Web Usage Mining for Web Page Recommendation

Web Usage Mining for Web Page Recommendation A Survey On Web Usage Mining For Web Page Recommendation Using Biclustering ABSTRACT The World Wide Web contains an increasing amount of websites which in turn contains increasing number of web pages. When any user visits a new website they have to go through large number of web pages to meet their requirements. Web usage mining is the process of extracting useful knowledge from the server logs. This useful knowledge can be applied to target marketing and in the design of web portals. A Recommender system is one of the best web usage mining Application which reduces the difficulties faced by the users to meet their requirements .It recommends the pages of interest to the user. This report includes the survey of different clustering and biclustering techniques. Also we will discuss the biclustering approach which has some advantages over the traditional clustering approach. Keywords : Web usage mining, Recommender system, biclustering I. INTRODUCTION The World Wide Web store, share, and distribute information in the large scale. There is large number of internet users on the web. They are facing many problems like information overload due to the significant and rapid growth in the amount of information and the number of users. As a result, how to provide web users with more exactly needed information is becoming a critical issue in web applications. Web mining extracts interesting pattern or knowledge from web data. It is classified into three types as web content mining, web structure, and web usage mining. Web usage mining is the most important area of web mining which deals with the extraction of useful knowledge from the web usage data. There are different kinds of datasets on which web usage mining can be performed. They are in the form of log files. These log files can be stored at server side, proxy side and client side. Mostly the server side log files are used for web usage mining. Before the mining process various pre-p rocessing techniques can be applied to the log files, for example, pre-processing, pattern discovery, pattern analysis. The data mining techniques like Association rule mining, Sequential pattern analysis; Classification and Clustering are used to mine the web usage data. The mined knowledge can be helpful in different web applications like personalization of web Content, support for the design, E-commerce, and many other web applications. In this paper we discuss clustering technique of data mining for web usage data. Clustering is one of the important data mining technique to discover usage pattern from the web usage data. The users with the same browsing pattern are clustered in the same group and the others are clustered in different groups. In this survey we consider biclustering algorithm based on genetic algorithms (GAs) for effective clustering. In general, a genetic algorithm (GA) is a search heuristic that mimics the process of natural selection. This heuristic (also sometimes called a metaheuristic) is routinely used to generate useful solutions to optimization and search problems [10]. So, we believe that a clustering technique with Genetic algorithm can provide relevant clusters more effectively. A traditional clustering method clusters users according to their similarity of browsing behaviour under all pages. However, it is often the case that some users have similar behaviour only on a subset of pages. For example consider below example user page matrix. [2] TABLE-1 : USER PAGE MATRIX When all pages are considered users 1, 2, and 4 do not show similar behaviour since their hit count values are uncorrelated under page 2 ,while users 1 and 2 have an increased hit count value from page 1 to page 2, the hits of user 4 drops from page 1 to page 2. However, these users behave similarly under pages 1, 3, and 4 since all their hit count values increase from page 1 to page 3 and increase again for page 4. A traditional clustering method will fail to recognize such a cluster since the method requires the three users to behave similarly under all pages which are not the case [2]. To overcome this problem Biclustering or Two- way clustering was introduced. Biclustering was first introduced by Hartigan and called it direct clustering [1]. Following section describes some of the clustering and biclustering methods together with Genetic algorithm available in the literature. II. LITERATURE SURVEY 2.1 WEB MINING Web mining is categorized into three areas which are Web usage mining, Web content mining, and Web structure mining [6]. Web usage mining makes use of logs that are generated by the Web server to make sense of the user’s behaviour on the Web. The logs captured by web servers are the primary source of data in web usage mining, and it is important as it explicitly records the browsing behaviour of site visitors. The greatest advantage of the web server logs is that they are records of what people have actually done, and not what they might do or thought they did [4]. Web personalization based on Web usage mining involves three phases; data preparation and transformation, pattern discovery, and recommendation. In the first stage, the web server logs will undergo intensive pre-processing stage that will remove all irrelevant information and prepare the logs for pattern discovery to derive the user profile. A previous study used frequency and duration as indicators to represent the interest degree of a Web page to a user in the session. Another separate study indicates that contiguous sequential patterns found in frequent navigational paths are more suitable for predictive tasks, such as predicting which item the user will access next during his navigation. Recent studies on sequential patterns in web log data show that ordered sequence of events can discover web users’ navigational patterns [4]. Web content mining is the process of extracting knowledge from the content of Web documents [6]. One of the challenges in Web content is to extract useful information from the pages. This stage is known as Web content cleaning. A Web page typically contains a mixture of many kinds of information, such as the main content, advertisements, navigation panels, and copyright notices [5]. Web content mining techniques alone is unable to handle dynamic content changes in news sites. On the other hand, personalization based on web usage by itself is not able to reflect the changes in site content, because these changes are not included in the Web logs. As Web usage and Web content have limitations, combining these two areas will harness both of their use for personalization [4]. 2.2 WEB LOG A Web log is a file to which the Web server writes information each time a user requests a resource from that particular site. All users’ web access activities of a website are recorded by the WWW server of the website and stored into the Web Server Logs. Each user access record contains the client IP address, request time, requested URL, user ID, HTTP status code, etc. Web log consist of attributes with the data values in the form of records. The information contained in web logs has been used in many different ways. In various studies, researchers and search engine administrators have used information from web logs to learn about the search process and to improve search engines. Besides learning about search engines or their users, query web logs are also being used to infer semantic concepts or relations [3]. 2.3 DATA COLLECTION There are three main sources to get the row log data, which are namely 1) Client Log File 2) Proxy Log File 3) Web Server Log File Web Server Log File: The most significant and frequently used source for web usage mining is web server log data. This web log data is generated automatically by web server when it services user request, which contains all information about visitor’s activity. The common server log file types are access log, agent log, error log and referrer log [7] Table-1 summarizes each. TABLE-2: WEB SERVER LOG FILE TYPES AND CONTENT[7] Depending on web server, web log file data varies on number, type of attributes, and format of log file. W3C maintains standard log file format however custom log file format can be configured. Many varied format are available like 1.Common log format, 2.Extended common log format, 3. Centralized log format, 4.NCSA common log format, 5.ODBC logging, 6.Centralized binary logging. among all common or extended file format are mainly implemented by web server. [7] Common Log Format (CLF) may contain following fields [host/IP rfcname logname [DD/MMM/YYYY: HH:MM:SS-0000] â€Å"METHOD/PATH HTTP/ 1.0† bytes] [7] 2.4 RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM Recommender systemsorrecommendation systems are a subclass ofinformation filtering systemthat seek to predict the rating or preference that user would give to an item.The most popular ones are probably movies, music, news, books, research articles, search queries, social tags, and products in general. However, there are also recommender systems for experts, jokes, restaurants, financial services,life insurance, persons (online dating), and Twitter followers.[9] Various data mining techniques applied on web recommendation system for the data Pre-processing of web server log data. III. METHODS AND MATERIALS 3.1 BICLUSTER Bicluster Types [8] Different biclustering algorithms have different definitions of bicluster. 1) Bicluster with constant values (a), 2) Bicluster with constant values on rows (b) or columns (c), 3) Bicluster with coherent values (d). (a) (b) (c) (d) 3.2 CLICKSTREAM DATA PATTERN Clickstream data is a sequence of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) browsed by the user within a particular period of time. By analyzing these data we can discover web users having similar browsing pattern. It requires some preprocessing before it is taken for analyse[1]. 3.3 INITIAL BICLUSTERS[1] K-Means clustering method is applied on the web user access matrix A(U, P) along both dimensions separately to generate ku user clusters and kp page clusters .And then combine the results to obtain small co-regulated sub matrices (ku Ãâ€" kp) called biclusters. These correlated biclusters are also called seeds. 3.4 COHERENT BICLUSTERING FRAMEWORK USING GENETIC ALGORITHM (GA) [1] Usually, GA is initialized with the population of random solutions. In our case, after the greedy local search procedure the optimization technique genetic algorithm is applied on biclusters to get the optimum bicluster. This will result in faster convergence compared to random initialization. Algorithm: Evolutionary Biclustering Algorithm [1] Input: Set enlarged and refined seed Output: Optimal Bicluster Step 1. Initialize the population. Step 2. Evaluate the fitness of individuals Step 3. For i =1 to max_iteration Selection() Crossover() Mutation() Evaluate the fitness End(For) Step 4. Return the optimal bicluster Using the above algorithm we can generate optimum biclusters from web usage data which exhibits high coherence between the web user and the pages visited by them. Analyzing these overlapping coherent biclusters could be very beneficial for direct marketing, target marketing and also useful for recommending system, web personalization systems, web usage categorization and user profiling. The interpretation of biclustering results is also used by the company for focalized marketing campaigns to improve their performance of the business [1]. IV. CONCLUSION The Biclustering approach overcomes the problem associated with traditional clustering methods by showing the higher coherence between the web user and the subset of pages visited by them. The result of Biclustering can be used in the focalized marketing strategy like direct marketing and target marketing. The recommendation system will give the website its most visited pages by its all user. It also gives information of the user having same behaviour on subset of pages. So it target on improving the website’s design, information availability and quality of services. Future work aims at extending this framework by using it as a pre-processing tool for the web page recommendation system. REFERENCES

Analysis of Aristotles The Politics Essay -- Aristotle Poetics Politi

An Analysis of Aristotle's The Politics In "The Politics", Aristotle would have us believe that man by nature is a political animal. In other words, Aristotle seems to feel that the most natural thing for men to do is to come together in some form of political association. He then contends that this political association is essential to the pursuit of the good life. Finally he attempts to distinguish what forms of political association are most suitable to the pursuit of this good life. In formulating a critique of "The Politics", we shall first examine his claims as to what is natural to man and whether the criterion of the natural is sufficient to demonstrate virtue. We shall then examine what it is about political association that is essential to the pursuit of the good life. In conclusion, we shall see whether Aristotle's recommended mix of oligarchy and democracy is really suited to the practice of the good life. It seems to me that there is indeed something more natural to man than politics. While it is true that wherever you find men you tend to find political associations, it is also true that not all human associations are political. Aristotle rightly points out the family is a basic form of association that is mostly apolitical. Religion brings people together, as does the economic desire to trade and pursue economic activity. None of these spheres of human activity can be said to necessitate politics. These spheres of human action however, are seemingly found wherever human beings can be found, hence they are more natural in the sense that they automatically arise. Aristotle's account of the formation of the state is pure historical rationalization. He says that the state is natural because it arises out of mor... ...r to preserve virtue in the face of rampant vice than in times where individual virtue abounds in order to maintain stability and justice. The nature of politics is power over material things however, not virtue. Justice and virtue may be the professed functions and goals of politics, but this does not define what politics in fact are. A perplexing question however, is that of how the ideal constitution will be brought about when the virtuous have no interest in bringing it about precisely because virtue is defined by disinterestedness. Works Cited Barnes, Jonathan, ed. The Complete Works of Aristotle. 2 vols. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1984 Lord, Carnes. Aristotle: The Politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984 Nehamas, Alexander. Virtues of Authenticity: Essays on Plato and Aristotle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999

Ethanol as a Fuel Source

Year 12 Chemistry Assessment Task 1| Ethanol as an alternative fuel| | | | Melissa Weber| 22/11/2010| | Overview The commercial production of ethanol fuel in Australia is the use of sugar cane and wheat using yeast in the fermentation process. Yeast is a fungus which can multiply in the absence of oxygen by using enzymes (e. g. zymase) to catalyse the decomposition of sugars. Those sugars are sucrose or maltose. Suitable conditions The conditions that promote the fermentation of sugar are: * A suitable micro-organism such as yeast * Water * A suitable temperature for the fermenting yeast Low oxygen concentrations favouring the fermenting yeast * A small amount of yeast nutrients such as phosphate salt. * Once the ethanol concentration reaches 14-15% by volume, the yeast cannot survive, and the fermentation process stops. Costs Biomass fuels such as rice straw and sugar cane bagasse are being investigated as raw materials for ethanol production but the transportation costs are very hi gh and do not justify their use. Genetically modified crops are being analysed and this could provide a cheap source of biomass fuels for the production of ethanol.Production from Sugar Cane Sucrose extracted from sugarcane accounts for little more than 30% of the chemical energy stored in the mature plant; 35% is in the leaves and stem tips, which are left in the fields during harvest, and 35% are in the fibrous material (bagasse) left over from pressing. Most of the industrial processing of sugarcane in Brazil is done through a very integrated production chain, allowing sugar production, industrial ethanol processing, and electricity generation from by-products.The typical steps for large scale production of sugar and ethanol include milling, electricity generation, fermentation, distillation of ethanol, and dehydration. Replacement for distillation With increasing attention being paid to saving energy, many methods have been proposed that avoid distillation altogether for dehydra tion. Of these methods, a third method has emerged and has been adopted by the majority of modern ethanol plants. This new process uses molecular sieves to remove water from fuel ethanol.In this process, ethanol vapour under pressure passes through a bed of molecular sieve beads. The bead's pores are sized to allow absorption of water while excluding ethanol. After a period of time, the bed is regenerated under vacuum or in the flow of inert atmosphere to remove the absorbed water. Two beds are used so that one is available to absorb water while the other is being regenerated. This dehydration technology can account for energy saving of 3,000 btus/gallon (840 kJ/l) compared to earlier azeotropic distillation. .Diagrams DISTILLATION| | STRUCTURE| FORMULAC6H12O6 ;gt; 2CO2 + 2C2H5OH (ethanol) 180. 00g ;gt; 88. 00g + 92. 00g| Ethanol vs. Fuel Arguments for ethanol as a fuel| Arguments against ethanol as a fuel| It is a clean and efficient use of energy. It is much safer then petrol (Eth anol is biodegradable without harmful effects on the environment) and will greatly reduce the spread of pollution. Seeing that it is not a fossil-fuel, manufacturing it and burning it does not increase the greenhouse effect. Ethanol can reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by up to 100% on a full life-cycle basis. High-level ethanol blends can reduce emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by 30% or more (VOCs are major sources of ground-level ozone formation) * High-level ethanol blends reduce nitrogen oxide emissions| Ethanol is clean but it only produces two-thirds the energy of octane, hence more is needed| It is a much healthier alternative for people: * Sulphur dioxide and Particulate Matter (PM) emissions are significantly decreased with ethanol. As an octane enhancer, ethanol can cut emissions of cancer-causing benzene and butadiene by more than 50% * It provides high octane at low cost as an alternative to harmful fuel additives. * Ethanol can be used as an additive i nstead of lead which is a toxic pollutant in major cities. It will significantly reduces harmful exhaust emissions meaning more healthy in urban areas| The increased need for land clearing for crops (sugar cane) has led to huge problems of soil erosion, salination and the over use of water resources e. . Brazil| It is renewable and relatively cheap to produce, whereas oil supplies are limited to perhaps 50-60 years| Oil reserves are depleting but new reserves are being found with sophisticated techniques| Addition of ethanol to petrol reduces the amount of oxygen in combustion and reduces the emission of carbon. Ethanol blends can be used in all petrol engines without modifications| The cost of producing ethanol in 2008 was twice the cost of petrol.Australia has a 10% blend which is competitive at the moment| Ethanol can be produced anywhere in the world (Brazil, Tanzania, Australia) and will reduce the monopoly of Arab nations. As it is easily accessible for each country the diffic ulty and hazards in transporting will be reduced| 80% of the world's transport is dependent on fossil fuels. Changing to an ethanol base will be an economic nightmare| Current use of ethanol Continent| % of energy needs supplied by biomass| Continent| % of energy needs supplied by biomass| Australia| 5%| Oceania| 35%|Africa| 55%| North America| 4%| South America| 26%| Europe| 2-3%| Asia| 38%| former USSR| 3%| Sydney buses have trialled the use of Diesohol. Diesohol is a mixture of 10-15% ethanol in diesel fuel – it has been made possible by the development of a process which emulsifies the ethanol in the diesel. Using Diesohol reduces smoke, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides in the vehicles exhaust. Up to about 10% ethanol can be added to petrol without requiring any alteration in car engines. Cars can run on 100% ethanol, but this requires engine modification.Ethanol does not release as much energy per gram as hydrocarbons do on burning. However, ethanol does reduce pollut ants in vehicle exhaust. This is particularly advantageous when using Diesohol in trucks and buses in large polluted cities. The use of ethanol as a fuel is neutral as far as releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When ethanol is burned, it produces carbon dioxide, however, this carbon dioxide is taken out of the atmosphere by growing plants to produce more ethanol.If crops are grown specifically to produce ethanol by fermentation, very large areas of land would be required. It has been estimated that if Australia used all its cereal and sugar crops to produce ethanol, this would still only provide enough fuel to replace about 10% of its current petroleum use. Obviously, this amount of land could not be devoted to the production of transport fuel rather than food. However, it may be that in the future, with improvements in fermentation technology, plant waste material could be used to produce ethanol.It may be that there are better ways to harness energy from the sun than by growing plants which are then fermented to produce ethanol. Combustion of ethanol only releases about one third of the energy from sunlight which was originally trapped by, for example, sugar cane plants. Ethanol is still much more expensive to produce than petrol. The expenses involved in the production of ethanol include the effort put into growing the plant material, transporting plant material to processing plants and the energy required to separate the ethanol from the fermentation mixture by distillation.Ethanol consumption in an engine is approximately 51% higher than for gasoline since the energy per unit volume of ethanol is 34% lower than for gasoline. However, the higher compression ratios in an ethanol-only engine allow for increased power output and better fuel economy than could be obtained with lower compression ratios Cost of ethanol in Australia Taxation * Domestically produced fuel ethanol is currently effectively exempt from excise tax until July 1, 2011 (an excis e of 38. 43 cents per litre is payable on petrol). From this date, excise will be increased at 2. 5 cents per litre annually until it reaches 12. 5 cents per litre in 2015 Government Support * Federal Government support for fuel ethanol includes a voluntary industry biofuels target (encompassing ethanol, biodiesel, and other biofuels) of 350 million litres per annum by 2010, capital grants to current and prospective producers, fuel excise relief, and an effective tariff on imported ethanol until July 1, 2011. In 2006, the Premiers of both New South Wales and Queensland proposed mandating the blending of ethanol into petrol. Marketing * E10 is available through service stations operating under the BP, Caltex, Shell and United brands as well as those of a number of smaller independents. E10 is most widely available closer to the sources of production in Queensland and New South Wales. E10 is most commonly blended with 91 RON â€Å"regular unleaded† fuel.BibliographyBiofuel in A ustralia. (2010, 11 20). Retrieved 11 22, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_Australia Catalyst Teaching Resouces. (2001).Investigating ethanol as a fuel , 1-5. Ethanol from glucose (2010, http://hsconline. nsw. edu. au/). [Motion Picture]. Ethanol from sugar (2010, http://hsconline. nsw. edu. au/). [Motion Picture]. Ethanol Fuel. (n. d. ). Retrieved 11 21, 2010, from Journey to forever: http://journeytoforever. org/ethanol. htmlEthanol Fuel. (2010, 11 10). Retrieved 11 22, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in Ethanol fuel in Brazil. (2010, 10 31). Retrieved 11 18, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_Brazil MONCEAUX, P. M. (2008, 08 28).Fuel ethanol production. Retrieved 11 17, 2010, from bioethanol: http://www. bioethanol. ru/images/bioethanol/Fuel%20ethanol%20production%20-%20Katzen. pdf

Positive contributions of the Aged to the community

Group you have studied describe the positive contributions that the group makes to the wider community The Aged make various positive contributions to the community, many which go unseen. Although the Aged are perceived to be a burden to society due to the image in which society depicts, their contribution to benefiting those around them is unending. The Australia bureau of statistics defines the Aged as those who are 65 years and older.As this stage in the lifespan is usually associated with retirement and spare time the elderly find themselves giving back to he community through educating younger generations, participating in volunteer work and providing informal services by assisting in caring for young family. The Aged have much to contribute to the community as they have a wealth of experience and are able to pass on education to the younger generations. In doing so, they are positively influencing society and guiding them to be better people and to live their life to the fulles t.As young people aren't aware of the consequences of some of their actions, the Aged can contribute their knowledge on this aspect of their lives, which minimizes the risks that younger generations are faced with, and In turn prepares them for their future. Many elderly people also devote their time and knowledge to younger generations by being guest speakers at organizations and schools through sharing their experiences, knowledge and skills. This positively Influences and educates the community which leads to not only an Improved relationship between the Aged and society, but also provides guidance and support to younger people.One of the greatest resources that they provide the community with Is their time. Many Aged people devote their time to society by continuing to work, which contributes to the economic growth, or by participating In volunteer work. Once the Aged retire they find themselves feeling lonely and Isolate from society. In order to overcome this many turn to cont ributing to the community by doing volunteer work. Volunteer work has become Increasingly popular amongst the Aged as It provides the elderly with social Interaction with employees, and also those In the community.A study from the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that In 1997 older people spent round 30% of their working hours on unpaid volunteer work. The Aged also contribute to the community by participating In fund raising. Even though the Aged are usually characterized with qualities such as deteriorating health and Increased body aches they still manage to give up their time to the community and contribute to the economic growth. The Aged provide an Informal service by assisting with care for grandchildren and other young people. In today's society women are Increasingly focusing more on their careers Instead of child bearing.As this means that but others and fathers are spending more of their time on work, It proves to be very helpful to have the Aged to care for their ch ildren. This not only benefits the community but also allows the elderly people to collapse with their grandchildren and/or family. Positive contributions of the Aged to the community By Kristin minimizes the risks that younger generations are faced with, and in turn prepares sharing their experiences, knowledge and skills. This positively influences and educates the community which leads to not only an improved relationship betweenOne of the greatest resources that they provide the community with is their time. Contributes to the economic growth, or by participating in volunteer work. Once the Aged retire they find themselves feeling lonely and isolate from society. In order to Volunteer work has become increasingly popular amongst the Aged as it provides the elderly with social interaction with employees, and also those in the community. A study from the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that in 1997 older people spent contribute to the community by participating in fund raisi ng.Even though the Aged are usually characterized with qualities such as deteriorating health and increased to the economic growth. The Aged provide an informal service by assisting with care for grandchildren and other young people. In today's society women are increasingly focusing more on their careers instead of child bearing. As this means that but mothers and fathers are spending more of their time on work, it proves to be very community but also allows the elderly people to socialist with their grandchildren

buy custom Women’s Rights essay

buy custom Women’s Rights essay The 19th amendment would not have been born if women had not taken a more radical, almost militant approach after the 15th amendment was proposed. Immediately upon the proposal of this amendment, various supporters of womens rights took divergent views, leading to conflicting oppositions when it came to aspects of the strategies to be adopted in the realization of the 19th amendment. It is against this backdrop that women took a militant approach that succeeded in the form of the birth of the 19th amendment. The 15th amendment was made in 1870. Both sections of article XV of the US constitutions were to be changed in order to allow for more freedoms relating to voting rights. The first section of this article made it illegal to deny any U.S citizen the right to vote on account of previous condition of servitude, race or color. Section 2 of the amended article gave congress the power to spearhead the enforcement of article XV through appropriate legislation. The 19th Century history of Women Rights Movements is important in any analysis of the radicalism that resulted in the birth of the 19th amendment. The movement had all the attributes that gave it the potential to address all the challenges that women were facing during this century. The relevance of the womens right movement in political terms could not be ignored although it lay buried for many years in the run up to the entrenchment of the 19th amendment in the U.S constitution. The main reason why the movement was ignored by the political class was because it started in the grassroots where media attention was not highly likely and therefore many observers paid little attention to an in-depth analysis of the sentiments raised. Buy custom Women’s Rights essay

Plot To Steppenwolf Essays - Fiction, Literature, Steppenwolf

Plot To Steppenwolf Essays - Fiction, Literature, Steppenwolf Plot To Steppenwolf THE PLOT of steppenwolf - Steppenwolf opens with a preface by a young businessman, who introduces a sheaf of notes left behind by a lodger in his attic rooms several years before. This young man, the landlady's nephew, describes the eccentric lodger, Harry Haller, who called himself a Steppenwolf, meaning in German a wolf of the steppes, or plains. The narrator finds this an odd but apt description of the shy, lonely wanderer who revealed little about himself but left a haunting memory. The preface recounts Harry's arrival and the narrator's several encounters with him- on the stairs, at a concert and an art lecture, and in a tavern. He has decided to publish Harry Haller's records although he can't say whether the experiences it relates were real or fictitious. Haller's records, subtitled For Madmen Only, begin with a walk in the dusk after a boring day. The walk takes Harry into an imaginary world by way of a flickering sign, an appearing and disappearing little door in a church wall, and a peddler with a placard advertising, Magic Theater- Entrance Not For Everybody. The peddler hands Harry a pamphlet and vanishes. in his room again, Harry examines the pamphlet. It is called Treatise on the Steppenwolf and is a second portrait of Harry, a psychological one this time. It analyzes Harry as inwardly half man and half wolf, two selves in constant conflict. It describes Harry's struggle to be himself, which has resulted only in greater loneliness. It explains to Harry the role of the Steppenwolves- the artists and intellectuals- in middle-class society, and the geniuses who break free and become Immortals. It tells Harry that his wolf is an oversimplification, that he has not two but hundreds of selves. Some day he may see himself in one of the Immortals' magic mirrors, or find in one of their magic theaters what he needs to free his soul. Finally the anonymous authors bid Harry good-bye and cheer him on his path toward becoming an Immortal. Harry, again in the first person, compares what the Treatise says of him with a poem he has written about the wolf. He finds them both true and unbearable. He recalls the successive crises in his life, the despair, and the new self-knowledge he has gained each time at the cost of increased loneliness. He will not go through this again. He will end it, commit suicide. But first, the Magic Theater. After nights of search he finds the peddler, who directs him to a seedy tavern. Here he meets the bar girl Hermine, who introduces him to the prostitute Maria and the jazz musician Pablo. With Hermine as guide, Harry learns to dance and to enjoy sex and the night life of the city. He joins the revelers at a masked ball. Pablo, as master of ceremonies, invites Harry into the Magic Theater. Here, in a series of dreamlike adventures, Harry fights a war against automobiles, makes love to all the women he has ever loved, commits an imaginary murder, and prepares to be executed. Instead, he is con demned to go on living. Pablo rebukes him for messing up his magic with reality. Harry acknowledges that he will go on trying to face his inner self, and perhaps learn to do better next time.

Analysing Public Policy

Analysing Public Policy What is Public Policy? Public policy happens when the government tries to answer a public issue, such as healthcare, education, environmental issues, crime, transportation, foreign policy, and poverty and welfare. Public policy is whatever governments choose to do or what not to do. Whether it is local, state, or federal government they develop public policy by laws, regulations, decisions, and actions. So, behind every decision that is made there is always a process that takes place, setting the agenda, making decisions, formulation, implementation, and evaluation. So, once laws are established they are put into practice in the form of public policy. Public policy affects our quality of life and can also influence the quality of life for those in other countries. In order for public policy to work citizens must participate in the process. A lot of pressure that comes from the outside affects the creation of public policy whether it is for the better of the country or for the worst. Citizens groups as well as commercial groups put pressure on public policy to defend their interest. As lawmakers debate the making of policies and set them in place, it is important for citizens and outside groups to analyze the effects of the policy so that the wrong type of policies are not set into practice. Individuals and groups attempt to shape policy through education, advocacy, or mobilization of interest groups. There are three parts to public policy making: problem, players, and the policy. The problem is the issue that needs to be addressed. The players are the individuals and groups that are influential in forming and implementing a plan to address the problem in question. Policy is the course of action decided upon by the government and public. Public policies are widely open to influence and interpretation by non-governmental players, including those in the non-profit and private sectors. Policies are dynamic, responding to changes in the government and the public in terest. What is Policy Analysis? Public policy analysis is determining which of several alternative policies will most achieve a given set of goals no matter the relationship between the policy and the goal. Policy analysis involves a primary concern with explanation rather than prescription. Also it is a sought out search for the cause and consequences of public policies. Furthermore, it is an effort to develop and test general propositions about the causes and consequences of public policy and to continue to accumulate reliable research findings of general relevance. Public policy analysis strives to define the problems addressed by a particular policy, assess the steps taken to address these problems and evaluate the intended and unintended effects. Policy analysis has the greatest potential to improve the policy making process when government decision makers use the results and findings to craft better policy. It occurs in political environment, in which policy makers, elected o r otherwise, makes decisions about the allocation of public funds, power and resources. It requires insight, creativity, and imagination in identifying societal problems and describing them, in devising public policies that might alleviate them, and then in finding out whether these policies end up making things better or worst. It requires knowledge of economics, political science, public administration, sociology, psychology, laws, statistics, engineering, natural sciences, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Policy analysis is an applied subfield of all of these traditional disciplines.