Gender Stereotypes In Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, there were stereotypes all over, whether they were intentional or not. There were specific requirements people thought they needed to meet in society. Women thought they needed to stay home and take care of the children to be thought of an acceptable woman and a good wife. Men thought they needed to put up a front all the time and be emotionless so people did not think they were weak. People of colour and people who were part of the LGBTQ community were seen as such a minority, they were not even mentioned in the book, which says a lot about the time while he was writing. Throughout the entire book, the same three stereotypes seem to be more prominent than others which are women’s roles, men’s roles and†¦show more content†¦Men were expected to be the sole providers of the family and bring home the bacon. At the beginning of the book, Montag’s daily schedule was for him to leave the house, do his job, come back home, sl eep and eat. Although that is what men were expected to do. It would have been highly unlikely that a woman would have had a job as a firefighter because the society and culture insisted that it was a man’s job and would not be acceptable for a woman to do such work. Men were also expected to be strong, masculine and be good decision makers. In part one Mildred was hinting that she wanted a fourth parlor wall and was looking for an answer from Montag because he is the one that deals with the money and makes the decisions of the house. She says â€Å"It’ll be more fun when we can afford to have the fourth wall installed, how long you figure before we save up and get the fourth wall torn out and a fourth wall-TV is put in? It’s only two thousand dollars.† (Bradbury 18). Montag goes on to say that one-third of his yearly pay and Mildred relies with â€Å"I think you should consider me sometimes†¦.We could do without a few things† (Bradbury 18). M ost people in the book and in the 1950’s followed these stereotypes, rather than breaking free and becoming their own person. Although most of them were the same there was a lack of minorities being present orShow MoreRelatedDiscrimination And Its Effects On Society962 Words   |  4 Pagesis that among people who care more about learning than sports, and those who do the opposite. Typically, the stereotype is that athletes are â€Å"all brawn and no brain†, while â€Å"nerds† spend all of their time learning and lack social skills. With the public becoming more obsessed with technology and not as encouraged to socialize, society has started to place everybody under various stereotypes, some of which are derogatory, instead of making an effort to get to know people before making judgments. ThereRead MoreEssay on Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury2072 Words   |  9 PagesFahrenheit 451 There appears to be some writing on the note ... Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a science fiction novel that discusses and shows the life of a very controlled society. The society is not allowed to read books and is punished for doing so. The books are burned at 451 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperature it takes book paper to burn (Bradbury 1). Although society today isnt like that as far as books are concerned, the author still shows some trends that are occurring

A Selfish Dream in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitgerald...

Originally, the American dream for the first settlers was for their children, and they would sacrifice everything for freedom of religion, and thought. Although, the American dream in the 1920’s is to live in happiness through financial and social success. For many, this selfish dream is achieved through illegal activity such as bootlegging, and gambling. This dream is mirrored in many novels such as The Great Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s demise to highlight both the fragility of, and un-attainableness of the American dream in the 1920’s. The views of Tom Buchanan and people of the valley of ashes such as Wilson, reveal the fragile emptiness of the American dream in the 1920’s. Fitzgerald uses the†¦show more content†¦This is because yellow is a symbol of gold, or wealth, and Eckleburg looks through it. Eckleburg having no face represents the emptiness, or hollowness of people and how their values are shallow. Bil lboards usually have advertisements in order to sell something. Since Eckleburg is on a billboard, it indicates how the American dream for people in the 1920’s is materialistic. The selfishness of the American dream in the 1920’s is presented through Gatsby’s flaunt, and strive for wealth. Gatsby throwing all his expensive looking shirts into a pile demonstrates his flaunting of wealth. When he â€Å"took out a pile shirts and began throwing them, one by one, before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel, †¦ the soft rich heap mounted higher†, he is bragging about his wealth to Daisy, his one way ticket to the American dream (92). All of these expensive looking shirts make him look wealthier than he really is. For instance, the class looking flannel is a soft-woven fabric typically made of wool or cotton, and is very inexpensive. Gatsby wants to boast about his wealth to Daisy so she can see that he does have lots of money, and the y can get back together. Daisy’s voice is full of money, and is a symbol of old money. If Gatsby can get Daisy, then he can be completely accepted as high class and ultimately achieve his American dream,Show MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1170 Words   |  5 Pages The Great Gatsby â€Å"The Great Gatsby† By F. Scott Fitzgerald is the tale of the glamorous lifestyle of the 1920s. Following World War I, America entered the roaring economic boom called the â€Å"roaring twenties.† The novel follows the life of Jay Gatsby through the eyes of his friend, and narrator, Nick Carraway. The American dream is based on living well, and earning money. Michael Schudson from Oxford University American Literary History describes the American dream as the idea â€Å"anyone, with hard

Cyclermate Free Essays

string(49) " the finance issue of this company is in danger\." CYCLERMATE REPORT I. Introduction of Cyclermate Lewis Llewellyn and Dai Armstrong were the first two men who made a plan of opening their own company after being redundant as the consequence of the closure of their town’s steel works in South Wales. Both of them belonged to the local cycle touring club and since then, they had become close friends. We will write a custom essay sample on Cyclermate or any similar topic only for you Order Now With the idea of making a traditional upright cycle in sharp of the 1940’s and 1950’s, Cyclermate Ltd has been established and quickly gained success and attracted a number of attentions of customers owing to its high quality hand – made products and word – of – mouth reputation. Over the next 15 years, the company had still expanded and continued to be successful when persuading many small cycle shops in Wales and England to display or at least to keep a stock of brochures of its products. Everything seems to work quite smoothly until 2010, when Cyclermate has faced a lot of issues in terms of finance, human resource and operation. To be specific, the demand among buyers in this field continues to fall even price of each Cyclermate’s product has been reduced; the quality of its products are no longer as good as it was in the past which illustrated by the increase of complaints from customers about its quality and fault and the bank manager has expressed concern about the overdraft which will cost Cyclermate a big trouble if it does not solve these problems immediately. These are just some of the obstacles which the company has faced so in this essay, I will analyze more clearly about its difficulty and recommend some positive solutions for Cyclermate which it can follows to handle these issues. II. Cyclermate analysis 1. SWOT analysis First of all, in order to have a wide vision about this company, I have used SWOT as a tool to identify and analyze the situation of Cyclermate at the moment. As regards internal factors, one of the strength of this company which makes it different compared to the other companies is unique products. As far as I am concerned, with the development of technology, many cycle shops nowadays use a modern production chain to dispose and assemble materials. Nonetheless, the cost for this activity is quite high and most of the products will be the same. When it comes to Cyclermate, almost processes have been settled by hand; thus, staffs can easily add their creation into products and attract customers by the wide range of style of its bicycle. Furthermore, by using traditional method, Cyclermate have brought some new things to the market making buyers feel more interesting, especially when products have been sold in the market are quite common and familiar. When it comes to the weaknesses, as almost Cyclermate’s products have been made by hand so mistakes and faults are inevitable. That is to say, besides the price paying for materials, it also has to spend some more for fixing service. Moreover, with the lack of employees and capital, Cyclermate has struggled in operating the company and consequently, it normally has to face the insufficient production selling in the market. As regards external factors, a huge opportunity for Cyclermate at the very first is that it produces an unfamiliar product so Cyclermate can avoid big competitors and has a chance to dominate the market. Besides, according to Mr. Llewellyn, there is still strong growths to come in the cycle market as more and more people abandon their cars; hence, this is a good chance for this company to reach to its customers. One of the most striking features which should be considered here is the economic crisis occurring in 2008 resulted in the threat of total collapse of large financial institutions, the bailout of banks by national governments, and downturns in stock markets around the world. In many areas, the housing market also suffered, resulting in evictions, foreclosures and prolonged unemployment. The crisis played a significant role in the failure of key businesses, declines in consumer wealth estimated in trillions of US dollars, and a downturn in economic activity. As the consequence, people will have to think about a solution to save money and one possible way at this time is reduce the usage of petrol; in another word, reduce using gas transportation and change to physical vehicle such as bicycle. So if Cyclermate can attracts customers and creates a habit of using bicycle among them, it definitely will success in the future. The only threat of Cyclermate which I want to mention here is the appearance of some competitors in this major for example Halfords which gained success at the moment even there are many cycle shops are closing – outpriced. At the very first, Cyclermate was one of the first company entering this field so it did not have to pay much attention about how to deal with the others competitors. Nevertheless, when the time passed by, many companies have noticed about this potential market so it is time for Cyclermate to try their best to gain trust of customers if they do not want to lose the market to their rivals. 2. Current issues of Cyclermate a. Finance problem After having an overlook about the situation of Cyclermate, the next part of my essay will come closer to all the issues which Cyclermate has met. Firstly, this company has to deal with a huge trouble which comes from finance. As I mentioned before, Cyclermate had to reduce the cost of its product to maintain sales, costs are rising and the overdraft is increase year by year which push the company on the edge of bankruptcy. Besides, according to Ms. Barry the budget for the coming year will further decline and possible trading losses as the consequence of a decline in sales. Moreover, based on the profit statement for the last five years, it is clearly that the finance issue of this company is in danger. You read "Cyclermate" in category "Essay examples" To illustrated, the profit retained of the company had decreased significantly compared to the last 4 year (from ? 42734 in 9/30/2009 to ? 12724 in 9/30/2010) and it did not even pay the dividends for shareholder and the cash on hand of Cyclermate in 30/9/2010 was just ? 657; put it in another words, the liquidity of this company was too low and if there was something happen for example the banks did not believe Cyclermate anymore and they wanted their money back, it could not have enough cash to pay for its creditors and had to mortgage its non-current assets; hence, this company will not have enough machine or capital to run its business. In order to help the company overcome this problem, there are some solutions which I am considered will be possible. First, according to the financial statement, even the direct sales units sold was lower than shop sales price, the profit which Cyclermate received from direct sale was much more higher. To be specific, in 9/30/2006, even there were just 743 units sold by direct sales, compared to 1010 units by shop sales, the revenue from the former was much more higher ( 743Ãâ€"650 – 1010Ãâ€"390 = â‚ ¬89050). That is to say, by reducing the products sold in shop, Cyclermate can saves and gains more money. Furthermore, in order to maintain the connection which suppliers after reducing the quantity, Cyclermate can negotiate with these suppliers and offer some extra interest rate or commission so that its supplier will still remain display and sell the product of this company. Another solution is that Dai Armstrong should allow Lewis Llewellyn to retire. The reason is that Lewis Llewellyn himself does not willing to work anymore and he usually find his work increasingly tiring and stressful. Besides, although he is one of the first 2 men who established Cyclermate as well as the shareholder of the company, he himself thinks that this company should close down or should be sold for the others UK firms. If employees in Cyclermate know what he is thinking, will they want to work for its workplace anymore; and even they still work for this company, no one can guarantee that they will put 100% of their mind on working. So let Lewis Llewellyn go seem to be the right choice at this time. However, Dai Armstrong must negotiate with Lewis about his share in the company because if he wants his money back; I believe that the capital of Cyclermate will not meet the standard to run its business. In my opinion, the negotiation will success as these two men has a strong relationship and has worked with each other for such a long time so if everything is ok, Cyclermate will save a lot of money for the next coming year. b. Human resources problem There are a number of problems with the human resource of Cyclermate. First of all, it does not have enough staffs to run the business smoothly after expanding. For instance, Dai Armstrong is the chairman of the company and normally, he must takes in charge of operating and controlling the activity of Cyclermate and distributes a particular job for his employees. Nonetheless, owing to the insufficient workforce, Dai himself still makes all the frames, using the original jigs constructed in his garage all those years ago and the inevitable thing is that he is finding it hard to keep up this level of production, both because of the physical demands of the task, and because of his other duties as factory manager and business director; as regards package, it is usually taken by anyone who has spare time. That is to say, it cannot guarantee the productivity of the firm, especially in rush time, when the staffs cannot even meet the quantity requirement of their main duty so how can they handle another. Moreover, at the moment, the company does not have as much skillful staffs as possible in order to maintain the productivity of Cyclermate and Gwyneth Morgan is one of typically example. She usually deals with internal and external enquiries, ata entry, and other routine tasks which is classify as paper work; however the main responsibility of her job is purchasing and help company avoiding disruption from stockouts; hence, the work cannot meet the efficiency as expected or Ffred Gregory who is 18 years old and quite new to the process, often has to work overtime to ensure that orders are met on time so that training him has further slowed production recently. Of course, Cyclermate still has some professional employees like Idris Pugh who was recruited from a local cycle repair shop. He is a perfectionist in terms of wheel manufacture and never cause for any complaints but sometimes, the work were late for appointment owing to his old-age and bad healthy. As far as solutions are concerned, I have found out some possible ones which Cyclermate can applies. At the very first, it should re-train the staffs in the company in order to meet the requirement of their field. This train can be hold by the boss himself or skillful employees of Cyclermate so that they can not only save a bundle of money for the company but also have more time to chat and understand each other, especially newcomers. Moreover, after enrolling in this course, employees should be guaranteed to understand their job clearly and easily to combat with the task given. Another thing which can be done is recruit some new employees for Cyclermate. This is kind of positive way at this time as a new and professional staffs can help the company find out a new and creative way to complete the task and maintain the requirement quantity and quality of the company. However, I do not highly recommend this solution as the finance issue of the company is in danger and it is hard for Cyclermate to hire some new employees at this time. c. Operation problem The very last problem of Cyclermate which I want to mention here is Operation ones. First of all, the leader of the company does not have a clear distribution for each staff which leads to the unstable in their job and costs a low productivity for such a long time. To be illustrated, Dai Armstrong has to take charge of many different responsibilities included the chairman of Cyclermate, the worker who makes all the frames of products and even a packaged man. With a bunch of workloads which have been handled like that, how can this man has time to think about a new strategy, a new plan to improve the current situation of the company? And the others workers, with a number of things have been done in a short time, how can they guarantee that no mistake will be made, not mention about some majors are not their professional field. Besides, as far as I concerned, before establishing Cyclermate, Lewis was just on his way up from apprentice to be chief mill engineer while Dai had progressed from â€Å"office boy† to a senior marketing post. That is to say, with this current position, how can they have enough management skills to lead the other in the company? Last but not least, the problem even come from the top manager of the company which is Lewis and Dai who share management of the business, though by nature of their differing roles, Lewis tends to focus more on production issues and Dai on external relations. Like people have said â€Å" 1 dat khong the co 2 vua†, with a different role like that, they cannot guide their employees to a single task which is break the basic rules of a corporation; consequently, Cyclermate’s staffs do not know what to concentrate on and lack of clear vision about the goal of what they have to do. When it comes to the solution, I believe that there are some ways which can help Cyclermate improve the current situation of this company. Firstly, Dai Armstrong has to set down a clear distribution for each position in the company. He has to reduce the multi – responsibility among his workers so that they can focus 100% on their current job and maintain the productivity of each process. Secondly, as I mentioned above, If Cyclermate accepts the retirement of Lewis Llewellyn, it can concentrates deeply on a single task at the moment for example maintain the productivity or improve the quality of its products, etc which is clear so that employees will know what they have to do to meet the goal of the company. Lastly, in order to save money, save materials and still supply enough products to meet the need of customers, Cyclermate itself should considers to apply JIT method on produce the products. This method was described by Henry Ford in his book as a production model in which items are created to meet demand, not created in surplus or in advance of need. I absolutely think that this solution will fit the Cyclermate’s situation well, especially when it has a huge issue with finance; Thus, by calculating an exact figure of materials has been and should be used, this company can avoid the waste associated with overproduction, waiting and excess inventory. In order to support for this method, I highly recommend the company to use Kanban cards to make JIT become more efficiency. As far as I oncerned, this Kanban card is like a label which contained a number of information about products such as name, number of units and a variety of other news that clearly conveys what must be done. By applying this card in manufacturing, especially in the situation of Cyclermate when the work of each staffs does not fix, it will help employees to control and identify which should be done next by analyze the color of Kanban cards for instance the white or green Kanban cards mean that a product do not have to manufacture yet, the yellow ones mean that employees should start producing a goods immediately, etc. III. Recommendation After analyzing the case study about Cyclermate, I want to note down briefly about some potential routes which this company can follow to reach to the market. First of all, as far as I am concerned, Cyclermate has a good supplied channel who ready to advertise and sell the product of the company and Word of Mouth method seems to bring a positive chance for it to attract customers. That is to say, developing this supplied channel can help Cyclermate increase its image on the eyes of customers and there are many others retailers which have not been asked about selling Cyclermate’s products so this a one of a best way for this company to expand its business. Another striking feature here is that it can focus on direct sale to sell its product to buyers. This method can help the company reduce the price paid for middleman and furthermore, Cyclermate can take this chance as an opportunity to interact with customers in order to understand and identify what they really want and need. Lastly, with the significant develop of technology, marketing is now become more and more important within any corporation around the world to approach and attract buyers. However, this way seems to be forgotten by Cyclermate indicated in the meeting’s report that the marketing activity of this company in recent year is quite rare. As the consequence, Cyclermate can spend some of the money saved from firing Lewis Llewellyn and profit retained to improve this activity to rise up its status and advertise a great hand-made bicycle to customers. IV. Conclusion Cyclermate Ltd, in my opinion, is a brave company as it does not follow the trend of current market but identifying and having its own idea to manufacture a unique product, even in a harsh time like this. However, it has met a number of issues when trying to operate its business which I have mentioned above. In the future, there will be a lot of difficulties which this company has to handle. Having said that, with all the ideas and solutions which I have noted down in my essay, I strongly believe that it is possible for Cyclermate to recover and strengthen as it did in the past. How to cite Cyclermate, Essay examples

Eugenisme Essay Example For Students

Eugenisme Essay Un biologiste travaille sur un projet visant ? emp?cher toute personne atteinte de maladies mentales, ayant des tendances criminelles ou ayant un niveau inf?rieur dintelligence de se reproduire. Ce programme a-t-il pour but d?am?liorer la race humaine? ou, plut?t, d?am?liorer la qualit? g?n?tiquedes populations futures? ? Mais dabord, posons-nous la question si leug?nisme est tol?rable ou non. Dans une telle situation, nous devons absolument tenir compte des facteurs qui interviennent. Dans le cas des personnes atteintes de graves maladies mentales, les principaux sont dordre ?conomique, car toute recherche ? besoin de subventions, et dordre scientifique, avons-nous les connaissances n?cessaires pour exercer ces ?op?rations? ? Le facteur religieux est aussi tr?s important; la vie humaine poss?de un caract?re sacr?. Ces m?mes facteurs sont pr?sents dans le cas des personnes ayant un niveau inf?rieur dintelligence. Pour ce qui est des personnes ayant des tendances criminelles, les facteurs changent quelque peu. Au niveau ?conomique, technique et religieux, ils restent les m?mes. Par contre, le facteur dordre juridique est ici ? consid?rer, la diminution du nombre de criminels rime avec la diminution des crimes. Dans les trois cas, le facteur social est aussi affect?, car tout d?pendant comment ces changements ont aid? les humains, ils seront plus ou moins heureux. Le dernier facteur auquel je pense serait ? caract?re politique car, dapr?s moi, leug?nisme nest pas vraiment l?gal. Cela peut aussi apporter des cons?quences judiciaires. Nous nous trouvons devant un important conflit: dun c?t?, leug?nisme qui nous laisse libre quant ? son utilisation, soit lam?lioration de la race humaine ou lam?lioration de la qualit? g?n?tique des populations, et de lautre, la sauvegarde de la race d?origine?. Si nous pensons le probl?me en fonction de la philosophie utilitariste par exemple, et surtout celle de BENTHAM et de MILL, nous en arriverons ? dire que pratiquer leug?nisme pour en am?liorer la race est acceptable. Pour lui, est utile ce qui contribue au bonheur. Or, les malades mentaux ne sont pas utiles. Aussi, si nous abaissons le nombre de criminels, les crimes seront de moins en moins pr?sents entra?nant ainsi le bonheur au plus grand nombre. NIETZSCHE, lui, m?prise la faiblesse mais cultive la force. Les malades mentaux et les personnes ayant un niveau inf?rieur dintelligence sont faibles, nous devons donc les renforcer. Pour lui, il est aberrant que lhomme ait v?cu si longtemps dans un monde si imparfait. Alors des changements simposent. Plusieurs philosophes seraient contre leug?nisme. Je pense, entre autre, ? JONAS qui craint la technologie. Dapr?s lui, nous devons limiter les nouveaux pouvoirs de l?tre humain. La survie des g?n?rations futures est menac?e par les nouveaux pouvoirs daction de lhomme. KANT et RAWLS seraient aussi de cet avis. Dapr?s KANT, il faut respecter lhomme. Or, le modifier serait de ne pas le respecter. Lhomme est une fin et non pas un moyen, alors, nous ne pouvons utiliser lhumain comme moyen dans la g?nie g?n?tique. RAWLS affirme quil faut ?tre juste et ?quitable envers tout les ?tres humains. Il ne serait alors pas juste de prendre les personnes atteintes de maladies mentales, ayant des tendances criminelles ou ayant un niveau inf?rieur dintelligence pour faire de telles exp?rimentations. Ce serait faire de la discrimination. Aussi, selon lui, nous ne devons pas nous mettre dans une position de sup?riorit?, ni avoir de pr?jug?s lorsque nous prenons des d?cisions. Leug?nisme a dabord ?t? pens? par des hommes qui se croyaient plus forts et qui voulaient ?purer la race, cette id?e nest donc pas raisonnable. De toute mani?re, la nature ne conna?t pas la perfection, elle conna?t la diversit?. Une autre objection ? nimporte quelle forme deug?nisme serait que nous avons ?t? cr selon une s?lection naturelle qui, jusqu? maintenant, nous a suffi. Elle devrait aussi, en principe, ?tre capable de maintenir la qualit? g?n?tique de la population humaine. Jajoute ensuite que des modifications intensives de lhumain pourrait r?duire le nombre de variations g?n?tiques. Ainsi, plus les variations g?n?tiques seront pr?sentes dans la population, plus rapides et mieux r?ussis seront les changements de l?volution. Donc leug?nisme nest pas souhaitable. .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 , .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 .postImageUrl , .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 , .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7:hover , .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7:visited , .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7:active { border:0!important; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7:active , .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7 .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udc763f2ff0f04d02dce4227a5c2ec5d7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Improvisation involves a variety of different factors EssayDevant le biologiste se pr?sente deux d?cisions : continuer ? travailler sur son programme qui ressemble ?trangement ? leug?nisme ou cesser sa recherche. Quant ? moi, je suis contre leug?nisme alors, si j?tais ? sa place, jannulerais mon projet. Pour justifier ma d?cision, jinvoque un autre argument. Si nous commen?ons ? modifier les ?tre humains, nous risquons aussi de multiplier le nombre de meurtriers, etc. Des criminels ayant les moyens financiers pourraient demander ? des scientifiques de fabriquer des humains avec les ?mauvais? g?nes. Bien s?r, il y aura toujours quelquun qui sera pr?t ? faire cela pour largent. En conclusion, m?me si leug?nisme positif pourrait am?liorer la sant? des humains, il reste encore trop de risques de se faire tenter par sa facette n?gative. De plus, les cons?quences seraient irr?versibles. Le projet devrait donc ?tre mis de c?t? jusqu? ce que nous ayons ?tudier le probl?me ? fond. Pourrons-nous, un jour, pratiquer leug?nisme sans en craindre les r?percussions ?Philosophy

Oil Refinering Using Linear Programming Essay Example

Oil Refinering Using Linear Programming Essay INTRODUCTION My topic is oil refinering using linear programming, this is under petrochemical industries which mean it will deal more about chemicals, this is about optimising the cost using a modelling method in mathematics called linear programming. This is very important because it links what is done in petrochemical industries with mathematics. Since there is a huge need of the products that are produced after petroleum refinering which are petrol, gasoline, oil, diesel and etc so in the near future refiners and government will have to make decision to increase local refinering capacity or upgrade and expand the existing refineries(  (SAPIA) executive director  Avhapfani Tshifularo said so. Currently South Africa is unable to produce sufficient fuel so at forces it to import refined products. we can describe oil refinering as an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful products which are petroleum naphtha, gasoline diesel fuel etc. rude oil that is processed can be defined as a natural occurring flammable liquid which consist of mixture of hydrocarbons of different molecular weight and other liquid organic compounds. In the oil refinering, different products are made and are said to be bases or components, which are alkalyte, platform ate, penexate and COD gasoline, these produc ts are stored in tanks. These are the main products we have in refinering . the reason for blending the components is to minimise cost. We will write a custom essay sample on Oil Refinering Using Linear Programming specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Oil Refinering Using Linear Programming specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Oil Refinering Using Linear Programming specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Since the type of product that is needed by the market is RON 95 when blending or mixing these components an octane booster must also be included. This is called gasoline blending which can be described as a fuel that is derived from petroleum crude oil; it is also blended or mixed with different hydrocarbons which are estimated to be about 200. When blending the components we are trying to minimize the cost, because we take very expensive components which are alkylate and platform ate and mix with cheap components like penoxate and COD gasoline. Linear programming is a reliable method in solving such problems; it is a very good technique in minimising the cost. When maximising the sale revenues we use linear model, 1 of the mathematical tool. We have to consider the availability of the components, their physical properties and the products needed by the market which is RON 95. The purpose of gasoline blending is to optimise the generation of valuable products such as gasoline wich I mentioned above and even to satisfy the demand for the market.

Biography of Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary

Biography of Emiliano Zapata, Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata (August 8, 1879–April 10, 1919) was a village leader, farmer, and horseman who became an important leader in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). He was instrumental in bringing down the corrupt dictatorship of Porfirio Dà ­az in 1911 and joined forces with other revolutionary generals to defeat Victoriano Huerta in 1914. Zapata commanded an imposing army but rarely sallied forth, preferring to stay on his home turf of Morelos. Zapata was idealistic, and his insistence on land reform became one of the pillars of the Revolution. He was assassinated in 1919. Fast Facts: Emiliano Zapata Known For: One of the leaders of the Mexican RevolutionBorn: August 8, 1879 in Anenecuilco, MexicoParents: Gabriel Zapata, Cleofas Jertrudiz SalazarDied: April 10, 1919 in Chinameca, San Miguel MexicoEducation: Basic education from his teacher Emilio VaraSpouse: Josefa EspejoChildren: Paulina Ana Marà ­a Zapata Portillo (with his wife),Carlota Zapata Snchez, Diego Zapata Pià ±eiro, Elena Zapata Alfaro, Felipe Zapata Espejo, Gabriel Zapata Senz, Gabriel Zapata Vzquez, Guadalupe Zapata Alfaro, Josefa Zapata Espejo, Juan Zapata Alfaro, Luis Eugenio Zapata Senz, Margarita Zapata Senz, Marà ­a Luisa Zapata Zà ºÃƒ ±iga, Mateo Zapata, Nicols Zapata Alfaro, Ponciano Zapata Alfaro (all illegitimate)Notable Quote: It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees. Early Life Before the Revolution, Zapata was a young peasant like many others in his home state of Morelos. His family was fairly well off in the sense that they had their own land and were not debt peons (slaves, essentially) on one of the large sugarcane plantations. Zapata was a dandy and a well-known horseman and bullfighter. He was elected mayor of the tiny town of Anenecuilco in 1909 and began defending his neighbors’ land from greedy landowners. When the legal system failed him, he rounded up some armed peasants and began taking the stolen land back by force. Revolution to Overthrow Porfirio Dà ­az In 1910, President Porfirio Dà ­az had his hands full with Francisco Madero, who ran against him in a national election. Dà ­az won by rigging the results, and Madero was forced into exile. From safety in the United States, Madero called for a Revolution. In the north, his call was answered by Pascual Orozco and Pancho Villa, who soon put large armies into the field. In the south, Zapata saw this as an opportunity for change. He also raised an army and began fighting federal forces in southern states. When Zapata captured Cuautla in May of 1911, Dà ­az knew his time was up and he went into exile. Opposing Francisco I. Madero The alliance between Zapata and Madero did not last very long. Madero did not really believe in land reform, which was all that Zapata cared about. When Madero’s promises failed to come to fruition, Zapata took to the field against his onetime ally. In November 1911 he wrote his famous Plan of Ayala, which declared Madero a traitor, named Pascual Orozco head of the Revolution, and outlined a plan for true land reform. Zapata fought federal forces in the south and near Mexico City. Before he could overthrow Madero, General Victoriano Huerta beat him to it in February 1913, ordering Madero arrested and executed. Opposing Huerta If there was anyone that Zapata hated more than Dà ­az and Madero, it was Victoriano Huerta- the bitter, violent alcoholic who had been responsible for many atrocities in southern Mexico while trying to end the rebellion. Zapata was not alone. In the north, Pancho Villa, who had supported Madero, immediately took to the field against Huerta. He was joined by two newcomers to the Revolution, Venustiano Carranza, and Alvaro Obregà ³n, who raised large armies in Coahuila and Sonora respectively. Together they made short work of Huerta, who resigned and fled in June 1914 after repeated military losses to the â€Å"Big Four.† Zapata in the Carranza/Villa Conflict With Huerta gone, the Big Four almost immediately began fighting among themselves. Villa and Carranza, who despised one another, nearly began shooting before Huerta was even removed. Obregà ³n, who considered Villa a loose cannon, reluctantly backed Carranza, who named himself the provisional president of Mexico. Zapata didn’t like Carranza, so he sided with Villa (to an extent). He mainly stayed on the sidelines of the Villa/Carranza conflict, attacking anyone who came onto his turf in the south but rarely sallying forth. Obregà ³n defeated Villa over the course of 1915, allowing Carranza to turn his attention to Zapata. The Soldaderas Zapata’s army was unique in that he allowed women to join the ranks and serve as combatants. Although other revolutionary armies had many women followers, they generally did not fight (with some exceptions). Only in Zapata’s army were there large numbers of women combatants: some were even officers. Some modern Mexican feminists point to the historical importance of these â€Å"soldaderas† as a milestone in women’s rights. Death In early 1916, Carranza sent Pablo Gonzlez, his most ruthless general, to track down and stamp out Zapata once and for all. Gonzlez employed a no-tolerance, scorched-earth policy. He destroyed villages, executing all those he suspected of supporting Zapata. Although Zapata was able to drive the federales out for a while in 1917-1918, they returned to continue the fight. Carranza soon told Gonzlez to finish Zapata by any means necessary. On April 10, 1919, Zapata was double-crossed, ambushed, and killed by Colonel Jesà ºs Guajardo, one of Gonzlez’ officers who had pretended to want to switch sides. Legacy Zapata’s supporters were stunned by his sudden death and many refused to believe it, preferring to think he had gotten away- perhaps by sending a double in his place. Without him, however, the rebellion in the south soon fizzled. In the short run, Zapata’s death put an end to his ideas of land reform and fair treatment for Mexico’s poor farmers. In the long run, however, he has done more for his ideas in death than he did in life. Like many charismatic idealists, Zapata became a martyr after his treacherous murder. Even though Mexico still has not implemented the sort of land reform he wanted, he is remembered as a visionary who fought for his countrymen. In early 1994, a group of armed guerrillas attacked several towns in southern Mexico. The rebels call themselves the EZLN, or Ejà ©rcito Zapatista de Liberacià ³n Nacional (National Zapatist Liberation Army). They chose the name, they say, because even though the Revolution â€Å"triumphed,† Zapata’s vision had not yet come to pass. This was a major slap in the face to the ruling PRI party, which traces its roots to the Revolution and supposedly is the guardian of the Revolution’s ideals. The EZLN, after making its initial statement with weapons and violence, almost immediately switched to modern battlefields of the internet and world media. These cyber-guerrillas picked up where Zapata left off 75 years before: the Tiger of Morelos would have approved. Sources â€Å"Emiliano Zapata.†Ã‚  Biography.com, AE Networks Television, 4 Feb. 2019, McLynn, Frank. Villa and Zapata: A History of the Mexican Revolution. Basic Books, August 15, 2002. â€Å"Who Was Emiliano Zapata? Everything You Need to Know.†Ã‚  Facts, Childhood, Family Life Achievements of Revolutionary Leader.

Brand Management For Fashion Industry

Brand Management For Fashion Industry Introduction Though brand management is not limited to the apparels and accessories it is very evident that fashion industry has given the word a turnaround over the years. From brand fanaticism to Brand loyalty Fashion Brands have the tendency to create a strong Brand identity amongst the minds of the consumers. Many of their brand management strategies have been successful. The global fashion industry is a giant in terms of the impact it has on economy, trade and commerce of many countries, the reach and importance of its products and the strength of its employment. Over the century, growth of the industry has been astonishing in terms of technology and revenue. The innovations had been rapid and growth exponential. Though origin of branding dates back to historical times, fashion industry is one of the industries which capitalized the most of a Brand’s strength. Fashion industry has a strong affinity to brand management, and most successful brand strategies like retailers Zara, Mark & Spencer and Luxury designer brands like Louis Vuitton, Armani, Dior and YSL. The Brand strategy of most fashion brands revolve around the concept of differentiation of products, target customer group and building brand-consumer relationship from which is derived a Brand Personality and Identity of each brand. This identity carves a niche for the brand in the market. But there arise a few questions about this glamorous industries’ brand management strategy. Does a successful brand management strategy mean ethical Brand strategy? Does having a good turnover a year make a brand strategy successful? Can Ethics be inculcated in a brand strategy in an effective way? In the recent years a new concern has developed for the industries worldwide, the Ethics of business. The London fashion week, 2008 states that the fashion Industry has been caught on the issue of ethical and environmental clothing. Though researches have been made widely on Ethics and Business in most of t he fields and industries very few initiatives had been made for the same in terms of brand management ethics and in particular context of Fashion and Apparel Industry. This Proposal aims in studying this less frequented topic of research yet growing concern of ethical consumerism in fashion industry, the requirements and processes involved for a brand to identify itself as a Holistic and authentic ethical brand. Scope of the Study Research Objectives, Questions and Hypotheses Research Objectives To study the brand management strategy of successful and powerful brands To understand the importance of Ethics as a critical factor for any brand strategy To analyze the effects of integrating ethics into the brand strategy and the implications of the relationship Research Questions What is a Brand strategy management? What are the successful brand strategies? What is business ethics? What is the need of Ethical Brand strategy? What are the implications of integrating ethical business and b rand strategic management? Research Hypotheses Hypotheses 1 Strategic management is significant for a successful Brand Hypotheses 2 Business ethics has become an essential factor for competitive advantage of a brand Hypotheses 3 The relationship between brand management and business ethics can form an authentic ethical brand

American Women Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Women - Coursework Example As John Briggs says â€Å"education played a large role in the women’s rights movement of the 20th century because it was seen as a key to success in gaining social, economic and political equality.† The education mainly comprised of subjects such as mathematics and home economics as it was understood that these subjects will help them in running their houses and educating their children. Also, subjects like child birth, hygiene and first aid were preferred by many women. Poor women were educated by well to do women who had the finance to attend schools (Briggs, n.d). Christie Anne Farhaan (1994) argued that U.S needed an educated citizenry and this in turn required the nurturing of the young by more educated mothers and so women’s education was very important (pg 16). The seven sisters was one of the first all women college which encouraged women to study liberal arts and had high academic standards which could be compared to that of men’s colleges. Since education was limited to the white women, colleges for the black women also sprang after the civil war.

Effects of the credit crunch in terms of regeneration and redundancies Literature review

Effects of the credit crunch in terms of regeneration and redundancies - Literature review Example This paper endeavors to understand the appropriate meaning of the term credit crunch, prior discussing initiation and implications of the same in the United Kingdom, specifically in Sunderland. Credit crunch is a situation when lenders stop lending, borrowers fail to borrow, builders cease their activities and buyers are forced to exhibit their inability to buy. In specific manner, credit crunch can be defined as a sudden stoppage in availability of credits as well as loans, causing shortage of liquidity in the market. Since 2008, such a situation has resulted in development of a complex set of issues in various countries that is continuously worsening. According to Erkens, Hung and Matos, the present credit crunch was initiated in 2007 in the United States, when lenders were heavily exposed to mortgages worth billion dollars, which turned into bad debts. The authors further added that the viability of the subprime loans related to mortgage has a significant impact on the global fina ncial system. Consequently, banks and other financial systems were no more interested to lend to borrowers, which created a chain reaction reaching national financial system of various nations. By the end of 2008-09, the housing bubble in the United States (US) busted and resulted in collapse of several prominent banks. Interest rates also increased significantly during this period. According to Parkinson, the trend had followed in the property as well as construction industry, bringing about a drastic impact on regeneration.

The Contemporary Context of Educational Change Essay Example for Free

The Contemporary Context of Educational Change Essay If there ever was a time in which schools could operate in isolation, that time has long since vanished. There are now many actors and players who would like their say in shaping what is taught, to whom, and how, and who want to take a lead on the education stage. Some will have greater authenticity than others, but none will be capable to lead on their own. The leadership tapestry is multifaceted, rich and ever changing. Leadership is more than a role-based function assigned to, or attained by one person in an organization who uses his or her power to influence the actions of others. It extends beyond the instantaneous school community, embracing those numerous actors on the wider leadership stage—governments, trade unions, school districts and businesses—recognizing the diverse roles which they play. Orton, J. and Weick, K. E. (1990)description of educational organizations as â€Å"loosely coupled systems â€Å"is a third image of the university that still captures the frustrations of deans and college and university presidents who often describe managing change in higher education as â€Å"herding cats†. School leadership is a way of influencing others through communication. Yet it took half a century before researchers stopped up looking at the traits of leaders and began to think concerning the leadership situation itself. Since then a lot of work has been done on how people become leaders as well as how they can best influence followers, how they can develop teacher and student morale, and how they can better the performances of staff members as well as the children they serve. A recent survey of the research agreed on these points: 1. Leadership is not domination or compulsion of others but the encouragement of efforts to achieve communal goals; and 2. Leadership promotes change but it can also oppose change when it feels itself susceptible (G. Egan, 1990, pp. 48-49). The idea of leadership as a network of relationships amongst people, structures and cultures, both within, and across organizational boundaries has been re-affirmed. The numerous actors are drawn together in quest of the education reform agenda: an agenda that has focused to a great extent on schools. Increasingly, governments of different persuasions have shared the belief that the macro-problems of the state and society can be addressed through improving the micro-efficiency of the school. As a consequence, schools have been assigned the task of righting a range of social and economic ills—a role which numerous would argue is beyond the capability of schools to achieve. â€Å"Rising national expectations about schools have been accompanied by reduced teacher autonomy and increasing demands for higher performance—of teachers, as well as of pupils† (MacBeath, Moos and Riley 1996, 223-50). One of the fundamental areas of agreement between researchers who have investigated educational change concerns the powerful impact of head teachers on processes related to school effectiveness and school improvement. Research identifies consistently that those schools which have demonstrated the capacity to improve themselves, tend to be led by head teachers who have made a significant contribution to the effectiveness of their staff. â€Å"Whatever else is disputed about this complex area of activity known as school improvement, the centrality of leadership in the achievement of school level change remains unequivocal† (West Jackson 2001). This should not surprise us—â€Å"it is now more than twenty years since leadership was identified as one of the key components of ‘good schools’ by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Schools in England. HMI stated that without exception, the most important single factor in the success of these schools is the quality of the leadership of the head† (DES 1977:36). In particular, the local management of schools has resulted in the head teacher becoming a manager of systems and budgets as well as a leader of colleagues. In addition, the increasingly competitive environment in which schools operate has placed a much greater emphasis upon the need to raise standards and to improve school outcomes. One of the major growth areas of the burgeoning management development field has been head teacher training. While much of this training has been narrowly focused and competency driven, it has nonetheless, reinforced the centrality of the head’s role in leading school development and improvement. This broadening of interest in, and understanding of, the head’s leadership role parallels the pattern of development of leadership theory generally. In the UK the adoption of local management of schools has come from a belief in the relationship between decentralization and enhanced school effectiveness. In particular, the shift towards the self-management of schools has been premised upon the assumption that management decisions are more likely to be effective if they are located within the institution. This emphasis upon ‘self-management’ has been welcomed by many head teachers, primarily because of the possibility it offers for increased control over policies and resources and expanded scope for leadership. â€Å"Management is therefore developing as a significant challenge to improve organizations and has become a key concern of many† (De Long Seeman 2000:33) What starts as freedom to move around budget items and resources, to alter and to develop new priorities, inevitably brings with it new staff management issues. Indeed, it may well be that it is not the technical skills of financial or resource management that we have to assimilate, but the rather more complex interpersonal skills needed to create support for new priorities amongst the staff group. â€Å"There are also evaluating acts, which measure staff decisions or accomplishments against organizational goals and standards. And finally, there is the diagnostic function, which seeks to point out sources of difficulties, problems that need to be resolved, and the steps that need to be taken to resolve them†. (Robert G. Owens, 2004, pp. 176-182). It is here, in the implementation of interpersonal skills in times of difficulty, as well as times of growth, that the leadership individuality of the head teacher will be tested. It may be that the current prominence within head teacher training focuses too much on the technical competencies of management, and not enough on the personal and interpersonal qualities that are expected to be needed as schools take increased accountability for improving themselves. Similarly, this focus on the relationship between leaders and work groups and the ways in which the leader can extend and harness the relationship has been replicated in the development of leadership theory usually—it is not a ‘school’ issue as such. â€Å"It has been widely argued that complex and dynamic changes, such as the ‘cultural’ changes that are required for sustained school improvement, are less likely to occur as a result of transactional leadership† (Burns 1978, Caldwell 1999). A model of leadership more similar with the requirement of cultural change is that of transformational leadership. This approach of leadership focuses on the people involved and their relationships, and needs an approach that seeks to change feelings, attitudes and beliefs. Transformational leaders not simply manage structure, but they resolutely seek to impact upon the culture of the school so as to change it. It has been argued that cultural transformation and all the related complexities that surround school-based change are at the core of school improvement. Consequently, both supposedly and conceptually, transformational leadership would emerge to be consistent with a desire to bring concerning school improvement, rather than just ‘change’ the school. Of course, while the centrality of leadership in this school improvement process is unquestionable, there is a matter over who the ‘leaders’ are in the interest of improvement efforts. There is a rising research literature that points towards the importance of leadership at all levels within the organization. For instance, the leadership role of what might be termed ‘middle managers’ has been recognized as important, for example, in explaining differential school effectiveness (Sammons et al. 1996; Harris et al. 1995). Likewise, there are increasing calls for and recognition of a leadership role for teachers in the context of their own areas of direct accountability. Yet there is some research evidence that suggests that there is an ever-growing segregate between ‘leaders’ and ‘followers’ as a consequence of the changes arising from the self-governance of schools (Wallace and Hall 1994). The strong managerially culture obvious in some schools has resistant the separateness of the senior management team and has claimed leadership as an activity for the few, rather than the many. Schools committed to continuous improvement found that such schools feel constrained by this formulation of leadership as a function of hierarchy and are moving beyond it. Instead, these schools enlarge both leadership and ‘followership’ as generally based functions within the culture of the school. Hopkins et al. 1994 noted that a school that looks to the head teacher as the sole source of direction and inspiration is relentlessly constrained in its development capacity. Yet school structures often support this rather limited view, imposing a hierarchy of roles over the real sharing of knowledge and skills. Most often linked with school improvement. In practice, this means that head teachers give others real authority and assist them to extend to be able to use this authority prudently. This means giving up the idea of structure as control, and viewing structure as the vehicle for authorizing others. But it is not easy to give up control. Even when goals are agreed, it is not all the time easy to trust others to use their own knowledge and skills to take change about. Yet trust is critical to support the leadership climate. The transformational approach is stranded in trust: â€Å"Trust is the essential link between leaders and led, vital to people’s job, status functions and loyalty, vital to fellowship. It is doubly important when organizations are reaching rapid improvement, which requires exceptional effort and competence, and doubly so again in organizations like schools that offer few motivators†. (Evans 1998:183) Labaree (1997) described the educational goals of democratic equality and social mobility as conflicting because they represent competing visions of education and the structure of education. He defined democratic equality as an ideological tradition â€Å"that sees schools as an expression of democratic political ideals and as a mechanism for preparing children to play constructive roles in democratic society† (p. 43). As he explained further, the pursuit of equal access, whereby everyone â€Å"should have an equal opportunity to acquire an education at any educational level† (p. 46), is one form of this goal. This goal has made attending a postsecondary education institution a norm, rather than an exception, for high school graduates. The result, Labaree argued, has been tremendous public funding support designed to open up all levels of education to everyone. Institutional ramifications include â€Å"the proliferation of programs and courses, the search for ways to improve pedagogical efficiency, the concern about enhancing administrative control, and the stress on fiscal parsimony† (p. 46). In contrast, Labaree (1997) defined the social mobility goal as providing â€Å"students with the educational credentials they need in order to get ahead in [the existing socioeconomic] structure† (p. 50). He saw this as an individual goal, rather than a collective goal, like democratic equality, because social mobility emphasizes â€Å"individual status attainment rather than the production of human capital† (p. 51, emphasis in the original). He saw the tension between equal access and social mobility as â€Å"providing an unlimited possibility for education attainment† (p. 69) so long as there is a â€Å"pyramid-shaped occupational structure† (p. 69). Social equity arguments for postsecondary education attainment combine the goals of access and of mobility, despite their apparent conflict. Labaree (1997) acknowledged that these two goals are expressed in â€Å"the market for educational credentials† (p. 71). Within school improvement it is often proposed that cultural transform (which supports new teacher collaborations, new teaching as well as learning processes that, in turn, lead to enhanced outcomes for students) desires to be a central focus of leadership studies. The types of school cultures most helpful of school improvement efforts appear to be those that are mutual, have high expectations for both students and staff, that show a consensus on values, that hold a secure environment and those which persuade all teachers to presume leadership roles suitable to their experience (Hallinger and Leithwood, 1996). In summary, the role of leadership in school improvement is to take about cultural change by altering the processes which occur within the structure and not inevitably to affect the structure itself. Work Cited Burns, J M, 1978, Leadership, New York, Harper and Row Caldwell, B J, 1999, Reinventing School Leadership for Lasting Reform in the Third Millennium. In The Life and Work of Teachers in Changing Times: International Perspectives, Day, C, Fernandez, T, Hague, T Moller, J (eds), London, Falmer Press De Long, D. and Seemann, P. (2000). Confronting conceptual confusion

Unwieldy Inheritance Essay -- Comparative, Staples, Kincaid

In my essay I have chosen the essay â€Å" black men and public space† by Brent Staples, and â€Å" on seeing England for the first time† by Jamaica Kincaid . In Staples essay he shows us what does it mean to be a black man who walks in the night, living between people â€Å" white people† who sees a criminal or a â€Å"mugger† when they look at him , because of the color of his skin that makes him stranger . And Kincaid explains how she felt as a stranger in her home town as well as in England when she went there . And both of Staples and Kincaid share the feeling of the fear, different types of fear ,as they both been through racism from people around them in different ways , in one hand Kincaid had the fear of losing her identity , and her culture identity and thus losing herself , while Staples had the fear of facing others fears of him, and both never did any harm to white people but they been suffering from white people and under they control an d under their judgement . As Kincaid starts with describing one of the strongest memory she had about her childhood ,which was her teacher pointing out to the map of England , she reveals that she had no connection with it , and that she doesn't feel that she belong to this place , although the institutions in her society force her to feel so , and she emphasise on the great pressure that her society put in her to feel like she is a part of England ,as she pointed at â€Å"when my teacher had pinned this map up on the blackboard , she said, â€Å"this is England†_ and she said it with authority , seriousness , adoration , and we all sat up (332)† , even more the pressure to love this new culture was in her house from her family, she observed how much her father is holding on England culture â€Å"my father ... ...r of him and not to blame them badly , and that was clear when he said â€Å"women are particularly vulnerable to street (370)† And he decided to give people their space to became less frightened of him and he emphasised in that when he said â€Å"if I happen to be entering a building behind some people who appear skittish, I may walk by , letting them clear the lobby before I return , so as not to seem to be following them (371)†. On the other hand Kincaid felt even more fury and anger toward the people she met and didn't accept her for how she was , because she was promised to have a life without racism in England and she makes that clear and obvious when she says â€Å"the moment I wished every sentence , everything I knew , that began with England would end with â€Å"and then it all died , we don't know how , it just all died† was when I saw the white cliffs of Dover (341)† . Unwieldy Inheritance Essay -- Comparative, Staples, Kincaid In my essay I have chosen the essay â€Å" black men and public space† by Brent Staples, and â€Å" on seeing England for the first time† by Jamaica Kincaid . In Staples essay he shows us what does it mean to be a black man who walks in the night, living between people â€Å" white people† who sees a criminal or a â€Å"mugger† when they look at him , because of the color of his skin that makes him stranger . And Kincaid explains how she felt as a stranger in her home town as well as in England when she went there . And both of Staples and Kincaid share the feeling of the fear, different types of fear ,as they both been through racism from people around them in different ways , in one hand Kincaid had the fear of losing her identity , and her culture identity and thus losing herself , while Staples had the fear of facing others fears of him, and both never did any harm to white people but they been suffering from white people and under they control an d under their judgement . As Kincaid starts with describing one of the strongest memory she had about her childhood ,which was her teacher pointing out to the map of England , she reveals that she had no connection with it , and that she doesn't feel that she belong to this place , although the institutions in her society force her to feel so , and she emphasise on the great pressure that her society put in her to feel like she is a part of England ,as she pointed at â€Å"when my teacher had pinned this map up on the blackboard , she said, â€Å"this is England†_ and she said it with authority , seriousness , adoration , and we all sat up (332)† , even more the pressure to love this new culture was in her house from her family, she observed how much her father is holding on England culture â€Å"my father ... ...r of him and not to blame them badly , and that was clear when he said â€Å"women are particularly vulnerable to street (370)† And he decided to give people their space to became less frightened of him and he emphasised in that when he said â€Å"if I happen to be entering a building behind some people who appear skittish, I may walk by , letting them clear the lobby before I return , so as not to seem to be following them (371)†. On the other hand Kincaid felt even more fury and anger toward the people she met and didn't accept her for how she was , because she was promised to have a life without racism in England and she makes that clear and obvious when she says â€Å"the moment I wished every sentence , everything I knew , that began with England would end with â€Å"and then it all died , we don't know how , it just all died† was when I saw the white cliffs of Dover (341)† .

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER TEN TABLE

TABLE Two days had passed and Gendibal found himself not so much heavyhearted as enraged. There was no reason why there could not have been an immediate hearing. Had he been unprepared – had he needed time – they would have forced an immediate hearing on him, he was sure. But since there was nothing more facing the Second Foundation than the greatest crisis since the Mule, they wasted time – and to no purpose but to irritate him. They did irritate him and, by Seldon, that would make his counterstroke the heavier. He was determined on that. He looked about him. The anteroom was empty. It had been like that for two days now. He was a marked man, a Speaker whom all knew would – by means of an action unprecedented in the five-century history of the Second Foundation – soon lose his position. He would be demoted to the ranks, demoted to the position of a Second Foundationer, plain and simple. It was one thing, however – and a very honored thing – to be a Second Foundationer of the ranks, particularly if one held a respectable title, as Gendibal might even after the impeachment. It would be quite another thing to have once been a Speaker and to have been demoted. It won't happen though, thought Gendibal savagely, even though for two days he had been avoided. Only Sura Novi treated him as before, but she was too nave to understand the situation. To her, Gendibal was still â€Å"Master.† It irritated Gendibal that he found a certain comfort in this. He felt ashamed when he began to notice that his spirits rose when he noticed her gazing at him worshipfully. Was he becoming grateful for gifts that small? A clerk emerged from the Chamber to tell him that the Table was ready for him and Gendibal stalked in. The clerk was one GendibaI knew well; he was one who knew – to the tiniest fraction – the precise gradation of civility that each Speaker deserved. At the moment, that accorded Gendibal was appallingly low. Even the clerk thought him as good as convicted. They were all sitting about the Table gravely, wearing the black robes of judgment. First Speaker Shandess looked a bit uncomfortable, but he did not allow his face to crease into the smallest touch of friendliness. Delarmi – one of the three Speakers who were women – did not even look at him. The First Speaker said, â€Å"Speaker Stor Gendibal, you have been impeached for behaving in a manner unbecoming a Speaker. You have, before us all, accused the Table – vaguely and without evidence – of treason and attempted murder. You have implied that all Second Foundationers – including the Speakers and the First Speaker – require a thorough mental analysis to ascertain who among them are no longer to be trusted. Such behavior breaks the bonds of community, without which the Second Foundation cannot control an intricate and potentially hostile Galaxy and without which they cannot build, with surety, a viable Second Empire. â€Å"Since we have all witnessed those offenses, we will forego the presentation of a formal case for the prosecution. We will therefore move directly to the next stage. Speaker Stor Gendibal, do you have a defense?† Now Delarmi – still not looking at him – allowed herself a small catlike smile. Gendibal said, â€Å"If truth be considered a defense, I have one. There are grounds for suspecting a breach of security. That breach may involve the mental control of one or more Second Foundationers – not excluding members here present – and this has created a deadly crisis for the Second Foundation. If, indeed, you hasten this trial because you cannot waste time, you may all perhaps dimly recognize the seriousness of the crisis, but in that case, why have you wasted two days after I had formally requested an immediate trial? I submit that it is this deadly crisis that has forced me to say what I have said. I would have behaved in a manner unbecoming a Speaker – had I not done so.† â€Å"He but repeats the offense, First Speaker,† said Delarmi softly. Gendibal's seat was further removed from the Table than that of the others – a clear demotion already. He pushed it farther back, as though he cared nothing for that, and rose. He said, â€Å"Will you convict me now, out of hand, in defiance of law – or may I present my defense in detail?† The First Speaker said, â€Å"This is not a lawless assemblage, Speaker. Without much in fine way of precedent to guide us, we will lean in your direction, recognizing that if our too-human abilities should cause us to deviate from absolute justice, it is better to allow the guilty to go free than to convict the innocent. Therefore, although the case before us is so grave that we may not lightly allow the guilty to go free, we will permit you to present your case in such manner as you wish and for as long as you require, until it is decided by unanimous vote, including my own† (and he raised his voice at that phrase) â€Å"that enough has been heard.† Gendibal said, â€Å"Let me begin, then, by saying that Golan Trevize – the First Foundationer who has been driven from Terminus and whom the First Speaker and I believe to be the knife-edge of the gathering crisis has moved off in an unexpected direction.† â€Å"Point of information,† said Delarmi softly. â€Å"How does the speaker† (the intonation clearly indicated that the word was not capitalized) â€Å"know this?† â€Å"I was informed of this by the First Speaker,† said Gendibal, â€Å"but I confirm it of my own knowledge. Under the circumstances, however, considering my suspicions concerning the level of the security of the Chamber, I must be allowed to keep my sources of information secret.† The First Speaker said, â€Å"I will suspend judgment on that. Let us proceed without that item of information but if, in the judgment of the Table, the information must be obtained, Speaker Gendibal will have to yield it.† Delarmi said, â€Å"If the speaker does not yield the information now, it is only fair to say that I assume he has an agent serving him – an agent who is privately employed by him and who is not responsible to the Table generally. We cannot be sure that such an agent is obeying the rules of behavior governing Second Foundation personnel. The First Speaker said with some displeasure, â€Å"I see all the implications, Speaker Delarmi. There is no need to spell them out for me.† â€Å"I merely mention it for the record, First Speaker, since this aggravates the offense and it is not an item mentioned in the bill of impeachment, which, I would like to say, has not been read in full and to which I move this item be added.† â€Å"The clerk is directed to add the item,† said the First Speaker, â€Å"and the precise wording will be adjusted at the appropriate time. – Speaker Gendibal† (he, at least, capitalized) â€Å"your defense is indeed a step backward. Continue.† Gendibal said, â€Å"Not only has this Trevize moved in an unexpected direction, but at an unprecedented speed. My information, which the First Speaker does not yet have, is that he has traveled nearly ten thousand parsecs in well under an hour.† â€Å"In a single jump?† said one of the Speakers incredulously. â€Å"In over two dozen jumps, one after the other, with virtually no time intervening,† said Gendibal, â€Å"something that is even more difficult to imagine than a single jump. Even if he is now located, it will take time to follow him and, if he detects us and really means to flee us, we will not be able to overtake him. – And you spend your time in games of impeachment and allow two days to pass so that you might savor them the more.† The First Speaker managed to mask his anguish. â€Å"Please tell us, Speaker Gendibal, what you think the significance of this might be.† â€Å"It is an indication, First Speaker, of the technological advances that are being made by the First Foundation, who are far more powerful now than they were in the time of Preem Palver. We could not stand up against them if they found us and were free to act.† Speaker Delarmi rose to her feet. She said, â€Å"First Speaker, our time is being wasted with irrelevancies. We are not children to be frightened with tales by Grandmother Spacewarp. It does not matter how impressive the machinery of the First Foundation is when, in any crisis, their minds will be in our control.† â€Å"What do you have to say to that, Speaker Gendibal?† asked the First Speaker. † Merely that we will come to the matter of minds in due course. For the moment, I merely wish to stress the superior – and increasing technological might of the First Foundation.† The First Speaker said, â€Å"Pass on to the next point, Speaker Gendibal. Your first point, I must tell you, does not impress me as very pertinent to the matter contained in the bill of impeachment.† There was a clear gesture of agreement from the Table generally. Gendibal said, â€Å"I pass on. Trevize has a companion in his present journey† (he paused momentarily to consider pronunciation) â€Å"one Janov Pelorat, a rather ineffectual scholar who has devoted his life to tracking down myths and legends concerning Earth.† â€Å"You know all this about him? Your hidden source, I presume?† said Delarmi, who had settled into her role of prosecutor with a clear feeling of comfort. â€Å"Yes, I know all this about him,† said Gendibal stolidly. â€Å"A few months ago, the Mayor of Terminus, an energetic and capable woman, grew interested in this scholar for no clear reason, and so I grew interested, too, as a matter of course. Nor have I kept this to myself. All the information I have gained has been made available to the First Speaker.† â€Å"I bear witness to that,† said the First Speaker in a low voice. An elderly Speaker said, â€Å"What is this Earth? Is it the world of origin we keep coming across in fables? The one they made a fuss about in old Imperial times?† Gendibal nodded. â€Å"In the tales of Grandmother Spacewarp, as Speaker Delarmi would say. – I suspect it was Pelorat's dream to come to Trantor to consult the Galactic Library, in order to find information concerning Earth that he could not obtain in the interstellar library service available on Terminus. â€Å"When he left Terminus with Trevize, he must have been under the impression that that dream was to be fulfilled. Certainly we were expecting the two and counted on having the opportunity to examine them – to our own profit. As it turns out – and as you all know by now – they are not coming. They have turned off to some destination that is not yet clear and for some reason that is not yet known.† Delarmi's round face looked positively cherubic as she said, â€Å"And why is this disturbing? We are no worse off for their absence, surely. Indeed, since they dismiss us so easily, we can deduce that the First Foundation does not know the true nature of Trantor and we can applaud the handiwork of Preem Palver.† Gendibal said, â€Å"If we thought no further, we might indeed come to such a comforting solution. Could if be, though, that the turnoff was not the result of any failure to see the importance of Trantor? Could it be that the turnoff resulted from anxiety lest Trantor, by examining these two men, see the importance of Earth?† There was a stir about the Table. â€Å"Anyone,† said Delarmi coldly, â€Å"can invent formidable-sounding propositions and couch them in balanced sentences. But do they make sense when you do invent them? Why should anyone care what we of the Second Foundation think of Earth? Whether it is the true planet of origin, or whether it is a myth, or whether there is no one place of origin to begin with, is surely something that should interest only historians, anthropologists, and folk-tale collectors, such as this Pelorat of yours. Why us?† â€Å"Why indeed?† said Gendibal. â€Å"How is it, then, that there are no references to Earth in the Library?† For the first time, something in the atmosphere that was other than hostility made itself felt about the Table. Delarmi said, â€Å"Aren't there?† Gendibal said quite calmly, â€Å"When word first reached me that Trevize and Pelorat might be coming here in search of information concerning Earth, I, as a matter of course, had our Library computer make a listing of documents containing such information. I was mildly interested when it turned up nothing. Not minor quantities. Not very little. – Nothing? â€Å"But then you insisted I wait for two days before this hearing could take place, and at the same time, my curiosity was further piqued by the news that the First Foundationers were not coming here after all. I had to amuse myself somehow. While the rest of you therefore were, as the saying goes, sipping wine while the house was falling, I went through some history books in my own possession. I came across passages that specifically mentioned some of the investigations on the ‘Origin Question' in late-Imperial times. Particular documents – both printed and filmed – were referred to and quoted from. I returned to the Library and made a personal check for those documents. I assure you there was nothing.† Delarmi said, â€Å"Even if this is so, it need not be surprising. If Earth is indeed a myth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Then I would find it in mythological references. If it were a story of Grandmother Spacewarp, I would find it in the collected tales of Grandmother Spacewarp. If it were a figment of the diseased mind, I would find it under psychopathology. The fact is that something about Earth exists or you would not all have heard of it and, indeed, immediately recognized it as the name of the putative planet of origin of the human species. Why, then, is there no reference to it in the Library, anywhere?† Delarmi was silent for a moment and another Speaker interposed. He was Leonis Cheng, a rather small man with an encyclopedic knowledge of the minutiae of the Seldon Plan and a rather myopic attitude toward the actual Galaxy. His eyes tended to blink rapidly when he spoke. He said, â€Å"It is well known that the Empire in its final days attempted to create an Imperial mystique by soft-pedaling all interest in pre-Imperial times.† Gendibal nodded. â€Å"Soft-pedaled is the precise term, Speaker Cheng. That is not equivalent to destroying evidence. As you should know better than anyone, another characteristic of Imperial decay was a sudden interest in earlier – and presumably better – times. I have just referred to the interest in the ‘Origin Question' in Hari Seldon's time.† Cheng interrupted with a formidable clearing of the throat. â€Å"I know this very well, young man, and know far more of these social problems of Imperial decay than you seem to think I do. The process of ‘Imperialization' overtook these dilettantish games concerning Earth. Under Cleon II, during the Empire's last resurgence, two centuries after Seldon, Imperialization reached its peak and all speculation on the question of Earth came to an end. There was even a directive in Cleon's time concerning this, referring to the interest in such things as (and I think I quote it correctly) ‘stale and unproductive speculation that tends to undermine the people's love of the Imperial throne.'† Gendibal smiled. â€Å"Then it was in the time of Cleon II, Speaker Cheng, that you would place the destruction of all reference to Earth?† â€Å"I draw no conclusions. I have simply stated what I have stated.† â€Å"It is shrewd of you to draw no conclusions. By Cleon's time, the Empire may have been resurgent, but the University and Library, at least, were in our hands or, at any rate, in those of our predecessors. It would have been impossible for any material to be removed from the Library without the Speakers of the Second Foundation knowing it. In fact, it would have been the Speakers to whom the task would have had to be entrusted, though the dying Empire would not have known that.† Gendibal paused, but Cheng, saying nothing, looked over the other's head. Gendibal said, â€Å"It follows that the Library could not have been emptied of material on Earth during Seldon's time, since the ‘Origin Question' was then an active preoccupation. It could not have been emptied afterward because the Second Foundation was in charge. Yet the Library is empty of it now. How can this be?† Delarmi broke in impatiently, â€Å"You may stop weaving the dilemma, Gendibal. We see it. What is it that you suggest as a solution? That you have removed the documents yourself?† â€Å"As usual, Delarmi, you penetrate to the heart.† And Gendibal bent his head to her in sardonic respect (at which she allowed herself a slight lifting of the lip). â€Å"One solution is that the cleansing was done by a Speaker of the Second Foundation, someone who would know how to use curators without leaving a memory behind – and computers without leaving a record behind:† First Speaker Shandess turned red. â€Å"Ridiculous, Speaker Gendibal. I cannot imagine a Speaker doing this. What would the motivation be? Even if, for some reason, the material on Earth were removed, why keep it from the rest of the Table? Why risk a complete destruction of one's career by tampering with the Library when the chances of its being discovered are so great? Besides, I don't think that even the most skillful Speaker could perform the task without leaving a trace.† â€Å"Then it must be, First Speaker, that you disagree with Speaker Delarmi in her suggestion that I did it† â€Å"I certainly do,† said the First Speaker. â€Å"Sometimes I doubt your judgment, but I have yet to consider you downright insane.† â€Å"Then it must never have happened, First Speaker. The material on Earth must still be in the Library, for we now seem to have eliminated all the possible ways in which it could have been removed – and yet the material is not there.† Delarmi said with an affectation of weariness, â€Å"Well well, let us finish. Again, what is it you suggest as a solution? I am sure you think you have one.† â€Å"If you are sure, Speaker, we may all be sure as well. My suggestion is that the Library was cleansed by someone of the Second Foundation who was under the control of a subtle force from outside the Second Foundation. The cleansing went unnoticed because that same force saw to it that it was not noticed.† Delarmi laughed. â€Å"Until you found out. You – the uncontrolled and uncontrollable. If this mysterious force existed, how did you find out about the absence of material from the Library? Why weren't you controlled?† Gendibal said may feel, as we gravely, â€Å"It's not a laughing matter, Speaker. They feel, that all tampering should be held to a minimum. When my life was in danger a few days ago, I was more concerned with refraining from fiddling with a Hamish mind than with protecting myself. So it might be with these others – as soon as they felt it was safe they ceased tampering. That is the danger, the deadly danger. The fact that I could find out what has happened may mean they no longer care that I do. The fact that they no longer care may mean that they feel they have already won. And we continue to play our games here!† â€Å"But what aim do they have in all this? What conceivable aim?† demanded Delarmi, shuffling her feet and biting her lips. She felt her power fading as the Table grew more interested – concerned Gendibal said, â€Å"Consider – The First Foundation, with its enormous arsenal of physical power, is searching for Earth. They pretend to send out two exiles, hoping we will think that is all they are, but would they equip them with ships of unbelievable power-ships that can move ten thousand parsecs in less than an hour – if that was all that they were? â€Å"As for the Second Foundation, we have not been searching for Earth and, clearly, steps have been taken without our knowledge to keep any information of Earth away from us. The First Foundation is now so close to finding Earth and we are so far from doing so, that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Gendibal paused and Delarmi said, â€Å"That what? Finish your childish tale. Do you know anything or don't you?† â€Å"I don't know everything, Speaker. I have not penetrated the total depth of the web that is encircling us, but I know the web is there. I don't know what the significance of finding Earth might be, but I am certain the Second Foundation is in enormous danger and, with it, the Seldon Plan and the future of all humanity.† Delarmi rose to her feet. She was not smiling and she spoke in a tense but tightly controlled voice. â€Å"Trash? First Speaker, put an end to this! What is at issue is the accused's behavior. What he tells us is not only childish but irrelevant. He cannot extenuate his behavior by building a cobwebbery of theories that makes sense only in his own mind. I call for a vote on the matter now – a unanimous vote for conviction.† â€Å"Wait,† said Gendibal sharply. â€Å"I have been told I would have an opportunity to defend myself, and there remains one more item – one more. Let me present that, and you may proceed to a vote with no further objection from me.† The First Speaker rubbed his eyes wearily. â€Å"You may continue, Speaker Gendibal. Let me point out to the Table that the conviction of an impeached Speaker is so weighty and, indeed, unprecedented an action that we dare not give the appearance of not allowing a full defense. Remember, too, that even if the verdict satisfies us, it may not satisfy those who come after us, and I cannot believe that a Second Foundationer of any level – let alone the Speakers of the Table – would not have a full appreciation of the importance of historical perspective. Let us so act that we can be certain of the approval of the Speakers who will follow us in the coming centuries.† Delarmi said bitterly, â€Å"We run the risk, First Speaker, of having posterity laugh at us for belaboring the obvious. To continue the defense is your decision.† Gendibal drew a deep breath. â€Å"In line with your decision, then, First Speaker, I wish to call a witness – a young woman I met three days ago and without whom I might not have reached the Table meeting at all, instead of merely being late.† â€Å"Is the woman you speak of known to the Table?† asked the First Speaker. â€Å"No, First Speaker. She is native to this planet.† Delarmi's eyes opened wide. â€Å"A Hamishwoman?† â€Å"Indeed! Just so!† Delarmi said, â€Å"What have we to do with one of those? Nothing they say can be of any importance. They don't exist!† Gendibal's lips drew back tightly over his teeth in something that could not possibly have been mistaken for a smile. He said sharply, â€Å"Physically all the Hamish exist. They are human beings and play their part in Seldon's Plan. In their indirect protection of the Second Foundation, they play a crucial part. I wish to dissociate myself from Speaker Delarmi's inhumanity and hope that her remark will be retained in the record and be considered hereafter as evidence for her possible unfitness for the position of Speaker. – Will the rest of the Table agree with the Speaker's incredible remark and deprive me of my witness?† The First Speaker said, â€Å"Call your witness, Speaker.† Gendibal's lips relaxed into the normal expressionless features of a Speaker under pressure. His mind was guarded and fenced in, but behind this protective barrier, he felt that the danger point had passed and that he had won. Sura Novi looked strained. Her eyes were wide and her lower lip was faintly trembling. Her hands were slowly clenching and unclenching and her chest was heaving slightly. Her hair had been pulled back and braided into a bun; her sun-darkened face twitched now and then. Her hands fumbled at the pleats of her long skirt. She looked hastily around the Table – from Speaker to Speaker – her wide eyes filled with awe. They glanced back at her with varying degrees of contempt and discomfort. Delarmi kept her eyes well above the top of Novi's head, oblivious to her presence. Carefully Gendibal touched the skin of her mind, soothing and relaxing it. He might have done the same by patting her hand or stroking her cheek, but here, under these circumstances, that was impossible, of course. He said, â€Å"First Speaker, I am numbing this woman's conscious awareness so that her testimony wilt not be distorted by fear. Will you please observe – will the rest of you, if you wish, join me and observe that I will, in no way, modify her mind?† Novi had started back in terror at Gendibal's voice, and Gendibal was not surprised at that. He realized that she had never heard Second Foundationers of high rank speak among themselves. She had never experienced that odd swift combination of sound, tone, expression and thought. The terror, however, faded as quickly as it came, as he gentled her mind. A look of placidity crossed her face. â€Å"There is a chair behind you, Novi,† Gendibal said. â€Å"Please sit down.† Novi curtsied in a small and clumsy manner and sat down, holding herself stiffly. She talked quite clearly, but Gendibal made her repeat when her Hamish accent became too thick. And because he kept his own speech formal in deference to the Table, he occasionally had to repeat his own questions to her. The tale of the fight between himself and Rufirant was described quietly and well. Gendibal said, â€Å"Did you see all this yourself, Novi?† â€Å"Nay, Master, or I would have sooner-stopped it. Rufirant be good fellow, but not quick in head.† â€Å"But you described it all. How is that possible if you did not see it all? â€Å"Rufirant be telling me thereof, on questioning. He be ashamed.† â€Å"Ashamed? Have you ever known him to behave in this manner in earlier times?† â€Å"Rufirant? Nay, Master. He be gentle, though he be large. He be no fighter and he be afeared of scowlers. He say often they are mighty and possessed of power.† † Why didn't he feel this way when he met me?† â€Å"It be strange. It be not understood.† She shook her head. â€Å"He be not his ain self. I said to him, ‘Thou blubber-head. Be it your place to assault scowler?' And he said, ‘I know not how it happened. It be like I am to one side, standing and watching not-I.'† Speaker Cheng interrupted. â€Å"First Speaker, of what value is it to have this woman report what a man has told her? Is not the man available for questioning?† Gendibal said, â€Å"He is. If, on completion of this woman's testimony, the Table wishes to hear more evidence, I will be ready to call Karoll Rufirant – my recent antagonist – to the stand. If not, the Table can move directly to judgment when I am done with this witness.† â€Å"Very well,† said the First Speaker. â€Å"Proceed with your witness.† Gendibal said, â€Å"And you, Novi? Was it like you to interfere in a fight in this manner?† Novi did not say anything for a moment. A small frown appeared between her thick eyebrows and then disappeared. She said, â€Å"I know not. I wish no harm to scowlers. I be, driven, and without thought I inmiddled myself.† A pause, then., â€Å"I be do it over if need arise.† Gendibal said, â€Å"Novi, you will sleep now. You will think of nothing. You will rest and you will not even dream.† Novi mumbled for a moment. Her eyes closed and her head fell back against the headrest of her chair. Gendibal waited a moment, then said, â€Å"First Speaker, with respect, follow me into this woman's mind. You will find it remarkably simple and symmetrical, which is fortunate, for what you will see might not have been visible otherwise. – Here – here! Do you observe? – If the rest of you will enter – it will be easier if it is done one at a time.† There was a rising buzz about the Table. Gendibal said, â€Å"Is there any doubt among you?† Delarmi said, â€Å"I doubt it, for†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused on the brink of what was – even for her – unsayable. Gendibal said it for her. â€Å"You think I deliberately tampered with this mind in order to present false evidence? You think, therefore, that I am capable of bringing about so delicate an adjustment – one mental fiber clearly out of shape with nothing about it or its surroundings that is in the least disturbed? If I could do that, what need would I have to deal with any of you in this manner? Why subject myself to the indignity of a trial? Why labor to convince you? If I could do what is visible in this woman's mind, you would all be helpless before me unless you were well prepared. – The blunt fact is that none of you could manipulate a mind as this woman's has been manipulated. Neither can I. Yet it has been done.† He paused, looking at all the Speakers in turn, then fixing his gaze on Delarmi. He spoke slowly. â€Å"Now, if anything more is required, I will call in the Hamish farmer, Karoll Rufirant, whom I have examined and whose mind has also been tampered with in this manner.† â€Å"That will not be necessary,† said the First Speaker, who was wearing an appalled expression. â€Å"What we have seen is mindshaking.† â€Å"In that case,† said Gendibal, â€Å"may I rouse this Hamishwoman and dismiss her? I have arranged for there to be those outside who will see to her recovery.† When Novi had left, directed by Gendibal's gentle hold on her elbow, be said, â€Å"Let me quickly summarize. Minds can be – and have been altered in ways that are beyond our power. In this way, the curators themselves could have been influenced to remove Earth material from the Library – without our knowledge or their own. We see how it was arranged that I should be delayed in arriving at a meeting of the Table. I was threatened; I was rescued. The result was that I was impeached. The result of this apparently natural concatenation of events is that I may be removed from a position of power – and the course of action which I champion and which threatens these people, whoever they are, may be negated.† Delarmi leaned forward. She was clearly shaken. â€Å"If this secret organization is so clever, how were you able to discover all this?† GendibaI felt free to smile, now. â€Å"No credit to me,† he said. â€Å"I lay no claim to expertise superior to that of other Speakers; certainly not to the First Speaker. However, neither are these Anti-Mules – as the First Speaker has rather engagingly called them – infinitely wise or infinitely immune to circumstance. Perhaps they chose this particular Hamishwoman as their instrument precisely because she needed very little adjustment. She was, of her own character, sympathetic to what she calls ‘scholars,' and admired them intensely. â€Å"But then, once this was over, her momentary contact with me strengthened her fantasy of becoming a ‘scholar' herself. She came to me the next day with that purpose in mind. Curious at this peculiar ambition of hers, I studied her mind – which I certainly would not otherwise have done – and, more by accident than anything else, stumbled upon the adjustment and noted its significance. Had another woman been chosen – one with a less natural pro-scholar bias – the Anti-Mules might have had to labor more at the adjustment, but the consequences might well not have followed and I would have remained ignorant of all this. The Anti-Mules miscalculated – or could not sufficiently allow for the unforseen. That they can stumble so is heartening.† Delarmi said, â€Å"The First Speaker and you call this – organization – the ‘Anti-Mules,' I presume, because they seem to labor to keep tile Galaxy in the ,path of the. Seldon Plan, rather than to disrupt it as the Male himself did. If the Anti-Mines do this, why are they dangerous?† â€Å"Why should then labor, if not for some purpose? We don't know what that purpose as. A cynic might say that they intend to step in at some future time and thin the current in another direction, one tat mar please them far more than it would please ifs. That is my own feeling, even though I do riot major in cynicism. Is Speaker Delarmi prepared to maintain, out of the love and trust that we all know form so great a part of her character, that these are cosmic altruists, doing our work for us, without dream of reward?† There was a gentle susurration of laughter about the Table at this and Gendibal knew that he had won. And Delarmi knew that she had lost, for there was a wash of rage that showed through her harsh mentalic control like a momentary ray of ruddy sunlight through a thick canopy of leaves. Gendibal said, â€Å"When I first experienced the incident with the Hamish farmer, I leaped to the conclusion that another Speaker was behind it. When I noted the adjustment of the Hamishwoman's mind, I knew that I was right as to the plot but wrong as to the plotter. I apologize for the misinterpretation and I plead the circumstances as an extenuation.† The First Speaker said, â€Å"I believe this may be construed as an apology† Delarmi interrupted. She was quite placid again – her face was friendly, her voice downright saccharine. â€Å"With total respect, First Speaker, if I may interrupt. – Let us drop this matter of impeachment. At this moment, I would not vote for conviction and I imagine no one will. I would even suggest the impeachment be stricken from the Speaker's unblemished record. Speaker Gendibal has exonerated himself ably. I congratulate him on that – and for uncovering a crisis that the rest of us might well have allowed to smolder on indefinitely, with incalculable results. I offer the Speaker my wholehearted apologies for my earlier hostility.† She virtually beamed at Gendibal, who felt a reluctant admiration for the manner in which she shifted direction instantly in order to cut her losses. He also felt that all this was but preliminary to an attack from a new direction. He was certain that what was coming would not be pleasant. When she exerted herself to be charming, Speaker Delora Delarmi had a way of dominating the Speaker's Table. Her voice grew soft, her smile indulgent, her eyes sparkling, all of her sweet. No one cared to interrupt her and everyone waited for the blow to fall. She said, â€Å"Thanks to Speaker Gendibal, I think we all now understand what we must do. We do not see the Anti-Mules; we know nothing about them, except for their fugitive touches on the minds of people right here in the stronghold of the Second Foundation itself. We do not know what the power center of the First Foundation is planning. We may face an alliance of the Anti-Mules and the First Foundation. We don't know. â€Å"We do know that this Golan Trevize and his companion, whose name escapes me at the moment, are going we know not where – and that the First Speaker and Gendibal feel that Trevize holds the key to the outcome of this great crisis. What, then, are we to do? Clearly we must find out everything we can about Trevize; where he is going, what he is thinking, what his purpose may be; or, indeed, whether he has any destination, any thought, any purpose; whether he might not, in fact, be a mere tool of a force greater than he.† Gendibal said, â€Å"He is under observation.† Delarmi pursed her lips in an indulgent smile. â€Å"By whom? By one of our outworld agents? Are such agents to be expected to stand against those with the powers we have seen demonstrated here? Surely not. In the Mule's time, and later on, too, the Second Foundation did not hesitate to send out – and even to sacrifice – volunteers from among the best we had, since nothing less would do. When it was necessary to restore the Seldon Plan, Preem Palver himself scoured the Galaxy as a Trantorian trader in order to bring back that girl, Arkady. We cannot sit here and wait, now, when the crisis may be greater than in either previous case. We cannot rely on minor functionaries – watchers and messenger boys.† Gendibal said, â€Å"Surely you are not suggesting that the First Speaker leave Trantor at this time?† Delarmi said, â€Å"Certainly not. We need him badly here. On the other hand, there is you, Speaker Gendibal. It is you who have correctly sensed and weighed the crisis. It is you who detected the subtle outside interference with the Library and with Hamish minds. It is you who have maintained your views against the united opposition of the Table – and won. No one here has seen as clearly as you have and no one can be trusted, as you can, to continue to see clearly. It is you who must, in my opinion, go out to confront the enemy. May I have the sense of the Table?† There was no formal vote needed to reveal that sense. Each Speaker felt the minds of the others and it was clear to a suddenly appalled Gendibal that, at the moment of his victory and Delarmi's defeat, this formidable woman was managing to send him irrevocably into exile on a task that might occupy him for some indefinite period, while she remained behind to control the Table and, therefore, the Second Foundation and, therefore, the Galaxy – sending all alike, perhaps, to their doom. And if Gendibal-in-exile should, somehow, manage to gather the information that would enable the Second Foundation to avert the gathering crisis, it would be Delarmi who would have the credit for having arranged it, and his success would but confirm her power. The quicker Gendibal would be, the more efficiently he succeeded, the more surely he would confirm her power. It was a beautiful maneuver, an unbelievable recovery. And so clearly was she dominating the Table even now that she was virtually usurping the First Speaker's role. Gendibal's thought to that effect was overtaken by the rage he sensed from the First Speaker. He turned. The First Speaker was making no effort to hide his anger – and it soon was clear that another internal crisis was building to replace the one that had been resolved. Quindor Shandess, the twenty-fifth First Speaker, had no extraordinary illusions about himself. He knew he was not one of those few dynamic First Speakers who had illuminated the five-century-long history of the Second Foundation – but then, he didn't have to be. He controlled the Table in a quiet period of Galactic prosperity and it was not a time for dynamism. It had seemed to be a time to play a holding game and he had been the man for this role. His predecessor had chosen him for that reason. â€Å"You are not an adventurer, you are a scholar,† the twenty-fourth First Speaker had said. â€Å"You will preserve the Plan, where an adventurer might ruin it. Preserve! Let that be the key word for your Table.† He had tried, but it had meant a passive First Speakership and this had been, on occasion, interpreted as weakness. There had been recurrent rumors that he meant to resign and there had been open intrigue to assure the succession in one direction or another. There was no doubt in Shandess's mind that Delarmi had been a leader in the fight. She was the strongest personality at the Table and even Gendibal, with all the fire and folly of youth, retreated before her, as he was doing right now. But, by Seldon, passive he might be, or even weak, but there was one prerogative of the First Speaker that not one in the line had ever given up, and neither would he do so. He rose to speak and at once there was a hush about the Table. ‘When the First Speaker rose to speak, there could be no interruptions. Even Delarmi or Gendibal would not dare to interrupt. He said, â€Å"Speakers! I agree that we face a dangerous crisis and that we must take strong measures. It is I who should go out to meet the enemy. Speaker Delarmi, with the gentleness that characterizes her, excuses me from the task by stating that I am needed here. The truth, however, is that I am needed neither here nor there. I grow old; I grow weary. There has long been expectation I would someday resign and perhaps I ought to. When this crisis is successfully surmounted, I shall resign. â€Å"But, of course, it is the privilege of the First Speaker to choose his successor. I am going to do so now. There is one Speaker who has long dominated the proceedings of the Table; one Speaker who, by force of personality, has often supplied the leadership that I could not. You all know I am speaking of Speaker Delarmi.† He paused, then said, â€Å"You alone, Speaker Gendibal, are registering disapproval. May I ask why?† He sat down, so that Gendibal might have the right to answer. â€Å"I do not disapprove, First Speaker,† said Gendibal in a low voice. â€Å"It is your prerogative to choose your successor.† â€Å"And so I will. When you return – having succeeded in initiating the process that will put an end to this crisis – it will be time for my resignation. My successor will then be directly in charge of conducting whatever policies may be required to carry on and complete that process. – Do you have anything to say, Speaker Gendibal?† Gendibal said quietly, â€Å"When you make Speaker Delarmi your successor, First Speaker, I hope you will see fit to advise her to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The First Speaker interrupted him roughly. â€Å"I have spoken of Speaker Delarmi, but I have not named her as my successor. Now what do you have to say?† â€Å"My apologies, First Speaker. I should have said, assuming you make Speaker Delarmi your successor upon my return from this mission, would you see fit to advise her to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Nor will I make her my successor in the future, under any conditions. Now what do you have to say?† The First Speaker was unable to make this announcement without a stab of satisfaction at the blow he was delivering to Delarmi. He could not have done it in a more humiliating fashion. â€Å"Well, Speaker Gendibal,† he said, â€Å"what do you have to say?† â€Å"That I am confused.† The First Speaker rose again. He said, â€Å"Speaker Delarmi has dominated and led, but that is not all that is needed for the post of First Speaker. Speaker Gendibal has seen what we have not seen. He has faced the united hostility of the Table, and forced it to rethink matters, and has dragged it into agreement with him. I have my suspicions as to the motivation of Speaker Delarmi in placing the responsibility of the pursuit of Golan Trevize on the shoulders of Speaker Gendibal, but that is where the burden belongs. I know he will succeed – I trust my intuition in this – and when he returns, Speaker Gendibal will become the twenty-sixth First Speaker.† He sat down abruptly and each Speaker began to make clear his opinion in a bedlam of sound, tone, thought, and expression. The First Speaker paid no attention to the cacophony, but stared indifferently before him. Now that it was done, he realized – with some surprise – the great comfort there was in laying down the mantle of responsibility. He should have done it before this – but he couldn't have. It was not till now that he had found his obvious successor. And then, somehow, his mind caught that of Delarmi and he looked up at her. By Seldon! She was calm and smiling. Her desperate disappointment did not show – she had not given up. He wondered if he had played into her hands. ‘What was there left for her to do? Debra Delarmi would freely have shown her desperation and disappointment, if that would have proven of any use whatever. It would have given her a great deal of satisfaction to strike out at that senile fool who controlled the Table or at that juvenile idiot with whom Fortune had conspired – but satisfaction wasn't what she wanted. She wanted something more. She wanted to be First Speaker. And while there was a card left to play, she would play it. She smiled gently, and managed to lift her hand as though she were about to speak, and then held the pose just long enough to insure that when she did speak, all would be not merely normal, but radiantly quiet. She said, â€Å"First Speaker, as Speaker Gendibal said earlier, I do not disapprove. It is your prerogative to choose your successor. If I speak now, it is in order that I may contribute – I hope – to the success of what has now become Speaker Gendibal's mission. May I explain my thoughts, First Speaker?† â€Å"Do so,† said the First Speaker curtly. She was entirely too smooth, too pliant, it seemed to him. Delarmi bent her head gravely. She no longer smiled. She said, â€Å"We have ships. They are not as technologically magnificent as those of the First Foundation, but they will carry Speaker Gendibal He knows how to pilot one, I believe, as do we all. We have our representatives on every major planet in the Galaxy, and he will be welcomed everywhere. Moreover, he can defend himself against even these Anti-Mules, now that he is thoroughly aware of the danger. Even when we were unaware, I suspect they have preferred to work through the lower classes and even the Hamish farmers. We will, of course, thoroughly inspect the minds of all the Second Foundationers, including the Speakers, but I am sure they have remained inviolate. The Anti-Mules did not dare interfere with us. â€Å"Nevertheless, there is no reason why Speaker Gendibal should risk more than he must. He is not intending to engage in derring – do and it will be best if his mission is to some extent disguised – if he takes them unaware. It will be useful if he goes in the role of a Hamish trader. Preem Palver, we all know, went off into the Galaxy as a supposed trader.† The First Speaker said, â€Å"Preem Palver had a specific purpose in doing so; Speaker Gendibal has not. If it appears a disguise of some sort is necessary, I am sure he will be ingenious enough to adopt one.† â€Å"With respect, First Speaker, I wish to point out a subtle disguise. Preem Palver, you will remember, took with him his wife and companion of many years. Nothing so thoroughly established the rustic nature of his character as the fact that he was traveling with his wife. It allayed all suspicion.† Gendibal said, â€Å"I have no wife. I have had companions, but none who would now volunteer to assume the marital role.† â€Å"This is well known, Speaker Gendibal,† said Delarmi, â€Å"but then people will take the role for granted if any woman is with you. Surely some volunteer can be found. And if you feel the need to be able to present documentary evidence, that can be provided. I think a woman should come with you.† For a moment, Gendibal was breathless. Surely she did not mean. Could it be a ploy to achieve a share in the success? Could she be playing for a joint – or rotating – occupation of the First Speakership? Gendibal said grimly, â€Å"I am flattered that Speaker Delarmi should feel that she†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And Delarmi broke into an open laugh and looked at Gendibal with what was almost true affection. He had fallen into the trap and looked foolish for having done so. The Table would not forget that. She said, â€Å"Speaker Gendibal, I would not have the impertinence to attempt to share in this task. it is yours and yours alone, as the post of First Speaker will be yours and yours alone. I would not have thought you wanted me with you. Really, Speaker, at my age, I no longer think of myself as a charmer†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There were smiles around the Table and even the First Speaker tried to hide one. Gendibal felt the stroke and labored not to compound the loss by failing to match her lightness. It was labor lost. He said, as unsavagely as he could, â€Å"Then what is it you would suggest? It was not in my thoughts, I assure you, that you would wish to accompany me. You are at your best at the Table and not in the hurly-burly of Galactic affairs, I know.† â€Å"I agree, Speaker Gendibal, I agree,† said Delarmi. â€Å"My suggestion, however, refers back to your role as Hamish trader. To make it indisputably authentic, what better companion need you ask but a Hamishwoman?† â€Å"A Hamishwoman?† For a second time in rapid succession, Gendibal was caught by surprise and the Table enjoyed it. â€Å"The Hamishwoman,† Delarmi went on. â€Å"The one who saved you from a beating. The one who gazes at you worshipfully. The one whose mind you probed and who then, quite unwittingly, saved you a second time from considerably more than a beating. I suggest you take her.† Gendibal's impulse was to refuse, but he knew that she expected that. It would mean more enjoyment for the Table. It was clear now that the First Speaker, anxious to strike out at Delarmi, had made a mistake by naming Gendibal his successor – or, at the very least, that Delarmi had quickly converted it into one. Gendibal was the youngest of the Speakers. He had angered the Table and had then avoided conviction by them. In a very real way, he had humiliated them. None could see him as the heir apparent without resentment. That would have been hard enough to overcome, but now they would remember how easily Delarmi had twitched him into ridicule and how much they had enjoyed it. She would use that to convince them, all too easily, that he lacked the age and experience for the role of First Speaker. Their united pressure would force the First Speaker into changing his decision while Gendibal was off on his mission. Or, if the First Speaker held fast, Gendibal would eventually find himself with an office that would be forever helpless in the face of united opposition. He saw it all in an instant and was able to answer as though with out hesitation. – He said, â€Å"Speaker Delarmi, I admire your insight. I had thought to surprise you all. It was indeed my intention to take the Hamishwoman, though not quite for the very good reason you suggest. It was for her mind that I wished to take her with me. You have all examined that mind. You saw it for what it was: surprisingly intelligent but, more than that, clear, simple, utterly without guile. No touch upon it by others would go unnoticed, as I'm sure you all concluded. â€Å"I wonder if it occurred to you, then, Speaker Delarmi, that she would serve as an excellent early-warning system. I would detect the first symptomatic presence of mentalism by way of her mind, earlier, I think, than by way of mine.† There was a kind of astonished silence at that, and he said, lightly. â€Å"Ah, none of you saw that. Well well, not important! And I will take my leave now. There's no time to lose.† â€Å"Wait,† said Delarmi, her initiative lost a third time. â€Å"What do you intend to do?† Gendibal said with a small shrug. â€Å"Why go into details? The less the Table knows, the less the Anti-Mules are likely to attempt to disturb it.† He said it as though the safety of the Table was his prime concern. He filled his mind with that, and let it show. It would flatter them. More than that, the satisfaction it would bring might keep them from wondering whether, in fact, Gendibal knew exactly what it was he intended to do. The First Speaker spoke to Gendibal alone that evening. â€Å"You were right,† he said. â€Å"I could not help brushing below the surface of your mind. I saw you considered the announcement a mistake and it was. It was my eagerness to wipe that eternal smile off her face and to strike back at the casual way in which she so frequently usurps my role.† Gendibal said gently, â€Å"It might have been better if you had told me privately and had then waited for my return to go further.† â€Å"That would not have allowed me to strike out at her. – Poor motivation for a First Speaker, I know.† â€Å"This won't stop her, First Speaker. She will still intrigue for the post and perhaps with good reason. I'm sure there are some who would argue that I should have refused your nomination. It would not be hard to argue that Speaker Delarmi has the best mind at the Table and would make the best First Speaker.† â€Å"The best mind at the Table, not away from it,† grumbled Shandess. â€Å"She recognizes no real enemies, except for other Speakers. She ought never to have been made a Speaker in the first place. – See here, shall I forbid you to take the Hamishwoman? She maneuvered you into that, I know.† â€Å"No no, the reason I advanced for taking her is a true one. She will be an early-warning system and I am grateful to Speaker Delarmi for pushing me into realizing that. The woman will prove very useful, I'm convinced.† â€Å"Good, then. By the way, I wasn't lying, either. I am truly certain that you will accomplish whatever is needed to end this crisis – if you can trust my intuition.† â€Å"I think I can trust it, for I agree with you. I promise you that whatever happens, I will return better than I receive. I will come back to be First Speaker, whatever the Anti-Mules – or Speaker Delarmi – can do.† Gendibal studied his own satisfaction even as he spoke. Why was he so pleased, so insistent, on this one-ship venture into space? Ambition, of course. Preem Palver had once done just this sort of thing and he was going to show that Stor Gendibal could do it, too. No one could withhold the First Speakership from him after that. And yet was there more than ambition? The lure of combat? The generalized desire for excitement in one who had been confined to a hidden patch on a backward planet all his adult life? – He didn't entirely know, but he knew he was desperately intent on going.