BC. This procedure was accomplished by Emperor Augustus who kept detailed information on the Republic’s financial statement for public use. The Emperor listed the Rome’s sources of income as well as its expenditures in ‘The Deeds of the Divine Augustus’ which set the pace for multiple financial concepts such as; trial balances, financial statement and income statement. This practice of accountability was quickly picked up by the Roman army to account for its expenditure and revenue in other words to help generals and future emperors make informed decisions on matters of war. This, along with, other physical aspects, partly became a reason of the Republic being more efficient than its enemies in waging wars and managing supplies. In 1494, Italy- which traced its origins to the people of Ancient Rome- became the home of Luca Pacioli who has been credited as the father of modern accounting. The mathematician believed in the importance of keeping financial statements to make better decisions and went on to publish the first ever book on financial accounting’ ‘Summa de Arithmetica, Geometria, Proportioni et Proportionalita.’ And for the first time, accounting wisdom could easily be passed from one region to another through text which eliminated the limitations of using word of mouth. This act basically ensured that accounting techniques could both be taught across all areas of Europe and the Western world with ease. Consequently, the world first official bank also was established in Siena, one of the Roman cities of old. The Monte de Paschi di Siena was built in 1942 to cater to the financial needs of the city of Siena, and the success of this institution became the benchmark for financial and accounting institutes across the western world. Through the stated examples, one can clearly see the influence of ancient Roman financial practices approximately 2000 years ago and the far-reaching effects these practices had on setting a financial, educational and accounting basis for future generations to come. So here we are at the end of the second tutorial of the dissertation on accounting and finance topics written for your benefit. For further reading, do not hesitate to check these articles containing ten facts for a dissertation on finance and accounting as well as receive tips on writing a dissertation on finance and accounting. References: Accounting and Business Research. Special issue on: â€Å"The Societal Relevance of Management Accounting†. (2012). The British Accounting Review, 44(2), p.130. Ezeudu, M. (2016). Fighting Financial Crime in the Global Economic Crisis. Kings Law Journal, 27(2), pp.279-281. DvoÃ…â„¢kov, D. (2009). Historical Costs versus Fair Value Measurement in Financial Accounting. European Financial and Accounting Journal, pg.6-18. Sunder, S. (2016). Rethinking Financial Reporting: Standards, Norms and Institutions. Foundations and Trends ® in Accounting, 11(1-2), pp.1-118. Ã…  oljakov, L. (2012). Strategic Management Accounting Development during Last 30 Years. European Financial and Accounting Journal, 2012(2), pp.24-35. Pomeranz, F. (1997). The Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions: An important regulatory debut. Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, 6(1), pp.123-130. Zhang, X. and Chen, D. (2013). The Influence of Financial Industry Cluster on Economic Growth: Three Economic Zones in China. Accounting and Finance Research, 2(4).

Free Essays on Vonnegut

Breakfast of Champions - Vonnegut’s Autobiographical Self, or Comic Schizophrenic Characters Kurt Vonnegut has been through many difficult times in his life. He has lived through times in which he was completely isolated from the rest of his society, relationships within his family, and relationships outside of his family. Vonnegut places a great deal of stress on experiences from his life that caused depression. All of these separations were brought about by forces other than ones controllable by Vonnegut. These forces were caused by death or other natural forces. (Lundquist, p. 2) The characters in Vonnegut’s books experience these same feelings of isolation. Like in Vonnegut’s own life, the isolation is not by choice. Some characters are isolated from society, while others are isolated from relationships important to them. Vonnegut also seems to share tendencies of paranoid schizophrenia with some of his characters. They often feel as though they are the only people in the world that have the capability to make their own decisions. This is a common fa ntasy of patients with paranoid schizophrenia. (Lundquist, p. 56) Is Breakfast of Champions an autobiographical mental representation of Vonnegut, or is it simply a series of schizophrenic comic characters? This is what we shall explore in this essay. At the age of fourteen, Vonnegut lost his mother to suicide. In May 1944, she poisoned herself. In Breakfast of Champions, Dwayne Hoover has a wife who commits suicide. Repeatedly, throughout the book, Vonnegut mentions Hoover’s wife who kills herself by drinking Drno. â€Å"He even forgot that his wife Celia had committed suicide, for instance, by eating Drno.† (p. 65) This suicide resembles Vonnegut’s own mother’s death by poisoning herself. He even acknowledges this fact: â€Å"And both our mothers committed suicide. Bunny’s mother ate Drno. My mother ate sleeping pills, which wasn’t nearly as horrible.ï ¿ ½... Free Essays on Vonnegut Free Essays on Vonnegut Breakfast of Champions - Vonnegut’s Autobiographical Self, or Comic Schizophrenic Characters Kurt Vonnegut has been through many difficult times in his life. He has lived through times in which he was completely isolated from the rest of his society, relationships within his family, and relationships outside of his family. Vonnegut places a great deal of stress on experiences from his life that caused depression. All of these separations were brought about by forces other than ones controllable by Vonnegut. These forces were caused by death or other natural forces. (Lundquist, p. 2) The characters in Vonnegut’s books experience these same feelings of isolation. Like in Vonnegut’s own life, the isolation is not by choice. Some characters are isolated from society, while others are isolated from relationships important to them. Vonnegut also seems to share tendencies of paranoid schizophrenia with some of his characters. They often feel as though they are the only people in the world that have the capability to make their own decisions. This is a common fa ntasy of patients with paranoid schizophrenia. (Lundquist, p. 56) Is Breakfast of Champions an autobiographical mental representation of Vonnegut, or is it simply a series of schizophrenic comic characters? This is what we shall explore in this essay. At the age of fourteen, Vonnegut lost his mother to suicide. In May 1944, she poisoned herself. In Breakfast of Champions, Dwayne Hoover has a wife who commits suicide. Repeatedly, throughout the book, Vonnegut mentions Hoover’s wife who kills herself by drinking Drno. â€Å"He even forgot that his wife Celia had committed suicide, for instance, by eating Drno.† (p. 65) This suicide resembles Vonnegut’s own mother’s death by poisoning herself. He even acknowledges this fact: â€Å"And both our mothers committed suicide. Bunny’s mother ate Drno. My mother ate sleeping pills, which wasn’t nearly as horrible.ï ¿ ½...

The UK Economy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The UK Economy - Research Paper Example â€Å"One fundamental change causing rising inactivity is the dramatic weakening of demand for unskilled labor since at least the mid-1970s. This is mainly due to technological change, which has favored the more educated – for example, computer use – and, to a lesser extent, globalization – exports from countries with many unskilled workers†. Changes that affected the UK market considerably much vast for describing the changes that have happened throughout the recent recession, it is positive to appear at the relative positions of each group previous to this. Several groups are significantly better than others. The changes in the economic conditions of the UK market are in the various forms and they are like the changing the labor market, changing organizations and the changes in the education and the skills.Employment in the UK is characterized by age, gender, ethnicity as well as physical fitness, a growth of workforce in the United Kingdom for the last century has been so unstable, for example considering the graph shown below, which illustrates the employment rate based on age and gender in the year 2007. This trend affects organizations labor as one of the factors of production. This clearly reflects the pattern of employment in the UK.The figure above shows employment rate for men and women in London by age, as seen, working age women have a lower rate than men i.e. 63% and 77% respectively, where as employment rate of women with children and that of women without children is the same.

Anishnabe change makers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Anishnabe change makers - Essay Example The Anishinaabe people all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin languages of the Algonquian language family. One of the Anishinaabe change makers was George Manuel, born back in February 21st 1921 to Maria and Rainbow on the Secwepemc side of Shuswap people. Her mother, Maria later married Louie Manuel, and hence George inherited his second name. He started school at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. During this time he was, diagnosed with tuberculosis and later transferred to Indian TB hospital near Chilliwack, British Columbia. During his spell there, George met Marceline Paul; a Kootenai woman from St. Marys Indian Band and made her his first wife. They both married and together, had six children. He gained strength from his family, which added to his leadership quality. George started developing the urge of taking responsibility as a political leader which began to be a developing strain on his life in marriage. First elected as the chief of Neskon Indian Band and during the year 1959 and after the death of his mentor Andy Paul, he took the responsibility as the head of North American Indian Brotherhood. After he had broken up with Marceline, the federal Department of Indian Affairs offered him a position with the Cowichan Tribes at Duncan where he worked as a community development officer. As a change maker, George felt the need to have a vision for his life and his people in general. He opted to work for his community for the aboriginal people and the indigenous people of the world as well. He recognized that for aboriginal societies to effect change, the members of the community had to work together as one in order to achieve this goal. George moved from his position and advanced to a role with the Alberta brotherhood where he developed a strong and firm working relationship with the Cree political leader Harold

Should Marijuana be Legalized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Should Marijuana be Legalized - Essay Example ence is therefore taking the rounds of such quarters because marijuana creates a sense of high-ness within their bodies and they feel alienated from the rest of the world. Within public circles, it has already been treated in a staunchly negative way, where people do not accept of such people in entirety. Marijuana kills, and hence the people detest from its intake, and more so the ones who do not believe in the premise of consuming marijuana at all. There is a sense of discomfort amongst the people and the evidence thus provided is testimony enough to the same claims. It is being seen as a nuisance more than anything else. On the other hand, marijuana’s usefulness and benefits are something that cannot be denied at all. The medical marijuana is used within medicines as well as towards healing of a number of different ailments and diseases. The healing perspective is such that the drawbacks associated with marijuana could be canceled out as the positives are chalked out (Sager 1999). Medical science is bringing out more and more benefits that are linked with marijuana and there is reason enough to believe all that has been brought forward. If people are getting healed, one should believe that there is no problem in legalizing the use of marijuana. However the negatives still rule the roost for all the wrong reasons. The view of the people in the wake of legalizing marijuana must change because it would be for the betterment of one and all, if seen from a corrective standpoint. It is indeed about time that one and all should know about its benefits more than the drawbacks, because it is bringing about solid results in the wake of medical science more than anything else (Engs 1997). It has been proven with research that the crude form of marijuana contains within it nearly 400 chemicals which speaks for a great deal of usefulness on its part. When a person smokes marijuana, the 400 chemicals become split into thousands of varied chemicals. In the past, more than

A Clothing Retail Store In Andhra Pradesh

A Clothing Retail Store In Andhra Pradesh Introduction It is situated in southern coast of India and its capital is Hyderabad. Telugu is the official language and kuchipudi is the state dance of Andhra Pradesh Name of the store:- SHINNING STAR STORE Description of clothing retail store Cloth retailing is one of the top retailers in India because fashion has become very much popular among youngsters and even middle age. In India western culture is followed nowadays and our country is following their style like anything. Becoming the owner of clothing retail store is not that easy it requires lot of planning and hard work. In this venture we should know the ins and outs of the fashion retail business. The hours of operation will be Monday to Saturday 10 a.m to 8 p.m . The competitors are shoppers stop , Westside , palem leathers , pantaloons , Bombay store , Max , etc. Environmental scanning of Andhra Pradesh I am opening a clothing retail store in Andhra Pradesh and the city that i have selected is Hyderabad .Andhra Pradesh. The retail industry in Hyderabad is on the rise. The reason for choosing this city is that its 6th metropolis in India , development ,advancement of the infrastructure , due to its size and population. The clothing retail store will be free from any political and social barrier as I am opening according to government policies and society. Retail store identity- The brand name is KELVIN and logo Types of retailers My store is a speciality store majority of western and rest is Indian wears . Its for family shopping Company ownership My store is organised as a sole proprietorship me and my manager handle all his administrative and managerial duties of the clothing retail store Vision of the retail store- To sell products according to customers and satisfy their needs to build long term relationship and to stay in the market for long run. To be best clothing retailer among other retail store. Mission of the retail store- To satisfy customers in terms of services and provide them best quality clothes according to their tastes and preferences at cheaper rate than competitors and assortments of all sizes and styles. We believe in providing excellent and superior services and making shopping a relaxed and pleasurable experience. Objectives The primary objective is to provide one-stop-shopping for all the members of a family To create shopping environment To make shopping convenient. To attain a position in urban areas of Hyderabad To build long term relationship with customers To gain profit To ensure that our customers get the best value, quality and satisfaction from using the services given by my store Goals · To become a profitable business Gain profits to provide them fresh stock Selling clothes according to new fashion Goodwill in the market Establishing for a long run To create customer and seller relationship To maximise customers Business plan- Without business plan we cant move forward in opening a retail store. too It involves both time and money budget. We need to frame out our business policies like working hours ,rules and regulations, inventory and need to work out on our advertising and marketing plan as well as employee details ,expansion plans, use of profit, investment and partnership policies. 2. Selling products of the retail store- Our products will range from basics to stylish wear.Womens clothes ,childrens wear ,mens wear ,casual and sports wear . Services- Free delivery E-retailing Credit card payment Online transaction Guide Parking facilities Help desk Proper assortment Discount offers Convenient billing procedures Occasional offers One stop shop 3.Marketing plan All goods will be purchased according to the customer tastes and preferences and all sizes of men , women and children. Pricing strategy We base the product lines that we carry on their reputation and quality as western and Indian wear apparel. Most of our lines come with a suggested retail price that we will follow. We will provide discounts and special offers seasonally and occasionally. The most important thing is that we will provide them products at cheaper rate than competitors. Promotion strategy It is done by advertising providing free samples posters and banners online advertising pamphlets brand ambassador radio , etc. Positioning- We will offer name brand western and Indian wear in a larger assortment of styles and sizes that arent always readily available in the mass. To give customers excellent experience through our stores and provide them whole product line and services. Barriers Competition Input cost Inflation Less productive labour Increase in taxes Economies of scale SWOT Analysis Strength- Demographic factors Shopping Convenience Availability of resources Organized Retail Weaknesses- New retail store Taxation hurdle Developing supply chain Oppurtunities Location Market Growth E-Retailing Lifestyle and convenient retailing Threats- Competition from shoppers stop,pantaloons, Inflation Market analysis of the retail store There are four factors which are taken into consideration when market analysis is done for the clothing retail store:- target market- I am opening the store in Hyderabad city in suburban and urban areas. As the popularity increases we expect to see an assortment of curiosity seekers, and local residents as well as the seasonal purchases. And for those who find difficulty while purchasing western and Indian clothes at one place. customers- they will be of high and middle income group competitors shoppers stop , Westside , Bombay store , pantaloons , palem leathers , etc. Fashion- seasonal or the occasional and the latest trends prevails in that city. Market share- Our intension will be to gain 80% market share by focusing on positioning , location , other brands ,promotions, etc. Organisational structure- Owner Store manager Cashier Salesmen 4.Operational plan- Location I am opening this retail store in Hyderabad There are major factors on which location depends your ability to pay for it ,land cost the visibility of that location to the target segment you plan to focus on. No. of other clothing retail store in that area Lifestyle of that particular area Demographic factors like age ,sex ,etc. Competition in that area The place is 1000 square feet and has been taken on lease for two years. Key supplier- Supply chain management is very necessary because of inventory management so that we will earn maximum if there will be no shortage of stock anytime. The clothes will be imported from Delhi and Mumbai. Store layout- We follow the pattern of free form layout as it provides relaxing environment and facilitates shopping and browsing. Products are placed in a systematic manner. The store will be double storeyed on ground floor kids section, 1st floor for womens section and 2nd floor for mens section. Well provide convenient shopping to our customers Credit policy- Being a retail environment we will not be selling on credit well accept cash , checks , and all major credit cards because through there is reduction in bad debts. Merchandise Management System: The order received from a vendor are kept in warehouse and inventory is raised when there is shortage of stock . Therefore there is need to keep a record of total orders received and sale. There is a need to manage the merchandise so as to keep minimum level of stock which should be there all the time in store. To run retail store well we have to look upon our inventory time to time. We should give both the quality and compatibility to customers. Store management- Its very important for the retail store to manage their store. Employees will be encouraged to work in their creative , physical and intellectual boundaries. Duties will be delegated according to strengths and weakness . All decisions are made in-line with the company objectives and employees tasks are delegated based upon their level of expertise , creativity ,etc. Medical benefits are also given to employees . All Entire workforce of the clothing retail store. Owner 1 store manager 3 cashiers 6 salesperson Security guard Delivery vans, bikes and boys Merchandise will be purchased according to companys mission and customer focus of outfitting all sizes including womens plus sizes , mens big and tall and for kids of 1 day to 16 yrs. I would use the round track for displaying the clothes in the retail store. Human resource management- In clothing retail store we need both skilled and unskilled labour and follow the policy of customer relationship management. I would follow these steps in my clothing retail store:- Retail market financial Retail site location Customer relationship management (CRM) Information Distribution system. 5. Financial plan Requirement There is a need of 5 crores to open clothing retail store . We have planned to open a retail store that is in Hyderabad. Supplement financing is also required to work on site preparation , inventory , and operational expenses. The loan amount appears in the long term Use of fund Funds will be used to pay renovation , construction ,sales counter ,painting, carpeting , lighting, dà ©cor display fixtures .We will also purchase inventory , cash register and computer equipments and also an inventory management system and rest will be the operating cost. In future well reinvest residual profits into company expansion and personnel. Projected cash flow Our business will collect immediate payments from the customer. So it will much likely to the income statement. Our cash flow statement clearly demonstrates our ability to cover all the bills. Projected balance sheet Clothing retail store will launch in Hyderabad with an equity of 2 crores and 1crore in loans. Credit amount and suppliers term for inventory will appear in the balance sheet as a short term liabilities. All the other details will also be shown in the balance sheet. Customers on Average/day Expected Growth on sale Sale/Day Sale /Month Sale Yearly 140*100 on Average 14000 420000 5040000 Second Year 25% 17500 525000 6300000 Third year 25% 21875 656250 7875000 Expected Break Even Point/store Break even analysis has been completed on the basis of average costs/prices.The following chart shows what we need to sell per month to break even, according to these assumptions: Expected Break Even Point/store Break Even Analysis PV Ratio= Contribution *100 Particulars Amount Sales Sales 5040000 Variable cost 3252000 35% Contribution 1788000 BEP Points= Fixed Cost/PV Ratio Fixed Cost 1357500 3826510 Net Profit 430500 Future expectations If we will achieve and exceed our sales and profitability goals we will increase the product line and expand our line of brands with those that have been repeatedly requested by our customers. Keys to success of the retail store Targeting customer Assortments of all sizes to fit the customers Advertising and promotion in targeted areas Latest trends in the market Valuable customer service

Ethics and Morality Essay

â€Å"In philosophy we have a problem knowing the origin of right and wrong, there are various theories and ideas but we do not seem to have a definite answer to this question. † By Jamee Ford In life people are brought up in different homes, surrounded by different people and are taught different ways of life. As we grow up we are taught the difference between what is considered right and what is considered wrong, which is based on what is socially acceptable. We learn from a young age how we are expected to behave, the rules we have to abide by given from family and the morals we should have and grow up with. In this society it is difficult to find the origin of right and wrong for there are so many theories and ideas, but yet there is no definite answer. I believe morality comes from us citizens, the law, our feelings and our religion can give a certain indication to how we set our values, but I belive it is an objective fact that what is said to be wrong is wrong and what is said to be right is right. A minority of people believe that morality comes from God. These people have a lot of faith and get their morals and understanding of right and wrong from their belief in god and their bible. For example in the Bible, there are the 10 Commandments, a list of what is acceptable and unacceptable according to God. But what if we don’t believe in god, where would our sense of right and wrong come from? If we can’t change people’s options and feelings on what is right and wrong just by saying that it is acceptable or unacceptable, then why is it okay to say God can. Without god, would their still be morality? Because if god made it acceptable to kill other people, that still wouldn’t make it okay, so I believe this theory is unproven and morality and our right and wrongs can’t come from this theory. Another theory that has brought to the attention of the origin of right and wrong is The ‘Feeling Theory’ and the ‘Boo-hoorah’ theory. The feeling theory is an example of how morality does come from us. We make things right or wrong by approving or disproving of them. If a person has certain feelings about another person’s actions, it is saying something about them. If they disprove of an action, it is considered morally wrong to that person. This theory is people making a claim about what they think; they are claiming whether the action is right or wrong. The ‘Boo-Hoorah Theory’ is another example of how morality comes from us but involves expressing what we think is right or wrong rather than making a claim about it. Something is neither true nor false and according to this theory there is no fact of the matter just an expression of what the person observing thinks. The feeling theory and the boo-hoorah theory are both wrong for everyone is different and raised differently with different beliefs (everyone has different feelings). So technically one person can truly believe that it is okay to kill while another says it’s not okay, these two people are contradicting one another which rules out both theories. Some children are brought up in an abusive home environment; does this mean that morally they think its okay to treat people differently based on how they were raised? All people are raised in a different environment, under different circumstances so if morality comes from us then morality would have to include a whole lot of different views. Another important theory is that morality and our right and wrongs come from the law. Morality and the law often correspond, our morals are what we consider right and wrong, While the law is what has been decided as right and wrong for us. Both murder and stealing are things we consider morally wrong and are also against the law. In the perfect world we all want the law to coincide with morality, but in reality most likely will never be like that. For example drugs are illegal and the law will not accept any sort of behaviour involving drugs, but in some cases people justify that is morally acceptable to deal drugs use it for personal use because of financial situations and pleasure. So they morally justify it in their own head for it to be okay. Even though morality can be guided by the law, helping us understand the differences between right and wrong, morality can’t come from the law, for there are a lot of things the law accept but us civilians see it as wrong. As we can see morality cannot come from the above theories, for they all leave the question of the origin of right and wrong UN answered. I believe that morality comes from us and that things are right and wrong anyway. I believe G. E Moores theory of the extra fact (the six sense) that can detect wrongness. I truly believe this for it is true that there is that something inside of us, guiding us and helping us know what is right and wrong. We don’t necessarily have to be taught about all the wrongs in life to just get that gut feeling that mugging an elderly person is just wrong, why do we feel that? Why don’t we do it? It is because it is something that is just there. Also everyone in the world is different, we all come from different backgrounds and everyone has been brought up differently, in different environments. So therefore we all have different feelings and beliefs, for someone can truly believe that stealing is acceptable, when another thinks it is wrong. Morality is based on how you feel and how you treat people, expecting the same in return; you wouldn’t want someone to hurt you, so why would you want to hurt them. There are no proven facts to where right and wrong comes from but it is something that is just there. It changes over time, and things that were once believed as right are now seen as wrong. So therefore we cannot place judgements for we don’t know what morality and right and wrong will be seen as in ten years time, it’s based you as a person.

Pre-Socratic Philosophers Essay

â€Å"Pre-Socratic† is the expression commonly used to describe those Greek thinkers who lived and wrote between 600 and 400 B.C. It was the Pre-Socratics who attempted to find universal principles which would explain the natural world from its origins to man’s place in it. Although Socrates died in 399 B.C., the term â€Å"Pre-Socratic† indicates not so much a chronological limit, but rather an outlook or range of interests, an outlook attacked by both Protagoras (a Sophist) and Socrates, because natural philosophy was worthless when compared with the search for the â€Å"good life.†To give the Pre-Socratic thinkers their full due would require an article of encyclopedic scope. Given that, I have decided to list a number of sites on individual Pre-Socratic thinkers.Anaximander1. Life and SourcesThe history of written Greek philosophy starts with Anaximander of Miletus in Asia Minor, a fellow-citizen of Thales. He was the first who dared to write a treatise in prose, which has been called traditionally On Nature. This book has been lost, although it probably was available in the library of the Lyceum at the times of Aristotle and his successor Theophrastus. It is said that Apollodorus, in the second century BCE, stumbled upon a copy of it, perhaps in the famous library of Alexandria. Recently, evidence has appeared that it was part of the collection of the library of Taormina in Sicily, where a fragment of a catalogue has been found, on which Anaximander’s name can be read. Only one fragment of the book has come down to us, quoted by Simplicius (after Theophrastus), in the sixth century AD. It is perhaps the most famous and most discussed phrase in the history of philosophy.We also know very little of Anaximander’s life. He is said to have led a mission that founded a colony called Apollonia on the coast of the Black Sea. He also probably introduced the gnomon (a perpendicular sun-dial) into Greece and erected one in Sparta. So he seems to have been a much-traveled man, which is not astonishing, as the Milesians were known to be audacious sailors. It is also reported that he displayed solemn manners and wore pompous garments. Most of the information on Anaximander comes from Aristotle and his pupil Theophrastus, whose book on the history of philosophy was used, excerpted, and quoted by many other authors, the so-called doxographers, before it was lost. Sometimes, in these texts words or expressions appear that can with some certainty be ascribed  to Anaximander himself. Relatively many testimonies, approximately one third of them, have to do with astronomical and cosmological questions. Hermann Diels and Walter Kranz have edited the doxography (A) and the existing texts (B) of the Presocratic philosophers in Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, Berlin 1951-19526. (A quotation like â€Å"DK 12A17†³ means: â€Å"Diels/Kranz, Anaximander, doxographical report no.17†³).| 2. The â€Å"Boundless† as Principle According to Aristotle and Theophrastus, the first Greek philosophers were looking for the â€Å"origin† or â€Å"principle† (the Greek word â€Å"archà ªÃ¢â‚¬  has both meanings) of all things. Anaximander is said to have identified it with â€Å"the Boundless† or â€Å"the Unlimited† (Greek: â€Å"apeiron,† that is, â€Å"that which has no boundaries†). Already in ancient times, it is complained that Anaximander did not explain what he meant by â€Å"the Boundless.† More recently, authors have disputed whether the Boundless should be interpreted as spatially or temporarily without limits, or perhaps as that which has no qualifications, or as that which is inexhaustible. Some scholars have even defended the meaning â€Å"that which is not experienced,† by relating the Greek word â€Å"apeiron† not to â€Å"peras† (â€Å"boundary,† â€Å"limit†), but to â€Å"perao† (â€Å"to experience,â⠂¬  â€Å"to apperceive†). The suggestion, however, is almost irresistible that Greek philosophy, by making the Boundless into the principle of all things, has started on a high level of abstraction. On the other hand, some have pointed out that this use of â€Å"apeiron† is atypical for Greek thought, which was occupied with limit, symmetry and harmony. The Pythagoreans placed the boundless (the â€Å"apeiron†) on the list of negative things, and for Aristotle, too, perfection became aligned with limit (Greek: â€Å"peras†), and thus â€Å"apeiron† with imperfection. Therefore, some authors suspect eastern (Iranian) influence on Anaximander’s ideas. Anaximenes (d. 528 BCE) According to the surviving sources on his life, Anaximenes flourished in the mid 6th century BCE and died around 528. He is the third philosopher of the Milesian School of philosophy, so named because like Thales and Anaximander, Anaximenes was an inhabitant of Miletus, in Ionia (ancient Greece). Theophrastus notes that Anaximenes was an associate, and possibly a student, of Anaximander’s. Anaximenes is best known for his doctrine that air is the source of all things. In this way, he differed with his predecessors like Thales, who held that water is the source of all things, and Anaximander, who thought that all things came from an unspecified boundless stuff. 2. Doctrine of Change Given his doctrine that all things are composed of air, Anaximenes suggested an interesting qualitative account of natural change: [Air] differs in essence in accordance with its rarity or density. When it is thinned it becomes fire, while when it is condensed it becomes wind, then cloud, when still more condensed it becomes water, then earth, then stones. Everything else comes from these. (DK13A5) Influence on later Philosophy Anaximenes’ theory of successive change of matter by rarefaction and condensation was influential in later theories. It is developed by Heraclitus (DK22B31), and criticized by Parmenides (DK28B8.23-24, 47-48). Anaximenes’ general theory of how the materials of the world arise is adopted by Anaxagoras(DK59B16), even though the latter has a very different theory of matter. Both Melissus (DK30B8.3) and Plato (Timaeus 49b-c) see Anaximenes’ theory as providing a common-sense explanation of change. Diogenes of Apollonia makes air the basis of his explicitly monistic theory. The Hippocratic treatise On Breaths uses air as the central concept in a theory of diseases. By providing cosmological accounts with a theory of change, Anaximenes separated them from the realm of mere speculation and made them, at least in conception, scientific theories capable of testing. Thales of Miletus (c. 620 BCE – c. 546 BCE) The ancient Greek philosopher Thales was born in Miletus in Greek Ionia. Aristotle, the major source for Thales’s philosophy and science, identified Thales as the first person to investigate the basic principles, the question of the originating substances of matter and, therefore, as the founder of the school of natural philosophy. Thales was interested in almost everything, investigating almost all areas of knowledge, philosophy, history, science, mathematics, engineering, geography, and politics. He  proposed theories to explain many of the events of nature, the primary substance, the support of the earth, and the cause of change. Thales was much involved in the problems of astronomy and provided a number of explanations of cosmological events which traditionally involved supernatural entities. His questioning approach to the understanding of heavenly phenomena was the beginning of Greek astronomy. Thales’ hypotheses were new and bold, and in freeing phenomena from godly intervention, he paved the way towards scientific endeavor. He founded the Milesian school of natural philosophy, developed the scientific method, and initiated the first western enlightenment. A number of anecdotes is closely connected to Thales’ investigations of the cosmos. When considered in association with his hypotheses they take on added meaning and are most enlightening. Thales was highly esteemed in ancient times, and a letter cited by Diogenes Laertius, and purporting to be from Anaximenes to Pythagoras, advised that all our discourse should begin with a reference to Thales (D.L. II.4). 1. The Writings of Thales Doubts have always existed about whether Thales wrote anything, but a number of ancient reports credit him with writings. Simplicius (Diels, Dox. p. 475) specifically attributed to Thales authorship of the so-called Nautical Star-guide. Diogenes Laertius raised doubts about authenticity, but wrote that ‘according to others [Thales] wrote nothing but two treatises, one On the Solstice and one On the Equinox‘ (D.L. I.23). Lobon of Argus asserted that the writings of Thales amounted to two hundred lines (D.L. I.34), and Plutarch associated Thales with opinions and accounts expressed in verse (Plutarch, De Pyth. or. 18. 402 E). Hesychius, recorded that ‘[Thales] wrote on celestial matters in epic verse, on the equinox, and much else’ (DK, 11A2). Callimachus credited Thales with the sage advice that navigators should navigate by Ursa Minor (D.L. I.23), advice which may have been in writing. Diogenes mentions a poet, Choerilus, who declared that ‘[Thales] was the first to maintain the immortality of the soul’ (D.L. I.24), and in De Anima, Aristotle’s words ‘from what is recorded about [Thales]‘, indicate that Aristotle was working from a written source. Diogenes recorded that  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ[Thales] seems by some accounts to have been the first to study astronomy, the first to predict eclipses of the sun and to fix the solstices; so Eudemus in his History of Astronomy. It was this which gained for him the admiration of Xenophanes and Herodotus and the notice of Heraclitus and Democritus’ (D.L. I.23). Eudemus who wrote a History of Astronomy, and also on geometry and theology, must be considered as a possible source for the hypotheses of Thales. The information provided by Diogenes is the sort of material which he would have included in his History of Astronomy, and it is possible that the titles On the Solstice, and On the Equinox were a vailable to Eudemus. Xenophanes, Herodotus, Heraclitus and Democritus were familiar with the work of Thales, and may have had a work by Thales available to them. A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the North or South Pole. The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun stands still in declination; that is, the seasonal movement of the Sun’s path (as seen from Earth) comes to a stop before reversing direction. The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are connected with the seasons. In many cultures the solstices mark either the beginning or the midpoint of winter and summer. The term solstice can also be used in a broader sense, as the date (day) when this occurs. The day of the solstice is either the â€Å"longest day of the year† (in summer) or the â€Å"shortest day of the year† (in winter) for any place on Earth, because the length of time between sunrise and sunset on that day is the yearly maximum or minimum for that place. Proclus recorded that Thales was followed by a great wealth of geometers, most of whom remain as honoured names. They commence with Mamercus, who was a pupil of Thales, and include Hippias of Elis, Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Eudoxus of Cnidus, Philippus of Mende, Euclid, and Eudemus, a friend of Aristotle, who wrote histories of arithmetic, of astronomy, and of geometry, and many lesser known names. It is possible that writings of Thales were available to some of these men. Any records which Thales may have kept would have been an advantage in his own work. This is especially true of mathematics, of the dates and times determined when fixing the solstices, the positions of stars, and in  financial transactions. It is difficult to believe that Thales would not have written down the information he had gathered in his travels, particularly the geometry he investigated in Egypt and his measuring of the height of the pyramid, his hypotheses about nature, and the cause of change. Proclus acknowledged Thales as the discoverer of a number of specific theorems (A Commentary on the First Book of Euclid’s Elements 65. 8-9; 250. 16-17). This suggests that Eudemus, Proclus’s source had before him the written records of Thales’s discoveries. How did Thales ‘prove’ his theorems if not in written words and sketches? The works On the Solstice, On the Equinox, which were attributed to Thales (D.L. I.23), and the ‘Nautical Star guide, to which Simplicius referred, may have been sources for the History of Astronomy of Eudemus (D.L. I.23). Pythagoras (c.570—c.495 BCE) The pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Pythagoras must have been one of the world’s greatest persons, but he wrote nothing, and it is hard to say how much of the doctrine we know as Pythagorean is due to the founder of the society and how much is later development. It is also hard to say how much of what we are told about the life of Pythagoras is trustworthy; for a mass of legend gathered around his name at an early date. Sometimes he is represented as a man of science, and sometimes as a preacher of mystic doctrines, and we might be tempted to regard one or other of those characters as alone historical. The truth is that there is no need to reject either of the traditional views. The union of mathematical genius and mysticism is common enough. Originally from Samos, Pythagoras founded at Kroton (in southern Italy) a society which was at once a religious community and a scientific school. Such a body was bound to excite jealousy and mistrust, and we hear of many struggles. Pythagoras himself had to flee from Kroton to Metapontion, where he died. It is stated that he was a disciple of Anaximander, his astronomy was the natural development of Anaximander’s. Also, the way in which the Pythagorean geometry developed also bears witness to its descent from that of Miletos. The great problem at this date was the duplication of the square, a problem which gave rise to the theorem of the square on the hypotenuse, commonly  known still as the Pythagorean proposition (Euclid, I. 47). If we were right in assuming that Thales worked with the old 3:4:5 triangle, the connection is obvious. Pythagoras argued that there are three kinds of men, just as there are three classes of strangers who come to the Olympic Games. The lowest consists of those who come to buy and sell, and next above them are those who come to compete. Best of all are those who simply come to look on. Men may be classified accordingly as lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain. That seems to imply the doctrine of the tripartite soul, which is also attributed to the early Pythagoreans on good authority, though it is common now to ascribe it to Plato. There are, however, clear references to it before his time, and it agrees much better with the general outlook of the Pythagoreans. The comparison of human life to a gathering like the Games was often repeated in later days. Pythagoras also taught the doctrine of Rebirth or transmigration, which we may have learned from the contemporary Orphics. Xenophanes made fun of him for pretending to recognize the voice of a departed friend in the howls of a beaten dog. Empedocles seems to be referring to him when he speaks of a man who could remember what happened ten or twenty generations before. It was on this that the doctrine of Recollection, which plays so great a part in Plato, was based. The things we perceive with the senses, Plato argues, remind us of things we knew when the soul was out of the body and could perceive reality directly. There is more difficulty about the cosmology of Pythagoras. Hardly any school ever professed such reverence for its founder’s authority as the Pythagoreans. ‘The Master said so’ was their watchword. On the other hand, few schools have shown so much capacity for progress and for adapting themselves to new conditions. Pythagoras started from the cosmical system of Anaximenes. Aristotle tells us that the Pythagoreans represented the world as inhaling ‘air’ form the boundless mass outside it, and this ‘air’ is identified with ‘the unlimited’. When, however, we come to the process by which things are developed out of the ‘unlimited’, we observe a great change. We hear nothing more of ‘separating out’ or even of rarefaction and condensation. Instead of that we have the theory that what gives form to the  Unlimited is the Limit. That is the great contribution of Pythagoras to philosophy, and we must try to understand it. Now the function of the Limit is usually illustrated from the arts of music and medicine, and we have seen how important these two arts were for Pythagoreans, so it is natural to infer that the key to its meaning is to be found in them. It may be taken as certain that Pythagoras himself discovered the numerical ratios which determine the concordant intervals of the musical scale. Similar to musical intervals, in medicine there are opposites, such as the hot and the cold, the wet and the dry, and it is the business of the physician to produce a proper ‘blend’ of these in the human body. In a well-known passage of Plato’s Phaedo (86 b) we are told by Simmias that the Pythagoreans held the body to be strung like an instrument to a certain pitch, hot and cold, wet and dry taking the place of high and low in music. Musical tuning and health are alike means arising from the application of Limit to the Unlimited. It was natural for Pythagoras to look for something of the same kind in the world at large. Briefly stated, the doctrine of Pythagoras was that all things are numbers. In certain fundamental cases, the early Pythagoreans represented numbers and explained their properties by means of dots arrang ed in certain ‘figures’ or patterns. Zeno’s Paradoxes In the fifth century B.C.E., Zeno of Elea offered arguments that led to conclusions contradicting what we all know from our physical experience–that runners run, that arrows fly, and that there are many different things in the world. The arguments were paradoxes for the ancient Greek philosophers. Because most of the arguments turn crucially on the notion that space and time are infinitely divisible—for example, that for any distance there is such a thing as half that distance, and so on—Zeno was the first person in history to show that the concept of infinity is problematical. In his Achilles Paradox, Achilles races to catch a slower runner–for example, a tortoise that is crawling away from him. The tortoise has a head start, so if Achilles hopes to overtake it, he must run at least to the place where the tortoise presently is, but by the time he arrives there, it will have crawled to a new place, so then Achilles must run to this new place, but the  tortoise meanwhile will have crawled on, and so forth. Achilles will never catch the tortoise, says Zeno. Therefore, good reasoning shows that fast runners never can catch slow ones. So much the worse for the claim that motion really occurs, Zeno says in defense of his mentor Parmenides who had argued that motion is an illusion. Although practically no scholars today would agree with Zeno’s conclusion, we can not escape the paradox by jumping up from our seat and chasing down a tortoise, nor by saying Achilles should run to some other target place ahead of where the tortoise is at the moment. What is required is an analysis of Zeno’s own argument that does not get us embroiled in new paradoxes nor impoverish our mathematics and science. This article explains his ten known paradoxes and considers the treatments that have been offered. Zeno assumed distances and durations can be divided into an actual infinity (what we now call a transfinite infinity) of indivisible parts, and he assumed these are too many for the runner to complete. Aristotle‘s treatment said Zeno should have assumed there are only potential infinities, and that neither places nor times divide into indivisible parts. His treatment became the generally accepted solution until the late 19th century. The current standard treatment says Zeno was right to conclude that a runner’s path contains an actual infinity of parts, but he was mistaken to assume this is too many. This treatment employs the apparatus of calculus which has proved its indispensability for the development of modern science. In the twentieth century it finally became clear that disallowing actual infinities, as Aristotle wanted, hampers the growth of set theory and ultimately of mathematics and physics. This standard treatment took hundreds of years to perfect and was due to the flexibility of intellectuals who were willing to replace old theories and their concepts with more fruitful ones, despite the damage done to common sense and our naive intuitions. The article ends by exploring newer treatments of the paradoxes—and related paradoxes such as Thomson’s Lamp Paradox—that were developed since the 1950s. Parmenides (b. 510 BCE) Parmenides was a Greek philosopher and poet, born of an illustrious family about BCE. 510, at Elea in Lower Italy, and is is the chief representative of the Eleatic philosophy. He was held in high esteem by his fellow-citizens for his excellent legislation, to which they ascribed the prosperity and wealth of the town. He was also admired for his exemplary life. A â€Å"Parmenidean life† was proverbial among the Greeks. He is commonly represented as a disciple of Xenophanes. Parmenides wrote after Heraclitus, and in conscious opposition to him, given the evident allusion to Hericlitus: â€Å"for whom it is and is not, the same and not the same, and all things travel in opposite directions† (fr. 6, 8). Little more is known of his biography than that he stopped at Athens on a journey in his sixty-fifth year, and there became acquainted with the youthful Socrates. That must have been in the middle of the fifth century BCE., or shortly after it. Parmenides broke with the older Ionic prose tradition by writing in hexameter verse. His didactic poem, called On Nature, survives in fragments, although the Proem (or introductory discourse) of the work has been preserved. Parmenides was a young man when he wrote it, for the goddess who reveals the truth to him addresses him as â€Å"youth.† The work is considered inartistic. Its Hesiodic style was appropriate for the cosmogony he describes in the second part, but is unsuited to the arid dialectic of the first. Parmenides was no born poet, and we must ask what led him to take this new departure. The example of Xenophanes’ poetic writings is not a complete explanation; for the poetry of Parmenides is as unlike that of Xenophanes as it well can be, and his style is more like Hesiod and the Orphics. In the Proem Parmenides describes his ascent to the home of the goddess who is supposed to speak the remainder of the verses; this is a reflexion of the conventional ascents i nto heaven which were almost as common as descents into hell in the apocalyptic literature of those days. The Proem opens with Parmenides representing himself as borne on a chariot and attended by the Sunmaidens who have quitted the Halls of Night to guide him on his journey. They pass along the highway till they come to the Gate of Night and Day, which is locked and barred. The key is in the keeping of Dike (Right), the Avenger, who is persuaded to unlock it by the Sunmaidens.  They pass in through the gate and are now, of course, in the realms of Day. The goal of the journey is the palace of a goddess who welcomes Parmenides and instructs him in the two ways, that of Truth and the deceptive way of Belief, in which is no truth at all. All this is described without inspiration and in a purely conventional manner, so it must be interpreted by the canons of the apocalyptic style. It is clearly meant to indicate that Parmenides had been converted, that he had passed from error (night) to truth (day), and the Two Ways must represent his former error and the truth which is now revealed to h im. There is reason to believe that the Way of Belief is an account of Pythagorean cosmology. In any case, it is surely impossible to regard it as anything else than a description of some error. The goddess says so in words that cannot be explained away. Further, this erroneous belief is not the ordinary man’s view of the world, but an elaborate system, which seems to be a natural development the Ionian cosmology on certain lines, and there is no other system but the Pythagorean that fulfils this requirement. To this it has been objected that Parmenides would not have taken the trouble to expound in detail a system he had altogether rejected, but that is to mistake the character of the apocalyptic convention. It is not Parmenides, but the goddess, that expounds the system, and it is for this reason that the beliefs described are said to be those of ‘mortals’. Now a description of the ascent of the soul would be quite incomplete without a picture of the region from which it had escaped. The goddess must reveal the two ways at the parting of which Parmenides stands, and bid him choose the better. The rise of mathematics in the Pythagorean school had revealed for the first time the power of thought. To the mathematician of all men it is the same thing that can be thought and that can be, and this is the principle from which Parmenides starts. It is impossible to think what is not, and it is impossible for what cannot be thought to be. The great question, Is it or is it not? is therefore equivalent to the question, Can it be thought or not? In any case, the work thus has two divisions. The first discusses the truth, and the second the world of illusion — that is, the world of the senses and the erroneous opinions of mankind founded upon them. In his opinion truth  lies in the perception that existence is, and error in the idea that non-existence also can be. Nothing can have real existence but what is conceivable; therefore to be imagined and to be able to exist are the same thing, and there is no development. The essence of what is conceivable is incapable of development, imperishable, immutable, unbounded, and indivisible. What is various and mutable, all development, is a delusive phantom. Perception is thought directed to the pure essence of being; the phenomenal world is a delusion, and the opinions formed concerning it can only be improbable. Parmenides goes on to consider in the light of this principle the consequences of saying that anything is. In the first place, it cannot have come into being. If it had, it must have arisen from nothing or from something. It cannot have arisen from nothing; for there is no nothing. It cannot have arisen from something; for here is nothing else than what is. Nor can anything else besides itself come into being; for there can be no empty space in which it could do so. Is it or is it not? If it is, then it is now, all at once. In this way Parmenides refutes all accounts of the origin of the world. Ex nihilo nihil fit. Further, if it is, it simply is, and it cannot be more or less. There is, therefore, as much of it in one place as in another. (That makes rarefaction and condensation impossible.) it is continuous and indivisible; for there is nothing but itself which could prevent its parts being in contact with one another. It is therefore full, a continuous indivisible plenum. (That is directed against the Pythagorean theory of a discontinuous reality.) Further, it is immovable. If it moved, it must move into empty space, and empty space is nothing, and there is no nothing. Also it is finite and spherical; for it cannot be in one direction any more than in another, and the sphere is the only figure of which this can be said. What is, therefore a finite, spherical, motionless, continuous plenum, and there is nothing beyond it. Coming into being and ceasing to be are mere ‘names’, and so is motion, and still more color and the like. They are not even thoughts; for a thought must be a thought of something that is, and none of these can be. Such is the conclusion to which the view of the real as a single body inevitably leads, and there is no escape from it. The ‘matter’ of our physical text-books is just the real of Parmenides; and, unless we can find room for something else than matter, we are shut up into his account of reality. No subsequent system could afford to ignore this, but of course it was impossible to acquiesce permanently in a doctrine like that of Parmenides. It deprives the world we know of all claim to existence, and reduces it to something which is hardly even an illusion. If we are to give an intelligible account of the world, we must certainly introduce motion again somehow. That can never be taken for granted any more, as it was by the early cosmologists; we must attempt to explain it if we are to escape from the conclusions of Parmenides. Heraclitus (fl. c.500 BCE) A Greek philosopher of the late 6th century BCE, Heraclitus criticizes his predecessors and contemporaries for their failure to see the unity in experience. He claims to announce an everlasting Word (Logos) according to which all things are one, in some sense. Opposites are necessary for life, but they are unified in a system of balanced exchanges. The world itself consists of a law-like interchange of elements, symbolized by fire. Thus the world is not to be identified with any particular substance, but rather with an ongoing process governed by a law of change. The underlying law of nature also manifests itself as a moral law for human beings. Heraclitus is the first Western philosopher to go beyond physical theory in search of metaphysical foundations and moral applications. Anaxagoras (c.500—428 BCE) Anaxagoras of Clazomenae was an important Presocratic natural philosopher and scientist who lived and taught in Athens for approximately thirty years. He gained notoriety for his materialistic views, particularly his contention that the sun was a fiery rock. This led to charges of impiety, and he was sentenced to death by the Athenian court. He avoided this penalty by leaving Athens, and he spent his remaining years in exile. While Anaxagoras proposed theories on a variety of subjects, he is most noted for two theories. First, he speculated that in the physical world everything contains a portion of everything else. His observation of how nutrition works in animals led him to conclude that in order for the food an animal eats to turn into bone,  hair, flesh, and so forth, it must already contain all of those constituents within it. The second theory of significance is Anaxagoras’ postulation of Mind (Nous) as the initiating and governing principle of the cosmos. Democritus ( 460—370 BCE) Democritus was born at Abdera, about 460 BCE, although according to some 490. His father was from a noble family and of great wealth, and contributed largely towards the entertainment of the army of Xerxes on his return to Asia. As a reward for this service the Persian monarch gave and other Abderites presents and left among them several Magi. Democritus, according to Diogenes Laertius, was instructed by these Magi in astronomy and theology. After the death of his father he traveled in search of wisdom, and devoted his inheritance to this purpose, amounting to one hundred talents. He is said to have visited Egypt, Ethiopia, Persia, and India. Whether, in the course of his travels, he visited Athens or studied under Anaxagoras is uncertain. During some part of his life he was instructed in Pythagoreanism, and was a disciple of Leucippus. After several years of traveling, Democritus returned to Abdera, with no means of subsistence. His brother Damosis, however, took him in. According to the law of Abdera, whoever wasted his patrimony would be deprived of the rites of burial. Democritus, hoping to avoid this disgrace, gave public lectures. Petronius relates that he was acquainted with the virtues of herbs, plants, and stones, and that he spent his life in making experiments upon natural bodies. He acquired fame with his knowledge of natural phenomena, and predicted changes in the weather. He used this ability to make people believe that he could predict future events. They not only viewed him as something more than mortal, but even proposed to put him in control of their public affairs. He preferred a contemplative to an active life, and therefore declined these public honors and passed the remainder of his days in solitude. Credit cannot be given to the tale that Democritus spent his leisure hours in chemical researches after the philosopher’s stone — the dream of a later age; or to the story of his conversation with Hippocrates concerning Democritus’s supposed madness, as based on spurious letters. Democritus has been commonly known as â€Å"The Laughing Philosopher,† and it is gravely related  by Seneca that he never appeared in public with out expressing his contempt of human follies while laughing. Accordingly, we find that among his fellow-citizens he had the name of â€Å"the mocker†. He died at more than a hundred years of age. It is said that from then on he spent his days and nights in caverns and sepulchers, and that, in order to master his intellectual faculties, he blinded himself with burning glass. This story, however, is discredited by the writers who mention it insofar as they say he wrote books and dissected animals, neither of which could be done we ll without eyes. Democritus expanded the atomic theory of Leucippus. He maintained the impossibility of dividing things ad infinitum. From the difficulty of assigning a beginning of time, he argued the eternity of existing nature, of void space, and of motion. He supposed the atoms, which are originally similar, to be impenetrable and have a density proportionate to their volume. All motions are the result of active and passive affection. He drew a distinction between primary motion and its secondary effects, that is, impulse and reaction. This is the basis of the law of necessity, by which all things in nature are ruled. The worlds which we see — with all their properties of immensity, resemblance, and dissimilitude — result from the endless multiplicity of falling atoms. The human soul consists of globular atoms of fire, which impart movement to the body. Maintaining his atomic theory throughout, Democritus introduced the hypothesis of images or idols (eidola), a kind of emanation from external objects, which make an impression on our senses, and from the influence of which he deduced sensation (aesthesis) and thought (noesis). He distinguished between a rude, imperfect, and therefore false perception and a true one. In the same manner, consistent with this theory, he accounted for the popular notions of Deity; partly through our incapacity to understand fully the phenomena of which we are witnesses, and partly from the impressions communicated by certain beings (eidola) of enormous stature and resembling the human figure which inhabit the air. We know these from dreams and the causes of divination. He carried his theory into practical philosophy also, laying down that happiness consisted in an even temperament. From this he deduced his moral principles and prudential maxims. It was from Democritus that  Epicurus borrowed the princi pal features of his philosophy. Empedocles (c.492—432 BCE) Empedocles (of Acagras in Sicily) was a philosopher and poet: one of the most important of the philosophers working before Socrates (the Presocratics), and a poet of outstanding ability and of great influence upon later poets such as Lucretius. His works On Nature and Purifications (whether they are two poems or only one – see below) exist in more than 150 fragments. He has been regarded variously as a materialist physicist, a shamanic magician, a mystical theologian, a healer, a democratic politician, a living god, and a fraud. To him is attributed the invention of the four-element theory of matter (earth, air, fire, and water), one of the earliest theories of particle physics, put forward seemingly to rescue the phenomenal world from the static monism of Parmenides. Empedocles’ world-view is of a cosmic cycle of eternal change, growth and decay, in which two personified cosmic forces, Love and Strife, engage in an eternal battle for supremacy. In psychology and ethics Empedocles was a follower of Pythagoras, hence a believer in the transmigration of souls, and hence also a vegetarian. He claims to be a daimà ´n, a divine or potentially divine being, who, having been banished from the immortals gods for ‘three times countless years’ for committing the sin of meat-eating and forced to suffer successive reincarnations in an purificatory journey through the different orders of nature and elements of the cosmos, has now achieved the most perfect of human states and will be reborn as an immortal. He also claims seemingly magical powers including the ability to revive the dead and to control the winds and rains.

Epsilon Eridani Information

Epsilon Eridani Information Ever hear of Epsilon Eridani? Its a nearby star and famous from a number of science fiction stories, shows, and movies. This star is also home to at least one planet, which has caught the eye of professional astronomers. Putting Epsilon Eridani into Perspective The Sun lives in a relatively quiet and fairly empty region of the Milky Way galaxy. Only a few stars are right nearby, with the closest ones being 4.1 light-years away. Those are Alpha, Beta, and Proxima Centauri. A few others lie a bit farther away, among them Epsilon Eridani. Its the tenth closest star to our Sun and is one of the closest stars known to have a planet (called Epsilon Eridani b). There may be an unconfirmed second planet (Epsilon Eridani c). While this nearby neighbor is smaller, cooler and slightly less luminous than our own Sun, Epsilon Eridani is visible to the naked eye, and is the third closest star that is viewable without a telescope. Its also featured in a number of science fiction stories, shows, and movies.   Finding Epsilon Eridani This star is a southern-hemisphere object but is visible from parts of the northern hemisphere. To find it, look for the constellation Eridanus, which lies between the constellation  Orion and nearby Cetus. Eridanus has long been described as a celestial river by stargazers. Epsilon is the seventh star in the river that extends from Orions bright foot star Rigel.   Exploring this Nearby Star Epsilon Eridani has been studied in great detail by both ground-based and orbiting telescopes. NASAs Hubble Space Telescope  observed the star in collaboration with a set of  ground-based observatories, in the search for any planets around the star. They found a  Jupiter-sized world, and its very close to Epsilon Eridani. The idea of a planet around Epsilon Eridani is not a new one. Astronomers have studied this stars motions for decades. Tiny, periodic changes in its velocity as it moves through space indicated that something was orbiting the star. The planet gave mini-tugs to the star, which caused its motion to shift ever so slightly. It now turns out that, in addition to the confirmed planet(s) that astronomers think are orbiting the star, there is a dust disk, likely created by collisions of planetesimals in the recent past. There are also two belts of rocky asteroids orbiting the star at distances of 3 and 20 astronomical units. (An astronomical unit is a distance between Earth and the Sun.) There are also debris fields around the star, leftovers indicating that planetary formation did indeed take place at Epsilon Eridani.   A Magnetic Star Epsilon Eridani is an interesting star in its own right, even without its planets. At less than a billion years old, its very youthful. Its also a variable star, which means that its light varies on a regular cycle. In addition,  it shows a lot of magnetic activity, more so than the Sun does. That higher rate of activity, along with its very fast rotation rate (11.2 days for one rotation on its axis, compared to 24.47 days for our Sun), helped astronomers determine that the star is likely only about 800 million years old.   Thats practially a newborn in star years, and explains why theres still a detectable debris field in the area.   Could ET Live on Epsilon Eridanis Planets? Its not likely theres life on this stars known world, although astronomers once speculated about such life signaling us from that area of the galaxy. Epsilon Eridani has also been suggested as a target for interstellar explorers whenever such missions are finally ready to leave Earth for the stars. In 1995, a microwave survey of the sky, called Project Phoenix, searched for signals from extraterrestrials that might inhabit various star systems. Epsilon Eridani was one of its targets, but no signals were found.   Epsilon Eridani in Science Fiction This star has been used in many science fiction stories, TV shows, and films. Something about its name seems to invite fabulous stories, and its relative closeness suggests that future explorers will make it a landing target.   Epsilon Eridani is central in the Dorsai! series, written by Gordon R. Dickson. Dr. Isaac Asimov featured it in his novel Foundations Edge, and it is also part of the book Factoring Humanity  by Robert J. Sawyer. All told, the star has shown up in more than two dozen books and stories and is part of the Babylon 5 and Star Trek  universes, and in several movies.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Edited and expanded by  Carolyn Collins Petersen.