Thursday, July 23, 2020

Smashing pumpkins and other halloween treats

Smashing pumpkins and other halloween treats Today is one of my favorite days of the year: the end of daylight savings time. Theres nothing like enjoying the only 25 hour day of the year by catching up on all of the work that you were supposed to have already completed. Procrastination can definitely be justified by that bonus hour. But, not everyone is as enthusiastic as I am… apparently “disruption in sleep patterns associated with setting clocks either forward or backward correlates with a small increase in the number of fatal auto accidents” (source) and lost productivity. Regardless of the time, MIT was bustling with Halloween-related activities this weekend. SaveTFP, a group “committed to reducing stress and facilitating student social activities while increasing health awareness at MIT,” put on a “Spooky Skate” event at our ice skating rink. Students got to ice skate for free in their creative Halloween costumes. In my freshman year, the “best costume” award was given to a guy who dressed up as a test-tube baby. Basically, he dressed in a diaper, hat, and bib and used a hula hoop and plastic bags to make a giant test-tube around him. This year, someone went as Sonic the Hedgehog, complete with skin-tight blue Under Armor and a real blue mohawk. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go skating this year because my sorority was putting on a Halloween event of its own. Thanks for all of the great costume suggestions, you are all so creative! I think Shahed wins with his suggestion of dressing up as an electron orbital (e-mail me if you want to claim your “prize”). Adam’s problem set monster suggestion was also inspirational. I’m sorry to say that I took a more conventional route, as I stayed in lab much longer than I anticipated on Friday night and didn’t really have time to go shopping for supplies. I settled on dressing up as Trinity from The Matrix. For the record, I was a Matrix fanatic in 8th grade. I’ve seen the movie around seventeen times, and though my passion for the film isn’t as strong anymore, it’s about time I’ve relived my teenage obsession. Some other great costumes included Mobius Strippers (based on the famous Mobius strips) and Outer Space. Finally, no celebration at MIT is complete without dropping objects from a tall building. Saturday night was the famous Pumpkin Drop, put together by East Campus. A huge crowd formed to watch people drop a bunch of frozen pumpkins from the roof of the tallest building in Cambridge. It was very reminiscent of a fireworks show, since it was all choreographed to Boston Pop’s style orchestral music. I took some video footage for your viewing pleasure. The original MVI file is 5 MB (click here for original file), and if you have Windows Media Player you can watch the edited version (click here). Enjoy!

Friday, May 22, 2020

Success of Ikea - 1276 Words

What factors account for the success of IKEA? Ikea’s Success can be attributed to many factors, but can be classified into two broad categories: product differentiation and cost leadership. Product Differentiation Ikea’s simple yet elegant yet elegant Scandanavian designs reflect solid consumer awareness, as its designs resonated well with the consumer. Cost Leadership In our opinion, IKEA’s cost leadership was the strongest contributor to its success. Its MORE FOR LESS positioning strategy appealed both to consumers and itself. Through innovative cost cutting methods, IKEA differentiated itself successfully from its competitiors (Ethan Allen, Thomasville, or Jordan’s Furniture), who compete heavily on selection, with†¦show more content†¦Ã¯â€š · _Some industry observers have suggested that IKEA should open a number of smaller satellite stores (e.g., in shopping malls, strip malls, etc.). By offering a limited range of IKEA products, these â€Å"IKEA Lite† shops would presumably give consumers who do not otherwise have access to a full-size IKEA the opportunity to experience the brand. In addition, consumers who do live near a full-size IKEA would be able to use these mini-outlets to make minor purchases, such as cooking utensils and decorative items. Do you agree with this idea? Why or why not? ï‚ · _What do you think of the company’s product strategy and product range? Do you agree with the matrix approach described in Figure B of the case? In order to keep with its slogan, IKEA has had to compromise on product durability for low cost. While this has worked to some extent, we feel IKEA needs to do more to to find the best combination of price, quality and design. Ikea’s product range is solid IKEA’s core competencies are in uniqueness in design. The matrix approach might have problems appealing to a wide customer range, with only four styles and three price levels . ï‚ · _To achieve the kind of growth that IKEA is hoping for, should the company change its product strategy? If so, in what way(s)? What about product range – are there limitations toShow MoreRelatedSuccess of Ikea1341 Words   |  6 PagesSuccess of IKEA The secret of success of IKEA is the IKEA-feeling, the culture. The company has Swedish origins, and its no accident that the IKEA logo is blue and yellow. The IKEA concept, like its founder, was born in Smà ¥land. The people are famous for working hard, living on slender means and using their heads to make the best possible use of the limited resources they have. Like the founder Ingvar Kamprad said „wasting resources is a mortal sin†. â€Å"This characterizes the whole company itselfRead MoreThe Key Success Factors of Ikea2031 Words   |  9 PagesSuccess Factors of IKEA 1 The Key Success Factors of IKEA Advanced English Writing 2 Abstract Taking advantage of three mayor cost-cutting strategies, IKEA has been able to maximize its profit and to succeed internationally with its concept. The self-service and do-it-yourself approach to selling furniture is one of the critical success factors IKEA uses to save costs and increase profit margins. Furthermore, it has a complicated company structure, partially in order to avoid taxes,Read MoreWhat Is Value Or Image Is The Biggest Reason For Ikea s Success Essay981 Words   |  4 PagesIKEA, is known around the world for its stylist low cost furnishings. However, developing and maintaining relationships in the U.S. market is paramount to its continued success. This assignment, will discuss whether value or image is the biggest reason for IKEA’s success. Additionally, I will discuss which is more important to it maintaining and developing relationships in the U.S. market. Notably, IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, started the business in 1943, as a mail-order business . However, in 1948Read MoreIkea Essay777 Words   |  4 PagesList the various ways in which IKEA has managed its global environment over time. IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943. Today IKEA is one of the largest furniture chains in the world with three hundred and fifteen stores operating in twenty seven countries. IKEA has managed its Global Environment in the three major ways which has contributed to its great success. These ways are as follows: 1. Ingvar Kamprad was able to identify the changing trend in consumer wants and adapted his productsRead MoreIkea s Successful Entry Into The Furniture Retail Market918 Words   |  4 Pagesneeds were not being addressed in the furniture retail market; in which, IKEA took the initiative to distinguish themselves from their competitors by providing and selling good quality furniture at lower prices. Second, execution by it’s founder Ingvar Kamprad to sell their products for â€Å"cheaper† by commissioning local manufacturers to produce IKEA products (Allen, n.d.). The internationalization importance relating to IKEA is imperative to Kamprad’s strategty that allows firms to market their productsRead MoreIKEA case analysis Essay991 Words   |  4 Pages What was the source of IKEA’s success in Sweden early on (50s and 60s)? In 1943, IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad at his home town, selling mainly pencils, postcards and other merchandise. From late 40s to early 50s, manufacturing furniture was introduced as a complement to general merchandise. This enabled Kamprad to step in the furniture business and exploring situation and finding new opportunities. The business had gain massive success in the domestic market for the since opening and theRead MoreIkea Case Study1030 Words   |  5 PagesContributing to Ikeas Success Swedish company, Ikea, has experienced many triumphs throughout the business history. Founder Ingvar Kamprad created a successful business from a financial gift his father gave him. There are several factors that contribute to Ikea’s success. These factors include their low cost price strategy, the design of their store, and the shopping experience for customers. Ikea’s low cost low pricing structure. Ikea’s low cost pricing strategy was a key to their rise to success. It startedRead MoreIke A Worlds Largest Furniture Retailer1253 Words   |  6 PagesCase Summary IKEA is a multinational organization that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances, and home accessories. Founded in Sweden during the early 1940s by Ingvar Kamprad under the Stitching INGKA Foundation, IKEA ranks #45 on Forbes 2015 list of the world’s most valuable brands and ranked 269th as America’s Best Employers. It pioneered the flat pack design furniture at reasonable prices and had fast become one of the world’s largest furniture retailer. As of May 2015, ForbesRead MoreIke Ethics And Society1324 Words   |  6 Pages IKEA GB590: Ethics in Business and Society Unit 2 Assignment Nicola Jones Baker Prof: Jackie Deem January 16, 2016 Introduction In 1995 one of IKEA suppliers in India was named for using children for labor in a rug factory. This was alarming to the IKEA Corporation. This news could have been damaging to the entire company if the right preventive measures were not taken. IKEA had to decide on their viewpoint on child labor and then had to make sure that what they did

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Webdesign Company Business Plan - 6328 Words

Table of Contents Basic Information 2 Chapter 1 Ââ€" Introduction 3 Chapter 2 Ââ€" Summary 3 Chapter 3 Ââ€" About Us 4 3.1. Vision 4 3.2. Mission 4 3.3. Values 4 3.4. Objectives 4 3.5. SWOTs 4 3.6. Strategies 5 3.7. Goals/Targets 6 Chapter 4 - Product/Service Descriptions 6 4.1. General Descriptions 6 4.2. Key Features 7 4.3. Main Benefits 7 4.4. Pricing Plans 7 4.5. Competitors Offerings 8 4.6. Competitive Assessment 8 Chapter 5 - Profiles of Target Markets 8 5.1. General Background 8 5.2. Sizes, Segments Trends 9 5.3. Review of Competition 9 5.4. Customers/Users 10 5.5. Review of Market Potential 10 Chapter 6 - Marketing Strategies, Sales Plans Projections 11 6.1. Key Marketing Strategies 11 6.2. Marketing/†¦show more content†¦With already established reputation on the UK market and an extensive network, we plan that going global will bring us more opportunity and diversity. Chapter 3 Ââ€" About Us 3.1. Vision We have started our business with an initial aim of becoming the best service providers in the niche we are operating. In two year s time we will have the largest market share among the companies who provide identity creation services in the entertainment industry. We will be offering complete services of the highest quality. 3.2. Mission We strive to provide complete, high quality identity creation services for the entertainment industry. 3.3. Values Our company will always try to be one step ahead of the competition in terms of quality we provide. Therefore, with this in mind we will always put the customer needs first. Working closely together we will always try to get the results our customer is looking for. 3.4. Objectives As a company working with the entertainment industry it is important to realize that most of the products we deliver will contribute to the image of the customers we work with. Therefore, it is vital that we perform each time and that the quality we provide is of the highest standards. With this in mind, here are the main objectives we have outlined: • Become well-known within the industry for the quality of services we provide • Establish partnership relations with the bigShow MoreRelatedColl1273 Words   |  6 PagesViews expressed in this report are not necessarily those of the Department for Work and Pensions or any other Government Department. Printed by Corporate Document Services. Contents iii Is this Essay helpful Web 2.0 In Business Are social networks effectives for doing business? Simply fashions? Actually, millions of people around the world or being more exact, most of the people around the world have became member of a social networking; moreover people have used this idea along the time to connoteRead MoreBenefits Of A Good Quality Seo Service1409 Words   |  6 Pages If your business has any online components (such as a website), then SEO is crucial to the ongoing success of your business. You may have the most expensive website in your industry, but without web traffic (visitors) to that website, it is essentially useless. It is not just traffic that you need, but targeted traffic. A good quality SEO service can provide relevant, consistent web traffic to your website(s). This guide will allow you, as a non-expert, to distinguish between good and bad SEO providersRead MoreMarketing Strategies Adopted in the Japanese Automotive Industry6872 Words   |  28 Pageswhich are the main areas of employment.[1] Japan is one of the top players in the global automotive industry, ranking 3rd (8,398,654 units) behind China (18,418,876 units) and United States (8,398,654 units) in production volume.[2] Well-known companies in the Japanese automotive industry include Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki, and Mazda. The Japanese automotive industry came from a humble beginning. The first domestic gasoline engine vehicle was only a 10-seater bus with a steam engine, manufactured

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The person i met in Heaven Free Essays

I stood there, motionless. Shock had taken over my body like a disease. I started shaking; my body going into panic mode. We will write a custom essay sample on The person i met in Heaven or any similar topic only for you Order Now I collapsed, tears streaming down my face. I couldn’t move. I just sat, looking, staring. I screamed, and then I was in total darkness. This was the last memory going through my head before†¦ I opened my eyes. As I sat up to see where I was, I felt a cool breeze against my cheeks. I saw that I was lying in the middle of a massive field with trees surrounding it. I knew where I was straight away. I had been thinking about this place for thirty years. I looked around, this place was the same, but, it just had a softer atmosphere then I remembered. The sky seemed to glow. Almost like a dream. Except, this wasn’t a dream, this was real. I got up to look around, and then suddenly I heard a voice. â€Å"Well, well, well. You made it then?† the voice laughed. â€Å"Never could’ve imagined that!† I spun around. â€Å"Katy?† I stood there, staring at her. I had dreamed of this moment since I was a teenager. I had planned every word, every movement, but now, no words ran through my head. Just emotions and memories. â€Å"Are you alright? Looks like you’ve seen a ghost,† she chuckled. â€Å"God, I crack myself up!† â€Å"Am I dreaming?† â€Å"Nope, you’re in Heaven! To be honest, I’m surprised you made it!† The atmosphere cooled, and it felt like old times again. â€Å"What do you mean? I was more angelic than you!† We both laughed, then, silence. It suddenly felt awkward. â€Å"I’m so sorry Katy. I never realised you were so upset with your life. I hated myself; I wanted to see you, to talk to you. I – I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My words came out so quickly, rushing out of my mouth. The sky darkened from a sunny blue to a deadly black, and pictures of the past seemed to appear all around us. â€Å"Lauren, shut it! What are you? Forty-Five? And you’re still going on about that? It wasn’t your fault, okay? Stop blaming yourself. I’ve been watching over you for thirty years and there are so many things you could’ve done. You turned down so many opportunities to meet new people and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she paused, â€Å"you just had no confidence in yourself. And that’s because of me.† She looked as defenceless as she did when her parents died in that car crash when she was fourteen. Being in care had messed her up a bit, and I knew that she had been on anti – depressants for a while. But wouldn’t anyone be like her in her situation? I had never expected her to kill herself. I sat down next to her, then, finally breaking the silence, I spoke. â€Å"Why?† The word shot through the air like a dart. I looked at Katy. â€Å"I know you were upset about your parents but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stopped to think about what I was saying. Scared of what her reaction might be if I said the wrong thing. â€Å"You seemed to be managing fine† I said. â€Å"I don’t know. I just†¦ I felt like I could manage. I stopped taking my tablets, and then everything seemed to go downhill. I thought about what happened quite a lot. I blamed myself for everything. I knew I shouldn’t’ve, but I did. I got more and more depressed, taking everything so seriously. Like, that time when Louise Painsley called me a ‘useless whore’, just because I messed up in our music performance?† I nodded, not quite sure of what to say, but before I had time to think, she continued. â€Å"Well, everything just used to hit me like a punch in the stomach. Every little thing. It sounds stupid, but it just built up. I couldn’t manage anymore, I just wanted to go. To be with my family. And away from†¦ everything.† She looked at me. â€Å"I’m sorry that I didn’t speak to you. I just didn’t want to bother you with all my worries. I just knew what I wanted to do, so I did it. But deep down you knew that, so why did you mess up your life over it? I just don’t get it Loz. You were my best mate. Why would it have been your fault?† I thought about my answer, but to be honest, I had no idea. Finally, I just said everything that I felt. â€Å"All these years I had just thought about you, and the fact that I was having fun when you were gone. It just didn’t feel right. I suppose that’s okay for the first few months right? But I know I shouldn’t’ve dragged it out. I just didn’t feel right. I felt like I was betraying you in some way.† We looked at each other in a knowing way. In a way that meant not to carry on with the conversation. That it was finished and didn’t need to be mentioned again. I sighed with relief. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted from my chest. I grabbed Katy’s hand and we walked around the place that I had been thinking about for thirty years. The place where me and Katy spent most our time. A massive field with trees surrounding it. I felt a cool breeze against my cheeks. I felt at peace with myself. This was my heaven, and nobody could ever take it away from me again. How to cite The person i met in Heaven, Papers

Monday, April 27, 2020

The Economic Man Concept in the Economy and Society free essay sample

A detailed description on the concept of economic man from its origins until today. This paper presents a thorough examination of the Economic Man phenomena, viewed in the light of economic relations. The paper makes a case that the concept of the Economic Man was only a side effect of a given period in the history of industrial relations, characterized by certain technological level. The author examines the theories of Lowe, Humboldt, Schiller, Goethe, Adam Smith, Firth, Barth among others as they apply to the topic. Introduction Definition Applicability and examples Consideration and general critique Alternatives It may safely be submitted that the notion of Economic Man originated in a relatively primitive economy, where everyone had to sell the products of his own activity to each other to sustain living. Thus there was a social decentralization and unorganized labor force was forced to sell its services. But nowadays these conditions do not exist any more. We will write a custom essay sample on The Economic Man Concept in the Economy and Society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Therefore the mistake of the economics lies in the conclusion about the universal applicability of the Homo Economicus concept.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Tax Reform essays

Tax Reform essays When the American people think of taxes, the acronym that immediately comes to mind is IRS. Associated with these three letters are the audits and spools of red tape that Americans travel through each year to earn a temporary hiatus from government intervention into their lives. The permanent escape from this burden of record keeping and paper pushing is just one of the benefits reaped by replacing the current federal income tax system with a national sales tax. Simplification of the federal bureaucracy through a national sales tax would eliminate the need to even have an agency such as the Internal Revenue Service. The burden of individuals being forced to keep financial records for seven years and the nightmare of filing annual tax returns under a complicated system of rules few can decipher would no longer exist. In order for our country to institute a just and ethical means of taxation, establish a secure method for appropriating government funds, and to honestly save the taxpayer money; the United States should initiate tax reform by eliminating federal income tax and create an across the board federal sales tax. The government's reliance on the current income tax system creates a great emphasis on the appropriation of tax revenue. This collection mentality encourages taxpayers who are in high tax rate brackets to pursue avenues of tax avoidance by finding loopholes in the ever increasingly complex tax code. Extremely difficult for the everyday American to understand, the federal tax code can encourage tax evasion and avoidance by taxpayers of all rate income levels because nearly everyone attempts to "outsmart the system". This situation causes an economic loss by creating extra work for the government and lost tax revenue. With the cost of investigation and the cost of collecting money owed the federal government rising, the amount of capital needed from taxpayers to pay for th...

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Definitions and Discussions of Medieval Rhetoric

Definitions and Discussions of Medieval Rhetoric The expression medieval rhetoric refers to the  study and practice of rhetoric from approximately A.D. 400 (with the publication of St. Augustines On Christian Doctrine) to 1400. During the Middle Ages, two of the most influential works from the classical period were Ciceros De Inventione (On Invention) and the anonymous Rhetorica ad Herennium (the oldest complete Latin textbook on rhetoric). Aristotles Rhetoric and Ciceros De Oratore werent rediscovered by scholars until late in the medieval period. Nonetheless, says Thomas Conley, medieval rhetoric was  far more than a mere transmission of mummified traditions that were poorly understood by those who transmitted them. The Middle Ages are often represented as stagnant and backward . . ., [but] such a representation fails dismally to do justice to the intellectual complexity and sophistication of medieval rhetorics (Rhetoric in the European Tradition, 1990). Periods of Western Rhetoric Classical RhetoricMedieval RhetoricRenaissance RhetoricEnlightenment RhetoricNineteenth-Century RhetoricNew Rhetoric(s) Examples and Observations It was Ciceros youthful, schematic (and incomplete) treatise De inventione, and not any one of his mature and synthetic theoretical works (or the even fuller account in Quintilians Institutio oratoria) that became the shaping influence on so much medieval rhetorical teaching. . . . Both the De inventione and the Ad Herennium proved to be excellent, coherent teaching texts. Between them they conveyed complete and concise information about the parts of rhetoric, topical invention, status theory (the issues upon which the case rests), attributes of the person and the act, the parts of a speech, the genres of rhetoric, and stylistic ornamentation. . . . Oratory, as Cicero had known and defined it, had declined steadily during the years of the [Roman] empire under political conditions that did not encourage the forensic and judicial oratory of earlier periods. But rhetorical teaching survived through late antiquity and into the Middle Ages because of its intellectual and cultural prestige , and in the course of its survival it took on other forms and found many other purposes.(Rita Copeland, Medieval Rhetoric. Encyclopedia of Rhetoric, ed. by Thomas O. Sloane. Oxford University Press, 2001) Applications of Rhetoric in the Middle Ages In application, the art of rhetoric contributed during the period from the fourth to the fourteenth century not only to the methods of speaking and writing well, of composing letters and petitions, sermons and prayers, legal documents and briefs, poetry and prose, but to the canons of interpreting laws and scripture, to the dialectical devices of discovery and proof, to the establishment of the scholastic method which was to come into universal use in philosophy and theology, and finally to the formulation of scientific inquiry which was to separate philosophy from theology.(Richard McKeon, Rhetoric in the Middle Ages. Speculum, January 1942) The Decline of Classical Rhetoric and the Emergence of Medieval Rhetoric There is no single point when classical civilization ends and the Middle Ages begins, nor when the history of classical rhetoric ends. Beginning in the fifth century after Christ in the West and in the sixth century in the East, there was a deterioration of the conditions of civic life that had created and sustained the study and uses of rhetoric throughout antiquity in courts of law and deliberative assemblies. Schools of rhetoric continued to exist, more in the East than in the West, but they were fewer and were only partially replaced by study of rhetoric in some monasteries. The acceptance of classical rhetoric by such influential Christians as Gregory of Nazianzus and Augustine in the fourth century significantly contributed to continuation of the tradition, though the functions of the study of rhetoric in the Church were transferred from preparation for public address in law courts and assemblies to knowledge useful in interpreting the Bible, in preaching, and in ecclesiastical disputation. (George A. Kennedy, A New History of Classical Rhetoric. Princeton University Press, 1994) A Diverse History [A]s the history of medieval rhetoric and grammar reveal with special clarity, all the significant original works on discourse which appear in Europe after Rabanus Maurus [c. 780-856] are merely highly selective adaptations of the old bodies of doctrine. The classical texts continue to be copied, but new treatises tend to appropriate for their purposes only those parts of the old lore which are of use to the one art. Thus it is that the medieval arts of discourse have a diverse rather than a unified history. The writers of letters select certain rhetorical doctrines, the preachers of sermons still others . . .. As one modern scholar [Richard McKeon] has said in relation to rhetoric, in terms of a single subject mattersuch as style, literature, discourseit has no history during the middle ages. (James J. Murphy, Rhetoric in the Middle Ages: A History of Rhetorical Theory from St. Augustine to the Renaissance. University of California Press, 1974) Three Rhetorical Genres [James J.] Murphy [see above] outlined the development of three unique rhetorical genres: ars praedicandi, ars dictaminis, and ars poetriae. Each addressed a specific concern of the era; each applied rhetorical precepts to a situational need. Ars praedicandi provided a method for developing sermons. Ars dictaminis developed precepts for letter writing. Ars poetriae suggested guidelines for composing prose and poetry. Murphys important work provided the context for smaller, more focused studies of medieval rhetoric.(William M. Purcell, Ars Poetriae: Rhetorical and Grammatical Invention at the Margin of Literacy. University of South Carolina Press, 1996) The Ciceronian Tradition Conventional medieval rhetoric promotes highly formalized, formulaic, and ceremoniously institutionalized forms of discourse. The major source of this static richness is Cicero, the magister eloquentiae, known primarily through the many translations of De inventione. Because medieval rhetoric is so extensively committed to Ciceronian patterns of amplification (dilatio) through the flowers, or colores, of figured speaking that decorate (ornare) the composition, it often appears to be a ponderous extension of the sophistic tradition in a moralistic framework. (Peter Auski, Christian Plain Style: The Evolution of a Spiritual Ideal. McGill-Queens Press, 1995) A Rhetoric of Forms and Formats Medieval rhetoric . . . became, in at least some of its manifestations, a rhetoric of forms and formats. . . . Medieval rhetoric added to ancient systems its own generic rules, which were necessary because documents themselves had come to stand in for the people as well as for the Word that they meant to convey. By following articulated patterns for greeting, informing, and taking leave of the now-distant and temporarily removed audience, the letter, sermon, or saints life acquired typical (typological) forms.(Susan Miller, Rescuing the Subject: A Critical Introduction to Rhetoric and the Writer. Southern Illinois University Press, 1989) Christian Adaptations of Roman Rhetoric Rhetorical studies traveled with the Romans, but educational practices were not enough to keep rhetoric flourishing. Christianity served to validate and invigorate pagan rhetoric by adapting it to religious ends. Around AD 400, St. Augustine of Hippo wrote De doctrina Christiana (On Christian Doctrine), perhaps the most influential book of its time, for he demonstrated how to take the gold out of Egypt to fortify what would become the Christian rhetorical practices of teaching, preaching, and moving (2.40.60). The medieval rhetorical tradition, then, evolved within the dual influences of Greco-Roman and Christian belief systems and cultures. Rhetoric was also, of course, informed by the gendered dynamics of medieval English society that isolated nearly everyone from intellectual and rhetorical activities. Medieval culture was wholly and decidedly masculine, yet most men, just like all women, were condemned to class-bound silence. The written word was controlled by clergy, the men of the cloth and the Church, who controlled the flow of knowledge for all men and women. (Cheryl Glenn, Rhetoric Retold: Regendering the Tradition from Antiquity Through the Renaissance. Southern Illinois University Press, 1997)