Automobile and Current Mercedes Benz

Mercedes-Benz (German pronunciation: [mÉ›Ê Ã‹Ë†tseË dÉ™s ˈbÉ›nts]) is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is currently a division of its parent company, Daimler AG (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG, formerly Daimler-Benz). Mercedes-Benz has its origins in Karl Benz's creation of the first petrol-powered car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen, patented in January 1886,[1] and by Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach's conversion of a stagecoach by the addition of a petrol engine later that year.The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benz's and Gottlieb Daimler's companies into the Daimler-Benz company.[1] Mercedes-Benz has introduced many technological and safety innovations that have become common in other vehicles several years later.[2] Mercedes-Benz is one of the most well-known and esta blished automotive brands in the world, and is also the world's oldest automotive brand still in existence today.Mercedes Benz understands that its customers are not simply buying a car to get from point A to point B, so before they actually sell a car they must first sell an idea about that car. Mercedes Benz sells their ideas through promotion and advertising. Mercedes Benz wants to change the perception of their brand at the personal level and reposition their brand so that they are more appealing to young professional men of all ethnicities.Secondly, Mercedes Benz is communicating to its target market the idea that they are a more approachable, personal, fun, and energetic brand. This new message was evident in the Janus Joplin advertisement, in the sponsoring of the Elton John concert in New York, and the sponsoring of professional tennis. In the summer of 2003 Mercedes Benz launched an marketing event in 16 cities across the United States to promote the new C- Class to younger buyers. The campaign gave potential buyers a chance to test drive the C-Class product line on courses that simulated real life driving conditions and gain information from current Mercedes Benz owners in attendance.Mercedes BenzMercedes has decided to stress safety over luxury in its new marketing campaign. As the tables have turned in the economic downturn, so have  consumer priorities. It is becoming more popular to brag about how little you just spent on a new car as opposed to telling your friends how ridiculously expensive your new car was.Steve Cannon, VP of marketing for the U.S., believes that the new safety technology Mercedes has to offer should play a bigger role in its vehicle sales. In an interview with Automotive News, Cannon said, â€Å"You have to give people the justification that says, ‘Yes, a Mercedes-Benz is relevant to me — it can save my life.' † At a time when hybrids and less expensive cars are hugely popular, Mercedes has to give Ameri ca a reason to shop for a Benz.Mercedes has just launched its all new E-class, equipped with several features previously only available in the top of the range S-class. Blind spot detection, lane-keeping assist, night view, and attention assist, which monitors the driver's road awareness, are a few safety features available on the 2010 E-class. These features set Mercedes ahead of the pack in terms of safety, and the company is banking on its innovation to help it sell some cars.Cannon quickly touched on competing brands and their marketing tactics. He said that Mercedes would not lower its game and that the company would continue to focus on innovation and safety.Mercedes Benz marketing strategy in the United States was once centered on the safety, luxury, and precision engineering of its cars, but due to increase competition in the luxury car industry and changing consumer attitudes about the Mercedes Benz brand that strategy has changed. Now their marketing strategy is more life style oriented and is focused more on presenting the more fun loving, approachable, and energetic side of Mercedes Benz.The evolution of Mercedes Benz’s marketing strategy can be directly connected to the expansion of its target market, which now includes persons twenty five to thirty five years old as well as its initial targets the baby boomers. In order to provide superior customer value to its target market Mercedes Benz has found it necessary to expand its product line up, provide more competitive prices, increase communications with its target market,  maintain accessibility to consumers, and continue its excellent customer service.

What is a research hypothesis

What is a research hypothesis? Define directional, nondirectional, and statistical/null hypothesis statements. A research hypothesis is a statement about two variables, independent and dependent, and their relationship with an expected outcome based on the research question which, if directional, will state the expected direction of the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. If the research hypothesis is nondirectional it will not state the expected direction within the relationship of the variables but that a relationship exists. The statistical hypothesis or null hypothesis states there is no relationship between the independent and dependent variables and failure to reject the null hypothesis will support the research hypothesis. (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2006) Define the following: independent variable, dependent variable (note that the dependent variable is of primary interest to the researcher). The independent variable is manipulated in experimental research studies and assumed to occur naturally in nonexperimental studies to measure or observe the effect on the dependent variable. The dependent variable is not changed or manipulated and is the variable that is studied by changes in the independent variable. The dependent variable is what the researcher is interested in explaining, understanding, or predicting. (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2006) Identify the independent and dependent variable in the following statement: Women who attend childbirth classes will be less likely to use pain medication than women who do not attend childbirth classes. The dependent variable is pain medicine, which women would take less of if independent variable, childbirth classes, is present. In your own words, explain the interrelationships between a research question, literature review, theoretical framework, and hypothesis. The research question must be measurable, show relationship between variables ith a stated population, which will guide the literature review. The literature review is focused on research questions, or guided by the research questions, along with the theoretical framework, which also guides the research in what will be measured or compared in the research question, together they all form the hypothesis. The research hypothesis will be guided by the literature review, research question, and theoretical framework to give an answer to the research question that can be validated. Know that the main purpose of literature review is to gain insight and understanding of research that has been done related to a particular area of topic of interest. Define and differentiate between primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are from the person who conducted studies, developed the theory, or prepared the discussion on a concept or topic. They are essential in literature review; most are published but some may not be. Secondary sources or used sometimes but should be limited in literature review. They are from someone other than the original author. The work is usually a critique or review of the work and may or may not be published. (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2006) What does it mean if a journal is refereed or peer-reviewed? A refereed journal has external and internal reviewers or editors who are experts in various fields to study or judge the article or manuscript before publication which will enhance its credibility. A peer-reviewed article or manuscript is evaluated by fellow specialists of research that has been done to assess its correctness for publication or further development.

A Talk To Teachers; Rhetorical Analysis Essay

On the 21st of December, James Baldwin issued a â€Å"Talk to teachers† essay. It was a genuine and brave attempt to change the views of the society concerning the racial discrimination. It was a courageous and very criticizing message to the community emphasizing the weaknesses of the society and uncovering its gaps. Making a Talk to Teachers summary, primarily the author appeals to a teacher, endeavoring to evoke the realizing of the fact that the history that they teach is wrong. The visions of African American as a cluster of society are old and need to reconsider information, which they deliver to their pupils, being on lectures. He tries to evoke the understanding of their wrong perception of the history. Moreover, he tries to deliver the idea that it is improper to raise the seeds of evil in the souls of schoolchildren. The author claims that the school is a significant institution greatly influencing the formation of personalities from their childhood to the youth period. In case, when a person is raised in the atmosphere of abuse, the Afro American child from the early years feels the inferiority, knowing one’s position in the society and the status of his family as well. Baldwin claims that the primary aim of education is to enable a person to interact with the external world and the society as well as identification one’s position in that society. He considers that schooling lacked progress and was stuck on the same level as it was many years ago. Nowadays, the education distorts the people’s understanding of themselves from that one available in the society. It makes them try to change it; however, people do not accept those individuals, who have a strong desire to implements changes. The reality is harsh, and authors manage to illustrate this point. Baldwin manages to depict the cruel picture of reality. He illustrates the attitude of the society towards individuals, which are always victims of the prejudice imposed by the schoolteachers from their early years. He enhances his claims with plenty of real-life examples. He tells a story about an Afro American, who from the early years realize why his parents work so hard and why they are always stressed. He knows the reason why he is not allowed to sit in front of the bus. The next wave of bullying he faces at school. He provides the rude and harsh facts to the reader to make him removing rose-tinted glasses. At this point, the tone of the essay reaches the peak of reflectiveness and sadness. Children, who constantly faced such attitude at school and later at other places, where they had contact with the society, become unable to live in harmony with themselves. The surrounding made them feel vulnerable and unsaved. Moreover, other people influenced the distorting of their personal understanding of who are they and what their position in this life is. Moving to the next sense section of the essay, the author enhances the text with the facts of his personal life and tells about himself being a boy. He makes an emphasis on the several trades of character, making a man being a criminal aiming to survive in a harsh society. He enhances the text with plenty of adjectives, as severe, ruthless, and cunning. Baldwin managed to render the contrast between the lives of blacks and whites. Moreover, the writer emphasizes that â€Å"Because if I am no what I’ve told I am, then it means that you’re not what you thought you were either!† It is the turning point of the whole message. Baldwin manages to illustrate his position clearly. He proves that all people are equal. If you dare to think that someone understanding of his personality differs from the real position in the society, you face the same risk. At any point, it may turn out that you are not the person, whom you consider yourself to be. The crisis is the section, where the author recognizes the gaps and drawbacks of the educational system and prepares the audience to perceive his personal views concerning this question. Then goes the truth. The writer told that if you are lying about one aspect of the history, it means that you probably distort the truth about the whole past. In this very passage, the author appeals to a target audience using the pronoun â€Å"you† to make the message more personalized. His main appeal to the people working in educational sphere is to reshape the history written many years ago. The times have changed and the prejudice towards â€Å"Negros† that was present in that period is not relevant today. It was a wrong strategy to impose upon children the oddly established beliefs, which may influence self-perception of other people. Ending an essay, the writer claims that it is the personal responsibility of everyone to influence the course of education and implements changes. The composition ends with the upbeat and inspiring tone, applies plenty of repetitions. What is more, he describes his model of behavior in case he was a teacher. The most influential part of the composition is the ending. The author appeals to the humanity applying both logos and pathos. Baldwin described the right way of educating the society. The position of the writer is clear. He dared to uncover the blunt truth about the education and tackled upon the myths of history that are still being used. James Baldwin essays imply many inspiring words, which author uses to render his thoughts clearly. The writer issued a powerful and inspiring piece and using a few words managed to dwell upon the significant problem needing an urgent solution. He illustrated the root of the problem as well the consequences, which arose. His tone is strict, but outright. James Baldwin uncovers the truth that is overlooked and ignored by people. He issued a manifest endeavoring to imply changes. He was brave enough to announce the fact, which was silenced for many centuries. By this radical message, he tries tom appeal to the humanity. The writer wants to persuade people that such attitude is the old relic. James Baldwin turns to every person with a message that it is the personal responsibility of everyone considering oneself an educated person to change the society. Everything starts with the mentality of people and their level of perception of the external world, its rules and beliefs. Is we are not sheep following the shepherd, we have to think globally and turn off the stereotypes created by people with a limited worldview. By uncovering the ugly truth, he tries to change the minds of readers and influence the situation that needs urgent change.

The topic about reading A Thousand Splendid Suns Essay

The topic about reading A Thousand Splendid Suns - Essay Example Miriam becomes an orphan sometimes later in life when she tried to visit her father prompting her mother to commit suicide. She is later forced to marry a widower in Kabul when she goes to stay with her father Jalil. Laila also a character in the story is a beautiful girl and a daughter to the ethnic Tajiks. Her parents pass on when she is still little and at the same time realizes she is expecting Tariq’s child. Laila is adopted by Rasheed and Mariam who afterwards made her his second wife. The thesis of the paper is therefore to show the way in which Laila meets the definition of a heroine because of her courage and the noble purpose she serves in the society. Laila fits the definition of being a heroine because of the courage that she shows in her deeds. Laila gives birth to her second child without using drugs to comfort herself. Contrary to the birth of Aziza her first child, her second experience is something that can be said to be of a courageous person. To date, any woman on the verge of undergoing a caesarian operation needs to be sedated so as to help abate the pain that comes with it. The courageous act of Laila however was when she refused to lose her child and thus accepted to be operated on without an aesthetic. â€Å"Tell me what’s going on! Laila said, she had propped herself up on her elbows. The doctor took a breath, then told Laila that the hospital had no anesthetic. But if we delay, you will lose your baby. Then cut me open, Laila said. She had dropped back on the bed and drew up her knees. Cut me open and give my baby.† (Hosseini pg.174). Another act of courage from Laila was when she was preparing to escape her marriage which had only lasted a few years. One is considered a hero or a heroine if he or she does things which the rest of the people cannot dare to do. Many at times most women in marriages are mistreated by their partners but because of the fear they have they decide not to do anything to change

P&G Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

P&G - Case Study Example where the brightest minds have gathered together over the decades to come up with new products that customers would be happy to use on a regular basis, thus providing strength to the bottom line financially. Over ten years ago, P & G realized that market growth was expanding very rapidly, but that there was a slight decline in P & G sales, and innovation projects were only meeting 15 percent in success targets. This presented a challenge that many companies were facing at that time: how to keep up, move forward, and develop a larger range of fresh innovation which would help drive both the top and bottom growth line (Innosight web: Addison web). The P & G research and development (R & D) group consisted of 8,000 internal researchers situated in laboratories across the globe, in 26 facilities, and it was determined that the company had to find a way to make innovation processes, systematic, repeatable and reliable (Innosight web). Solving the Problem of Innovation and Development. It was decided, at this point, to move research and innovation out to the public level, including the customer view as to what they wanted to see on the market that they would purchase (Innosight web). In essence, this was a case of including the public into its hallowed halls of research and development innovation, in order to move beyond the previous insular situation of researchers who were constantly trying to come up with new ideas. Including the public into this new program, called â€Å"Connect & Develop†, opened many doors for the company innovation program, the researchers involved who helped clients/customers to bring dreams and innovative ideas to life, and provided a much larger, ongoing influx of new ideas and products (Addison web). In the Internet age, this has also become a big bonus where researchers and clients can communicate easily over the Internet in any number of ways, thus speeding up the process of in teraction during the development phase of ideas and

1965 Selma to Montgomery march Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

1965 Selma to Montgomery march - Essay Example History 1). The civil war that had taken place previously had failed to eradicate the social barriers created by some institutions (U.S. History 1). In the south, after the war, there was the creation of laws that only highlighted issues of whites at the expense of African American (U.S. History 1). The situation remained until the beginning of the second part of 20th century. At this period various institutions begun to be sensitive to African American demands. The greatest progress was the school integration ruling of 1954 by the Supreme Court (U.S. History 1). Later, there was a development of peaceful protest by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. Consequently, this led to increased marches, boycotts, sit-ins, and freedom rides in both the American south and parts of north (U.S. History 1). Moreover, public opinions changed and showed a significant deal of sympathy towards the African Americans. However, there remained obstacles to complete racial equality. Although legal equality had made progress for African Americans, there was reduced economic equality and social acceptance (U.S. History 1). Consequently, this led to increased activism in the 1960s. Malcolm X, the Black Power Movement leader, advocated for the policy of non-violence, and he inspired most of the movements in this period (U.S. History 1). A reflection on the civil rights movements helps in highlighting the role of Selma to Montgomery marches. ... History 1). Consequently, there was reduced hopes for achievements of equal rights among African Americans. Moreover, there was increased discrimination in various states, in the north and south. For example, there was approval of laws creating schools and public facilities for each race (U.S. History 2). One of such laws was the Jim Craw laws that reinforced the white supremacy that had diminished during the reconstruction era. The discrimination was seen as whites, and blacks carried activities in different areas such as in school and restaurants (U.S. History 2). In addition, there was also discrimination in public spending. For example, teachers in white schools were paid better wages, and white schools were well maintained while in black school teachers were paid poorly, and the situation was poor (U.S. History 2). Additionally, there was a failure of implementation of Brown decision on segregation in the south. In fact, one decade after the decision, fewer than ten percent in s outhern public schools had integrated (U.S. History 2). This is because the ruling failed to address the issue that led to segregation such as separate restrooms, bus seats, or hotel rooms (U.S. History 1). There are various reasons for the inspiration to revolution. One of the people that inspired revolution was Rosa Parks. She boarded a Montgomery bus and refused to pave the way for the white passengers (U.S. History 3). This was followed by her arrest, and she was fined $10 (U.S. History 3). Consequently, revolutions began in various parts of the country. One of the instrumental persons for the revolution was Martin Luther King Junior (U.S. History 3). After the Rosa Park development, he organized the boycott of Montgomery’s buses (U.S. History 3). They wanted for equal

Response To Memo From K. Abbott-Gill, The Cfo Of Antipodes Mineral Case Study

Response To Memo From K. Abbott-Gill, The Cfo Of Antipodes Mineral Resources Company - Case Study Example The core business in a mineral company is; mining and therefore most investments in such entities revolve around this central activity. The following are the areas I would expect AMR to make their investments: †¢ Prospecting and exploration of minerals: The process of pinpointing deposits is costly and time consuming. A mineral company must therefore, invest in the process of geological mapping to stay in business by securing the supply end of its operations. The amount of drilling and excavation involved in mining is determined at the exploration stage and therefore, this preliminary phase of the mining process determines the financial allocation required to purchase the right tools for the jobs that include among others, drilling and transportation equipment. †¢ Equipment: After locating the mineral deposits in the exploration stage, a mining company like AMR in this case, must invest in the acquisition of the correct equipment. The success of a mining process is entirely dependent on the available excavation, drilling and transportation machinery. AMR must therefore commit to continuously acquiring proper tools, something that is always a work in progress project for companies in this industry since new, more efficient equipment are manufactured everyday. †¢ Acquisition of mines: After the completion of exploration process, mining companies must make ownership of such mining locations their projects. This can be done through partnerships with both governments and local communities in the mineral rich locations. It is my expectation that a mining company should make significant investments in acquiring mines to ensure sustainability of their respective material supply chains. Value addition on minerals: Most minerals fetch better prices if value is added onto them through diverse industrial processes. I would therefore expect a mining company to make investments in value additions for their minerals that involves construction of value addition plants. Transportation network infrastructure: The process of transportation from mining field to value addition plants for a mineral company is crucial to its success. How fast and efficiently they can excavate, transport and process ores determines the consistency of mineral supplies to th eir customers both in their localities and the world over. A mining company must therefore invest in transportation system that include ; construction of shorter routes to their plans to reduce fuel costs, acquire large capacity transport equipment, construct railway lines as well as properly maintain their roads (Bomsel, 1990). This investment ensures that such a company is not only efficient in its operations but is also profitable through transportation cost reduction. Acquisition of mining licenses: the process of securing a mining license, in as much as it may not be tangible is a crucial project in the workings of a mining company. Securing these licenses require serious negotiations and involve the hiring of attorney services. A mining company must therefore invest in the best lawyers and trade negotiators to handle this aspect of their operations. Trainings of staff: Employees are expected to hold particular skill sets at the time of employment. To ensure efficiency in actua l company operations, AMR must invest in additional training of staff so that they acquire skills specific to the company’s activities. Employees are the most valuable assets outside the balance sheet and their training therefore, is directly proportional to an organization’s operational efficiencies and profitability. Training is one project I expect to see the company invest its resources. Green energy: Energy consumption in the mining process is a major cost element and coming up with cheaper more environmentally sustainable energy sources is one area I would expect to see

Discussion 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion 2 - Essay Example From Dr. Kenny Handelman’s blog (2012), most users claimed they suffered increased heart rate and increased blood pressure. One patient in particular, Lori’s eight year old daughter, is said to describe the medicine as cardiac medication because it makes her heartbeat go fast. Another patient, Donna, says she suffers vomiting and headache after a few days of taking the drug. Other side-effects that the drug gives are anxiety, decreased or loss of appetite, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, irritability, trouble sleeping, upper stomach pain and weight loss. It is important for patients to inform their doctor about any other medications or even food supplements taken because there are certain reactions of the drug to other medications and vice versa that may cause further health problems. There may also be side-effects that may be caused when the drug is simultaneously taken with vitamins, supplements or medications. With the side-effects specified earlier, precaution must be taken by patients with heart problems, heart defects, high blood pressure, mental problems such as psychosis, tits or Tourette’s Syndrome and seizures. The physician must be informed about the medical history of the patient to make sure there would be no adverse side-effects to the medication (fda.gov,

Oprah Winfrey Talk Show Furror Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oprah Winfrey Talk Show Furror - Essay Example The talk shows like any other new television genre were an assortment of old programming forms; many of them were aired at daytime. They were mostly geared towards women issues and their roots can be traced back to Arthur Godfrey and Art Linkletter. The shows also reflected their times; Phil Donahue daytime talk show began at the inception of the women’s movement. He tackled women’s issues such as artificial insemination, sexism and homosexuality and was capable of breaking the barrier between the host and the audience. However, his popularity dwindled when Oprah Winfrey began her show in 1983. Use of therapeutic sensibility gave her an advantage over Donahue. The style used by Oprah was unique; she focused on revealing problems, improvement of self-esteem, use of empathy as a cure and empowering women. She wept openly, hugged guests, and said goodbye to each of the member of the studio audience in person. She was able to walk in between the races (cultural bilingualism) thus she was capable of having a coalition of audiences. Imitators of Oprah emerged as her success became evident and they employed similar skills as hers; even Donahue was tackling similar topics like Oprah’s. A survey done on the talk shows by Michigan State University Researchers revealed similar characteristics in all the talk shows. There was a feeling of little attention and credit among the supporters of these shows for their contribution in neglected matters such as family dysfunction and race. The shows were characterized by traditional values and conventional view of morality; a show heavily influenced by empathy for victims. Political influence in these shows cannot be ignored. Clinton appeared in Donahue in a talk-show presidency during the 1992 campaigns; a similar talk-show was done with H. Ross Perot and George Bush in the same year. The key point of these shows was to persuade the victims/audience to feel their pain as a

Gender Roles in Socialization Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender Roles in Socialization Process - Essay Example Some brands even have gender-specific designs on their diapers: rocket ship details and ribbon details for boys and girls, respectively. Then of course, when the baby grows a bit, the hairstyles can be more telling as well. As in boys should have short ones and the girls should have long ones. These are also part of the gender socialization process, and ironically, the baby, being the participant in the whole interaction thing, does not even know that he is being conditioned to be a â€Å"boy† according to society’s definitions. I’m sure it occurred similarly for me. As a boy growing up, I have been conditioned to like the certain things that boys are supposed to like: toy cars, action figures and the like. I might not know what color my baby things were when I was an infant but I am quite sure that they were not pink. Society has a very strong influence on a person’s gender socialization process. Not only they are the first ones to take on the child’s first gender identification process, but they also reinforce it. Schools, the community, and peers also influence the child too. I am thankful that my family, even if they are traditional, is not as strict with their expectations of me as a boy growing up. Sure, I have been exposed to â€Å"boy† objects and activities that are essentially rough and tumble in nature - and labeled for â€Å"boys†. I have had friends who were from the opposite sex when I was growing up, but then as a young boy, we did not play together not because we were forcefully separated because of our genders; we simply had different toys. I think this is because of the society’s strong influence on the gender differentiation. This influence is even felt in the workplace, or at least when one working. There are expectations for me at work, as I am a man and a manager in a dental office. Although most employees in our office are females, the manager (me) is a man.  

Classical Music Concert Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Classical Music Concert Report - Essay Example Each of the pieces from the performance was composed in March 1941 by Benjamin Britten. Different pieces of the performance included symphony and orchestral pieces. Each of the pieces from the performance was written to provide entertainment to the audiences. In addition, the compositions also meant to portray the meaning of opera in the lives of the people (Boosey & Hawkes, â€Å"Benjamin Britten†). In terms of the composer’s background, it is observed that Benjamin Britten was one of the most broadly performed British 20th century composers who studied at Royal College of Music. He founded a new English-language opera convention. His major works comprise invaluable offerings related to opera and the various components that are associated with the creation of symphonic music. Benjamin Britten was born on 22nd November 1913. He passed away at the age of 63 on 4th December 1976. Benjamin Britten belonged to an era in which the concept of classical music was quite widespr ead and consequently he received much admiration. In the era, audiences were able obtain a number of classic pieces of compositions in numerous musical concerts (Boosey & Hawkes, â€Å"Benjamin Britten†). The composer i.e. Benjamin Britten represented a great source of influence on many contemporaries. He had been and still is regarded as one of the great sources of inspiration to many classical music artists namely Percy Grainger among others. His music also inspired the young audiences (Boosey & Hawkes, â€Å"Benjamin

Problems of students Essay Example for Free

Problems of students Essay Top 10 Problems of Students While time spent at college is a fond memory and a happy experience for most, college life is not without its rough patches and problems. While each person problems are unique to their current circumstances, I know that there are a few problems that almost all college students deal with at least once during their time at school. College is not high school so please do not think its a walk in the park. Depending on what type of school you are going to, depends on what kind of problems you are going to face. Certain problems, you going to face regardless of what type of school you are going too. Most common problems of college student are the following. 1. First Day of School ? University students also face problems with making new friends. University is a new chapter in life, and with every new chapter, we have to try to meet new people and make new friends. It is normal for people to feel shy in the beginning, especially when they don’t know anyone around them. Students should learn to step out of their comfort zones and put themselves out there when trying to make new friends. It always seems that people are always just waiting for someone to approach them because they are too shy to make the first move. So, why not try taking the first step, and maybe you’ll find yourself heading towards a really wonderful friendship. 2. Relationship Thingy! Another problem we often hear students talk about are relationship problems. University students are usually at the age where they are looking for someone to share their lives with. We hear many stories about students getting into a relationship too quickly, and things going sour because both parties didn’t know each other well enough as friends. Maybe we should accept some advice from the older generation when they always say that we should always strive to get to know a person of the  opposite sex as a friend, before deciding if there is anything more to pursue with the person. There seems to be very little success rate when rushing into a relationship with someone we do not know well enough. 3. I’m so stress. . When a person faces any type of problems in their daily life, we will definitely find that the person is under high amounts of stress. This applies very aptly to the life a university student. Students are very susceptible to stress when they have any of the above mentioned problems. One good way to deal with stress is to exercise. Exercising helps release endorphins which is a hormone that helps our body relax and feel good. Students who exercise seem to be able to handle stress a lot better than those who do not exercise. 4. Problem everywhere -. The unavoidable problem that students will have to face is problems with their studies. Whether it is a topic that is very hard to grasp, a misunderstanding with a group mate, or just not knowing how to do the work given to them, students will definitely face these sort of problems. It appears that when a student faces these sort of problems, they like to just keep it to themselves, or complain about it to their peer. The solution to these sort of problems is to address it and bring it up to the lecturer, or ask a friend if they can help you with it. Rather than just complaining that they do not understand what is going on, they should seek assistance to help solve their problem. 5. Still Sleepy \^o^/ Many students also suffer from irregular sleeping patterns. Students have assignments, projects and deadlines that appear almost daily after each class. A lot of them spend their time doing all those assigned work during the hours that they are supposed to be asleep. Some of them claim that they work better at night, but it is a  very unhealthy habit. It would be good if students could learn to finish up their work in the day time and leave the night-time to sleeping as that is the time where your body is regenerating, mending, and creating new cells. There is a discipline that should be built into a student when it comes to assignments. They should try their very hardest not to leave their work to the last possible minute. 6. My Hectic Schedule -. Another problem that university students face is poor time management. Due to their busy lifestyles, students often find it hard to find a good balance between their  studies, social lives and working lives. Students should strive to have a planned schedule for their day so that they can try to maximize their productivity and not fall behind in any aspects of their lives. Students often have to learn to be independent and responsible with managing their time, when in university, away from the direct guidance of their parents. 7. Why you’re so Slow Internet? _ With most universities and colleges making use of technology, it’s always an instant heart attack for you when it’s time to enroll in classes and check grades. To  make matters worse, everyone else is trying to access the website of your school hence the slower loading of the page and also in doing assignments and projects. You end up holding your breath while your heart attempts to break free from your body. The struggle is real! 8. Suspension Abangers *. * You stay up late at night and refresh your Twitter account every minute to see if there are suspension announcements. You wake up early in the morning with high hopes of class suspensions because the rain is too strong. You wait, and wait, and wait. You struggle with the thoughts of facing the storm or continue hoping for a class  suspension. You end up going to school anyway; but just as you’re finally at the end of your storm challenge, the suspension you’ve longed for comes and then you just stare at an empty space and mentally flip all the tables in your school. 9. Lack of Confidence There are students who do not believe in their ability to do well in college. Rather than focusing on their abilities and what they are capable of achieving, they place more emphasis on what they feel they can’t achieve. If you tell yourself, â€Å"I’ve always been lousy at math, I am going to fail this course,† then chances are, you probably will. 10. Commute line Don’t you hate it when you wake up early and leave early, but still end up being late for class because of those horrible commute lines? It’s definitely extremely frustrating when you arrive at the terminal or station only to find out that the end of the line is nowhere in sight These are just ten of the many problems that college students face. In the end, is college worth facing these problems and struggles? While students get stressed to the max, the good times outweigh the problem times and the college experience becomes one which shapes the minds and futures of many young people worldwide.

Definitions of Styles and Learning Styles

Definitions of Styles and Learning Styles 2.1.1.1 Definitions of Styles and Learning Styles Styles Before reviewing the literature of learning styles, it is necessary to know the definition of styles. The concept of styles was first put forward by cognitive psychologists. Brown (2002: 104) defines style as a term that refers to consistent and rather enduring tendencies or preferences within an individual. Therefore, styles are those general characteristics of intellectual functioning (and personality type, as well) that especially pertain to one as an individual, that differentiate one from someone else. Learning Styles Regarding studies of learning styles, the most serious problem is the confusion of its definitions. In the past two decades, the learning styles has been used in various and sometimes confusing ways in the literature. It is very common to hear different opinions on its definitions based on different findings in this comparatively new research field of learning styles, for each study defines it from particular perspectives. However, there is not an agree-upon definition of learning styles. Learning styles can be defined in the following ways. Keefe (1979, cited in Brown, 2002:10) defines learning styles as the characteristic cognitive, affective and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with and respond to the learning environment. Dunn et al. (1978:11) defines learning styles as the way in which each person absorbs and retains information and/or skills; regardless of how that process is described, it is dramatically different for each person. Sims Sims (1990, cited in Reid, 2002) put forward that learning styles are typical ways a person behaves, feels, and processes information in learning situations. Therefore, learning style is demonstrated in that pattern of behavior and performance by which an individual approaches educational experience. Oxford et al. (1991) briefly defines the learning style as the general approaches students used to learn a new subject or tackle a new problem. Tan Dingliang (1995: 12) defines learning styles as: the way that a learner often adopts in the learning process, which includes the learning strategies that have been stabilized within a learner, the preference of some teaching stimuli and learning tendency. Reid (1995) summarizes definitions of learning styles as internally based characteristics of individuals for the intake or understanding of new information. Essentially learning styles are based upon how a person perceives and processes information to facilitate learning. 2.1.2 Categories of Learning Styles Confusion also exists in the literature on categories of learning styles for many same or similar factors researched under the same name. Reid (1995) divides learning-style research into three major categories: cognitive styles, sensory learning styles, and personality learning styles. 2.1.2.1 Cognitive Learning Styles Cognitive learning styles which include field-independent/field-dependent, analytic/global, reflective/impulsive learning styles, and Kolb experiential learning model, belong to the aspects of psychology. Among them researches on field -independent/field-dependent (FI/FD) attract the most attention of SLA domain (Ellis, 1994). According to Reid (1995), field-independent learners learn more effectively step by step, or sequentially, beginning with analyzing facts and proceeding to ideas. They see the trees instead of the forest; whereas field-dependent (field-sensitive) learners learn more effectively in contexts, holistically, intuitively, and are especially sensitive to human relationships and interactions. They see the forest instead of the trees. Chapelle (1995) explains that FI/FD refers to how people perceive and memorize information. Reid (1995) defines that analytic learners learn more effectively individually; prefer setting own goals, and respond to a sequential, linear, step-by-step presentation of materials; whereas global (relational) learners learn more effectively through concrete experience, and by interactions with others. According to Reid (1995), if learners can learn more effectively given time to consider options before responding, they are reflective learners; and they are often more accurate language learners; whereas if learners can learn more effectively being able to respond immediately and to take risks, they are impulsive learners; and they are often more fluent language learners. 2.1.2.2 Sensory Learning Styles According to Reid (1995), sensory learning styles include two dimensions: perceptual learning styles and environmental learning styles. Perceptual learning styles contain four types of learning styles which are auditory, visual, tactile and kinesthetic styles. Auditory learners learn more effectively through the ears; visual learners learn more effectively through the eyes (seeing); tactile learners learn more effectively through touch (hands-on); kinesthetic learners learn more effective through concrete complete body experiences (whole-body movement). Physical and sociological styles belong to the environmental learning styles. Physical learners learn more effectively when such variables as temperature, sound, light, food, mobility, time, and classroom/study arrangement are considered. Sociological learners learn more effectively when such variables as group, individual, pair and team work, or levels of teacher authority are considered. 2.1.2.3 Affective/Temperament Learning Styles Learning styles of this type are based on affect, personality, tolerance of ambiguity and brain hemisphere. Myer and Briggs (1987, cited in Reid, 1995) report that affective and personality factors influence learners learning styles a great deal. Mayer-Briggs team tested four dichotomous styles of functioning in their Mayer and Briggs Temperament Styles (MBTI) which include extraversion-introversion, sensing-perception, thinking-feeling, and judging-perceiving. According to Reid (1995), extroverted and introverted styles belong to extraversion-introversion. Extroverted learner learns more effectively through concrete experience, contract with the outside world, and relationships with others; whereas introverted learner learns more effectively in individual, independent situations that are more involved with ideas and concepts. Sensing-perception contains sensing and perception styles. Sensing learner learns more effectively from reports of observable facts and happenings; prefers physical, sense-based input. Conversely, perception learner learns more effectively from meaningful experiences and from relationships with others. In thinking-feeling styles, thinking learner learns more effectively from impersonal circumstances and logical consequence; whereas feeling learner learns more effectively from personalized circumstances and social values. And in judging-perceiving styles, judging learner learns more effectively by reflection, and analy sis, and processes that involve closure; conversely, perceiving learner learns more effectively through negotiation, feeling, and inductive processes that postpone closure. Reid (1995) suggests that tolerance of ambiguity styles also belong to the affective/temperament learning styles. Ambiguity-tolerant learner learns more effectively when opportunities for experiment and risk, as well as interaction, are present; whereas ambiguity-intolerant learners learns more effectively when in less flexible, less risky, more structured situations. Reid (1995) also claims that whether the learner is left-brained or right-brained will influence learners learning styles. Left-brained learners tend toward visual, analytic, reflective, self-reliant learning; conversely, right-brained learners tend toward auditory, global/relational, impulsive, interactive learning. 2.1.3.1 Sensory Learning Styles Visual styles Visual students enjoy reading and they prefer material in a classroom environment to be presented in a visual format such as books, board work, and handouts. Auditory styles Auditory students enjoy lectures, conversations and oral directions. They prefer material in a classroom environment that is presented as auditory input such as radio, oral instruction, oral communication and audiotape. Hands-on styles Hands-on students like lots of movement and enjoy working with collages, flashcards, and tangible objects. They prefer to be physically involved with tasks, tending to prefer activities such as Total physical Response (TPR) and role-play. 2.1.3.3 Personality Learning Styles Extroversion/Introversion The dimension of styles particularly influences classroom management, especially grouping of students. Extroverted students perform most productively in a group environment, enjoying activities that involve other students, such as role-play, conversation and other interaction favoring social goals as opposed to impersonal rewards. Conversely, introverted students are stimulated most by their own inner world of ideas and feelings. They like working alone or else in a pair with someone they know well. They dislike lots of continuous group work in the ESL/EFL classroom. This contrast is somewhat similar to the categories of group/individual style made by Reid (1987). In conclusion, according to Reid (1995), the role of learning styles in foreign language learning has some fundamentals of learning styles. She claims that learning styles in the ESL/EFL classrooms is based on six hypotheses: Every person, students and teachers alike, has a learning style and learning strengths and weaknesses; Learning styles are often described as opposite, but actually they exist on wide continuum; Learning styles are value-neutral; that is, no one style is better than others (but it is true that there are students with some learning styles work better than those with some other learning styles); Students must be encouraged to stretch their learning styles so that they will be more empowered in a variety of learning situations; Students strategies are often linked to their learning styles; (6) Teachers should allow their students to become aware of their learning strengths and weaknesses.

Criminology Essays Left Realism Critique

Criminology Essays Left Realism Critique Left Realism Critique. Left realism emerged as an influential theory during the 1980s. Its drive was partly dissatisfaction with the dominant criminological perspectives of the time and partially attributable to the prevailing political climate. This essay will outline the emergence of left realism as a means of explaining its main principles. The discussion will also engage with the criticisms of left realism and identify the criminological perspectives with which it conflicts. An understanding of left realism cannot be gained without an awareness of the prevailing intellectual, ideological and political context that surrounded its emergence. Therefore, it is important to appreciate the background from which left realism emerged. In the period immediately preceding the genesis of left realism, the most prevalent and influential criminological perspectives were based largely upon Marxist theories based upon notions of utopianism that were increasingly coming to be viewed as irrelevant in light of the political ethos of Margaret Thatchers Britain (Jones: 2001, 245). In particular, left realists were extremely critical of the way that radical criminological theories presented a characterisation of criminals as political catalysts against bourgeois hegemony and therefore to attempt to explain criminal behaviour in terms of it being a revolution against the injustices imposed upon the majority of the population by the ruling classes (Moore, 1991). Radical criminological theory saw crime as a consequence of (real or imagined) economic deprivation and under-privilege. Left realists were opposed to this view which allocated responsibility for crime to the State, which was seen as an instrument of the ruling class designed to consolidate the position of the powerful and promote the interests of the rich and powerful, rather than with the individual offender. Left realists also objected to the characterisation of the offender as the victim of the labelling process; a view which was popular with symbolic interactionists who were providing a popular alternative voice to the radical criminologists during the late 1970s and early 1980s: For over two decades [criminology] has neglected the effect of crime upon the victim and concentrated on the impact of the of the state through the process of labelling on the criminalIt became an advocate for the indefensible: the criminal became the victim, the state the solitary focus of attention, while the real victim remained off-stage (Matthews and Young, 1986: iv). The rejection by left realists of these constructions of the offender demonstrated one of their central beliefs which was that the offender should be not be absolved of responsibility for his actions and that it was not appropriate to cast blame on either the institutional or structural nature of society as was the tendency of the radical and interactionist schools of criminological thought. Rather than concur with this characterisation, left realists saw criminals as well-socialised individuals who exercised conscious and rational choice in deciding to offend and who saw crime as a way of resolving their particular problems. For left realists, the problems that offenders were trying to solve came from the capitalist ideology that was predominant in 1980s society. Left realists saw this capitalism as producing egalitarian notions such as that of political equality and the deterioration of views that each individual had an immutable place in the social hierarchy that was pre-determine d at birth. With these views came feelings of deprivation amongst those who were not possessed of material wealth but who were desirous of the benefits that were enjoyed by other members of society. Left realists felt that these individuals would see criminal enterprise as a way of rectifying this perceived inequality and securing their access to the commodities of capitalist society which they craved (Hopkins Burke, 2005: 220). In this respect, left realism could be seen as promoting a return to traditional Marxist views whereby crime was seen as an individual response (by the offender) to structural inequalities created by those in power in society which actually was a counter-active diversion away from the real problems of the causes of these inequalities that could only be solved by political change. Left realism rejected the post-Marxist radical theories that characterised crime as a revolutionary endeavour. In their seminal work, Lea and Young (1984) depicted criminal behaviour as almost an amplification of capitalist normalcy. In other words, the dominant view in the 1980s was that of capitalistic self-advancement in which individual endeavours were rewarded with material gain. Lea and Young asserted that a significant percentage of criminals shared these beliefs and replicated what had become conventional social values based upon the value of individual (and self-interested) effort in a society based upon competition and motivated by material success. However, criminals did not channel their energy into legitimate pursuits such as the endeavour for advancement in employment or entrepreneurial success, preferring instead to pursue socially acceptable goals through illegitimate avenues (criminal activity). As such, left realism viewed crime as the expression of capitalist values but though non-conventional means. In one respect, left realists agree with radical theorists in that it is common ground that crime is a reaction to an unjust society (Lea and Young, 1984: 45). However, there is also disagreement in that, unlike radical criminologists, left realists do not believe that the criminal should not be blamed for responding by engaging in offending behaviour: Crime is one form of egoistic response to deprivation. Its roots are in justice but its growth often perpetrates injustice (Lea and Young, 1984: 72) This notion of crime as the illegitimate manifestation of capitalist values is one of the central principles of left realism. However, although crime is seen as a self-interested and individual enterprise, left realists also believe that crime is a group response rather than an individual decision. They believe that crime is an inevitable consequence of a social situation in which a particular group feels that it is subject to disadvantage such as in a situation whereby there is a common ideological drive to measure success in material goods but there exist barriers to the attainment of these goals for some members of society. In such a situation, particularly if there appears to be no way of circumventing the obstacles, crime is certain to result. One of the key criticisms that has been levelled against left realist explanations of crime and criminality is that its focus on economic deprivation explains only economic crime but does nothing to account for the other manifestations of offending behaviour that are prevalent in society. Left realism is prepared to counter this criticism by drawing upon strain theory (Merton, 1968) to explain how the exclusion from legitimate economic opportunity may result in financial crime to rectify the situation or violent crime as a vent for frustration at the denial of a seemingly equitable access to benefits and resources. This actually consolidates one of the key principles of left realism in that reliance is placed upon subculture theories to support the argument of left realism that those who are excluded from the benefits of mainstream society develop their own cultures, norms and principles and operate within these. Inevitably, for those excluded from legitimate avenues of enterprise, t his involves criminal behaviour (Young, 1975). One of the central principles of left realism was a conceptualisation of crime that did not take an offender-centred view. Young proposed a square of crime in which the four key components were the offender, the victim, the agencies of formal control (such as the police) and the agencies of informal control (such as other members of society). This was an important tenet of left realism because it challenged a major paradox within radical theories; that of the powerless working-class criminal driven to offending behaviour as a result of the oppression of the privileged classes. Lea and Young examined official crime statistics and victim report surveys (such as the British Crime Survey) and concluded that although members of the working class appear to commit a disproportionate amount of crime, they often target the other members of the working class as their victims. Left realism addressed the issue of the ordinary victim of crime and thus changed the emphasis within criminological th eory and, gradually, within the practices of the criminal justice system. In particular, the square of crime ensured that crime prevention strategies were evolved which took account of the contributions of each of the four factors: To control crime from a realist perspective involves intervention at each part of the square of crime: at the level of the factors which give rise to the putative offender (such as structural unemployment), the informal system (such as lack of public mobilisation), the victim (such as inadequate target hardening) and the formal system (such as ineffective policing) (Young, 1986: 41). This emphasises one of the main principles of left realism; the belief in a joined up approach to tackling the problems of crime. However, this multi-causal approach that takes account of a variety of factors in explaining criminality could be accused of borrowing from a range of sociological explanations of crime, such as strain and control theories, and amalgamating selected aspects of these and giving them a Marxist slant. It seems reasonable to state that there is nothing particularly new in left realism; it is a pragmatic restatement of a number of established criminological principles taken from a particular ideological perspective (Downes and Rock, 2003: 292). However, left realism did become influential in raising awareness of the plight of victims of crime thus negating their invisibility and overcoming their marginalisation. Lea and Youngs studies showed that official statistics gave an incomplete picture of the extent of victimisation and therefore presented an inaccurate impression of the nature and extent of criminal activity. For Lea and Young, victim studies gave a fair more comprehensive and accurate account of victimisation, firstly because they included information about crimes which had occurred but which victims may not have reported to the police and, secondly, because they were capable of analysis on the basis of geographic location thus giving a true impression of the localised nature of much criminal behaviour. One of the other most notable contributions of left realism to criminological theory that emerged from victim surveys is the recognition of fear of crime as a significant social problem that is just as in need of re solution as actual crime . By acknowledging the existence of victims of crime, left realists gave voice to notions of pre-emptive strategies to counteract attempts at criminal behaviour: The organisation of communities in an attempt to pre-empt crime is of the utmost importance (Lea and Young, 1984: 267). This emphasis on the community and its role and importance in combating crime typifies the principles of cohesion and inclusion that characterises left realism. At its core, left realism is seeking for realistic strategies that will have a quantifiable impact upon crime (and fear of crime) within communities, especially amongst the poor and disadvantaged who are the most frequent victims of crime. This has been said to be a central component of contemporary left realism (Matthews and Young, 1992: 2). Notwithstanding this emphasis on the prevention of crime, it is a fundamental principle of left realism that the attainment of justice is more important than controlling crime. As such, the police play a key role in maintaining social control by establishing, maintaining and nurturing good community relations so as not to alienate the populace to whom they should be fully accountable (Kinsey, Lea and Young, 1986). Many of the criticisms levelled against left realists were voiced by the radical theorists of whom the left realists themselves were so critical. For example, Lea and Young criticised radical theorists for their excessive concentration of corporate crime and their marginalisation of real crime that affects ordinary people even though they accept that corporate crime is worse than working-class crime. Radical theorists counter by questioning why Lea and Young are prepared to view working-class crime as more serious merely because it is what ordinary people fear. Surely, it is argued, the actuality of crime is more potent and more serious than the fear of falling victim to a crime that may never occur. Left realists have no effective rejoinder for this criticism, other than to draw attention to the way in which fear of crime can have a real and negative impact upon ordinary members of society, by preventing them from going about their ordinary business, for example, or avoiding particu lar activities or places (Young, 1999). The multi-causal approach of left realism can also be criticised for failing to explain all forms of criminal behaviour. Feminist criminological theorists have also been critical of left realism in its tackling both of female criminal behaviour and of its failure to explain crimes that are traditionally seen as targeting women, such as rape. Just as it could be criticised for failing to provide an adequate explanation of different types of criminal behaviour, left realism can be accused of an overly one-dimensional focus on young, male, working-class criminal behaviour to the detriment of offenders from other socio-demographic backgrounds. Female criminality is largely unaddressed and, moreover, exposes a central weakness in one of the key principles of left realism; the reliance on relative deprivation as an explanation of criminal behaviour. For example, Lea and Young assert that crime results from the exclusion of a particular group from legitimate opportunities for success and material gain. In light of this, it would be expected that female criminality, which was always extremely low, would decrea se even further as women gained greater equality in the workplace as this would ensure that they were less excluded from legitimate avenues of success. However, the converse proved to be true and the greater prominence of women in the workplace was mirrored by a growth in female offending; an outcome that is directly contrary to the explanation of criminal behaviour propounded by left realists (Smart, 1989). Equally, it is difficult to see how left realism can explain sexual crimes against women unless this falls within the same category as violent crimes that are the result of frustration following a failure to achieve legitimate success. This seems an extremely tenuous argument for such complex crimes and, in any case, left realists have tended not to engage with the issue of rape to any great degree thus the explanation remains speculative (Heidensohn, 1985). Overall, it is clear that the emergence of left realism was both a product of the prevailing political climate and a strong influence on the social and political development of more cohesive approaches to crime control and prevention that drew together a range of players in the criminal justice process rather than focusing exclusively on the offender. As a theoretical perspective, it expanded the focus of criminological enquiry and moved beyond the dominant ideology of the 1970s and early 1980s. As such, its contribution to criminological debate cannot be under-estimated. However, it can be criticised as a rather narrowly-focussed theory that fails to provide an adequate explanation of the full gamut of criminal behaviour. It has, however, provided a building block upon which other theories can build a broader and more wide-ranging explanation of criminality. Bibliography Downes, P. and Rock, P., (2003) Understanding Deviance, 4th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press Heidensohn, F., (1985) Women and Crime, London: Routledge Hopkins Burke, R., (2005) An Introduction to Criminological Theory, Cullompton: Willan Jones, S., (2001) Criminology, 2nd ed., London: Butterworths Kinsey, R., Lea, J. and Young, J., (1986) Losing the Fight Against Crime, Oxford: Blackwell Press Lea, J. and Young, J., (1984) What is to be Done About Law and Order, Harmondsworth: Penguin Press Matthews, R. and Young, J., (1992) Issues in Realist Criminology, London: Sage Publications Merton, R., (1968) Social Theory and Social Structure, New York: Free Press Moore, S., (1991) Investigating Crime and Deviance, London: Collins Educational Publishers Smart, C., (1989) Feminism and the Power of the Law, London: Routledge Young, J., Left Realism and the Priorities of Crime Control in Stenson, K. and Cowell, D., (eds.) (1999) The Politics of Crime Control, London: Sage Publishing Young, J., Ten Points of Realism in Matthews, R. and Young, J., (1986) Issues in Realist Criminology, London: Sage Publications Young, J., Working Class Criminology in Taylor, I., Walton, P. and Young, J., (eds.) (1975) Critical Criminology, London: Routledge

Gender Differences :: essays papers

Gender Differences I was surprised finding out that the topic for our paper was about our feelings of belonging to the other gender. I think the title of the book "Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus" by John Gray applies to how different men and women are in their attitudes, feelings and lifestyles. This experience for me will be enjoyable for me since I have never thought what it would be like to be a female and also to hopefully give me a better insight on a few questions that have interest me about women since I was a little kid. Both, men and women, are constantly concerned about looking "good" even though they are physically different. In order to look appealing to others, men are supposed to be big, strong, and athletic, whereas women are supposed to be thin, pretty, and big-breasted. I often wonder why we put so much emphasis on the way a person looks. I think females feel more of the pressures of looking "good". In the past, I've talked to some of my girlfriends and they told me that the pressure and competition they are faced with is stressful and painful. I told them that I am not too critical when checking out girls and when it comes to seeing other males bigger or stronger than myself, that I don't feel too much pressure of trying to look better than them. I am rather more concerned of my own health and ways to improve it. I was really surprised when they told me that other girls are the ones who usually criticize or pressure them. When I was aware of this, I did notice, at times, while walking around casually with my girl friends, when they weren't looking appropriate, would get stares, hisses or comments from other females. I was even surprised when I heard my girlfriends talking about other girls right in front of me, even though most of these time s I didn't notice anything wrong or different about the other girls they were talking about. From this observation, I think the pressure of always looking good would be greater if I was to be a female. I would always try to look good and to please others. Girls, I think, are faced with enormous pressures to look good. Television, for example, almost never features old,

Rice Works to Keep Gaza Pullout on Track :: essays research papers

Rice Works to Keep Gaza Pullout on Track By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer 1 hour, 8 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice scrambled her schedule Friday to add a trip to the Middle East designed to nurture Israel's promised withdrawal from Gaza and part of the West Bank despite a spate of terror attacks. ADVERTISEMENT With the pullout a month away, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, "All the parties need to make the maximum effort to see that this disengagement process is a success." McCormack gave no precise date for Rice to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, but the trip was tacked onto one to Africa she is expected to undertake next week. "It's a potentially historic moment, and the parties should seize the opportunity to realize all the potential from this disengagement," the spokesman said, indicating Rice also wants to look beyond this summer's Israeli pullback. McCormack said Rice would cover Senegal, Sudan, Israel and the Palestinian territories from Tuesday through July 24. In spite of a surge of terror attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remains committed to pulling all settlers and troops out of Gaza and part of the West Bank. But Sharon has frequently made clear that he does not intend to give ground under threat of terror. Rice's diversion to the region from Africa, where she had been considering a number of stops, was announced after a flare-up of violence that threatened an already tattered Mideast truce. Rice has used telephone diplomacy in the last few days to try to keep Israel and the Palestinians on track to an orderly withdrawal and to encourage Palestinian leaders to go after terrorists. She told Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, while returning on her jet plane from an Asian trip Wednesday, that he must take immediate action to find and prosecute those responsible for the killing of four Israelis this week in Netanya.

Novel Review of the Man in the Iron Mask Essay

Summary The man in the iron mask is the continuing story of those famous musketeers who were introduced to us in The Three Musketeers – Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d’Artagnan. While it has been more than twenty years since their great deeds were performed, the four appear to be just as strong and brave as then. When Aramis visited the prison, he saw a man whose face is hidden behind an iron mask. The prisoner has been entombed for eight years, but he is not a criminal and he is yet to commit a crime. But Aramis knows the secret of the prisoner’s identity, a secret that is so dangerous that its revelation could fall the King of France from his throne! Aramis is plotting against the King and he didn’t even told his friends. The motto of the Musketeers has been â€Å"All for one, and one for all.† Has Aramis betrayed his friends? Will they each prevail or is this the end of the four musketeers? Social/ Historical Context The story takes place in the early 16th century in France. The Man in the Iron Mask was a name given to a prisoner arrested as Eustache Dauger in 1669 or 1670, and held in a number of jails, including the Bastille and the Fortress of Pignerol (today Pinerolo). He was held in the custody of the same jailer, for a period of 34 years. The possible identity of this man has been thoroughly discussed and has been the subject of many books, because no one ever saw his face, which was hidden by a mask of black velvet cloth. In the late 1840s, the writer Alexandre Dumas elaborated on the theme in the final instalment of his Three Musketeers. Writing Style The story is narrative. Some words are hard to understand. It is a historical fiction novel. The mysterious prisoner was the central of the story. My Thoughts I only give 4 ratings even though I love the story because I have this feeling while I’m reading the novel that I want more. I wasn’t satisfied, and I don’t know why. This novel is one of my favorite books now, even though I wasn’t super satisfied of the story. I love to read Alexandre Dumas novels. I really like his works especially ‘The Count of Monte Cristo† because of its fast-paced and action-packed plot. He wrote his novels well and it’s not boring. Dumas has a skill in creating complicated and interesting plots that will keep you biting your nails. And the most important thing is that you can get a moral lesson from his novel. I really love the characters in this story because their personalities didn’t change. I love the quotes written in the story. Their friendship in this story is so precious. They work together and help each other. I really like their motto â€Å"All for one, and one for all†.

Factors That Influence Job Design Essay

Factors that influence job design, hiring, training and performance appraisals that supervisors must take into account. Staff members are required to perform a clear set of job activities that are designed to accomplish organizational objectives (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). There are two considerations that should be taken into account when designing specific staff roles. The first consideration is that the job will need to be designed to meet accomplishment of program objectives, satisfaction of key holder expectations; and the clients. The second consideration is that the job should have incorporated elements that provide a working environment for employee’s that is high quality. If employees have a quality work environment, they will find their jobs stimulating, meaningful and will be more committed to organizational goals (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). Read more:  Describe factors which may influence children’s development essay Other factors that may influence job design are the need for basic level of knowledge and skills, pay and working conditions. Factors that influence hiring are qualifications, education and specific prior experience. Screening grids and checklists are used to organize key information about candidates. The grid provides information about the candidates that relate to qualifications, educations, and prior experience. A check list is also used to provide details that will reflect the ratings for meeting, not meeting, or exceeding expectations. After the screening has been completed, only the best candidates will be considered for further processing. There will also be a need for a certain degree of match between the goals of the applicant and the mission of the organization (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). Careful consideration is given to the use of resources and participant motivation, and so training programs will be based on the assessment of real needs. Certain factors influence job training and these factors are management support, legitimate training needs, Learning objectives, experienced trainer, learner ability and motivation, readiness and emotional support. The most influential factor is management support. Management should provide an environment that is conducive to learning, and encourage professional development. Legitimate training needs will need to be considered, and through a training needs analysis, a deficiency in employee performance can be determined (McDonough, 2011). Learning objectives that are set prior to the start of training are considered an important key factor. Effective trainers will ensure that the expectations  as well as the needs of the employee are met. Employees must have a readiness, ability and the motivation to learn. Employees that perceive learning as a benefit will be motivated, ready and willing to learn. Immediate benefits of new skills learned will increase employee emotional investment. Emotional investment helps employee’s to retain and to relate to the new information they have learned (McDonough, 2011). Performance appraisals can be influenced by certain factors, and it is important that supervisors give these factors careful consideration. These factors are documented process, evaluation of results and follow-up and performance improvement. Performance appraisals are an important process for supervisors and management, and are used to identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement. Documented process will ensure that the performance appraisal will be effective. Supervisors should be reminded that this process exists, how it works, and where to get assistance if it is needed. Periodic training of performance appraisals may be needed. Evaluation results will provide general information about the performance level of the employees (Chron, n.d.) Supervisors and employees should use this performance appraisal as a tool that will help increase performance. Members of Team â€Å"A† discussed personal challenges of supervisor or as a supervised employee. Reading through the personal challenges, I found that we all encountered familiar challenges. Some of these challenges related to the different personalities within the work place and how it can affect a team. Jealousy became a factor as a supervisor, and employees became disrespectful and resentful. Receiving a promotion over other employees that believed they deserved it, were soon scrutinized by other coworkers. Stress relating to longer hours and increased responsibilities is another fam iliar challenge we all shared. Motivating employees was a challenge that was shared as a supervisor, and the realization of how important motivation is to the team.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing Essay

Throughout history there have been many individuals whose statements have made an impact on the lives of those around them and on the world. A person may say something out of impulse that sounds bizarre, but when others realize what was said they begin to feel moved. Alexander Pope once said, â€Å"A little learning is a dangerous thing.† (Phrase Finder) This essentially means a small amount of knowledge can cause people to think they are more expert than they are and consequently make unwise choices. An individual’s confidence of being an expert on a subject when in reality he is not can be a hazardous state of mind and has never been more apparent than in the twentieth century. The nuclear reactor meltdown at Three Mile Island in New Jersey illustrates the validity of Pope’s statement. â€Å"On Sunday afternoon, while Carter was still there, Victor Stello found the proof he needed. They discovered that Mattson and his team of consultants had been using the wrong formula to determine the risk posed by the hydrogen bubble.†(Roger Mattson) This clearly shows that the wrong information used in the calculations for the reactor caused the whole project to fail. The scientists were hooked on the fact that they were using the correct formula that they did not make sure that it was correct in its entirety. The carelessness of the scientists resulted in millions of dollars spent for clean up and contamination of land and water. This contamination could be lethal to individuals and is all because of a very simple mistake. If the ego of the scientists had been smaller the entire disaster may have been avoided. Pope knew that little knowledge can cause people to act based on rumors which is exemplified by the destruction of Merrill Hall. Merrill Hall was destroyed by ELF (Earth Liberation Front) arsonists who said that Toby Bradshaw’s study of tree genetics was causing harm to the environment. (McCormick p.1) However, what the arsonists said and what actually happened are two different stories. â€Å"I have never genetically engineered a tree, much less released one into the environment.† he [Bradshaw] stated. â€Å"These â€Å"transgenetic† samples are purely experimental and never leave the lab.†(McCormick) The forestry professor estimates that, since 1995, he has worked with 80 transgenetic tissue samples compared to about 15,000 poplar  seedlings bred traditionally. The work that Bradshaw is doing does not have an effect on the environment in any way. His studies are strictly for research and cause no harm to anyone. The ELF may have had good intentions, but they destroyed a very expensive building based on untrue facts about what was going on inside of the building. Incidents like this are capable of being avoided if people take more time to examine the situation and act with certainty. A more subtle example of when little knowledge proved be a dangerous thing was the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers on agricultural produce. â€Å"More and more people are making decisions that affect agriculture without having the necessary educational references to benefit society in the long run. Many people no longer know where or how their food originates and really don’t care, assuming it will always be available when needed. Many also assume that farmers recklessly apply pesticides and they react with alarm to media reports filed by equally uninformed reporters.†(Causley) This excerpt explains that people do not know anything when it comes to the origin of their food. It also gives an explanation why mistakes that could be avoided are not. People do not care what is done to their food assuming that everything that is put into it is safe. DDT, a toxic pesticide used to kill grasshoppers feeding on crops, was one of the biggest killers of bald eagles in the United States. It also was shown to cause birth defects and premature death. Nobody wants to have poison in the food he or she consumes, but it cannot be taken out or spoken against if people do not realize that it is present. â€Å"The time is right, it seems, to provide children with special opportunities: that of witnessing the germination of a seed, tasting a newly picked strawberry, or marveling as baby chicks emerge from eggs. There will be a myriad of other experiences necessary on a day-to-day basis to carry their learning into adulthood. Children tend to reach the goals set before them–so if there is to be a strong agriculture in tomorrow’s world, the foundations must be laid now.†(Causley) Children’s attitudes are easier to change than adults. If a sense of care is engrained into a child’s mind at a young age there may be a chance to change the careless actions of the world into carefulness. Perhaps the most apparent truth regarding Pope’s statement is the genocide that took place during World War II. Almost the entire Jewish community living in Germany was massacred. This is because the Germans believed that the Jewish people were to blame for their problems. The German people believed that killing the Jews was the right thing to do. They based their beliefs on speeches by influential leaders and on propaganda. The people doing the actual killing of the Jews were told lies and cover stories to make them believe that they were helping their country. The executioners acted based on little knowledge they were told by biased sources. They were, in a way, brainwashed into believing that murder is acceptable. None of the major religions in the world teach that murder is good, yet the Nazis who killed millions of Jews believed that maybe in some circumstances it was accepted. Over 6 million Jews were killed under the command of Adolph Hitler. (Gurdus) The charisma of Hi tler is most likely higher than that of any leader in history. The German people believed every word that came out of Hitler’s mouth, and it is because of this that the Jews were persecuted. Hitler told the people that the Jews were the cause of the economy failure and that they were responsible for Germany’s poor condition. He promised to make Germany strong again. Many people who were still confused after World War I bought into Hitler’s claims and followed him. He became very powerful and used his power to get Germans to slaughter the Jews. The Jews were blamed for the downfall of Germany, but in reality it was the unwise decisions of the leaders. The Jewish people could not have been the cause for the defeat in World War I, but Germans believed that the Jews were at fault because of lies preached to them. The Jews were not just killed, they were tortured. Many of the Jews were burned alive, which is very painful. Others were forced to inhale toxic gasses causing internal bleeding and organ failures which led to death. (Herzstein) Also, every Jew had to wear the Star of David on their clothing so everyone would be able to tell if they were Jewish or not. The cruelty of the German people is almost unbelievable and is due to the ignorance that they did nothing about. The fact that many of the Germans could have simply said, â€Å"no† is what makes this tragedy even worse. The Germans believed everything they were told and took millions of innocent lives because they felt that what they knew about the Jews was truthful and that they were doing what was best for mankind. A person attesting Pope’s statement might exploit the people who knew little medical information but because of training they were able to help out another. A little bit of knowledge on how to care for someone who has been cut badly or has a broken bone may help save that person’s life. Simple knowledge on how to properly clean and dress a wound can prevent infection, amputation, or even death. (McClarty) When a person knows techniques that can help save lives, their life and the lives of those around them are at less of a risk. This argument is valid except that it does not cover the main issue at hand. If a person knows how to dress a wound then their little knowledge can be good, but if that same person thinks they can perform a heart transplant because of their wound healing abilities then they may cause someone else to die. Believing that one is an expert in a field they have little knowledge about can deeply affect the world. Having a high self-esteem is a good thing, but when it becomes too high and a person believes he is capable of things he is not then the high self-esteem turns into chaos. People specialize in one particular field of study so they can help others. It is impossible for everyone got a PhD in every subject, so becoming an expert in one field is the best way to organize society. Doubting the truth also is acceptable sometimes, but doubting the truth and acting when you are not sure of the truth is when trouble begins. A little learning can spawn an appetite for a greater knowledge, but acting before obtaining the amount of knowledge necessary for proper engagement is a dangerous thing.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Essay

The wind made in the tree’s branches the music olian harps. † Ambrose Bierce uses allusions and imagery to create a sense of wonderment and mysteriousness for first-time readers of his historical fiction story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Within this short story, a man named Peyton Farquhar is being hung from Owl Creek Bridge for trespassing into Union territory during the civil war. As he is dropped the rope breaks and he makes his escape after dropping into the river below. After swimming through gunfire and a vortex, traversing through an endless forest, and suffering thirst and weariness, Farquhar finally reaches his home. Just as he is greeted by his wife, Farquhar’s world ends as his neck breaks and his body is hanging from the bridge. The sudden conclusion reveals the past events, starting from the rope breaking, was all a hallucination. While the ending shocks many first-time readers, second-time readers may recognize numerous instances of foreshadowing implemented into the figurative language used to create emotion. In order to embed this foreshadowing, Bierce creates certain events in the hallucination that correspond with events outside of the hallucination. Furthermore, he adds conspicuous allusions to Greek mythology. Lastly, Bierce formulates a very unnatural and vague setting around Peyton Farquhar as he is hallucinating. Veteran readers will notice these three key components of foreshadowing. â€Å"Suddenly he felt himself†¦ spinning like a top† is an example of foreshadowing found in hallucination events. In the hallucination, Farquhar is spinning around in the vortex of water. In the actual events, he is spinning as he is dropping from the plank. Other examples of this style of foreshadowing exist in the story. â€Å"†¦ e could no longer close them [his eyes]† Conscious of the ending, veteran readers will view this quote as a sign that his neck is being constricted in real life due to the rope around his neck. Lastly, â€Å"He could no longer feel the roadway beneath his feet. † shows that Farquhar is in midair, and close to his death. Readers of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge may at first conside r these texts as an emphasis on the weariness of the doomed man. However, these double as premonition for the sudden conclusion. Allusions to a largely known fundament of Greek mythology, Hades, is tilized to further foreshadow the closure of the story. â€Å"The road was as wide and straight as a city street. No fields bordered it, no dwelling anywhere. † this quote is a metaphorical reference comparing the scene in the Farquhar’s mind to the River Styx in Hades. The small instance of the word â€Å"fields† may refer to the Fields of Asphodel, also found in Hades of Greek myth. â€Å"Not so much as the barking of a dog suggested human habitation. † This quote from the story is an allusion to Cerberus, the three-headed dog of the Underworld. These particular citations all refer to Hades, which is broadly used as a symbol for death. Lastly, Bierce makes use of a strange and vague setting to give readers a feeling of mysteriousness and apprehension. This setting, found towards the concluding paragraphs of the story, also heralding Farquhar’s death. â€Å"He distinctly heard whispers in an unknown tongue†¦ † suggests paranormal entities envisioned around him. In this same setting, the â€Å"black† trees on both sides of the road formed â€Å"a straight wall†, creating a dark and morbid mood with the black trees and the â€Å"formal† configuration of the trees. This bleak setting foreshadows death and instigates a feeling of eeriness. Rereading An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge with familiarity on the story can yield and uncover a myriad of clever and subtle foreshadowing the astounding denouement. Much of the foreshadowing is combined with plot elements, such as setting, suspenseful climax, and figurative language. Ambrose Bierce used the described techniques to contribute to the inconspicuous foreshadowing of the ending, and thus, recreated the meanings of his written words.

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER SIXTEEN CONVERGENCE

CONVERGENCE When Stor Gendibal finally made out Compor's ship on his viewscreen, it seemed like the end of an incredibly long journey. Yet, of course, it was not the end, but merely the beginning. The journey from Trantor to Sayshell had been nothing but prologue. Novi looked awed. â€Å"Is that another ship of space, Master?† â€Å"Spaceship, Novi. It is. It's the one we have been striving to reach. It is a larger ship than this one – and a better one. It can move through space so quickly that if it fled from us, this ship could not possibly catch it – or even follow it.† â€Å"Faster than a ship of the masters?† Sura Novi seemed appalled by the thought. Gendibal shrugged. â€Å"I may be, as you say, a master, but I am not a master in all things. We scholars do not have ships like these, nor do we have many of the material devices that the owners of those ships have.† â€Å"But how can scholars lack such things, Master?† â€Å"Because we are masters in what is important. The material advances that these others have are trifles.† Novi's brows bent together in thought. â€Å"It seems to me that to go so quickly that a master cannot follow is no trifle. Who are these people who are wonder – having – who have such things?† Gendibal was amused. â€Å"They call themselves the Foundation. Have you ever heard of the Foundation?† (He caught himself wondering what the Hamish knew or did not know of the Galaxy and why it never occurred to the Speakers to wonder about such things. – Or was it only he who had never wondered about such things – only he who assumed that the Hamish cared for nothing more than grubbing in the soil.) Novi shook her head thoughtfully. â€Å"I have never heard of it, Master. When the schoolmaster taught me letter-lore – how to read, I mean – he told me there were many other worlds and told me the names of some. He said our Hamish world had the proper name of Trantor and that it once ruled all the worlds. He said Trantor was covered with gleaming iron and had an Emperor who was an allmaster.† Her eyes looked up at Gendibal with a shy merriment. â€Å"I unbelieve most of it, though. There are many stories the wordspinners tell in the meeting-halls in the time of longer nights. When I was a small girl, I believed them all, but as I grew older, I found that many of them were not true. I believe very few now; perhaps none. Even schoolmasters tell unbelievables.† â€Å"Just the same, Novi, that particular story of the schoolmaster is true – but it was long ago. Trantor was indeed covered by metal and had indeed an Emperor who ruled all the Galaxy. Now, however, it is the people of the Foundation who will someday rule all the worlds. They grow stronger all the time.† â€Å"They will rule all, Master?† â€Å"Not immediately. In five hundred years.† â€Å"And they will master the masters as well?† â€Å"No, no. They will rule the worlds. We will rule them – for their safety and the safety of all the worlds.† Novi was frowning again. She said, â€Å"Master, do these people of the Foundation have many of these remarkable ships?† â€Å"I imagine so, Novi.† â€Å"And other things that are very-astonishing?† â€Å"They have powerful weapons of all kinds.† â€Å"Then, Master, can they not take all the worlds now?† â€Å"No, they cannot. It is not yet time.† â€Å"But why can they not? Would the masters stop them?† â€Å"We wouldn't have to, Novi. Even if we did nothing, they could not take all the worlds.† â€Å"But what would stop them?† â€Å"You see,† began Gendibal, â€Å"there is a plan that a wise man once devised†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stopped, smiled slightly, and shook his head. â€Å"It is hard to explain, Novi. Another time, perhaps. In fact, when you see what will happen before we ever see Trantor again, you may even understand without my explaining.† â€Å"What will happen, Master?† â€Å"I am not sure, Novi. But all will happen well.† He turned away and prepared to make contact with Compor. And, as he did so, he could not quite keep an inner thought from saying: At least I hope so. He was instantly angry with himself, for he knew the source of that foolish and weakening drift of thought. It was the picture of the elaborate and enormous Foundation might in the shape of Compor's ship and it was his chagrin at Novi's open admiration of it. Stupid! How could he let himself compare the possession of mere strength and power with the possession of the ability to guide events? It was what generations of Speakers had called â€Å"the fallacy of the hand at the throat.† To think that he was not yet immune to its allures. Munn Li Compor was not in the least sure as to how he ought to comport himself. For most of his life, he had had the vision of allpowerful Speakers existing just beyond his circle of experience, Speakers, with whom he was occasionally in contact and who had, in their mysterious grip, the whole of humanity. Of them all, it had been Stor Gendibal to whom, in recent years, he had turned for direction. It was not even a voice he had encountered most times, but a mere presence in his mind-hyperspeech without a hyper-relay. In this respect, the Second Foundation had gone far beyond the Foundation. Without material device, but just by the educated and advanced power of the mind alone, they could reach across the par. sees in a manner that could not be tapped, could not be infringed upon. It was an invisible, indetectable network that held all the worlds fast through the mediation of a relatively few dedicated individuals. Compor had, more than once, experienced a kind of uplifting at the thought of his role. How small the band of which he was one; how enormous an influence they exerted. – And how secret it all was. Even his wife knew nothing of his hidden life. And it was the Speakers who held the strings – and this one Speaker, this Gendibal, who might (Compor thought) be the next First Speaker, the more-than-Emperor of a more-than-Empire. Now Gendibal was here, in a ship of Trantor, and Compor fought to stifle his disappointment at not having such a meeting take place on Trantor itself. Could that be a ship of Trantor? Any of the early Traders who had carried the Foundation's wares through a hostile Galaxy would have had a better ship than that. No wonder it had taken the Speaker so long to cover the distance from Trantor to Sayshell. It was not even equipped with a unidock mechanism that would have welded the two ships into one when the crosstransfer of personnel was desired. Even the contemptible Sayshellian fleet was equipped with it. Instead, the Speaker had to match velocities and then cast a tether across the gap and swing along it, as in Imperial days. That was it, thought Compor gloomily, unable to repress the feeling. The ship was no more than an old-fashioned Imperial vessel and a small one at that. Two figures were moving across the tether – one of them so clumsily that it was clear it had never attempted to maneuver through space before. – Finally they were on board and removed their space suits. Speaker Stor Gendibal was of moderate height and of unimpressive appearance; he was not large and powerful, nor did he exude an air of learning. His dark, deep-set eyes were the only indication of his wisdom. But now the Speaker looked about with a clear indication of being in awe himself. The other was a woman as tall as Gendibal, plain in appearance. Her mouth was open in astonishment as she looked about. Moving across the tether had not been an entirely unpleasant experience for Gendibal. He was not a spaceman – no Second Foundationer was – but neither was he a complete surface worm, for no Second Foundationer was allowed to be that. The possible need for space flight was, after all, always looming above them, though every Second Foundationer hoped the need would arise only infrequently. (Preem Palver – the extent of whose space travels was legendary – had once said, ruefully, that the measure of the success of a Speaker was the fewness of the times he was compelled to move through space in order to assure the success of the Plan.) Gendibal had had to use a tether three times before. This was his fourth use and even if he had felt tension over the matter, it would have disappeared in his concern for Sura Novi. He needed no mentalics to see that stepping into nothingness had totally upset her. â€Å"I be afeared, Master,† she said when he explained what would have to be done. â€Å"It be naughtness into which I will make footstep.† If nothing else, her sudden descent into thick Hamish dialect showed the extent of her disturbance. Gendibal said gently, â€Å"I cannot leave you on board this ship, Novi, for I will be going into the other and I must have you with me. There is no danger, for your space suit will protect you from all harm and there is no place for you to fall to. Even if you lose your grip on the tether, you will remain nearly where you are and I will be within arm's reach so that I can gather you in. Come, Novi, show me that you are brave enough – as well as bright enough – to become a scholar.† She made no further objection and Gendibal, unwilling to do anything that might disturb the smoothness of her mind-set, nevertheless managed to inject a soothing touch upon the surface of her mind. â€Å"You can still speak to me,† he said, after they were each enclosed in a space suit. â€Å"I can hear you if you think hard. Think the words hard and clearly, one by one. You can hear me now, can't you?† â€Å"Yes, Master,† she said. He could see her lips move through the transparent faceplate and he said, â€Å"Say it without moving your lips, Novi. There is no radio in the kind of suits that scholars have. it is all done with the mind.† Her lips did not move and her look grew more anxious: Can you hear me, Master? Perfectly well, thought Gendibal – and his lips did not move either: Do you hear me? I do, Master. Then come with me and do as I do. They moved across. Gendibal knew the theory of it, even if he could handle the practice only moderately well. The trick was to keep one's legs extended and together and to swing them from the hips alone. That kept the center of gravity moving in a straight line as the arms swung forward in steady alternation. He had explained this to Sura Novi and, without turning to look at her, he studied the stance of her body from the set of the motor areas of her brain. For a first-timer, she did very well, almost as well as Gendibal was managing to do. She repressed her own tensions and she followed directions. Gendibal found himself, once again, very pleased with her. She was, however, clearly glad to be on board ship again – and so was Gendibal. He looked about as he removed his space suit and was rather dumbfounded at the luxury and style of the equipment. He recognized almost nothing and his heart sank at the thought that he might have very little time to learn how to handle it all. He might have to transfer expertise directly from the man already on board, something that was never quite as satisfactory as true learning. Then he concentrated on Compor. Compor was tall and lean, a few years older than himself, rather handsome in a slightly weak way, with tightly waved hair of a startling buttery yellow. And it was clear to Gendibal that this person was disappointed in, and even contemptuous of, the Speaker he was now meeting for the first time. What was more, he was entirely unsuccessful in hiding the fact. Gendibal did not mind such things, on the whole. Compor was not a Trantorian – nor a full Second Foundationer – and he clearly had his illusions. Even the most superficial scan of his mind showed that. Among these was the illusion that true power was necessarily related to the appearance of power. He might, of course, keep his illusions as long as they did not interfere with what Gendibal needed, but at the present moment, this particular illusion did so interfere. What Gendibal did was the mentalic equivalent of a snap of the fingers. Compor staggered slightly under the impress of a sharp but fleeting pain. There was an impress of enforced concentration that puckered the skin of his thought and left the man with the awareness of a casual but awesome power that could be utilized if the Speaker chose. Compor was left with a vast respect for Gendibal. Gendibal said pleasantly, â€Å"I am merely attracting your attention, Compor, my friend. Please let me know the present whereabouts of your friend, Golan Trevize, and his friend, Janov Pelorat.† Compor said hesitantly, â€Å"Shall I speak in the presence of the woman, Speaker?† â€Å"The woman, Compor, is an extension of myself. There is no reason, therefore, why you should not speak openly.† â€Å"As you say, Speaker. Trevize and Pelorat are now approaching a planet known as Gaia.† â€Å"So you said in your last communication the other day. Surely they have already landed on Gaia and perhaps left again. They did not stay long on Sayshell Planet.† â€Å"They had not yet landed during the time I followed them, Speaker. They were approaching the planet with great caution, pausing substantial periods between micro-Jumps. it is clear to me they have no information about the planet they are approaching and therefore hesitate.† â€Å"Do you have information, Compor?† â€Å"I have none, Speaker,† said Compor, â€Å"or at least my ship's computer has none.† â€Å"This computer?† Gendibal's eyes fell upon the control panel and he asked in sudden hope, â€Å"Can it aid usefully in running the ship?† â€Å"It can run the ship completely, Speaker. One need merely think into it.† Gendibal felt suddenly uneasy. â€Å"The Foundation has gone that far?† â€Å"Yes, but clumsily. The computer does not work well. I must repeat my thoughts several times and even then I get but minimal information.† Gendibal said, â€Å"I may be able to do better than that.† â€Å"I am sure of it, Speaker,† said Compor respectfully. â€Å"But never mind that for the moment. Why does it have no information on Gaia?† â€Å"I do not know, Speaker. It claims to have – as far as a computer may be said to be able to claim – records on every human – inhabited planet in the Galaxy.† â€Å"It cannot have more information than has been fed into it and if those who did the feeding thought they had records of all such planets when, in actual fact, they had not, then the computer would labor under the same misapprehension. Correct?† â€Å"Certainly, Speaker.† â€Å"Did you inquire at Sayshell?† â€Å"Speaker,† said Compor uneasily, â€Å"there are people who speak of Gaia on Sayshell, but what they say is valueless. Clearly superstition. The tale they tell is that Gaia is a powerful world that held off even the Mule.† â€Å"Is that what they say, indeed?† said Gendibal, suppressing excitement. â€Å"Were you so sure that this was superstition that you asked for no details?† â€Å"No, Speaker. I asked a great deal, but what I have just told you is all that anyone can say. They can speak on the subject at great length, but when they have done so, all that it boils down to is what I have just said.† â€Å"Apparently,† said Gendibal, â€Å"that is what Trevize has heard, too, and he goes to Gaia for some reason connected with that – to tap this great power, perhaps. And he does so cautiously, for perhaps he also fears this great power.† â€Å"That is certainly possible, Speaker.† â€Å"And yet you did not follow?† â€Å"I did follow, Speaker, long enough to make sure he was indeed making for Gaia. I then returned here to the outskirts of the Gaian system.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Three reasons, Speaker. First, you were about to arrive and I wanted to meet you at least partway and bring you aboard at the earliest moment, as you had directed. Since my ship has a hyperrelay on board, I could not move too far away from Trevize and Pelorat without rousing suspicion on Terminus, but I judged I could risk moving this far. Second, when it was clear that Trevize was approaching Gaia Planet very slowly, I judged there would be time enough for me to move toward you and hasten our meeting without being overtaken by events, especially since you would be more competent than I to follow him to the planet itself and to handle any emergency that might arise.† â€Å"Quite true. And the third reason?† â€Å"Since our last communication, Speaker, something has happened that I did not expect and do not understand. I felt that – for that reason, too – I had better hasten our meeting as soon as I dared.† â€Å"And this event that you did not expect and do not understand?† â€Å"Ships of the Foundation fleet are approaching the Sayshellian frontier. My computer has picked up this information from Sayshellian news broadcasts. At least five advanced ships are in the flotilla and these have enough power to overwhelm Sayshell.† Gendibal did not answer at once, for it would not do to show that he had not expected such a move – or that he didn't understand it. So, after a moment, he said negligently, â€Å"Do you suppose that this has something to do with Trevize's movement toward Gaia?† â€Å"It certainly came immediately afterward – and if B follows A, then there is at least a possibility that A caused B,† said Compor. â€Å"Well then, it seems we all converge upon Gaia – Trevize, and I, and the First Foundation. – Come, you acted well, Compor,† said Gendibal, â€Å"and here is what we will now do. First, you will show me how this computer works and, through that, how the ship may be handled. I am sure that will not take long. â€Å"After that, you will get into my ship, since by then I will have impressed on your mind how to handle it. You will have no trouble maneuvering it, although I must tell you (as you have no doubt guessed from its appearance) that you will find it primitive indeed. Once you are in control of the ship, you will keep it here and wait for me.† â€Å"How long, Speaker?† â€Å"Until I come for you. I do not expect to be gone long enough for you to be in danger of running out of supplies, but if I am unduly delayed, you may find your way to some inhabited planet of the Sayshell Union and wait there. Wherever you are, I will find you.† â€Å"As you say, Speaker.† â€Å"And do not be alarmed. I can handle this mysterious Gaia and, if need be, the five ships of the Foundation as well.† Littoral Thoobing had been the Foundation's Ambassador to Sayshell for seven years. He rather liked the position. Tall and rather stout, he wore a thick brown mustache at a time when the predominant fashion, both in the Foundation and in Sayshell, was smooth-shaven. He had a strongly lined countenance, though he was only fifty-four – and was much given to a schooled indifference. His attitude toward his work was not easily seen. Still, he rather liked the position. It kept him away from the hurly-burly of polities on Terminus – something he appreciated and it gave him the chance to live the life of a Sayshellian sybarite and to support his wife and daughter in the style to which they had become addicted. He didn't want his life disturbed. On the other hand, he rather disliked Liono Kodell, perhaps because Kodell also sported a mustache, though one which was smaller, shorter, and grayish-white. In the old days, they had been the only two people in prominent public life who had worn one and there had been rather a competition between them over the matter. Now (thought Thoobing) there was none; Kodell's was contemptible. Kodell had been Director of Security when Thoobing was still on Terminus, dreaming of opposing Harla Branno in the race for Mayor, until he had been bought off with the ambassadorship. Branno had done it for her own sake, of course, but he had ended up owing her goodwill for that. But not to Kodell, somehow. Perhaps it was because of Kodell's determined cheerfulness – the manner in which he was always such a friendly person – even after he had decided on just exactly the manner in which your throat was to be cut. Now he sat there in hyperspatial image, cheerful as ever, brimming over with bonhomie. His actual body was, of course, back on Terminus, which spared Thoobing the necessity of offering him any physical sign of hospitality. â€Å"Kodell,† he said. â€Å"I want those ships withdrawn.† Kodell smiled sunnily. â€Å"Why, so do I, but the old lady has made up her mind.† â€Å"You've been known to persuade her out of this or that.† â€Å"On occasion. Perhaps. When she wanted to be persuaded. This time she doesn't want to be. – Thoobing, do your job. Keep Sayshell calm.† â€Å"I'm not thinking about Sayshell, Kodell. I'm thinking about the Foundation.† â€Å"So are we all.† â€Å"Kodell, don't fence. I want you to listen to me.† â€Å"Gladly, but these are hectic times on Terminus and I will not listen to you forever.† â€Å"I will be as brief as I can be – when discussing the possibility of the Foundation's destruction. If this hyperspatial line is not being tapped, I will speak openly.† â€Å"It is not being tapped.† â€Å"Then let me go on. I have received a message some days ago from one Golan Trevize. I recall a Trevize in my own political days, a Commissioner of Transportation.† â€Å"The young man's uncle,† Kodell said. â€Å"Ah, then you know the Trevize who sent the message to me. According to the information I have since gathered, he was a Councilman who, after the recent successful resolution of a Seldon Crisis, was arrested and sent into exile.† â€Å"Exactly.† â€Å"I don't believe it.† â€Å"What is it that you don't believe?† â€Å"That he was sent into exile.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"When in history has any citizen of the Foundation been sent into exile?† demanded Thoobing. â€Å"He is arrested or not arrested. If he is arrested, he is tried or not tried. If he is tried, he is convicted or not convicted. If he is convicted, he is fined, demoted, disgraced, imprisoned, or executed. No one is sent into exile.† â€Å"There is always a first time.† â€Å"Nonsense. In an advanced naval vessel? What fool can fail to see that he is on a special mission for your old woman? Whom can she possibly expect to deceive?† â€Å"What would the mission be?† â€Å"Supposedly to find the planet Gaia.† Some of the cheerfulness left Kodell's face. An unaccustomed hardness entered his eyes. He said, â€Å"I know that you feel no overwhelming impulse to believe my statements, Mr. Ambassador, but I make a special plea that you believe me in this one case. Neither the Mayor nor I had ever heard of Gaia at the time that Trevize was sent into exile. We have heard of Gaia, for the first time, just the other day. If you believe that, this conversation may continue.† â€Å"I will suspend my tendency toward skepticism long enough to accept that, Director, though it is difficult to do so.† â€Å"it is quite true, Mr. Ambassador, and if I have suddenly adopted a formal note to my statements it is because when this is done, you will find that you have questions to answer and that you will not find the occasion joyful. You speak as though Gaia is a world familiar to you. How is it that you know something we did not know? Is it not your duty to see to it that we know everything that you know about the political unit to which you are assigned?† Thoobing said softly, â€Å"Gaia is not part of the Sayshell Union. It, in fact, probably does not exist. Am I to transmit to Terminus all the fairy tales that the superstitious lower orders of Sayshell tell of Gaia? Some of them say that Gaia is located in hyperspace. According to others, it is a world that supernaturally protects Sayshell. According to still others, it sent forth the Mule to prey on the Galaxy. If you are planning to tell the Sayshellian government that Trevize has been sent out to find Gaia and that five advanced ships of the Foundation Navy have been sent out to back him in this search, they will never believe you. The people may believe fairy tales about Gaia, but the government does not – and they will not be convinced that the Foundation does. They will feel that you intend to force Sayshell into the Foundation Federation.† â€Å"And what if we do plan that?† â€Å"It would be fatal. Come, Kodell, in the five-century history of the Foundation, when have we fought a war of conquest? We have fought wars to prevent our own conquest – and failed once – but no war has ended with an extension of our territory. Accessions to the Federation have been through peaceful agreements. We have been joined by those who saw benefits in joining.† â€Å"Isn't it possible that Sayshell may see benefits in joining?† â€Å"They will never do so while our ships remain on their borders. Withdraw them.† â€Å"It can't be done.† â€Å"Kodell, Sayshell is a marvelous advertisement for the benevolence of the Foundation Federation. It is nearly enclosed by our territory, it is in an utterly vulnerable position, and yet until now it has been safe, has gone its own way, has even been able to maintain an anti-Foundation foreign policy freely. How better can we show the Galaxy that we force no one, that we come in friendship to all? – If we take over Sayshell, we take that which, in essence, we already have. After all, we dominate it economically – if quietly. But if we take it over by military force, we advertise to all the Galaxy that we have become expansionist.† â€Å"And if I tell you that we are really interested only in Gaia?† â€Å"Then I will believe it no more than the Sayshell Union will. This man, Trevize, sends me a message that he is on his way to Gaia and asks me to transmit it to Terminus. Against my better judgment, I do so because I must and, almost before the hyperspatial line is cool, the Foundation Navy is in motion. How will you get to Gaia, without penetrating Sayshellian space?† â€Å"My dear Thoobing, surely you are not listening to yourself. Did you not tell me just a few minutes ago that Gaia, if it exists at all, is not part of the Sayshell Union? And I presume you know that hyperspace is free to all and is part of no world's territory. How then can Sayshell complain if we move from Foundation territory (where our ships stand right now), through hyperspace, into Gaian territory, and never in the process occupy a single cubic centimeter of Sayshellian territory?† â€Å"Sayshell will not interpret events like that, Kodell. Gaia, if it exists at all, is totally enclosed by the Sayshell Union, even if it is not a political part of it, and there are precedents that make such enclaves virtual parts of the enclosing territory, as far as enemy warships are concerned.† â€Å"Ours are not enemy warships. We are at peace with Sayshell.† â€Å"I tell you that Sayshell may declare war. They won't expect to win such a war through military superiority, but the fact is, war will set off a wave of anti-Foundation activity throughout the Galaxy. The new expansionist policies of the Foundation will encourage the growth of alliances against us. Some of the members of the Federation will begin to rethink their ties to us. We may well lose the war through internal disarray and we will then certainly reverse the process of growth that has served the Foundation so well for five hundred years.† â€Å"Come, come, Thoobing,† said Kodell indifferently, â€Å"You speak as though five hundred years is nothing, as though we are still the Foundation of Salvor Hardin's time, fighting the pocket-kingdom of Anacreon. We are far stronger now than the Galactic Empire ever was at its very height. A squadron of our ships could defeat the entire Galactic Navy, occupy any Galactic sector, and never know it had been in a fight.† â€Å"We are not fighting the Galactic Empire. We fight planets and sectors of our own time.† â€Å"Who have not advanced as we have. We could gather in all the Galaxy now.† â€Å"According to the Seldon Plan, we can't do that for another five hundred years.† â€Å"The Seldon Plan underestimates the speed of technological advance. We can do it now! – Understand me, I don't say we will do it now or even should do it now. I merely say we can do it now.† â€Å"Kodell, you have lived all your life on Terminus. You don't know the Galaxy. Our Navy and our technology can beat down the Armed Forces of other worlds, but we cannot yet govern an entire rebellions, hate-ridden Galaxy – and that is what it will be if we take it by force. Withdraw the ships!† â€Å"It can't be done, Thoobing. Consider. What if Gaia is not a myth?† Thoobing paused, scanning the other's face as though anxious to read his mind. â€Å"A world in hyperspace not a myth?† â€Å"A world in hyperspace is superstition, but even superstitions may be built around kernels of truth. This man, Trevize, who was exiled, speaks of it as though it were a real world in real space. What if he is right?† â€Å"Nonsense. I don't believe it.† â€Å"No? Believe it for just a moment. A real world that has lent Sayshell safety against the Mule and against the Foundation!† â€Å"But you refute yourself. How is Gaia keeping the Sayshellians safe from the Foundation? Are we not sending ships against it?† â€Å"Not against it, but against Gaia, which is so mysteriously unknown – which is so careful to avoid notice that while it is in real space it somehow convinces its neighbor worlds that it is in hyperspace – and which even manages to remain outside the computerized data of the best and most unabridged of Galactic maps.† â€Å"It must be a most unusual world, then, for it must be able to manipulate minds.† â€Å"And did you not say a moment ago that one Sayshellian tale is that Gaia sent forth the Mule to prey upon the Galaxy? And could not the Mule manipulate minds?† â€Å"And is Gaia a world of Mules, then?† â€Å"Are you sure it might not be?† â€Å"Why not a world of a reborn Second Foundation, in that case.† â€Å"Why not indeed? Should it not be investigated?† Thoobing grew sober. He had been smiling scornfully during the last exchanges, but now he lowered his head and stared up from under his eyebrows. â€Å"If you are serious, is such an investigation not dangerous?† â€Å"Is it?† â€Å"You answer my questions with other questions because you have no reasonable answers. Of what use will ships be against Mules or Second Foundationers? Is it not likely, in fact, that if they exist they are luring you into destruction? See here, you tell me that the Foundation can establish its Empire now, even though the Seldon Plan has reached only its midway point, and I have warned you that you would be racing too far ahead and that the intricacies of the Plan would slow you down by force. Perhaps, if Gaia exists and is what you say it is, all this is a device to bring about that slowdown. Do voluntarily now what you may soon be constrained to do. Do peacefully and without bloodshed now what you may be forced to do by woeful disaster. Withdraw the ships.† â€Å"It can't be done. In fact, Thoobing, Mayor Branno herself plans to join the ships, and scoutships have already flitted through hyperspace to what is supposedly Gaian territory.† Thoobing's eyes bulged. â€Å"There will surely be war, I tell you.† â€Å"You are our ambassador. Prevent that. Give the Sayshellians whatever assurances they need. Deny any ill will on our part. Tell them, if you have to, that it will pay them to sit quietly and wait for Gaia to destroy us. Say anything you want to, but keep them quiet.† He paused, searching Thoobing's stunned expression, and said, â€Å"Really, that's all. As far as I know, no Foundation ship will land on any world of the Sayshell Union or penetrate any point in real space that is part of that Union. However, any Sayshellian ship that attempts to challenge us outside Union territory – and therefore inside Foundation territory – will promptly be reduced to dust. Make that perfectly clear, too, and keep the Sayshellians quiet. You will be held to strict account if you fail. You have had an easy job so far, Thoobing, but hard times are upon you and the next few weeks decide all. Fail us and no place in the Galaxy will be safe for you.† There was neither merriment nor friendliness in Kodell's face as contact was broken and as his image disappeared. Thoobing stared open – mouthed at the place where he had been. Golan Trevize clutched at his hair as though he were trying, by feel, to judge the condition of his thinking. He said to Pelorat abruptly, â€Å"What is your state of mind?† â€Å"State of mind?† said Pelorat blankly. â€Å"Yes. Here we are, trapped – with our ship under outside control and being drawn inexorably to a world we know nothing about. Do you feel panic?† Pelorat's long face registered a certain melancholia. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"I don't feel joyful. I do feel a little apprehensive, but I'm not panicky.† â€Å"Neither am I. Isn't that odd? Why aren't we more upset than we are?† â€Å"This is something we expected, Golan. Something like this.† Trevize turned to the screen. It remained firmly focused on the space station. It was larger now, which meant they were closer. It seemed to him that it was not an impressive space station in design. There was nothing to it that bespoke superscience. In fact, it seemed a bit primitive. – Yet it had the ship in its grip. He said, â€Å"I'm being very analytical, Janov. Cool! – I like to think that I am not a coward and that I can behave well under pressure, but I tend to flatter myself. Everyone does. I should be jumping up and down right now and sweating a little. We may have expected something, but that doesn't change the fact that we are helpless and that we may be killed.† Pelorat said, â€Å"I don't think so, Golan. If the Gaians could take over the ship at a distance, couldn't they kill us at a distance? If we're still alive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But we're not altogether untouched. We're too calm, I tell you. I think they've tranquilized us.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"To keep us in good shape mentally, I think. It's possible they wish to question us. After that, they may kill us.† â€Å"If they are rational enough to want to question us, they may be rational enough not to kill us for no good reason.† Trevize leaned back in his chair (it bent back at least – they hadn't deprived the chair of its functioning) and placed his feet on the desk where ordinarily his hands made contact with the computer. He said, â€Å"They may be quite ingenious enough to work up what they consider a good reason. – Still, if they've touched our minds, It hasn't been by much. If it were the Mule, for instance, he would have made us eager to go – exalted, exultant, every fiber of ourselves crying out for arrival there.† He pointed to the space station. â€Å"Do you feel that way, Janov?† â€Å"Certainly not.† â€Å"You see that I'm still in a state where I can indulge in cool, analytical reasoning. Very odd! Or can I tell? Am I in a panic, incoherent, mad – and merely under the illusion that I am indulging in cool, analytical reasoning?† Pelorat shrugged. â€Å"You seem sane to me. Perhaps I am as insane as you and am under the same illusion, but that sort of argument gets us nowhere. All humanity could share a common insanity and be immersed in a common illusion while living in a common chaos. That can't be disproved, but we have no choice but to follow our senses.† And then, abruptly, he said, â€Å"In fact, I've been doing some reasoning myself.† â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Well, we talk about Gaia as a world of Mules, possibly, or as the Second Foundation reborn. Has it occurred to you that a third alternative exists, one that is more reasonable than either of the first two.† â€Å"What third alternative?† Pelorat's eyes seemed concentrating inward. He did not look at Trevize and his voice was low and thoughtful. â€Å"We have a world – Gaia – that has done its best, over an indefinite period of time, to maintain a strict isolation. It has in no way attempted to establish contact with any other world – not even the nearby worlds of the Sayshell Union. It has an advanced science, in some ways, if the stories of their destruction of fleets is true and certainly their ability to control us right now bespeaks it – and yet they have made no attempt to expand their power. They ask only to be left alone.† Trevize narrowed his eyes. â€Å"So?† â€Å"It's all very inhuman. The more than twenty thousand years of human history in space has been an uninterrupted tale of expansion and attempted expansion. Just about every known world that can be inhabited is inhabited. Nearly every world has been quarreled over in the process and nearly every world has jostled each of its neighbors at one time or another. If Gaia is so inhuman as to be so different in this respect, it may be because it really is – inhuman.† Trevize shook his head. â€Å"Impossible.† â€Å"Why impossible?† said Pelorat warmly. â€Å"I've told you what a puzzle it is that the human race is the only evolved intelligence in the Galaxy. What if it isn't? Might there not be one more – on one planet – that lacked the human expansionist drive? In fact,† Pelorat grew more excited, â€Å"what if there are a million intelligences in the Galaxy, but only one that is expansionist – ourselves? The others would all remain at home, unobtrusive, hidden†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Ridiculous!† said Trevize. â€Å"We'd come across them. We'd land on their worlds. They would come in all types and stages of technology and most of them would be unable to stop us. But we've never come across any of them. Space! We've never even come across the ruins or relies of a nonhuman civilization, have we? You're the historian, so you tell me. Have we?† Pelorat shook his head. â€Å"We haven't. – But Golan, there could be one! This one!† â€Å"I don't believe it. You say the name is Gaia, which is some ancient dialectical version of the name ‘Earth. ‘ How can that be nonhuman?† â€Å"The name ‘Gaia' is given the planet by human beings – and who knows why? The resemblance to an ancient word might be coincidental. – Come to think of it, the very fact that we've been lured to Gaia – as you explained in great detail some time ago – and are now being drawn in against our will is an argument in favor of the nonhumanity of the Gaians.† â€Å"Why? What has that to do with nonhumanity?† â€Å"They're curious about us – about humans.† Trevize said, â€Å"Janov, you're mad. They've been living in a Galaxy surrounded by humans for thousands of years. Why should they be curious right now? Why not long before? And if right now, why us? If they want to study human beings and human culture, why not the Sayshell worlds? Why would they reach all the way to Terminus for us?† â€Å"They may be interested in the Foundation.† â€Å"Nonsense,† said Trevize violently. â€Å"Janov, you want a nonhuman intelligence and you will have one. Right now, I think that if you thought you were going to encounter nonhumans, you wouldn't worry about having been captured, about being helpless, about being killed even – if they but gave you a little time to sate your curiosity.† Pelorat began to stutter an indignant negative, then stopped, drew a deep breath, and said, â€Å"Well, you may be right, Golan, but I'll hold to my belief for a while just the same. I don't think we'll have to wait very long to see who's right. – Look!† He pointed to the screen. Trevize – who had, in his excitement, ceased watching – now looked back. â€Å"What is it?† he said. â€Å"Isn't that a ship taking off from the station?† â€Å"It's something,† admitted Trevize reluctantly. â€Å"I can't make out the details yet and I can't magnify the view any further. It's at maximum magnification.† After awhile he said, â€Å"It seems to be approaching us and I suppose it's a ship. Shall we make a bet?† â€Å"What sort of bet?† Trevize said sardonically, â€Å"If we ever get back to Terminus, let's have a big dinner for ourselves and any guests we each care to invite, up to, say, four – and it will be on me if that ship approaching us carries nonhumans and on you if it carries humans.† â€Å"I'm willing,† said Pelorat. â€Å"Done, then,† and Trevize peered at the screen, trying to make out details and wondering if any details could reasonably be expected to give away, beyond question, the nonhumanity (or humanity) of the beings on board. Branno's iron-gray hair lay immaculately in place and she might have been in the Mayoral Palace, considering her equanimity. She showed no sign that she was deep in space for only the second time in her life. (And the first time – when she accompanied her parents on a holiday tour to Kalgan – could scarcely count. She had been only three at the time.) She said to Kodell with a certain weary heaviness, â€Å"It is Thoobing's job, after all, to express his opinion and to warn me. Very well, he has warned me. I don't hold it against him.† Kodell, who had boarded the Mayor's ship in order to speak to her without the psychological difficulty of imaging, said, â€Å"He's been at his post too long. He's beginning to think like a Sayshellian.† â€Å"That's the occupational hazard of an ambassadorship, Liono. Let us wait till this is over and we'll give him a long sabbatical and then send him on to another assignment elsewhere. He's a capable man. – After all, he did have the wit to forward Trevize's message without delay.† Kodell smiled briefly. â€Å"Yes, he told me he did it against his better judgment. ‘I do so because I must' he said. You see, Madam Mayor, he had to, even against his better judgment, because as soon as Trevize entered the space of the Sayshell Union, I informed Ambassador Thoobing to forward, at once, any and all information concerning him?' â€Å"Oh?† Mayor Branno turned in her seat to see his face more clearly. â€Å"And what made you do that?† â€Å"Elementary considerations, actually. Trevize was using a latemodel Foundation naval vessel and the Sayshellians would be bound to notice that. He's an undiplomatic young jackass and they would be bound to notice that. Therefore, he might get into trouble – and if there's one thing a Foundationer knows, it is that if he gets into trouble anywhere in the Galaxy, he can cry out for the nearest Foundation representative. Personally I wouldn't mind seeing Trevize in trouble – it might help him grow up and that would do him a great deal of good – but you've sent him out as your lightning rod and I wanted you to be able to estimate the nature of any lightning that might strike, so I made sure that the nearest Foundation representative would keep watch over him, that's all.† â€Å"I see! Well, I understand now why Thoobing reacted so strenuously. I had sent him a similar warning. Since he heard from us both independently, one can scarcely blame him for thinking that the approach of a few Foundation vessels might mean a great deal more than it actually does. – How is it, Liono, you did not consult me on the matter before sending the warning?† Kodell said coolly, â€Å"If I involved you in everything I do, you would have no time to be Mayor. How is it that you did not inform me of your intention?† Branno said sourly, â€Å"If I informed you of all my intentions, Liono, you would know far too much. – But it is a small matter, and so is Thoobing's alarm, and, for that matter, so is any fit that the Sayshellians throw. I am more interested in Trevize.† â€Å"Our scouts have located Compor. He is following Trevize and both are moving very cautiously toward Gaia.† â€Å"I have the full reports of those scouts, Liono. Apparently both Trevize and Compor are taking Gaia seriously.† â€Å"Everyone sneers at the superstitions concerning Gaia, Madam Mayor, but everyone thinks, ‘Yet what if – † Even Ambassador Thoobing manages to be a little uneasy about it. It could be a very shrewd policy on the part of the Sayshellians. A kind of protective coloration. If one spreads stories of a mysterious and invincible world, people will shy away not only from the world, but from any other worlds close by – such as the Sayshell Union.† â€Å"You think that is why the Mule turned away from Sayshell?† â€Å"Possibly.† â€Å"Surely you don't think the Foundation has held its hand from Sayshell because of Gaia, when there is no record that we have ever heard of the world?† â€Å"I admit there's no mention of Gaia in our archives, but neither is there any other reasonable explanation for our moderation with respect to the Sayshell Union.† â€Å"Let us hope, then, that the Sayshellian government, despite Thoobing's opinion to the contrary, has convinced itself – even just a little bit – of Gaia's might and of its deadly nature.† â€Å"Why so?† â€Å"Because then the Sayshell Union will raise no objections to our moving toward Gaia. The more they resent that movement, the more they will persuade themselves that it should be permitted so that Gaia will swallow us. The lesson, they will imagine, will be a salutary one and will not be lost on future invaders.† â€Å"Yet what if they should be right in such a belief, Mayor? What if Gaia is deadly?† Branno smiled. â€Å"You raise the ‘Yet what if – † yourself, do you, Liono?† â€Å"I must raise all possibilities, Mayor. It is my job.† â€Å"If Gaia is deadly, Trevize will be taken by them. That is his job as my lightning rod. And so may Compor, I hope.† â€Å"You hope? Why?† â€Å"Because it will make them overconfident, which should be useful to us. They will underestimate our power and be the easier to handle.† â€Å"But what if it is we who are overconfident?† â€Å"We are not,† said Branno flatly. â€Å"These Gaians – whatever they are – may be something we have no concept of and cannot properly estimate the danger of. I merely suggest that, Mayor, because even that possibility should be weighed.† â€Å"Indeed? Why does such a notion fall into your head, Liono?† â€Å"Because I think you feel that, at the worst, Gaia is the Second Foundation. I suspect you think they are the Second Foundation. However, Sayshell has an interesting history, even under the Empire. Sayshell alone had a measure of self-rule. Sayshell alone was spared some of the worst taxations under the so-called ‘Bad Emperors. ‘ In short, Sayshell seems to have had the protection of Gaia, even in Imperial times.† â€Å"Well then?† â€Å"But the Second Foundation was brought into existence by Hari Seldon at the same time our Foundation was. The Second Foundation did not exist in Imperial times – and Gaia did. Gaia, therefore, is not the Second Foundation. It is something else – and, just possibly, something worse.† â€Å"I don't propose to be terrified by the unknown, Liono. There are only two possible sources of danger – physical weapons and mental weapons – and we are fully prepared for both. – You get back to your ship and keep the units on the Sayshellian outskirts. This ship will move toward Gaia alone, but will stay in contact with you at all times and will expect you to come to us in one Jump, if necessary. – Go, Liono, and get that perturbed look off your face.† â€Å"One last question? Are you sure you know what you're doing?† â€Å"I do,† she said grimly. â€Å"I, too, have studied the history of Sayshell and have seen that Gaia cannot be the Second Foundation, but, as I told you, I have the full report of the scouts and from that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Well, I know where the Second Foundation is located and we will take care of both, Liono. We will take care of Gaia first and then Trantor.†