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The topic of gun rights is currently quite prominent, holding in its realm different views and opinions. In America, gun rights become topics of public conversation with every mass shooting that occurs. Throughout 2018, there have been 14,647 deaths related to gun violence in the US. Included in this number are deaths from mass shootings which as stand-alone acts amounted to 340 incidents. Similar numbers have also been reported for the previous years. In assessing such data Amnesty International published a report that evaluated the scope of gun violence in the US and analyzed the laws and policies governing gun rights in relation to international human rights standards. The report concluded that due to continual gun violence, high rates of firearm ownership, and ease of access to guns by those likely to misuse them the US is failing to meet its duty to protect human rights2. Amnesty International is a long-standing organization, a Nobel prize recipient with branches worldwide. A report like this along with data on gun violence showing little change over time makes the debate on gun rights versus gun control a valid one.

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution gives Americans the right to gun ownership and use3. A right that is embedded in the legal foundations of a country can be difficult to change or modify. Nevertheless, an evaluation of the ethical arguments for and against uncontrolled gun rights is important and will be made in an attempt to evaluate if indeed human rights as they relate to the quality of life are affected.

According to the Cambridge dictionary, quality of life is defined as the level of satisfaction and comfort that a person or group enjoys4. Quality of life is a subjective term though and as such is hard to measure and define because it relates to so many aspects like health, disability, educational opportunities, jobs, housing, relationships, expectations, goals, security, and safety to name a few5. However, for the purpose of this discussion, the Cambridge definition will be adopted and thus factors that infringe on comfort levels as they relate to health, safety, and security can be said to infringe on the quality of life.

Let's begin with the perspective that, “gun rights should not be controlled in order to increase people's quality of life.” proponents of this view, focus on the ethical idea that a right to own a gun is derived from a basic (prima facie) right to protection. According to Michael Huemer, professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, and author of the articles ‘Is there a right to own a gun?’ and ‘Gun Rights as Deontic Constraints’, people have a right to self-defense. Prohibiting or limiting gun ownership will violate this right causing individuals to suffer from crimes they could have otherwise prevented. He further explains that for controls to be implemented and gun ownership limited, they must be proven to prevent a harm that is greater than the harm to those whose rights were taken away by such controls. Huemer contends that should a gun ban exist, those who legally own their guns for personal defense will comply with surrendering their guns while those with illegal guns will not do so. This will still leave guns in criminal hands since these firearms are unknown and undocumented.

Huemer’s argument is credible, as a PhD researcher of ethics and political philosophy his articles have been published in prominent journals of philosophy and social theory. Upon investigation of his ideas, examples do exist, the Washington Post, a trusted news source, confirms that 80 percent of gun-related deaths were caused by illegal firearms and just 18 percent are caused by legally owned guns6.

The strength in Huemer’s argument that gun control and bans violate the right to self-defense lies in the difficulty of proving that this prima facie right is unfounded or can be outweighed by other considerations. Taking away one's right to self-defense in the case of an intrusion or harassment would be an example of such a rights violation. Indeed, this is a strong contention, often used by The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) to fiercely lobby for gun rights, claiming that individual freedoms, particularly the liberty to protect will be taken away should gun rights be violated7.

Notwithstanding, this perspective does have weaknesses. Huemer for example, bases his argument on hypothetical scenarios of a complete gun ban, not leaving room to discuss the effects of controls and if such placements truly affect the right to self-defense. He even states that, there is a social cost to widespread gun ownership and that the state is incapable of identifying in advance individuals who will misuse their weapons, and thus the state's best method to reduce the social cost is to restrict even noncriminal citizens from owning firearms8. Such a statement thus acknowledges the threats associated with gun rights and opens a clear path for proponents of gun control to advocate their case. For example, survey-based studies led by David Hemenway, Professor of Health Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health show that firearms are used more to intimidate than for self-defense9 and that actual self-defense gun use is quite rare and not any better at preventing injury than other defensive actions10.

Now let’s consider the perspective that, “gun rights should be controlled in order to increase people's quality of life.” According to David DeGrazia, professor of philosophy at George Washington University in Washington D.C and author of On the Ethics of American Gun Ownership, when evaluating gun rights, there is another pertinent right beyond the right of self-defense to consider and that is the right to not get shot. There are two rights on this ethical platform, and neither can dominate the other. Gun rights cannot be so unregimented and lax that people's right to safety from firearms is infringed. Placing controls will balance both the right to guns and the right to not get killed or injured by these guns. In his argument, DeGrazia further claims that the current state of gun rights in America does not enhance people's control over their security. In fact, these rights make gun owners' lives more endangered. In a book he co-authored with Lester Hunt, ‘Debating Gun Control: How Much Regulation Do We Need?’, DeGrazia lists gun safety loopholes, from lax background checks to the absence of consumer safety regulations and lack of funding to public health studies on gun violence. Basic background checks make sure that the consumer is not a convicted felon or suffers from mental illness. He gives the example of guns bought at gun shows where basic checks are not required, allowing anyone to acquire a gun, and bypassing even the smallest of checks that may be federally imposed. DeGrazia recommends different controls and stresses that governments should engage in ethical policy that acts on this endangerment of the population.

David DeGrazia’s arguments are also valid. As a professor of philosophy, his research in theoretical and applied ethics has been published both in books and academic journals, making him a credible proponent for a counter perspective. To back his views DeGrazia pulls data from studies, ones which provide evidence that the risk of death by either homicide or suicide is greater in homes with guns than those without. He further shows that states and countries with low gun ownership rates and strong gun control measures have lowers gun fatality rates than those who do not11. Indeed, Amnesty International’s report which was mentioned earlier offers a list of recommendations akin to those proposed by DeGrazia further substantiating his argument for gun control.

The strengths in Degrazia’s argument prevail in having real data as opposed to hypothetical scenarios in support of his view. Australia for example implemented stricter gun controls after experiencing one mass shooting in 1996. In the years that followed no mass shooting (defined as 5 or more injured or killed) occurred and there has been a marked decline in homicides and suicides with rates showing 3% annual drops prior to the application of gun laws with an increase to 5% drops for such incidents after the laws came into effect12. Japan with similar strong restrictions also exhibits very low gun violence rates, with annual rate of all gun deaths (per 100,000 population) of less than 0.04 between 2007 and 201413. America by comparison to Japan on the exact same measurements has annual rates 100 times larger, standing at over 10.3 for those years 14. Lastly, the idea of a right to not get shot is also linked to fear and anxiety from being shot, in defending this right one not only increases the sense of safety but also reduces fear which in turn link to quality of life.

Nevertheless, there are weaknesses associated with the proof DeGrazia uses to advocate for gun control. For one there are very few studies in the United States relating to the effects of widespread gun ownership, relying on such limited data can weaken the argument. Also, in comparing data from other countries one needs to be cautious as some factors can be related to cultural and societal habits that may not exist elsewhere and may have influenced the data. In fact, the Rand Corporation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization has referenced and evaluated most of the existing studies relating to gun policy in the US, finding them to be lacking in methods that identify possible causal effects15.

After evaluating the arguments put forward for and against gun control, I believe that gun rights should be controlled in order to increase people’s quality of life. The main reason comes from the source supporting this perspective and the idea that there isn't one overruling right (that for self-defense) above other rights (that to not get shot and be safe). In controlling gun rights, it is possible to take all rights into account including that of self-defense. Additionally, the real tangible proof of factual statistics provided by this perspective allows for a reliable evaluation of the effects on rights and quality of life. The opposing view only offered hypothetical scenarios which may not be conclusive.

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Therefore, after contemplating all points of view and analyzing the ethical motivations behind them I do understand the rationale of both. Taking precautions to ensure all rights are met is integral to a free moral society. I must admit that initially, my point of view regarding the topic was not neutral. In fact, while working on this essay, my school had a real-life code red lockdown with police, sirens, and helicopters, and hiding in closets or underneath desks for over an hour. I couldn't help thinking that being scared for so long compromised the quality of my school life. With the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting the previous year and the continued incidents of baseless shootings, my anxiety alone calls for ethical legislation soon. Given this, I was worried of reflecting my personal inclinations in this essay. However, it is through this research that I am confident to base my rationale for gun control on the academic sources presented. The ethical arguments for controls provide solutions that honor a moral society that is still and maybe even freer. Going forward and in order to strengthen the idea that gun control will increase people's quality of life I suggest that leaders and legislators look at the research compiled so far, heed its recommendations and act. Also investing in more research on the health effects of gun violence is essential. I further suggest legal research into accountability when rights for safety and well-being are not met. Over time such analysis can strengthen the claim that gun controls will improve safety and comfort levels which in turn will affect and increase the quality of life

Table of contents

1. Introduction
Brief History of the Island and Its Relationship With the United StatesPuerto Rico’s territorial status causes its economy to thriveElimination of Corporate Tax Breaks Negatively Affects Puerto Rican EconomyPuerto Rico’s Economy Worsens Due To Its Territorial Status
2. Hurricane Maria and its effects on The Puerto Rican Economy
Plans for Restructuring Puerto Rico’s Debt
3. Possible Statehood and Conclusion
4. Bibliography

Introduction

When people usually think about Puerto Rico, many things may come to mind. They may think about being in Caribbean paradise where the clear blue waters carry them away. They may picture themselves burying their toes into its white sandy beaches just to take that perfect Instagram picture as they reach for their Pina Coladas. However, this utopian image of Puerto Rico serves as a false reality of what’s truly happening on the Island. Unfortunately, Puerto Rico is struggling to pay its bills despite its attractiveness as a popular tourist destination. Since 2006, its economic woes has crippled its economy causing a wide-spread poverty, unemployment, and massive debt. Moreover, the Puerto Rican economic crisis has created a lack of opportunity and a mass exodus in which millions of Puerto Ricans are leaving the island. In a 2017 article published by Business Insider entitled “Here’s how Puerto Rico got into so much debt,” they concluded that the island owed over 70 billion dollars in debt to creditors.

When analyzing how things got so bad in the first place, there are some main factors that will be discussed in this paper. Factors such as legal loop-holes, territorial status, public debt, and lack of federal funding have all contributed Puerto Rico’s economic free-fall. Yet, there are also other factors such as mismanagement of funds, preferential financial treatment for states vs territories, predatory lending, lack of federal oversight, and corruption will all be discussed. It is the intent of this paper to explain these important factors while uncovering how these things came to be in the first place. In order to do this, we must first go back in time to explain how Puerto Rico’s history and its long relationship with the United States is affecting their current economic situation today.

Brief History of the Island and Its Relationship With the United States

Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island within the Greater Antilles that was colonized under Spanish rule for over 400 years. Once the 20th century arrived, the United States gained control over the island after going to war with Spain. For over 17 years, Puerto Rico’s government status remained in limbo until 1917. According to the CIA world fact-book, Puerto Rico was given territorial status in 1917. “The island was ceded to the U.S. as a result of the Spanish-American War.” Soon thereafter, the island established its own constitution which was similarly modeled after the U.S. version. The U.S. government allowed Puerto Rico to have a governor and one representative in congress. The people on the island were given special citizenship status by the government of the United States. However, their status placed limits on their ability to vote in federal elections because Puerto Rico was not a state.

In the eyes of the federal government, Puerto Rico was only seen as an unincorporated territory. Due to the Island’s territorial status, their Congressional representatives voting powers were also limited in some form or fashion. Technically called resident commissioners, Puerto Rico’s representatives were only seen as tokens rather than real congressional members. Therefore, its status as a territory kept the island’s representatives unable to vote for or against proposals, budgets, tax plans, and other legislation that would affect the island.

Puerto Rico’s territorial status causes its economy to thrive

During the 1940s, the 1st of Governor of Puerto Rico Luis Marin was concerned about how poor and underdeveloped the island was compared to the states. Marin, who would later be considered the father of modern Puerto Rico, had a better vision for the future of the island. He decided to create an economic development initiative called operation bootstrap that would attract American corporations to set up factories and offices in Puerto Rico. According to Brown University Library.edu, “Operation Bootstrap was fundamentally about modernizing the Puerto Rican economy. Much of it involved providing tax exemptions to American corporations who set up shop in Puerto Rico. These corporations were then able to capitalize on the lower costs of labor on the island, which further improved their bottom line and made doing business in Puerto Rico even more attractive”

In other words, Governor Marin saw the tax breaks and cheap labor as the triggers that would tempt American companies to set up shop on the island. Specifically, Puerto Rico’s territorial status would make it where companies wouldn’t have to pay as much in federal taxes as they would in the states. Puerto Rico decided to eliminate their corporate tax. Instead, the trade-off would be thousands of newly created jobs causing an increase in sales and property tax revenue. Operation bootstrap would also give exposure to the American elite who may want to relax in the winter in Puerto Rico causing boosts in tourism, and a higher standard of living on the island. Although it took a while but by 1949, the Puerto Rican economy began to skyrocket thanks to the manufacturing industries setting up shop on the island. Brown University also notes that, “The Department of Commerce valued manufacturing in Puerto Rico in 1949 at $93 million. By 1967, it estimated that manufacturing was producing $621 million for the island. Evidently, Operation Bootstrap successfully industrialized the island. Perhaps more importantly, it successfully shifted the Puerto Rican economy’s dependence from agriculture to industry in less than twenty years.”

Elimination of Corporate Tax Breaks Negatively Affects Puerto Rican Economy

Despite the economic upturn, Puerto Rico’s new-found prosperity would be short lived as U.S. Congressional legislation became tougher on corporate tax breaks. At the time, the U.S. Federal government was very lenient on taxing companies because they created millions of jobs and brought in so much revenue. The American government had experienced the industrial revolution, WWI & II, and the great depression. Therefore, government’s agenda was to never to penalize companies because its economy relied heavily on these companies. During the 1940’s, there had been a loop hole for corporations who wanted to qualify for tax exemption status in Puerto Rico. Those who moved their operations to the territory enjoyed the luxury of not paying certain federal taxes.

Laws such as 26 U.S. Code §?931 had provided a tax exemption for these companies whose business operations originated in Puerto Rico. However, as time went on, Congresses would become less lenient on tax breaks and would ultimately roll-back many of the earlier tax legislation. By 1996, many corporations on the island began to downsize and lay off workers. The amount of businesses that were coming to the island to set up shop were decreasing. Poverty and unemployment began to rise. Ultimately by 2006, these tax breaks were fully eliminated and its effects negatively impacted the Puerto Rican economy. By this point, corporations began leaving the island, laying off their remaining workers. Once the corporations were gone, its economy sunk like the titanic leading to a deep recession.

Puerto Rico’s Economy Worsens Due To Its Territorial Status

During the beginning of the Puerto Rican recession, the island was facing a major dilemma. The government had to make an appropriate decision on how to deal with its emerging debt problem. Ultimately, they decided to borrow money by allowing investors through banks to buy bonds. From a temporary standpoint, allowing these bonds to be issued seemed like a great idea. However, in reality there were three major problems with these bonds. First, Puerto Rico’s territorial status allowed banks and investors to take advantage of their need for cash. Since Puerto Rico was not a state, there was no real federal oversight presence over the practices and issuing of these bonds like in the states. Therefore, the island’s territorial status made them vulnerable to investors whose goals are to engage in predatory lending practices.

In an article by NPR.org entitled: “How Puerto Rico's Debt Created A Perfect Storm Before The Storm” they discuss how the island’s status led to banks trying to capitalize off their misfortune. They go on to say, “Many of the bonds were specifically designed to be sold to Puerto Ricans, packaged into special funds that were less transparent than anything regulators would allow on the mainland. Regulations against things such as banks recommending their own bond deals to investors didn't apply on the island.” This validates my argument that banks were actively trying to capitalize off of the Puerto Rican debt crisis, and its territorial status. The second problem with these bonds dealt with the ability for Puerto Rico to pay these bonds back. Banks were essentially selling bonds to investors like hot cakes while Puerto Rico continued to take their money with no real plan to pay it back. NPR.org goes on to say, “When you start borrowing long term just to pay next month’s payroll, you know you are going down a rabbit hole. It was crazy. The government was borrowing at an incredible clip”.

Banks on wall-street such as UBS and Morgan Stanley knew that the Puerto Rican government could not pay these bonds in the long term. However, these banks kept pushing their clients to invest their retirement and pensions into Puerto Rico. They wanted to receive steady commissions from the sale of these bonds and greed drove their aggressive sales tactics. The last problem dealt with banks bailing out on its investors after Puerto Rico’s debt became too large to manage. This was a huge problem for investors who may have put their whole life’s savings into these bonds. The whole problem started when there were too many bonds being sold. There were so many investors and not enough potential to pay them all back plus interest. Therefore these notes status became junk bonds.

When this happened, NPR.org goes on to explain how the banks responded. They mention that “The banks got out, and everybody else got stuck with the bill. Most of the general public didn't understand what was going on. The darkness of this bond deal made a lot of people in Wall Street happy, but it was immoral in many ways. Fifteen months later, Puerto Rico announced it couldn't pay its debt. The island was broke. The bond funds crashed and many Puerto Rican investors lost savings, retirement funds or their pensions.” The banks didn’t care about the island nor its investors. As long as they got their commission, they were determined to ride that horse until they couldn’t ride it anymore.

Puerto Rico’s financial mismanagement is another factor that led to the plummeting value of its bonds. When the islands bond classification became junk status (Junk bonds), it caused potential investors to also leave. This hurt the island’s image and all current investors involved because this meant that there was no certainty about whether they would get their money back. Puerto Rico’s financial mismanagement was so bad that they were borrowing money to pay off the interest on their debt. Despite governments mismanagement and inability to be fiscally responsible, there are others to blame for the island’s economic crisis. In an article by business insider entitled, “Here’s how Puerto Rico got into so much debt,” they another important entity that must share the blame. They explain that the U.S. federal government is also at fault.

“Underlying all of these monumental issues is the real kicker. Puerto Rico has little ability to speak up for itself in Washington, allowing the federal government to enact policies that affect it without its own consent.” Not only doesn’t Puerto Rico have power in making their own decisions, but they are also treated differently concerning federal appropriations as compared to the states. Business insider goes on to say, “while more than 60% of Puerto Ricans are on the programs’ payrolls, the territory receives much less federal funding for its insurance programs than do states on the US mainland, meaning that Puerto Rico has to finance the remaining costs itself. This is yet another factor in the growth of the island’s debt.” When the federal government does this, they are sending a message that states will always be top priority over territories.

Puerto Rico’s territorial status also plays a factor in whether or not it can file for bankruptcy. In another article by business insider, they explain the “3 main reasons why Puerto Rico can’t declare bankruptcy.” They argue that chapter 9 bankruptcy laws apply to municipalities of states. Therefore, there is a technicality for states. Although states cannot declare for bankruptcy, their municipalities could. Puerto Rico’s municipalities do not get the same benefit because of its status as a territory. However, there is a bill in the senate that would seek to change this rule by including municipalities of territories. According to the Supremacy clause within article VI paragraph two of the U.S. Constitution,

“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.” This clause means that congress has the power to stretch protections, provisions, and authority of federal law to include all territorial entities. The bill that is being presented by Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Richard Blumenthal intends to do just that. Moreover, “On June 29, the governor of Puerto Rico announced that 72 billion of the commonwealth’s debt was unpayable. This debt burden amounts to more than $20,000 for every man, woman, and child.”

Hurricane Maria and its effects on The Puerto Rican Economy

In the early months of 2017, the Puerto Rican economy was still in really bad shape. Many people on the island were in poverty and opportunities were hard to come by. Yet, when the people of Puerto Rico didn’t think things could any worse, Hurricane Maria happened. Puerto Rico took a series devastating blows from Mother Nature as the hurricane swept from east to west leveling the island. The storm damaged numerous buildings and other property leaving severe damages to infrastructure and displacing thousands of Puerto Ricans. Hurricane Maria brought the island to its knees. It created a situation where the island need immediate aid. According the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coastal Management (NOAA), the rough estimate of the damage done to Puerto Rico is around $90 Billion dollars. CBS news.com mentions these costly damages to infrastructure an article entitled: “Puerto Rico's grim prognosis: The island may never recover.” They mention how hard it is to find funding to fix the island.

CBS news.com goes on to say, “Puerto Rico was already insolvent before the 2017 storm, with creditors and the island's government deep in negotiations about how to jumpstart the economy or strip it bare to pay off $70 billion owed to bondholders. And the island's government owes another $50 billion it doesn't have to cover current and future pensions. Even before Maria, half a million people had left Puerto Rico and its economy had been steadily shrinking since 2005. After the hurricane, there's even less to work with.” It doesn’t take rocket science to understand that 70 billion in debt before hurricane Maria plus over 90 billion in infrastructure damages equals a 160 billion deficit. Puerto Rico knows that it must find a way out this debt prison to stabilize its economy. Many people point to its territorial status as an argument that the repayment of debt is not solely on Puerto Rico.

There are many people who believe that the federal government shares a certain level of responsibility for paying off the debt. However, there are certain political officials that do not agree about the responsibility that the federal government has to help Puerto Rico clear its debt. In fact, some people may not agree with the amount of aid proposed to the island in the wake of the hurricane. These people such as the President of the United States, have been vocal on not financially supporting Puerto Rico. PBS NewsHour recorded President Trump’s remarks during a visit to the island after the hurricane. As the President was addressing the devastation, he said “I hate to tell you Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack because we’ve spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico.” However, according to a Washington post article about disaster relief funding, Puerto Rico makes the claim that it hasn’t received enough federal funds to bring the island back to normal operation.

HUD has given Puerto Rico 20 billion in disaster relief funding. However, 20 billion has only put a dent in the problem. In total according to nbcnews.com, “the federal government allocated $ 40 billion for disaster recovery in Puerto Rico but Puerto Rico incurred in at least $ 90 billion in damages.” To this day, politicians disagree with how much Puerto Rico really needs and whether the U.S. federal government should financially help. With all that has happened to Puerto Rico within the last 10 years, many economists believe that it would take decades to pay off the debt that they have accumulated.

Plans for Restructuring Puerto Rico’s Debt

On March 13, 2017, Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority (AAFAF) released a plan to Restructure their debt by reducing general spending and increasing taxes. Their plan also includes specifically reducing healthcare spending, revenue enhancement, and Pension reform over a 10-year period. They want this plan to help them restructure their debt so that they can be on the path of economic recovery. They believe that the first step on path of recovery is creating a financial mission. In their financial mission, “The government believes communication, grounded in fiscal responsibility, can create the opportunity for maximum consensus among stakeholders and pave the way for Puerto Rico’s long-term fiscal stability and economic growth.” They follow up this mission statement by explaining their desire to “reduce the fiscal gap by 39.6 billion while also creating a 10-year cash flow surplus of 7.9 billion.” This essentially means that Puerto Rico wants to cut its deficit by more than half within ten years. This plan also means that they won’t be paying anything on their debt for 5 years. Instead, they expect to consolidate their funds and began paying lump sums by the 5-year mark. Even though there are multiple problems with this plan, the overarching idea is good step into the right direction given the years of bad decision making and mis-management by politicians.

in 1996, as the economy began to gradually decline, the island’s politicians decided to borrow money it didn’t have rather than make necessary spending cuts. Puerto Rican politicians felt that they would lose re-election bids and deal with widespread protest if they were to enact spending cuts. Therefore, they found it rational to borrow money while continuing to spend that money at the same levels as previous years when they had more revenue coming in. To this day, Puerto Rican politicians continue to borrow money and make fiscally irresponsible decisions despite their economic crisis. According to The Heritage Foundation, “At $72 billion, Puerto Rico’s debt is now more than 100 percent of its gross national product (GNP). The debt does not include another $35 billion in unfunded pension liabilities and other unfunded liabilities, which also need to be considered. Confronting this massive debt will require difficult political decisions.”

If the Puerto Rican government had not engaged in financial mismanagement there wouldn’t have been any debt in the first place. Instead, they began to borrow to the point that their debt became a fiscal avalanche headed right for their economy. Despite Puerto Rico’s mismanagement, the federal government failed to conduct oversight and review the financial needs of the island. The federal government also engaged in preferential treatment when it came to appropriations. Most importantly, the Federal government does not give Puerto Rico the same congressional representation as states. Even though Puerto Rico has a representative in congress, they don’t have any real voting power. This essentially means that Puerto Rico doesn’t even get an opportunity to vote on decisions which directly or indirectly affect them. However, there are some ways in which congress can maneuver around the rules so that Puerto Rico’s representative can have some say in certain decisions. There are some federal politicians who believe that the U.S. government has a responsibility to help Puerto Rico clear or restructure its debt.

While researching how the federal government appropriates money to territories, I made an interesting discovery. At the Federal level, there is a plan to restructure Puerto Rico’s debt through the house committee on natural resources. The plan is called P.R.O.M.E.S.A. (Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act). When I read this, I thought that there must have been an error or typo. Why would a natural resource committee be in charge of financial appropriations and oversight and for a U.S. territory? Then, I began digging deeper into the members who make up that committee and found something very interesting. The current Puerto Rican representative Jennifer Gonzales colon sits on the same house committee. Therefore, she gets some decision making power and she can also influence her colleagues on the committee to a certain extent.

According to H.R. 5278 within the CBO June 2016 cost estimate if passed, “the committee would be responsible for overseeing the fiscal and budgetary affairs of certain U.S. territories.” The bill would also “automatically establish an oversight board for the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. To help Puerto Rico address its mounting financial difficulties, the bill would also establish a seven-member Financial oversight and Management Board along with establishing a congressional task force to recommend changes to federal laws and activities that would support economic growth in Puerto Rico.” According to the PROMESA plan, the oversight board would be tasked with overruling any decision that could negatively impact the Puerto Rican economy. Therefore, any decisions made by any legislative official, public official, or governor could be legally overturned.

In an article published by nbcnews.com entitled, “here’s how PROMESA aims to tackle Puerto Rico’s debt,” they outline how PROMESA would work. First, they mentioned that the bill was approved in the senate 68-30. President Obama would later sign the proposal in July 2016 making PROMESA official law. Secondly, the new law would force Puerto Rico to balance their budget and set up a debt restructuring if there’s not one currently in place. Finally, the fiscal control board will act with autonomy from the government of Puerto Rico. Overall, the PROMESA plan is designed to provide crucial federal oversight into a financial situation that has spun out of control.

Possible Statehood and Conclusion

Currently there is a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would push for Puerto Rico statehood. Democratic lawmakers believe that statehood will ensure Puerto Rico’s economic recovery in the future. Allowing Puerto Rico to become a state would also help them be eligible to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. In addition to this, statehood would give Puerto Rico voting representation in congress and therefore they can vote on things that affect them. Although, I agree that Puerto Rico should be a state I don’t know if the bill will pass through both chamber. The Senate is controlled by a Republican majority and they will stand with the president in not allowing Puerto Rico to become a state. I believe there are two main reasons why certain lawmakers don’t want Puerto Rico to achieve statehood.

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The first reason deals with restructuring how we re-appropriate money so that we could include Puerto Rico into the group. Some people just don’t find the island as important as any of the current states. The Second and more political problem is that allowing Statehood would destroy our political and electoral college system. We would have to restructure the electoral voting system to include Puerto Rico. This would also alter representation in both the house and senate. For a republican controlled government, the last thing they would need is giving a liberal leaning island statehood because those people will almost certainly not vote for the Republican Party. In conclusion, the island’s territorial status has caused some unfortunate financial situations to occur and something must be done. The people of Puerto Rico are citizens of the United States and deserve all of the rights and privileges bestowed unto them. Therefore, the U.S. Federal government is responsible for ensuring their ability to have access to the same opportunities afforded to those who are on the mainland. There should be no more limbo about the financial future of Puerto Rico because the federal government shares the responsibility. Finally, banks should never be able to get off scotch free after helping pull that Ponzi scheme on the island. As for the investors, Puerto Rico should still set up a feasible repayment plan because a lot of honest, hardworking people lost their life’s savings.

Bibliography

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5. Guadaloupe, P. (Ed.). (2016, June 30). Here's How PROMESA Aims to Tackle Puerto Rico's Debt. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna601741
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7. Hurricane Costs. (2019, March 28). Retrieved from https://www.coast.noaa.gov/states/fast-facts/hurricane-costs.html
8. Kim, S. M., Dawsey, J., & Kane, P. (2019, March 26). Trump complains to senators that Puerto Rico is getting too much hurricane relief funding. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-complains-to-senators-that-puerto-rico-is-getting-too-much-hurricane-relief-funding/2019/03/26/c8c09c30-4fd3-11e9-8d28-f5149e5a2fda_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8650fb8d07f9
9. Kranz, M. (2017, October 09). Here's how Puerto Rico got into so much debt. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.businessinsider.com/puerto-rico-debt-2017-10
10. Press, A. (2017, October 03). WATCH: Trump pledges help to Puerto Rico, says the island has 'thrown our budget a little out of whack'. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-pledges-help-puerto-rico-says-island-thrown-budget-little-whack
11. Shoen, J. (Ed.). (2017, September 26). 3 main reasons why Puerto Rico can't declare bankruptcy. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.businessinsider.com/3-main-reasons-why-puerto-rico-cant-declare-bankruptcy-2015-7
12. The 6th Article of the U.S. Constitution. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2019, from https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/articles/article-vi
13. Toro, J. (n.d.). 3 main reasons why Puerto Rico can't declare bankruptcy. Retrieved April 21, 2019, from https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.businessinsider.com/3-main-reasons-why-puerto-rico-cant-declare-bankruptcy-2015-7
14. Webber, T. (2017, October 13). What Does Being A U.S. Territory Mean For Puerto Rico? Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2017/10/13/557500279/what-does-being-a-u-s-territory-mean-for-puerto-rico

Do you have a bad debt?

One of the downsides of doing business is that from time to time your invoices will go unpaid and you can be left out-of-pocket hundreds or thousands of dollars. This can threaten the viability of your business, particularly if you are a small business. If this has happened to you, the things to think about include calling or writing to the debtor with a friendly late payment reminder and follow-ups (make sure you keep a record), informal negotiations with them, sending a letter of demand, and ultimately perhaps engaging a debt collecting service or taking the matter to a small claims tribunal or a court.

What is a letter of demand?

A letter of demand is a letter written to the debtor ‘demanding’ that you pay them the monies you are owed. Such a letter is usually sent when you have tried unsuccessfully to get your invoice paid and some more serious action is needed to get your money. A letter of demand is often the final reminder letter you send before taking legal action. You can send it yourself or ask a lawyer to write it on their letterhead. This sometimes encourages the debtor to take the matter more seriously.

Before writing a letter of demand, it is important to send first and second reminder letters. These can be friendlier and help you maintain your business relationship with the debtor if this is important to you. A letter of demand states how much is owed, what for, and when the invoice needs to be paid. It may also include a warning that you will consider legal action if the debt is not paid by a particular date. The title 'Letter of demand' at the top of the page lets the debtor know you are serious about getting your money.

It is important to understand the consequences of sending a letter of demand. Unlike alternative dispute resolution (a process which can reduce damage to, and even improve business relationships, and which you might want to try before sending a letter of demand), sending a letter of demand may escalate a dispute. Even so, this action may be necessary to recover a debt.

Before sending your letter of demand, it may help to get some advice from someone who has had experience with debt recovery before. It is also important to find out who owns the business that owes you money, as it may not be the person with whom you made the original agreement. The best approach is to send your letter of demand to the person who owns the business. Sample letters of demand are provided at Attachment A. below. It is a good idea to let another person, such as one of NatRoad’s employment and industrial specialists cast an eye over the letter before you send it to ensure that your letter is not unnecessarily inflammatory.

When do I send a letter of demand?

There are many situations in which you might consider sending a letter of demand. A typical scenario is described below. Bruce, an owner-driver, transports goods and services for a number of different customers. One day, Trevor, an existing customer and small farming business owner, called Bruce in a panic – his hay baler had bailed/died/crashed/bitten the dust just before baling time. Trevor urgently needed a replacement machine so that his hay could be baled before the predicted heavy rains and impending floods. Bruce, being a farmer’s son, understood Trevor’s situation very well and being a good bloke, he postponed two other jobs to help Trevor with his predicament.

Later that day, Bruce was on site at the supplier’s, willing and ready to collect and deliver a replacement vehicle Trevor had organised. Bruce had told Trevor that he would charge a fixed pick-up, transport and delivery rate of $2,500 (plus GST) for the urgent delivery of the replacement baler. Trevor agreed to pay 'whatever it took' to get the replacement vehicle because his business and his livelihood depended on being able to start hay baling the next day. Bruce did the job and sent Trevor by email and post, an invoice with 14-day payment terms, together and details of the payment methods available.

Three weeks later, Trevor still had not paid the bill. Bruce have him a friendly call and Trevor said he would pay the invoice the very next day. A further two weeks went by without the payment being made. Bruce tried to call Trevor again, without success. Bruce sent Trevor a late payment reminder letter but Trevor still did not pay the account. After two more weeks and more unmet promises from Trevor to pay, Bruce sent a second reminder letter explaining that if Trevor didn't pay, Bruce would have difficulty feeding his family and paying his own bills.

Bruce decided that he didn't want to do any more jobs for Trevor. He was upset that Trevor, who he thought was a good egg, hadn't paid him after he’d dropped everything to help him at the risk of disappointing his other customers. Being the good bloke he was though, Bruce decided to give Trevor one last opportunity to pay the invoice by sending a letter of demand. If Trevor doesn't pay the invoice soon, Bruce intends to apply to the Small Claims Court.

A checklist for a letter of demand

• Have you have already tried friendly means to recover your debt, such as a polite phone call or two, or late payment reminder letters?
• Does your letter of demand include precisely accurate information? You want to avoid anyone being able to say that something in the letter is false or misleading.
• Does your letter of demand include a late payment interest rate? Note that this should only be included if it was specified in the contract.
• Does the letter of demand inform the debtor of any action you are not in fact willing to take? You should only mention action that you are prepared to take.

Is the letter of demand polite and respectful? Your letter shouldn't harass the debtor.

• Ensure you sign and date the letter.
• Attach copies of all relevant supporting documentation such as your contract, invoice, first and second late payment reminder letters and any relevant emails, faxes or letters.
• Keep a copy of all the original documents and the signed letter of demand.

Important: Make sure you send the letter by registered post and that you request a 'signed proof of delivery' card. Also, it is good practice to keep this card in case you need it as evidence in court later.

Should you use a lawyer?

Sometimes it is helpful to use a lawyer to write your letter of demand. A lawyer can write a letter of demand for you on the law firm's letterhead. This can sometimes encourage the debtor to pay the debt promptly. Most law firms charge a set fee to write a letter of demand on your behalf. This can be a relatively inexpensive and effective way of recovering your debt. Make it clear to the lawyer that the letter of demand is all you are asking for. Getting advice from a lawyer will usually cost you more. Remember your employment and industrial relations legal specialists at NatRoad can also help you with this for a very competitive fee.

Debt collection services

If you haven’t been able to recover your debt after friendly reminders, informal negotiations and a letter of demand, you might decide to use a debt collection service (DCS). A DCS is a business that tries to recover money for you for a fee. Using a DCS shows your errant customer that you have decided to hand the matter over to professionals. Of course, doing this could further strain your business relationship with your customer. However, sometimes it may be more important to get the money you are owed than to maintain a relationship with a customer.

Traditional debt recovery methods

Traditionally, a DCS sends a 'letter of demand' to the debtor on its letterhead, demanding that the debt is paid by a particular date or legal action may be taken. If necessary, the DCS will issue a second, 'final' letter of demand or follow up with a 'phone demand'.

Introduction: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a shining example of the principle that the most powerful messages are not told but rather shown. Although the novel is written in the form of largely impartial narration by Nick Carraway, Fitzgerald's criticism of American life and culture during the Roaring Twenties subtly and powerfully permeates the plot. Background: Fitzgerald shows that American society, flushed from victory in the First World War and bombarded with advertisements expounding the wonders of consumer items from cars to refrigerators, has experienced a radical shift in its value system. Thesis statement: Through his portrayal of the main characters, Fitzgerald implies that the traditional virtues of thrift, sincere friendship and true love, as described in books like Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack, have been replaced by the vices of reckless spending, shallow friendships and superficial love. Furthermore, Fitzgerald implies that although members of high society in the Roaring Twenties would party all night long, their perversion of the values of frugality, friendship and love help repress and reinforce feelings of loneliness and unhappiness.

Topic sentence: By detailing the observations made by Nick Carraway of Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald proves that the work ethic and frugality that originally gave rise to American wealth have been replaced by a wasteful materialism. The grand, raucous parties that Gatsby hosts at his West Egg mansion are a showcase of all the undesirable practices that stem from materialism. Evidence & citing: Carraway observes that a corps of caterers string enough colored lights in Gatsby's garden to make it appear like a "Christmas tree," and that eight servants and an extra gardener are required on Mondays to repair the damages of Sunday partying. The narrator is also amazed by the pyramid of pulpless orange and lemon halves, left to rot at Gatsby's back door without a second thought after the butler had extracted the juice. Inside the parties, sumptuous buffet tables laden with spiced baked hams and pastry pigs and a full-sized orchestra replete with trombones, cornets and piccolos reinforce a vivid image of a high-class society unconcerned with conservation and hooked on the horn of plenty. By using a surfeit of detail to emphasize the excessiveness of Gatsby's parties, the author suggests that material wealth is merely a cover for spiritual isolation. Through their liberal use of alcohol and enjoyment of their opulence, Gatsby's guests can drug themselves into not facing their inability to foster the development of genuine human relationships. Evidence & citing: That the guests have lost this ability is evident in Nick's observations of the party atmosphere: "The bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside...[there are] enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other's names." (40) Commentary: The superficiality of these introductions and the false gayety of the party become even more apparent as the party ends. Wives complain bitterly about leaving as their husbands take them home, and departing cars are blocked by a coup stuck in a ditch. The reader receives the distinct impression that the exhilarating party is ending in a whimper like a charade that has finally been exposed. The nature of this charade is expressed in Nick's parting description of Gatsby's house: "A sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows and great doors, endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host, his hand up in a formal gesture of farewell." (56) That Fitzgerald chooses this image as the last impression to impart to the reader shows his desire to emphasize the loneliness inherent in extravagant consumerism.

The Great Gatsby depicts the perversion of the value of friendship by describing the empty and meaningless personal relationships of Tom Buchanan--relationships that indicate the profound secret unhappiness of the wealthy. Buchanan's conduct shows the upper class' rejection of the traditional conception of a friend as a person to rely upon for honest criticism and help in need. Evidence & citing: When Buchanan invites his old college acquaintance Carraway to his East Egg estate, he is quick to emphasize his affluence when he points out the sunken Italian garden and snub-nosed motorboat. Carraway notices Buchanan's need to garner approval: "I always had the impression that he approved of me and wanted me to like him with some harsh, defiant wistfulness of his own." (7) Clearly, Buchanan does not value Carraway as a true friend but merely someone who can confirm the quality of his estate, and by transitivity, the quality of his empty, unhappy life. This interpretation is reinforced by Buchanan's association with Myrtle's circle of friends. At the apartment gathering, Buchanan and Myrtle invite friends that are intellectually and physically superficial. For example, Mr. McKee is an amateur artist whose artistic creativity is limited to the far from imaginative renderings "Montauk Point--The Gulls" and "George B. Wilson at the Gasoline Pump." Myrtle's sister Catherine is described by Carraway as having a powdered face and plucked eyebrows and wearing pottery bracelets that clink as she moves. The topics of conversation are shallow and revolve around money; Mrs. Wilson describes her medical bill and her sister declares that she was cheated at Monte Carlo. The triviality of the people and atmosphere are outer manifestations of the triviality of the relationships. This becomes painfully apparent when Buchanan breaks Mrs. Wilson's nose and the party concludes in disorder. Mr. McKee and Carraway leave, in direct repudiation of the aphorism that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Although Buchanan through his drunken revelry and association with mentally anemic and physically ugly people tries to create a semblance of a fulfilling life, in the end his perversion of the value of friendship demonstrates the wealthy elite's inner unhappiness.

Topic sentence: Because the false love expressed by the main characters is based on the exchange of valuables and not the exchange of values and aspirations indicative of true love, a character like Tom Buchanan promotes spiritual unhappiness in himself and his women. For example, Buchanan first expresses his love for Daisy by holding an elaborate wedding replete with four private cars and a gift of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. This seemingly grand gesture, however, does not prevent Daisy from crying and getting drunk before the wedding ceremony. Daisy does not love Buchanan and thus no amount of money can replace true love in creating genuine happiness. That Buchanan himself is left unsatisfied is evident in his taking of Myrtle to be his mistress. Not learning the lesson that love cannot be bought, he lavishes her with gifts--even a dog on her whim. Evidence & citing: Mrs. Wilson's greed, which has replaced values of true love, is highlighted by her shopping requests: "I've got to get [a] massage and a wave, and a collar for the dog, and one of those cute little ash-trays where you touch a spring." (37) The emptiness of the relationship is finally revealed when Tom breaks Myrtle's nose and ultimately sealed when Myrtle is killed after an argument with her husband caused by her infidelity. Fitzgerald convincingly shows that the perversion of love reinforces unhappiness.

Conclusion paragraph: In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald argues that the degraded values of thrift, friendship, and love have created an upper class that tries in vain to hide their isolation and misery. Even though the novel focuses on specific characters in a limited span of time, Fitzgerald's contemporary work has proved enduring because of its timeless applicability. He makes a strong case for the warning that to lose sight of the values that made America great is to destroy that greatness itself.

Introduction

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Background

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing keyinformation that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Thesis statement

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

Topic sentence

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

Evidence & citing

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

Commentary

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Conclusion paragraph

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad aboutthe topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

In Shakespeare’s Othello, the story is full of deceit and traitorous acts but none more so than the main character, Othello, and his betrayal of those he loves. He is introduced as a kind and gentle lover but his easy trust and manipulation left him vulnerable to the attack on both himself, and everyone he has ever loved. Shown through his word play and actions, he transforms into a wild man driven by love and hatred. This dramatic distinction ultimately plays on how the ending depicts his demise and because of this, his shift is of utmost importance to the play as a whole.

First, Othello comes to the readers as a lovable and honourable man who respects his wife, as in one of his first scenes, he is scene adoringly describing his love for his wife, Desdemona. He describes himself as thriving “in this fair lady’s love, and she in mine” which highlights the first interactions between Othello and the one he considers his deepest love. His use of the word “fair” shows how he thinks her dainty and pure, which will also provide a stark contrast to his words later used to describe her. However, before that, he professes his feelings again, as he approaches her and proclaims to “have but an hour of love, of worldly matters” that he must spend with her before departing for the up and coming war. This emphasizes his view of her being angelic and godly through his use of the word “worldly”, which shows his view on their love as being out of this world and something supernatural, as “worldly” or other-worldly is commonly used to describe God due to him being not of humans. His adoration for this woman is short lived however, as his trust for another he loves in a different sense betrays him.

Later in the play, as Iago’s plan to run Othello unfolds, Othello transforms from what readers thought to be an honourable and loving husband to a monster who feels betrayed and easily deceived by his wife, even though he is truly being deceived by Iago. This intrigues readers because the pity for a character such as him increases, due to his folly, and Othello’s actions add to the hatred for Iago’s character. This is shown in Act 4, scene 1, where Othello, blinded by rage, “falls into a trance” and Iago talks of how the “credulous fools are caught”. The use of the word “fools” is to describe Othello because his actions led him straight to Iago’s final plan, which ultimately worked because he was too blind to see the truth. In the next scene, he accuses Desdemona of having “the office opposite to Saint Peter”, which is such a contrast to his previous statements of her being godly and heavenly. Now he is accusing her of being devil-like, as instead of keeping the doors of heaven like Saint Peter, she is keeping the “gate of hell”. Readers are then not surprised by his final choice of killing Desdemona as his mental state is too twisted and corrupt to stop his actions.This dramatic shift in his opinion of her not only has reader’s pitying both him and Desdemona, but it also forces readers to really examine the word choice as shown to fully understand Shakespeare’s choices for Othello in the beginning and the end.

As shown, Othello’s plunge into madness has resulted in a result far from what reader’s expected in the first scenes, due to his utmost love and trust for Desdemona in the beginning, which transformed into his hatred for her. As the story progresses, readers are not as surprised by the ending, even more so, they expect for it to end this way because of his foolish trust in the wrong people and his lack of trust in the right people. His actions add so much dimension into the play, not just for Desdemona and Iago, but for every character. For Cassio, he had love and admiration for the man, but “Iago keeps his word” and attempts to kill Cassio for what Othello thinks is a noble and just cause, even though its ironic that his betrayal of those he trusts is only driven by the the betray of Iago towards Othello, and his blindness and naiveté forces the play to the unfortunate ending showing his death and basically everyone else’s too. He admits to both himself and readers that he is a “fool! fool! Fool!” for believing in Iago, but realizing this too little too late, he kills himself to try and make up for his actions. In a dramatic twist, Othello comes in as a hero, and dies as the unfortunate and accidental villain.

In conclusion, we see the rise and fall of a beloved character due to deceit, which adds dimension to the play as his demise is foreshadowed throughout the play, and Shakespeare’s wording given to the characters only emphasizes how readers will interpret the play. Othello was foolish and his negative growth was evident in his speech, as his trust led to everyone being stabbed dramatically. Madness took over everything, and everything became madness, which shows readers that you shouldn’t trust everyone or you could end up betrayed and probably dead.  

Works Cited

1. Shakespeare, W. (2008). Othello. Signet Classic.
2. Bloom, H. (Ed.). (2010). William Shakespeare's Othello (Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations). Infobase Publishing.
3. Loomba, A. (2018). Shakespeare, Race, and Colonialism. Oxford University Press.
4. Neely, C. T. (1996). Broken Nuptials in Shakespeare's Plays. Yale University Press.
5. Vanita, R. (2017). Love's Rite: Same-Sex Marriage in India and the West. Springer.
6. Greenblatt, S. (2018). Shakespeare's Othello: The Moor of Venice. W. W. Norton & Company.
7. Jorgensen, P. (2013). Shakespeare's Military Language: A Dictionary. Bloomsbury Arden Shakespeare.
8. Thomas, D. L. (2005). Shakespeare, Race, and Ethnicity. Cambridge University Press.
9. Erickson, P. (1995). Patriarchal Structures in Shakespeare's Drama. University of California Press.
10. Kolin, P. C. (2006). Othello: New Critical Essays. Routledge.

Deception is a critical component of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Its appears most significantly in Claudius concealing murder and Hamlet concealing knowledge of the same. Hamlet also feigns madness in order to misguide others and attempt to prove Claudius guilty. Others characters, including Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern all employ trickery as well to uncover the source of Hamlet’s apparent madness and report back to the dishonorable Claudius. The play’s conclusion suggests that deception will always result in destruction and tragedy.

Claudius effectively misleads members of the Danish court in order to discourage any skepticism that may result from his sudden takeover of power. Claudius asserts that he has not disqualified the courtiers’ “better wisdoms, which have freely gone / With this affair along” (I.ii.15-6), thus validating his apparently unlawful actions. Claudius’ persuasive yet misleading address is intended to justify his hasty marriage to Queen Gertrude and regard the death of Hamlet’s father as merely an unfortunate occurrence, not as a murder that he executed.

Not convinced by this story, Hamlet focuses on misleading and catching Claudius. Hoping to “catch the conscience of the King” (II.ii.634), Hamlet arranges the performance of The Mousetrap, a play closely resembling the murder of Hamlet’s father, in order to witness the reaction of Claudius. If Claudius displays some form of guilt upon viewing the play, Hamlet will be sure that Claudius murdered his father. Hamlet believes with “an antic disposition” (I.v.192), he will more easily and, in his mind, rightfully be able to avenge his father’s death. Polonius acknowledges Hamlet’s madness while conceding “there is / method in ‘t” (II.ii.223-4), ultimately realizing that Hamlet has some ulterior motive in putting on such a facade. Though members of the Danish court recognize Hamlet’s loss of sanity, they all seem to offer different reasons for his madness as Hamlet’s reticent nature presents very few possible explanations.

Both close friends of Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are ordered by Claudius and Gertrude to spy on Hamlet to discover the cause of his insanity. As the Queen insists, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern will show Gertrude and Claudius “gentry and goodwill / As to expend [their] time” (II.ii.22-3) by paying a visit to Hamlet. Once again, Hamlet’s taciturn attribute is prohibiting his mother and Claudius from determining the underlying cause of “Hamlet’s transformation” (II.ii.5). Preoccupying himself with presenting a pretense of madness, Hamlet seems to lose his zeal to avenge his father’s death. Hamlet even questions his own character when an actor with “Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect” (II.ii.582) demonstrates a more impassioned sense of vengeance for his father’s death than he does. Hamlet’s deception, intended to uncover his father’s true murderer, prompts him into a state of self-doubt in which Hamlet condemns himself and questions whether he is a coward.

Polonius, convinced that Hamlet’s melancholic state is caused by his love for Ophelia, hides with Claudius to listen in on a conversation with Hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlet, portraying himself as insane, insolently orders Ophelia “to a nunnery” (III.i.131) as she would become a “breeder of sinners” (III.i.132). Following the argument, Claudius claims that he will send Hamlet to England to rid him of his ominous, melancholic state. Polonius, on the other hand, continues to affirm that Hamlet’s agitation is still a result of his love for Ophelia. However misleading Hamlet’s pretended madness may be, Hamlet continues to question his ambition to murder Claudius and avenge his father’s death.

Polonius further employs deceit to try to understand Hamlet’s actions. Unhesitant to deceive his own son, Polonius is predictably eager to spy on Hamlet in hopes of pleasing Claudius. In an effort to determine the true rationale for Hamlet’s insanity, Polonius hides himself “Behind the arras [...] / To hear the process” (III.iii.30-31) of Hamlet revealing his true emotions. Polonius’ resultant death comes after Hamlet, thinking that Claudius is hiding, stabs through the curtain. This event foreshadows the many deaths that will result from deception.

Meanwhile, Claudius and Laertes are unaware that their conniving plan to murder Hamlet will prove to be self-destructive. Laertes touches his sword to the “contagion, that, if [he] gall [Hamlet] slightly, / It may be death” (IV.vii.167-8) and consents to a duel with Hamlet who is unaware of the poisoned foil that will be used. Claudius, on the other hand, prepares “A chalice for the nonce, whereon but sipping, / If he by chance escape [Laertes’] venomed stuck” (IV.vii.183-4). In due course, Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet are all killed throughout the course of the duel as they are victims of their own ambition to deceive.

As clever as his plan may be, gaining vengeance by feigning madness is not effective because it causes Hamlet to question himself in attempting to murder Claudius and seize revenge. The act of betrayal is also emphasized as characters such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, lifelong friends of Hamlet, abandon him in order to serve Claudius. Deception can only result in a character’s demise. If Hamlet had simply ignored his doubt and trusted his conscience, Claudius would have been avenged and many lives would have been saved.

There is truth to Duncan's line "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face," for throughout Shakespeare's play Macbeth, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are not what they most often appear to be. Even Macbeth does not know the extent to which Lady Macbeth's "heart is sorely charged" (p.163). To other characters in the play, Lady Macbeth is merely a 'woman'- one who faints at the word 'murder' and cannot withstand the pressures a 'man' can. Macbeth is seen as a butcher, though in actuality he is "a coward in [his] own esteem" (p.41). Macbeth is a man and Lady Macbeth a woman, yet we see that just as "fair is foul, and foul is fair (p.7), Macbeth plays the role of a 'woman', as Lady Macbeth acts as a 'man'.

Lady Macbeth wants to replace every ounce of compassion and kindness with "direst cruelty", hoping that the dismissal of all her gentle virtues will "stop [the] passage to remorse" (p.33). She calls upon the evil spirits to "unsex" her so that she can rid herself of all signs of femininity (p.33). Lady Macbeth commands the "murd'ring ministers" to "make thick [her] blood", hoping that she will be strong enough to show no regret for the murders still to be committed (p.33). She banishes her effeminate qualities- examples of such 'flaws' in character being any mark of weakness, gentility or tenderness. She then asks for them to be replaced with "gall", hatred and cruelty (p.33).

There are discrepancies between what we first hear about Macbeth and what we first observe him to be. Previously, while fighting gallantly in battles for Scotland, Macbeth is regarded as a 'man'- powerful, chivalrous, bold and authoritative. We envision a "brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)" fighting courageously and skillfully "unseaming" the enemy "from [his] nave to [his] chops" (p.9). However our perception of Macbeth, a man for whom "all's too weak" (p.9), soon falter when we see his reaction to the Weïrd sisters. Macbeth is not as strong as we would expect him to be, and even Banquo asks Macbeth "why [he does] start and seem to fear" the witches and their predictions (p.17). Macbeth, like a child, merely stands idly by, as he later admits in a letter to his wife "[He]stood rapt in wonder" (p.31).

Lady Macbeth recognizes her spouse's shortcomings. Macbeth is "not without ambition," but lacks the malevolence needed to achieve his immediate goal (p.31). He "is too full o' th' milk of human kindness" (p.31) while Lady Macbeth almost immediately after saying this calls upon the agents of evil to "take [her] milk for gall." (p.33) The early contrast clearly identifies Macbeth's weaker, kinder nature and his wife's primarily dominant ways.

Lady Macduff criticizes her husband's action of fleeing, "[leaving]his wife, [leaving] his babes, his mansion and his titles [unprotected]" (p.133). He who does this possesses "little wisdom," she says, reinforcing the importance that a man should protect his holdings (p.133). Yet, in more than one situation, it is Lady Macbeth who rescues Macbeth. When Duncan's murdered body is found, Macbeth in his nervousness "[does] kill [Duncan's chamber guards]" then both apologetically and in weak efforts to justify this action, nonsensically rambles on "Repent me of my fury...Who can be wise, amazed, temp'rate, and furious, loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man." (p.69) By pretending to faint, it is Lady Macbeth who cuts short Macbeth's foolish little speech. She takes on a 'man's role' when she saves Macbeth from plunging himself into a deeper state of suspiciousness.

Lady Macbeth chides Macbeth along with ways she knows to be effective. When, an "afeard" Macbeth (p.41) tries to back down from committing Duncan's murder, with pure savageness Lady Macbeth says that she would "dash the brains" of a loving, smiling baby while he "milks [her]", if she had "sworn [just] as [Macbeth] [has sworn] to [commit Duncan's murder]" (p.43). She outright tells Macbeth that even she, a woman, is more manly than he, for while "murder" is not to be "[repeated] in a woman's ear" (p.67) it is she who takes on the responsibility for the deed.

At the point when Macbeth evolves into the man that Lady Macbeth wanted him to be, she becomes the woman that she truly is. In Act 3, Scene 4, Macbeth's transition into 'manhood' as well as Lady Macbeth's transition into 'womanhood' are apparent. Between Macbeth's bouts of hallucinations, Lady Macbeth takes him aside and tries to comfort him. Usually, whereas she would provoke him into defending his manliness, this time she instead reverts back to the more womanly approach of nurturing and soothing her husband. Out of concern, she sincerely asks "Are you a man", figuratively meaning 'are you conscious now?' to which Macbeth stubbornly retorts "Ay, and a bold one" (p.103). By the end of this scene, Lady Macbeth's own guilty conscience and the burden of Macbeth "unmanned in folly" (p.105) seemed to have taken its toll on her "heart so white" (p.59), for the next time we see her, she is proclaimed mentally ill, while "devilish Macbeth" (p.147) has grown into an "abhorrèd tyrant" (p.183).

Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth denounce certain human qualities that ultimately drive them towards two opposite, unhealthy extremes: What Shakespeare has defined to be stereotypically 'male' and 'female'. "[We must] make our faces vizards to our hearts, disguising what they are" Macbeth advises Lady Macbeth, thinking this is what must be done in order to "gain [their] peace" (p.93). Yet, the suppression of Lady Macbeth's guilt-ridden feelings, as she expresses while she sleepwalks, is ultimately what causes her to have a nervous breakdown and commit suicide. Lady Macbeth is constantly telling Macbeth to "think not" of what they have done. Eventually this causes him to disregard any feeling of remorse that he originally had: He admits that "[they] are yet young in [these evil] deed[s]" (p.109). Macbeth and Lady Macbeth try to hide their guiltiness behind a hardened, protective shell, whereas when Macduff is faced with the challenge of "Disputing [the loss of his family] like a man," he says first that he "must feel it as a man" (p.155). If Lady Macbeth and Macbeth would have accepted a balance between 'masculinity' and 'femininity' instead of consciously or unconsciously trying to choose one over the other, then perhaps they would not have lost to human nature and "fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf..." (p. 171)

After reading about Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis and watching Generation Like, I found the concept of Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis to be really interesting and even somewhat confusing. As an actor myself, I’ve always believed that theater possibly reflects real life, but I was completely taken aback by Goffman’s concept that real life is actually theater. It was quite a bit to wrap my head around. That aside, Generation Like did a great job of exemplifying the ideas covered in Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis. The entire video seemed to cover identity, especially though social media. The documentary followed the lives of people who are trying present who they “really” are through what they post, like, and interact with on social media. For example, Ian Somerhalder would have his company post pictures of him with his dogs on a social media site, and that could be to show his fans that he has a love for animals. It is taking a part of himself and presenting it through his content. It was interesting in the film to see that there are now companies that are for impression management; companies that pretty much are personal marketing companies for individuals. Also, I would say that social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram are all impression management tools. Region management definitely applies to all people with an online persona or presence. Very rarely do people post negative things about themselves on social media, unless it’s secretly for some sort of backwards martyr praise. Of course on social media, people, especially young teens, are only going to post things that make them look good, because they want to be liked. Or for example, Tyler Oakley appears to only post videos about things he likes; he’s built his entire brand on videos about things he likes and that is very front stage. Back stage would be the other parts of his life he chooses to keep from the camera. The documentary followed a lot of the positive outcomes of social media presence, but it actually didn’t touch upon spoiled performances or tacts really. I guess spoiled performances are what online personas hope will never happen to them because then they would lose followers, likes, and an audience; therefore, they would have to come up with some tacts to recover. Or alternatively, they could chose to plan a spoiled performance as a publicity stunt. At least from the examples they showed in the film, none of the people dealt with cynical performance, but instead pushed the societal standards they did hold even more, but you might be able to argue that sometimes a person could lie about their feelings on a product just to get an endorsement and money from it. That could be considered a cynical performance. The film also didn’t cover much for civil inattention, but instead showed the positives of the opposite, through how YouTubers would collaborate to share audience bases and both get more followers as a result.

As I mentioned before, in an online community we always want to show the best version of ourselves. We do that by posting only the most flattering pictures, the best foods we ate, the wonderful awards we won, the most important social event of the year etc. We pick and choose what to show in our front stage and keep anything that could be considered a flaw or imperfection in the back stage. Also as I wrote before, I did not think there were any apparent examples of spoiled or cynical performances in the film.

One example of “performing” identity through social media from the film is Tyler Oakley, who literally portrays himself through the videos he posts of himself on YouTube. Depending on a person’s social media site of choice, their performance could be crafted a little differently. Nowadays, online personas have multiple social media accounts and they craft their performance to fit all of them. That could mean Tyler posts a video of his favorite books, then he tweets about them, and takes a photo with them next to a cup of coffee and posts it to Instagram. It’s all about knowing the audience for each of the sites and catering to them. An interesting example from the film and front stage vs. back stage is the young boy who posted skateboarding and joke videos. For him, he posted videos of skateboarding and then all the funny things he liked to do to get views, but he chose (as far as I’m aware) not to be so open about his living situation and the poverty his family is in. I’m sure he chose to do so because he doesn’t want his audience to think he’s just trying to make money or that he isn’t cool anymore because he is from a low income family and neighborhood. Plus, viewers don’t necessarily want to be burdened with the reality of other people’s problems because they have their own problems they need to worry about. Additionally, the goal for many people is to post things that will bring in an audience and make money; the realities of boring life aren’t really money makers.

Again, as I mentioned before, an example of cynical performances could be when a YouTuber promotes a brand, but may not stand behind it, but does so just to obtain money. They are utilizing their performance for self-gain, even if they don’t believe in it entirely. You could also say that the young skater boy’s joke videos are spoiled performances in that he embarrasses himself for views, but ultimately he probably isn’t embarrassed by it since he is making money. Civil inattention could be exemplified through the Hunger Games fangirl trying to reach out to the actors of the series and usually being ignored by them. Occasionally, as we see, she got a response.

As we saw in the young Hispanic girl in the film, women/girls do craft their personal performances differently than men or boys do. We saw her mother explain that when full body pictures are posted on Instagram, she gets more likes. The subtext of the situation is most likely that girls/women can and do use their physical appearances and bodies to get attention. It’s the sad truth that women can’t just be funny or smart, they also have to have their bodies become part of the equation.

Overall, I completely think that Goffman’s theory holds weight regarding how we interact with social media. It explains why people act the way they do online and why people feel pressured to always be perfect online. Personally, I’ve tried by best to have my social media “self” be a relatively true reflection of myself, because that is the human goal; to be understood and noticed through social media. I will admit though, that I don’t post on social media very often, but when I do, you better bet that I am going to try to put my best foot forward.

Works Cited

1. Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Doubleday.
2. Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience. Harper & Row.
3. Hearn, A., & Schoenhoff, S. (2016). Impression management: Online and offline. Routledge.
4. Lee, C. C. (2019). The drama of social media: The relationship between social media use and impression management. Computers in Human Behavior, 92, 126-136.
5. Marwick, A. E., & Boyd, D. (2011). To see and be seen: Celebrity practice on Twitter. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 17(2), 139-158.
6. McRae, K. (2015). A social psychological perspective on impression management in social media: The importance of impression management tactics. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 5(4), 37-43.
7. Senft, T. M. (2008). Camgirls: Celebrity and community in the age of social networks. Peter Lang Publishing.
8. Suler, J. (2004). The online disinhibition effect. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(3), 321-326.
9. Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. Basic Books.
10. van Dijck, J. (2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. Oxford University Press.

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Decision Tree Classifier
3. Case Studies
4. Results
5. Conclusion

A new kind of supervised learning approachis proposed to determine the number of occupants in aroom in order to use these estimate for improved energymanagement. It introduces the concept of Parametrizedclassifier. It relies on the predetermined structure ofsupervised learning classifiers, where any classifier couldbe used to evaluate this approach. The parameters willbe adjusted according to the incoming data sensors (i. eCO2 concentration, acoustic pressure,. . . ) using a tuningmechanism depends on an optimization process. Thispaper provides different supervised learning methods (i. edecision tree random forest) to determine the requiredstructure in order to be used in parametrized classifierapproach.

The structure of decision tree has been chosenwhich represents the classification rules and limit thedepth of the tree to facilitate the generalization process. In order to evaluate the generalization possibilities of asupervised learning approach (i. e. decision tree), it hasbeen chosen to extrapolate results from office H358 toanother similar office H355. The knowledge has beenextracted from a decision tree built on H358 office thenapplied and tuned for H355 using parameterized classifierapproach. Moreover, experiments implement occupancyestimations and hot water productions control show thatenergy efficiency can be increased by about 6% overknown optimal control techniques and more than 26%over rule-based control besides maintaining the occupantcomfort standards. The building efficiency gain is stronglyconnected with the occupancy estimation accuracy.

Keywords—human behavior, optimization, building per-formance, office buildings, machine leaning, data mining,management and control

Introduction

Due to constraining in building standards, buildingsand their appliances are becoming more and moreefficient. As a result, consumption related to humanactivity is relatively much bigger than before. In addi-tion, demand response in both electric and heat gridsleads to variable tariffs that the occupants of livingareas have to take into account in their everyday life. Occupants presence, number and activities now domatter and it is becoming much more complex thanbefore. Designing a new building should not only focusin building physics and HVAC systems, but also hu-man behavior that relies on energy management andmonitoring systems(EMMS). These systems can pro-vide advice and information to occupants about therelevance of their behavior regarding the current stateof a dwelling and its connected grids.

In additionthey should modify the dwelling setting accordingly. Therefore, advanced EMMS need to estimate the rel-evance of occupants number and activities and buildingsimulation has to take it into account in order to beable to consider EMMS at design step, reducing theso called performance gap with reality. Nevertheless,human behavior is not only interesting during the designstep, but also during operation. It is indeed useful fordiagnostic analyzes to discriminate human misbehaviorfrom building system performance, and also for energymanagement where strategies depend on human activi-ties and, in particular, on the number of occupants in azone. Recently, research about building has turned toinvestigate occupant behavior, this paper tackles thisissue. It proposes an occupancy estimation approachbased on parameterized classifier using a predeterminedstructur ”if- then” from decision tree.

Occupants’ behavior is one of the major influenceon building energy consumption. (Honga et al. , 2015)introduced methods in modeling occupant behavior andquantifying its impact on building energy use. Themajor themes include advancements in data collectiontechniques, analytically and modeling methods and sim-ulation applications, which provide insights into behav-ior related energy savings potential and impact. Thereis a large gap between the predicted energy demandand the consumption, once the building is in use. Onecause could be that occupant behavior might not fit withthe energy concept and thus cause counterproductiveeffects (JKarin Schakib-Ekbatan, 2015). (Ebadat et al. ,2013) focuses on how to estimate the number of oc-cupants in a room by processing CO2 concentration,temperature and HVAC actuation levels in order toidentify a dynamic model. In (Dong et al. , 2010),hidden Markov models have been used for estimatingoccupancy using a wireless ambient sensing systemas well as wired carbon dioxide sensors and a wiredcamera network in order to establish actual occupancylevels.

The most popular approach for determining aperson’s posture, motions, and activity is to use externaltracking methods that employ cameras, RF beacons, orsimilar sensors that monitor the body or markers onthe body (YangSong and pietro Perona, 2000). Thismethod is fairly precise, but also most demanding interms of setting up the infrastructure, maintaining thehardware, algorithmic complexity, and privacy issues. The problem of real time estimation of occupancy in acommercial building has also been investigated in (Liaoand Barooah, 2010), where merging sensor data withmodel predictions was essential. Additionally, real-timeestimation of building occupancy is extremely valuableduring emergency egress. In (Tomastik et al. , 2010), anextended Kalman filter, which combines sensor readingsand a dynamic stochastic model of people movementswas used. However, for various applications like activityrecognition or context analysis within a larger officespace, information regarding the presence or absenceof people is not sufficient and an estimation of thenumber of people occupying the space is essential. (Lam et al. , 2009) investigates this problem in openoffices, estimating occupancy and human activities us-ing a multitude of ambient information, and comparethe performance of HMMs, SVMs and Artificial NeuralNetworks.

However, none of these methods generatehuman-understandable rules which may be very helpfulto building managers. Fine grained knowledge of humanoccupancy in buildings can result in a better controlof HVAC and hot water systems Kazmi et al. (2017). Perhaps the earliest practical example of such activecontrol can be found in the ’Neural Network house’which used extensive data logging to control HVACand hot water production. Such levels of data gatheringare usually impractical because of both economic andprivacy concerns. Nevertheless, HVAC efficiency gainsusing occupancy estimates are now well documentedwith up to 20% savings demonstrated, and up to 15%in Agarwal (2010). In general, an occupancy countalgorithm that fully exploits information available fromlow cost, non-intrusive, environmental sensors and pro-vides meaningful information is an important yet littleexplored problem in office buildings.

A new methodology for occupancy estimation hasbeen investigated by using a parametrized classifierapproach. Parametrized classifier is a process dependson predetrmined structure for occupancy estimation(i. e decision tree). It uses a predetermined classifierstructure with parameters to be adjusted according to theincoming sensor sata. Tuning problem can be solved byadjusting the classifier parameters (i. e node thresholdsof the decision tree) in the final structure according toeach updated record set and how much it’s differentfrom the previous one, An objective function will bedetermined to minimize the dis- tance between actual(coming from camera) and estimated (coming from theclassifier) number of occupants in the room. Optimiza-tion covers a required period of training in the studiedarea. Any classifier could be used in this approach, butstill it is important to choose a general structure forthe sake of adaptability. Additionally, the number ofparameters should be low because the tuning mechanismrelies on an optimization process that may becomeinefficient when complexity increases.

Decision Tree Classifier

To perform the task of finding the number of oc-cupants, a relation has to be discovered between theoffice en vironment and the number of people in it. The office environment can be represented as a setof state variables, At = [A1,A2,. . . ,Am]t. This set ofstate variables A at any instance of time t must beindicative of occupancy. A state variable can be termedas a feature, and therefore the set of features as featurevector. Similarly, the m-dimensional space that containsall possible values of such a feature vector is the featurespace. The underlying approach for the experiments isto formulate the classification problem as a map from afeature vector into some feature space that comprisesseveral classes of occupancy or activities. Therefore,the success of such an approach heavily depends onhow good the selected features are. In this case, featuresare attributes from multiple sensors accumulated over atime interval. The choice of interval duration is highlycontext dependent, and has to be done according tothe granularity required. Features is the information ex-tracted from the data i. e acoustic pressure from a micro-phone, time slot, occupancy from power consumption,door or window position, motion counting,day type,indoor temperature.

One quantitative measurement ofthe usefulness of a feature is information gain, whichdepends on the concept of entropy (Arora et al. , 2015). Information gain is helpful to distinguish among a largeset of features, the most worthwhile to consider foroccupancy estimation. A supervised learning approachhas been used. Occupancy has been determined beforeusing a classification algorithm: occupancy countingwas manually annotated using a video feed from twocameras strategically positioned in an office to sim-ulate the occupant replies, determine the structure ofparameterized classifier and validate interactive learningresults. There methods of supervized learning have beenchossen: A. decision tree with parametrized classifier The decision tree classification technique has beenselected because it provides both very good resultsand the results are easy to analyze and adapt. Thedecision tree algorithm selects a class by descendinga tree of decision nodes. Each internal node representsa comparison of a single feature value with a learnedthreshold. The target of the decision tree algorithm isto select features that are more useful for classification. if Xi ? threshold thenleft child nodeelseright child nodeend ifIn order to evaluate the parametrized classifier ap-proach, decision tree is one of the most importantsupervised learning methods for activity recognition. According to our (Amayri et al. , 2016), decision treesgave an human- readable results which can be analyzedand easily adapted for building managers. Additionally,the possibility of limiting the depth of the tree in order tosimplify the analysis of the ”if - then” rules, enable usersto quickly extract useful information about occupancyestimation.

Case Studies

The case studies are performed into two similaroffices H358 and H355 which are located in GrenobleInstitute of Technology (figure 1), Maximum number ofoccupants in both offices are six. Office H358 has morefrequent visits with a lot of meetings and presentationsthroughout the week compared to office H355 whichis more limited to its three formal student’s presence. The setup for the sensor network includes in the bothoffices are illustrated in figure(1).

• video cameras for recording real occupancynumbers and activities.
• An ambiance sensing network, which measurestem- perature, relative humidity (RH), motions, CO2concentration, power consumption of 3 laptops, doorand window positions, and acoustic pressure frommicrophone. Data are sent thanks to the ENOCEANprotocol on significant value change event.
• A centralized database with a web applicationfor continuously retrieving data from different sources.

Fewer number of sensors are installed in H355 officecompared to H358 one, but still best sensors accordingto (Amayri et al. , 2016) available for occupancyestimation model. A. Average error versus accuracyGenerally, in machine learning classifiers, the valida-tion of estimated results can be checked by consideringthe accuracy (precision), while in this research, it hasbeen proposed a concept of average error, due to thedependency between the entire levels of occupancy seefigure(2). In addition the floating values of occupancydue to use quantum time (i. e 30 minutes) see figure(3)to collect the required trainning data. Centers for each level from K-meanerror is a distance between actual points and estimatedpoints. Indeed, average error is more interesting thanaccuracy to validate occupancy estimation in building. Average error allows to take into account how much isthe change in the occupancy, while accuracy considersonly estimated occupancy level is correct or not. B. Defining the occupancy levelIn this section, a method for choosing the numberof levels (L) of occupancy for classification purposes isdiscussed. This number is not fixed and can be changedin accordance with the required average error. The levelof occupancy could be defined by applying K- meansclustering which is a popular data clustering algorithm. However, one of its drawbacks is the requirement forthe number of clusters k to be specified before thealgorithm is applied. The performance of a clusteringal- gorithm may be affected by the chosen k value. Therefore, instead of using a single predefined k, a set ofvalues might be adopted. It is important for the numberof values considered to be reasonably large, to reflectthe specific characteristics of the data sets. At the sametime, the selected values have to be significantly smallerthan the number of objects in the data sets, which is themain motivation for performing data clustering. In ourcase study, different values of k were used i. e 2 to 6,and the least average error from occupants estimationwas chosen to be the best K value.

Results

Figure 4 shows average errors associated with eachlevel when applying decision tree and random forestprocedures. Accordingly, 5 levels of occupancy was thebest option for the occupancy classification, howeverit is compatible with K-mean clustering, as shown infigure 4. Table 1 shows the proposed centers for eachlevel from K-mean method:A depth equal to 2 is the limitation chosen for thenext analysis of occupancy estimation because of thelow average error of the resulting decision tree and ofthe little number of thresholds to adjust. Additionally,the tree is readable and rules are quite general. Notethat, (if-then) rules from the tree structure could beextracted now easily to be applied in a tuning context. Adepth-limited decision tree classifier has been selected. The number of state variables has been limited totwo (acoustic pressure and motion) to facilitate theoptimization mechanism. Thresholds after adaptation from the optimizationmethod with the data sensors distribution, acoustic pressure thresh-old=0. 33 and motion detector threshold=0. 7end ifTuning problem can be solved by adjusting theclassifier parameters (node thresholds of the decisiontree) in the final structure according to each updateddata set and how much it’s different from the previousone. However, low/high in the structure refer to thethresholds, which have been determined by decisiontree. An objective function is determined to minimizethe distance between actual (coming from the videocamera during training period) and estimated (comingfrom the classifier) number of occupants in the room. Optimization covers a required training period. The thresholds for acoustic pressure=0. 033, and formotion detector=0. 5, which is predetermined by deci-sion tree in the office H358. A new data is coming ateach time quantum=30 minutes (office H355), then anoptimization methods starts to adapt these thresholdsaccording to the new data i. e, using basin-hopping opti.

Distribution of parameterized classifier error due to usessome random initial parameters in an optimization method, with anaverage error equal 0. 26, H355 case studymization method. It is a none linear stochastic algorithmand possibly not convex, which attempts to find a globalminimum of a smooth scalar function of one or morevariables according to the objective function (minimizethe distance between actual and estimated occupancy inthe room). To validate the method, a dataset coveringone month from 01-March-2016 has been used. Theparameterized classifier for occupancy estimation hasbeen performed 100 times to show the distribution of theerror because the optimization method (Basin-hopping)uses some random initial param- eters values, as shownin figure 8. The new thresholds have been changeda little comparing to H358, i. e. for acoustic pressure=0. 022 and for motion detector=0. 7 which can be seenin figure 7. The acoustic pressure threshold decreased,because of the better installation for the windows inH355 office than in H358. In H358 there is a windowconnected to the corridor with bad performance. Thethreshold of the motion detector increased a little dueto its position to detect all the users in the office H355which is less effective than the one in office H358. Comparing with the estimation in H358, it’s almostsimilar in both offices with an average estimation erroralmost to 0. 19 in H358 which can be seen in figure 5. The parameterized classifier method is a good approchefor a similar context but it is difficult to be extendedto a different environment (i. e, residential area), whiledecision tree is more general. A. Energy efficient hot water production using occu-pancy estimatesTypically, hot water production systems consumeenergy due to regular reheat cycles following a na??verule based controller: Here at refers to the controlaction of the heating element at time t. When it isset to 1, it reheats the storage vessel and remains idlewhen the mode is 0.

This decision is made based ontemperature sensor information from the storage vesselTs which is compared against a threshold Ttg-?T,where Ttg is the temperature the vessel is reheatedto during a reheat cycle, and ?T is the temperaturethe storage vessel is allowed to fall relative to Ttgbefore a reheat cycle is initiated. This behaviour can beoptimized by making the reheat behaviour dependent onthe remaining energy content in the storage vessel andthe (predicted) behaviour of the human occupant:at ={1, if Wt <?i+nk=i Wk + M0, if Wt ??i+nk=i Wk + MHere Wt is the hot water volume left in the vessel,defined here as the amount above 45 ?C. Since theenergy content in the storage vessel is not observ-able directly, Wt can only be approximated using amodel of the storage vessel. This model can be builtusing either thermodynamics knowledge of the storagevessel or can be learned directly from sensor data. The model then defines the remaining volume of hotwater in the storage vessel which is compared against?i+nk=i Wk, the amount of hot water predicted to beconsumed over the next n time steps.

Furthermore,a safety margin, M is introduced in the control for-mulation to account for unexpected draws caused bystochastic human behaviour and is usually considereda fixed threshold based value. This greedy approach toreheating the storage vessel belongs to the family ofjust-in-time control strategies where both late and earlyheating is penalized. In doing so, it improves the energyefficiency of hot water production while maintainingoccupant comfort. This strategy is demonstrably optimalfor climate agnostic heating elements such as electricresistance or gas boilers, given no additional knowledgeabout human behaviour. For heat pumps, where ambi-ent temperature affects the efficiency, it performs sub-optimally (since an earlier reheat cycle might benefitfrom higher ambient temperature) thereby necessitatingmore sophisticated optimization strategies such as meta-heuristics for planning

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Conclusion

In this paper, a methodology has been proposedand implemented to validate the occupancy estimationmodel when manual labeling is done by an expert. This methodology started by collecting sensors data. Moreover, the concept of decision tree and parametrizedclassifiers have been used to determine the most relevantsensors useful in occupancy estimation model. A testdata has been collected to assess the performance ofestimation model, in term of average error. Experimentsto integrate occupancy estimation and hot water produc-tion control have also been carried out. These concludethat energy efficiency can be effectively increased by upto 5% when occupancy estimates are incorporated intothe optimal control formulation. This paper presentedimportant results in estimating occupancy and reducingenergy demand and, in doing so, it contributes tothe growing body of literature illustrating the energy-occupancy nexus. The workcan be extended towardsactivity recognition in an office context.

Icarus decided to fly too high. Stephen decided to sin. Icarus decided to fly too low. Stephen decided to pursue a more selfish path. Icarus fell. Stephen grew. Icarus’s story is a warning for any man with too much hubris. Stephen Dedalus, from The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, soars like Icarus and surrenders to temptation but in the end decides to grow in the face of suffering before he can fall. A person’s decision when they are faced with suffering leads to their growth or their surrender, this suggests that a person’s development is determined by their decisions.

Stephen’s decision to surrender to temptation and end the suffering of sexual frustration leads him into the identity of a sinner. Stephen does not feel free in his suffering. His faith and fear of committing sin smothers him, so when he finally surrenders he can finally feel some form of freedom, “…as he suffered the agony of its penetration…and the cry that he had strangled for so long in his throat issued from his lips. It broke from him like a wail of despair from a hell of sufferers…” (100) His occasion to surrender to his suffering from sexual frustration fuels his continuous surrender to this sin. The pleasure outweighs his faith as he descends into sin. “He was in another world: he had awakened from a slumber of centuries.” (100) He surrenders to his suffering and this ignites a passion greater than his faith and restraint could offer. He has essentially surrendered into the world of hell but hell has more passion than earth and so he indulges. “…all but burst into hysterical weeping. Tears of joy and relief shone in his delighted eyes and his lips parted though they would not speak.” (101) Stephen is like a boy again, full of wonder, and he lets go of his emotions like he did as a boy. He lets his emotions take over and physically show. “He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to her, body and mind, conscious of noting in the world but the dark pressure of her softly parting lips…he felt an unknown and timid pressure, darker than the swoon of sin, softer than sound or ordour.” (101) Stephen finds himself completely immersed in his new state of pleasure and surrender. He feels relief and a greater passion than he could have ever thought possible. Which, keeps him in the world of surrender to the sin of sex.

Stephen’s decision to go to university instead of priesthood is, however selfish, growth. This decision lets him grow into his newfound identity as an artist rather than a man shackled to sin and faith. He exclaims once he makes his choice, “The university! So he had passed beyond the challenge of the sentries who had stood as guardians of his boyhood and had sought to keep him among them that he might be subject to them and serve their ends. Pride after satisfaction uplifted him.” (165) Stephen faces a challenge to grow out of submission to priests and into the freedom of university. Although this means his family suffers, he develops great personal growth. “The end he had been born to serve yet did not see had led him to escape by an unseen path: and now it beckoned to him once more and a new adventure was about to be opened to him.” (165) Stephen escapes the suffering under his faith. He instead sees the freedom of not knowing what will happen. Stephen thinks as he crosses a bridge, that trembles with all of his and passing priests’ weight and steps, “…to tell himself that if he ever came to their gates, stripped of his pride, beaten and in beggar’s weeds, that they would be generous towards him…” (166) The instability of the bridge and the bridge itself symbolizes his ambivalence towards his decision to reject priesthood. As he crosses the bridge he deals with the exciting reaction to the decision to the examination of his future. He must question his own future’s stability.

Stephen decides freedom for growth over stability with the priesthood. “His heart trembled; his breath came faster and a wild spirit passed over his limbs as though he were soaring sunward” (169) Stephen resembles Icarus, soaring towards the sun, but he must make the conscious decision to grow rather than fly so far he can only fall and surrender. “Yes! Yes! Yes! He would create proudly out of the freedom and power of his soul, as the great artificer whose name he bore, a living thing, new and soaring and beautiful, impalpable, imperishable.” (170) Stephen takes this challenge to not only grow but to soar with his new freedom. And he seems conscious of his ties to the myth that could end in his ruin. He knows that his freedom and growth is worth the risk of the fall.

Stephen’s decision to leave university is at first a surrender, but ultimately a growth. His hesitation over the idea to leave illustrates a surrender, “A sense of fear of the unknown moved in the heart of his weariness, a fear of symbols and portents, of the hawklike man whose name he bore soaring out of his captivity on osierwoven wings…” (225) This is potentially an occasion to surrender to his namesake’s fate, however Stephen makes it into a challenge to grow into the artist that he wishes to be. Like the artist that his namesake was. Stephen connects with birds not only because of his parallel to the myth of Icarus, but to their patterns, “Then he was to go away for they were birds ever going and coming, building ever an unlasting home under the eaves of men’s houses and ever leaving the homes they had built to wander.” (225) The birds are free, they are free to move and wander. They are free to grow and discover while men are set in their unchanging reality. Stephen sees himself as a bird in his challenge to grow in his new freedom, and decides full heartedly. “…I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defence the only arms I allow myself to use-silence, exile, and cunning.” (247) His chance to grow as an artist despite modest means is not wasted. Stephen refuses to waste his chance and makes his decision clear. Stephen does not back away from his final decision to have his freedom as an artist. “Welcome, O life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the realty of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race.” (253) Ultimately, his decision is not a surrender, but a challenge to grow in the face of little comfort but complete freedom.

Icarus and Stephen soared. The difference between them is Icarus fell and Stephen grew. How they dealt with their suffering and eventual freedom illuminates their development as people because their decisions either lead to their death or their rebirth. Stephen and Icarus may both be full of hubris, but Stephen decided to channel that into personal growth and Icarus decided to channel that into an exhaustion of his freedom. Their suffering lead to their decisions about their freedom. Stephen decided not to fall.