Tropical Rain Forest Soils of La Selva Essay -- Ecology Wildlife Natur

Tropical Rain Forest Soils of La Selva Tropical rain forests across the globe are currently threatened by massive deforestation for logging, grazing, and cultivation (Otzen 1993). Such land-use practices alter temperature regimes (Fernandes and Sanford 1995) as well as ground, soil, and surface water, flora, fauna, and microorganisms (Otzen 1993). These changes may result in a loss of soil organic matter, a decrease in soil fertility (Garcia-Oliva et al. 1994, Tissen et al. 1994), severe soil erosion (Otzen 1993), and changes in soil structure and chemistry (Fernandes and Sanford 1995, Sollins et al. 1995, Montgagnini and Sancho 1994.) The response of tropical rain forest soils to deforestation depends upon the specific properties of the soils as well as the type of use they are subject to. La Selva Biological Station, located in north-central Costa Rica and containing a mixture of pasture, second growth, and intact forest, provides an excellent opportunity to study the effects of deforestation on examples of three soil orders--Entisols, Inceptisols, and Ultisols. Although limited studies have been conducted on the impact of deforestation on soils in this area, a knowledge of their properties may help predict the nature of the changes that would occur due to deforestation. Such changes will determine whether or not rejuvenation of the rain forest is possible. All soils at La Selva are derived from volcanic parent material. This material came primarily from eroded lava flows, although some material was carried in lahars. At higher elevations, soil parent material consists of lava weathered in place. Both alluvial and colluvial deposits cover the lower elevations, however, which include river terraces of various ages. Mos... ...s: Biogeochemistry (Dordrecht) 6: 181-89. Sollins P., Sancho, Freddy, Mata, Rafael, Sanford, Robert L. Jr., 1994, Soils and soil process research, pages 34-53 in McDade, L. A.; K.S. Bawa; H.A. Hespenheide; and G.S. Hartshorn (eds.), La Selva Ecology and Natural History of a Neotropical Rain Forest: Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 486 p. Tidall, J.M. and J.M. Oades, 1982, Organic matter and water-stable aggregates in soil: Journal of Soil Science 33: 141-63. Tissen, H., E. Cuevas, P. Chacon. 1994. The role of soil organic matter in sustaining soil fertility. Nature 371: 783-785. Uehara, G. and G. Gillman, 1981, The Mineralogy, Chemistry, and Physics of Tropical Soils with Variable Charge Clays: Boulder, Colorado, Westview press. Vitousek, P.M. 1984. Litterfall nutrients cycling and nutrient limitation in tropical forests. Ecology 65: 285-298.

Intent as a dichotomic agent between folk psychology and identity theory :: essays research papers

The framework of choice for the contemporary philosophers of mind is physicalism, a position that integrates the study of mind within the ‘scientific’ human knowledge regulated by the laws of matter and energy. In this paper, I will provide arguments that support the incompatibility between two different theories of mind, namely mind-brain identity theory (IT) and folk psychology (FP) on logical grounds. The first part of the essay will familiarize the reader with the basic concepts, definitions and some of the key arguments employed by IT and FP. Let us begin with a summary about identity theory. Simply put this theory holds that states and processes of the mind are identical to states and processes of the brain. To make use of an example, our experience of pain it is exactly reflected by a corresponding neurological state in the brain, i.e. C-fibres firing. From this point of view, the mind is the brain – they are identical. However, this identity is only contingent, i.e. its confirmation relies upon ulterior scientifical advancements. There are two types of identity theories: type-identity theory and token-identity theory. The later is just a moderate derivation of the former, by proposing a not so radical claim, i.e. that supports the identity of particular instances (tokens) of mental states (e.g. a particular pain ) with correspondent particular brain states. Type-identity theory on the other hand, assumes a stronger position of strict identity, i.e. that pain as a type of mental state, is identical with a particul ar brain state. In this paper I refer to identity theory as type-identity theory (IT). The initiator of this theory was U.T. Place, and his innovative essay “Is Counsciousness a Brain Process'; (1956) greatly influenced J.J.C. Smart. Consequently, in “Sensations and Brain Processes'; (1959) Smart asserts that “processes reported in sensation statements are in fact processes in the brain';. IT theorists object against the “physical irreducibility'; of mental states, i.e. that they are something misterious and eluding physical laws, and so they deny the existence of the soul or counsciousness as something irreducible physical. Smart, a converted IT from behaviorist theory, doesn’t consider sensations or mental states as behaviors or dispositions, but type-identical with brain states; so pain, belief, desire are nothing else but neural firing, chemical release and whatever else might happen in the brain at that moment. Therefore, just as lightning is nothing but an electrical discharge, so pain just is C-fibers firing in the brain. Intent as a dichotomic agent between folk psychology and identity theory :: essays research papers The framework of choice for the contemporary philosophers of mind is physicalism, a position that integrates the study of mind within the ‘scientific’ human knowledge regulated by the laws of matter and energy. In this paper, I will provide arguments that support the incompatibility between two different theories of mind, namely mind-brain identity theory (IT) and folk psychology (FP) on logical grounds. The first part of the essay will familiarize the reader with the basic concepts, definitions and some of the key arguments employed by IT and FP. Let us begin with a summary about identity theory. Simply put this theory holds that states and processes of the mind are identical to states and processes of the brain. To make use of an example, our experience of pain it is exactly reflected by a corresponding neurological state in the brain, i.e. C-fibres firing. From this point of view, the mind is the brain – they are identical. However, this identity is only contingent, i.e. its confirmation relies upon ulterior scientifical advancements. There are two types of identity theories: type-identity theory and token-identity theory. The later is just a moderate derivation of the former, by proposing a not so radical claim, i.e. that supports the identity of particular instances (tokens) of mental states (e.g. a particular pain ) with correspondent particular brain states. Type-identity theory on the other hand, assumes a stronger position of strict identity, i.e. that pain as a type of mental state, is identical with a particul ar brain state. In this paper I refer to identity theory as type-identity theory (IT). The initiator of this theory was U.T. Place, and his innovative essay “Is Counsciousness a Brain Process'; (1956) greatly influenced J.J.C. Smart. Consequently, in “Sensations and Brain Processes'; (1959) Smart asserts that “processes reported in sensation statements are in fact processes in the brain';. IT theorists object against the “physical irreducibility'; of mental states, i.e. that they are something misterious and eluding physical laws, and so they deny the existence of the soul or counsciousness as something irreducible physical. Smart, a converted IT from behaviorist theory, doesn’t consider sensations or mental states as behaviors or dispositions, but type-identical with brain states; so pain, belief, desire are nothing else but neural firing, chemical release and whatever else might happen in the brain at that moment. Therefore, just as lightning is nothing but an electrical discharge, so pain just is C-fibers firing in the brain.

Animal Farm Dystopia :: Literary Analysis

Animal Farm is about a group of animals taking over the farm in the search for freedom and equality, but over time with wrong decisions made one animal takes control of all. Animal Farm is an example of a dystopia because it is based on five out of the nine traits dystopias have these traits are restrictions, fear, dehumanization, conformity, and control. One quality of a dystopia that is very well represented in Animal Farm is restriction. The animals had seven commandments that must always be followed and four of them were restrictions. One restriction given to the animals was â€Å"no animal shall ever wear clothes† (19) animals were forbidden from clothes because only humans were supposed to wear them. Another restriction animal had that â€Å"no animal shall ever drink alcohol† (19) the animals could not drink alcohol because only humans did and alcohol caused them to act crazy. One major restriction the animals had was â€Å"no animal shall kill any other animal† (19) this restriction of no killing was made by other animals for all the animals to follow. Animal farm has many examples of dystopia but the strongest quality of one is restriction. In Animal Farm fear is used to keep the animals under control. Old major told the animals â€Å"Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished forever.†(5) Old Major used fear to get the animals to revel by telling them how horrible Johns was, and how john treated them badly and miss feed them. Also fear was used by Squealer when he says â€Å"surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?†(28) The pigs knew that the animals were mistreated by Johns and that no one wanted him back so the pigs asked for more food so johns would not come back to the farm. Napoleon kept the animals doing what he wanted by scaring them in to thinking that snowball betrayed them â€Å"snowball was declared to be hiding at Foxwood†(63) Napoleon would tell the animals that snowball was doing all kinds of bad things, and some animals were afraid to sleep. Control is used in animal farm to keep the animals away from disobeying. Napoleon took over the farm by controlling the animals he made Snowball be chased out by â€Å"nine enormous dogs.†(43) Napoleon made the dogs chase Snowball out because he had different points of view than Napoleon, and Napoleon wanted to control the animals with his ideas.

Proportion of Work Demands and Level of Education

School plays an important role in our life. Many of us will spend more than fifteen years at school in order to get the qualifications that are required to work in a specific field. Of course, those years are broken down into several levels, some of them being more liked than others. Two important steps that we go through are high school and college. Even though some people would think they are almost similar, yet there are significant differences between them. The cost of high school education is not the same as the cost of college education. Also, some differences apply from an academic point of view. Typically, the social environment also differs from high school to college, a fact that can be related to the question of freedom versus responsibility. It is true to say that college is more expensive than high school. Of course, it provides a higher level of education, but by having so high fees it does not give a chance to them coming from a family with a low income. Also, at college you have to buy your own books whereas in high school you borrow them from the school for a year. As they do for high schools, the government should pay for the books and then borrow them to students, as they do in high schools. Paying for the education you get is expensive, but many people have to pay even more. Many cities do not have colleges, so students who want to get a higher education have to move away to another city where they will be provided the education they need. This often involves paying for an apartment and for food, and sometimes for the bus , which is not, unlike high school, free. As you can see, college is a lot more expensive than high school. However, the cost is not the only think to consider when comparing high school and college, the relation between teachers and students are also different. At high school, they see their students lower than them., not as equals. To tell the truth, it is very hard for high school students to become friends with them because of the fact that they are seen as simple students who have nothing to learn to their teachers. However, at college, it is easy to have a friendly relation with a teacher because their students as equals. As college provides a higher level of education, the amount of work you have to do at home is a lot greater. At high school, where we get a more general education the time spent home doing homework is a lot smaller. This does not mean that you do not work at high school but it does mean that it is easier in that sense. Moreover, a big advantage of college, from an academic point of view, is that you have more choices. You can choose a lot of subjects related or not to your field of studies whereas at high school you cannot. There are also some differences between the social environment of students at high school and students at college. Since college students have more work to do at home, they have a limited freedom out of school and this makes it harder for them to see their friends during the week. However, at high school they have known their friends for a while whereas at college they often have to make new friends, because many of theirs have moved away to another city. This can be really hard for some people, but for other people this is a good opportunity to meet a lot of new people, which means a lot of new experiences to benefit of. Before concluding, it would be important to mention that often college students have a whole new set of responsibilities to deal with. Since many moves away from home, they have to live in an apartment, pay their bills, buy their own food, make their own meals, clean up their apartment themselves, etc. For most of them, this is something new and they have to learn how to deal with it and this normally takes a while. Compared to them, high school students have almost nothing to care about except for school, because they live at home with their parents, who do most of those things for them. It is obvious from what has been said that college and high school both have their advantages and their inconveniences. Attending the former is more expensive than attending the latter. Then, at college, you are considered to be more like adults whereas at high school you are looked upon as simple students of a lower class. Also, high school students do have fewer homework and more free times, but at school they are not really free in many ways. Finally, attending college engages being a lot responsible, because you have a lot of things to care about. As you can see they differ a lot but have at least two things in common: they are both there to give students a good education and they both represent many years they will never forget.

Voucher programs: Tuition Subsidied for Public School Students

Vouchers are tuition subsidies for students in public schools to attend private schools and/or for students already in private schools. Proponents for publicly funded school vouchers see them as a way for poor parents to leave a failing public school system and allow their children to go to the school of their choice. Opponents fear that school vouchers would take money away from public schools, causing grater segregation while not helping the majority of students remaining in the public school system. The Catholic Church supports school vouchers and believes that every person should have equal opportunity to send there children to the best schools regardless of there financial situation. This paper will attempt to explain the complex arguments around the issue of publicly funded school vouchers, so that one could understand both sides of this issue. Voucher programs allow students to take a portion of funds reserved for public education to put toward private education. The major supporters of school vouchers are poor parents, and the Catholic Church. Before 1999, the Catholic Church had been one of the chief enemies of all federal grants for education. Then the Hierarchy gradually changed direction, and it decided to support federal aid in principle on condition that any specific measure should include auxiliary services for Catholic schools. The condition has never been met, and the failure of agreement has created the longest and most caustic church-state controversy in the history of Congress. According to the Church and Catechism it is the obligation of the state that â€Å"public subsidies are paid out in such a way that parents are truly free to choose according to their conscience the schools they want for their children. † Supporters of such a program believe that allowing students to choose the school they will attend will result in a better education and a more level playing field, where not only middle- and upper-class students dominate the private school system. Some proponents of vouchers see the public school system as promoting atheist views and denying the freedom to practice a religion other that atheism. School vouchers would allow parents to send their children to religious schools and allow them to assert the right to practice the religion of their choice. Cavailer Daily, a scholar and leader in the voucher movement states, â€Å"Freedom of Religion should allow students to attend a parochial school, rather than prevent them. † Vouchers allow choice for all people not only the ones wealthy enough to afford a religions education. The current system has allowed students â€Å"to be rigorously secularized† striking down â€Å"most forms of public assistance to parents who desire to protect their children from an educational system that is often actively promoting values that are profoundly at odds with religious convictions. The net result has been that a crucial aspect of religious freedom is exercised only by families wealthy enough to afford private education after paying taxes for public schools. † Mary Ann Glendon, a constitutional scholar and professor at Harvard University. Many proponents of vouchers do not want to eliminate the public school system; they want to use . School choice means better educational opportunity, because it uses the dynamics of consumer competition to drive service quality. As students leave the public school system and choose private school they will take there voucher money with them causing profit loses for that district. Many proponents of vouchers feel that this will cause the public schools to reform and offer a better educational program, so they can also become competitive in the schools market. Public schools currently account for 90% of the educational institutions, thus cornering the market. Proponents of vouchers believe that the short term benefits will allow students to get a better education, and in the long term public schools will be forced to radically change there programs in order to compete with a growing school market. The advantage of voucher programs is that parents can spend their money how they see fit. Public schools are funded with taxes-often property taxes, which partially accounts for better schools in richer districts. Each district gets a different amount of money per student so in the poor areas of the country the schools get less money per student resulting in lower quality teachers, and inability to buy adequate materials. People must pay these taxes regardless of the quality of local schools, or where they want to send their child. Even if you send your child to private school, you are still required to pay taxes to fund a public school system that you do not use. The voucher system, then, acts as a refund system for parents who wish to educate their children elsewhere. Leading the charge against publicly funded school vouchers is the American Teachers Union, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, as well as The National Council of Churches and many constitutionalists. Opponents of school vouchers believe that while vouchers might seem like a good idea on the surface, a deeper investigation reveals its fatal flaws and irreversible social implications. The biggest argument against vouchers is that they are unconstitutional. It has been decide that according to the establishment clause of the 1st amendment giving any funds to private school that promote religion is against the law. Vouchers also have the ability to hurt the majority of students in public schools by taking away their funding. According to expert on the subject of school vouchers, Henry Levin, â€Å"not only are vouchers unconstitutional but they completely undermine the public education system, thus threatening our system of democracy. † The issue is one of separation between church and state. Under the establishment clause of the 14th amendment, may public money be used for sectarian schools? During the 1940†³s, the high court decided that all direct appropriations for the central expenditures of such schools would be unconstitutional. No federal or local tax funds may be used for building costs, teachers† salaries, or other regular operational expenses. These perimeters were established in the Everson v. Board of Education ruling in 1947. In this case, a New Jersey town had allowed local tax funds to reimburse Catholic parents for busing their children to school. The Court, speaking through Justice Black, said: The â€Å"establishment of religion† clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws, which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief of disbelief in any religion. No person can be punished for entertaining or professing religious beliefs or dis-beliefs, for church attendance or non-attendance. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, what ever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice or teach religion. Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa. In the words of Jefferson, the clause against the establishment of religion by law was intended to erect â€Å"a wall of separation between church and state. † For the past 50 years the Supreme Court has held up the â€Å"wall of separation† in such high profile cases as the Nyquist decision in 1973, which invalidated a New York State program that provided tuition reimbursements to poor parents whose children attended private schools. Although the court found that New York had attempted to ensure the secular effect by making the payments directly to the parents, it ruled that the program had a primary function of advancing religion, and there for was unconstitutional. This ruling affirmed Justice Black†s decision in making publicly funded school vouchers unconstitutional. Opponents of school vouchers believe that not only are they unconstitutional; they also hurt students and the Public School System. The United States Public School system was founded during the mid 1800†³s to promote economic and social well being. The United States prides it self on being one of the only countries to provide a free and equal education to all children from kintergarden too high school. There is an apparent connection between public schools and the common good in democracy because as our country becomes increasingly diverse, the public school system stands out as an institution that unifies Americans. Research from the United States and abroad show that vouchers lead to greater segregation of students by socioeconomic status and race. Countries such as Ireland and Canada are divided because their governments provide education for each different religion, and consequently a deep cultural division in the population has been accentuated. The public school systems serves the majority of people and most are satisfied and don†t want to change where they go to school. Opponents of school vouchers believe they do not help the majority of poor and underprivileged and benefit more advantaged families. In Milwaukee, for example, parents who accepted vouchers, on average, were better educated, more involved in their children†s education, and had higher expectations for their children than parents of public school children. Only 1% of public school students are currently participating in a school voucher plan, so the majority of children are left in the public school system to fend for themselves. Voucher advocates often claim that private school education is cost effective because these schools can operate for less money. However, looking at the record of accomplishment of the only two experimental voucher schools, Milwaukee voucher program started in 1990, and Cleveland voucher program started in 1996, shows a very different story. In Milwaukee, analyses indicate that voucher schools received about $1,000 more per student than comparable public schools for the1996-97 school year. In addition, private schools are not required to have mandated services such as, special education, ESL, transportation, breakfast and lunch programs, which is accounted for in the money that the public schools receive per pupil. The most reasonable conclusion,† notes researcher Henry Levin, â€Å"Is that voucher schools in Milwaukee are receiving at least comparable allocations per student to those of the Milwaukee Public Schools, once the service mix is accounted for. † Voucher schools do not cost less to operate and in many cases, they cost more, taking precious funds away from public schools that are trying to reform. Voucher money likely would end up in the hands of private-school parents, essentially subsidizing those who already have fled the public school system, instead of creating incentive for public-school reform. Cleveland last month joined Milwaukee as the only school systems with vouchers. However, 27 percent of the 1,864 low-income kids in the Cleveland program were already in private schools. Private schools often charge high tuition. Since vouchers usually will not cover the full cost of tuition, the wealthy, who can already afford to pay private school tuition, will benefit the most. Low and middle-income families, who will not be able to afford the difference between the voucher and tuition costs, will be less likely to benefit. Even if poor families could come up with the full tuition amount, few private schools are located in the nation†s inner cities or other economically depressed areas. Fewer still are likely to admit children from disadvantaged backgrounds. For this reason, 45% of students participating in the Milwaukee program attend Catholic schools because they cost less. In any event, no voucher plan will benefit more than a small number of poor children. A voucher system also will not work if kids who want to leave public schools have no place to go, as many will not. Voucher supporters claim new private schools will spring up to meet new demand. However, this may be wishful thinking. â€Å"Many private schools believe government money means government regulation and do not want to take it,† says Joe McTighe, executive director of the Council of American Private Education. Proponents of vouchers feel that they are being unfairly taxed or taxed twice but â€Å"Double taxation† does not exist. Private school tuition is not a tax; it is an additional expense some parents have chosen to pay. All members of society are expected to support certain basic public services such as the police and fire departments, libraries and the public schools, whether they use them or not. Childless couples and single people, for instance, must still pay school taxes. ) We all have a vested interest in maintaining a strong public school system to make certain that our people are educated. Under a voucher plan, all taxpayers will face double taxation. They will have to pay for public schools, then pay-increased taxes to make up for funds being channeled too parochial and other private schools. The heavily contested issue of whether public money should be used to subsidize private, religious schools has raged on for over 50 years and will continue to as long as people challenge the constitution. Proponents believe vouchers will give opportunities to the poor, freedom of religion to all, and help begin a trend of reform in public schools. However, opponents fear that school vouchers will blur the lines separating church and state, and cause undue harm to the public school system. If nothing else it works for its designed purpose of creating a neutral environment that fosters learning. This neutrality has made possible the spread of tolerance to other institutions in our society. Children who learn to live together without religious distinctions are prepared as adults to build a more cooperative world.

Mexican Peso Case Study Essay

1. Take a look at Mexico’s balance of payments over the past few years. Use the schedule I have attached to the case – it is in the same format as we used to examine the U. S. balance of payments. What do the trade and current account balances suggest about the likelihood of a potential devaluation of the peso? Why? a. It suggests that because Mexico is importing twice as much as they are exporting that there is a strong chance that the peso will lose value to counter the constant increase in imports. It is also important to point out that the exports in 1974 and 1975 are practically the same. The current account balance is negative 4 billion U. S. dollars which is 4 times larger than it was in 1972. All this leads me to believe that the peso needs to be devalued in order to raise the amount Mexico exports. 2. What does the private capital account suggest about the need for a devaluation of the peso? Why? a. The private capital account is a positive 3 billion which indicates that there are a lot more imports than exports suggesting that Mexico is either borrowing a larger portion of money or selling some of its assets. Consequently there is a need for the devaluation of the peso. 3. What does the private transactions balance suggest about the valuation of the peso and whether a very large devaluation was imminent? Why? a. By looking at the private transactions balance it suggest that there was not a dire need for a very large devaluation because it is a positive 172 million where as it has been no larger than 222 million and no smaller than 39 million. That is not to say that the peso did not need to be devaluated however. 4. Take a look at Exhibit 5 in the case – Mexico’s international reserves. What has happened to Mexico’s total foreign exchange reserves since 1970? How would you interpret this trend in terms of evaluating the strength or weakness of the peso in the foreign exchange market? Would you conclude that the peso was likely to be substantially devalued from this data? Why? a. With a gradual increase in Mexico’s total foreign exchange reserves since 1970 it looks like they were preparing for the devaluation of the peso for some time now. The increase in reserves is them trying to prevent or delay the devaluation. From just this data alone however I would not believe that the peso is at risk of being devaluated. 5. Take a look at Exhibit 7 and the forward discounts on the peso versus the dollar. On June 18, what did the market think the peso was likely to do over the next three months? On August 27, what did the market think the peso was likely to do versus the dollar over the next three months? Between June and August, what was the market saying about the magnitude and/or probability of a devaluation of the peso over the next three months? a. On June 18th it was believed that over a 3 month period that the peso would depreciate 20% vs. the U. S. dollar and on August 27th it was believed that the peso would only depreciate 9. 08% over the same time frame. During that time frame the market thought there was a less and less chance that the peso was going to get devaluated. 6. Look at the commercial bank lending rates to prime borrowers in Exhibit 8. Based on these nominal prime borrowing rates, would you expect the peso to appreciate or depreciate against the dollar and by how much? Why? a. If using the December 1975lending rates, the peso would depreciate against the dollar by 5. 9% because Mexico’s interest rate is nearly twice as high as the United States’. 7. What should be the PPP Mexican peso/U. S. dollar exchange rate based on price level changes in Mexico and the U. S. between 1954 and 1975. Given your calculation, is the Mexican peso reasonably valued at the new exchange rate of MP20. 5/U. S$? Briefly explain why. a. The PPP for the Mexican peso/U. S. dollar exchange rate should be MP13. 29/$ and I believe that the new exchange rate is too high, especially when compared to the 13. 29 PPP. Another reason to believe that it is not reasonable is that looking at exhibits 5 and 7 indicates that the peso may not have needed to be devaluated much at all considering the increase in Mexico’s reserves and the decrease in the forward discount from June to August. 8. Suppose the Mexican government had decided not to devalue the peso. What would have been some of the economic and financial policies it could have implemented to defend the currency? How would these policies affect employment and income levels in Mexico? a. Financial policies that could have been implemented would be to limit the number of imports and/or raise import taxes and loosen up their taxes on corporations to encourage new business in Mexico. It would raise employment while having a positive effect on income levels compared to if the peso was devaluated. 9. Please evaluate the future of the peso based on your answers to the above questions as well as the following information: (1) Oil production is likely to come on stream shortly and oil is priced in the world markets in dollars. (2) Foreign oil companies will be making substantial investments in Mexican oil fields. (3) The Mexican government will be able to control inflation. a. The future of the peso is going to look bright because they are increasing jobs by having companies invest in their oil fields. Although other countries will be making money so will Mexico. Since the dollar will be stronger than the peso, the money being made off oil would be equal to more pesos since it was devalued. This will increase exports and since they are able to control inflation it gives them greater control

Moliere the Misanthrope

The Misanthrope Moliere’s play The Misanthrope is a comedy that represents social satire, satirizing the conventions of the society which Moliere lived in and observed. Perhaps the character of Alceste best demonstrates the elements of comedy and tragedy that co-exist in Moliere’s play. Alceste, after all, realizes his jealous nature makes him a comic figure. In fact, humankind’s tragedy as expressed by Moliere is that it cannot admit how funny, hypocritical, and ironic most of its actions and views are.Because of this, Moliere’s play is much more comedy than tragedy. Alceste represents an â€Å"everyman† of his social milieu and culture in Moliere’s perception. He would like to be honest but knows he lives in a social system that is dishonest. Alceste chastises Philinte because of his hypocritical behavior toward strangers, who he hugs and professes great love for but then reverses his position the minute they are gone. As Alceste tells him, â€Å"Once the man’s back is turned, you cease to love him, / And speak with absolute indifference of him! By God, I say it’s base and scandalous / To falsify the heart’s affections thus; / If I caught myself behaving in such a way, / I’d hang myself for shame, without delay† (Moliere 17). While the above treatment of one’s fellow man may seem tragic, Moliere seems to be suggesting in a humorous way that all humans are often guilty of such behavior. In fact, it is Alceste’s failures to recognize his own foibles that makes him so comical and his reaction to others hypocritical. Alceste is indignant and humorless with others like Oronte, who writes a poem about his beloved Celimene.He fails to realize his jealousy makes him just as guilty of treating others poorly as does Philinte’s hypocrisy. He is a jealous lover. He is a jealous friend. And he is hard on all those around him but himself. Moliere is maintaining this lack of se lf-perception may be man’s tragedy but from it springs much of the humor and comedy in life. We see this humor when Alceste maintains he would get rid of all those who wooed Celimene were he his beloved, â€Å"Were I this lady, I would soon get rid / Of lovers who approved of all I did, / And by their slack indulgence and applause / Endorsed my follies and excused my flaws† (Moliere 68).In essence, Alceste endorses his own follies and excuses his own flaws. In conclusion, though there are definitely tragic elements that co-exist with the satire and comedy in Moliere’s The Misanthrope, overall the play is much more of a humorous and funny comedy than it is tragic. Though lack of insight and self-perception may be a tragic condition of humankind, Moliere sees much more humor and comedy stemming from it.Work Cited Moliere, Jean Baptiste. The Misanthrope and Tartuffe. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1965.