Thursday, December 26, 2019

Study on Indian Government Debts and Deficits and Its...

[pic] Study on government deficits and debts in India. How do government debt-deficit sustainability issues hinder India’s growth Abstract Emerging nation India has high hopes of becoming a developed nation. In recent time Indian economy is considered as the fastest growing economy hence there are certain drawbacks such as the government deficits, debts which hinder India from achieving their goal. Development of nation is based on several factors and its more important for every nation to encourage changes, although metamorphic changes have been brought about in the Indian economy every now and then which has seen India emerging as one of the fastest growing countries in the world but on the other hand one of the most embarrassing†¦show more content†¦There are various types of debts which companies consider to finance its projects and operations. These may be secured or insecure debts, further categorised into public and private debts. A basic loan is the simplest form of debt. Some of the debts are named as following †¢ Bank Overdraft †¢ Any loan †¢ Working Capital †¢ Bill Discounting â⠂¬ ¢ Financing for project †¢ Cash credit †¢ Cash on Assets. DEFICITS Again in simple words it is the difference between money earned and money spent, here in terms of government deficits it is considered as the annual federal budget and accordingly deficit is the amount that nation’s federal government borrows each year. Its the difference between what the federal government spends and the revenue it receives during a particular year. A governments deficit can be measured with or without including the interest it pays on its debt. 2. What are government debts and deficits? As discussed above a deficit occurs when expense is more than income. In case of government, a government deficit occurs when government has spent more than the revenue collected in particular financial year, in other words its also knows as government budget deficit. These revenues consist of the money that government collects from its public in form of income tax, excise duties, and social insurance contribution, along with different other non-tax revenues such as foreign aid. On the other handShow MoreRelatedIndian Fiscal Policy Impacts9621 Words   |  39 Pages Batch 2010-12 Student’s Signature Azhar Shokin Topic: - Impact of Fiscal Policy on Indian Economy Contents * Introduction * Literature Review * Research * Article * Analysis * Data and Methodology * Main Findings * Conclusion * Recommendations * References Impact of Fiscal Policy on Indian Economy Introduction In economics, fiscal policy is the use of government expenditure and revenue collection to influence the economy. Fiscal policy can be contrastedRead MoreExport Led Growth of India3114 Words   |  13 PagesEconomic Growth of India Economic Growth is one of the foremost goals of policymakers throughout the world. Every country has varied strategies across the time for pursuing this objective. One amongst all the strategy is the export-led growth. This strategies directly associated with East Asian countries during the recent period. Export-led growth model appears to have become a desirable for many developing countries across the globe in recent years. Following the Asian financial crisis of 1997–1998Read MoreIndia and China Comparative Economic Analysis5875 Words   |  24 Pagesareas of economic and social indicators, where the score card is continually changing. Infact, the strengths of India are very often the weaknesses of China and the strengths of China are the weaknesses of India. Notwithstanding their recent economic growth stories, each has its weak point— regional conflicts, pov ¬erty, linguistic and religious divisions for India; the contradiction between a capitalist economy and C ommunist politics, growing regional divide and growing unemployment for China. Both areRead MoreCritical Analysis of New Indian Economic Policy5290 Words   |  22 PagesINTRODUCTION TO INDIAN ECONOMY The economy of India as per the GDP is the eleventh largest economy in the world and by purchasing power parity the fourth largest. Following strong economic reforms from the socialist inspired economy of Indian nation before the time of independence, the country began to develop a fast-paced economic growth, as free market principles were initiated in 1990 for international competition and foreign investment. India is an emerging economic power with a very largeRead MoreEconomic Environment in India9561 Words   |  39 PagesFeatures of Indian Economy, India in World Economy. Economic Policies : Agriculture Policy, Industrial Policy, Commercial Policy Fiscal Policy. Economic Planning : Meaning, Importance, Objectives Techniques of Planning. II. III. Section – B I. Significance of Agriculture in Indian Economy and New Agriculture Strategy. Agriculture Finance (specially Kisan Credit Card), Nature of Risk and Uncertainty in Agriculture, Measures to Control Risk and Uncertainty, Agriculture W.T.O. Industrial growth in IndiaRead MoreRise of Brics Economy and Its Impact on Global Stock Markets9547 Words   |  39 Pageseconomy is expected to have a positive growth in future, considered high economic growth by China and India than US. The world sees BRICS as the emerging economies and many enterprises has started moving out to these countries as they look promising. With China emerging as a superpower followed by India, BRICS has turned into major player in the global economy, that is expected by the world economists to shape the 21st century. This paper aims to study the trends, similarities and patternsRead MoreFdi Boon or Bane5112 Words   |  21 Pageswill help Retailers to gain more profits thus eliminating the flaws in the current system. As per government norms, if FDI is allowed then 50% of the total FDI has to be invested in backend infrastructure. This will improve the processing, distribution, packing amp; logistics in agro-sector. Thus a huge change in Retail-business is possible. This will have a positive impact on the Indian Economy growth. Increase of FDI in Retail also help full for providing employment. But there are also some drawbacksRead Morefundamental and technical analysis of banking stocks11699 Words   |  47 Pagesstocks† is the systematic study of the performance of banking companies stock’s in stock market and future value of the share price with help of fundamental analysis and technical analysis. While decision in share price based on actual movement of shares price measured mor e in money percentage term nothing else. In the Analysis, calculations are based on FACTS not on HOPE. The subject of Analysis is to determine future share price movement with the help of RATIO ANALYSIS, STUDY OF GRAPH. This analysisRead MorePublic Expenditure and Economic Growth in India13502 Words   |  55 PagesPUBLIC EXPENDITURE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH WHAT IS PUBLIC EXPENDITURE? MEANING: Public expenditure refers to Government expenditure i.e. Government spending. It is incurred by Central, State and Local governments of a country. Spending by government , municipality, or any local authority. It covers things such as health, education or social services and is funded by tax revenue. It is one of the element that make up aggregate expenditure. Government spending or government expenditure is classified byRead MoreNpa in Banks17095 Words   |  69 PagesABSTRACT 6 4. INTRODUCTION †¢ What is NPA †¢ Basel norm I †¢ Evolution of NPAs 8 – 12 5. LITERATURE REVIEW †¢ Banking theory –history and banking system †¢ Banking composition †¢ Banking today and tomorrow 13- 33 6. COCEPTUAL ANALYSIS †¢ Indian banking system †¢ The problem of non performing assets †¢ Reasons for turning an asset in NPA †¢ Trend in NPAs 34 – 52 7. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS †¢ Impact of NPAs †¢ Difficulties with NPA †¢ Key structural changes †¢ Reporting format of

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Language Is the Mirror of Society - 4885 Words

Preamble: Sociolinguistics is the mirror of society. It is not presupposed. We have to mention some important feature and information to justify the comment. To prove this we should clarify some initial terms before discussing further. Sociolinguistics: Sociolinguistics is the study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society. Sociolinguistics differs from sociology of language in that the focus of sociolinguistics is the effect of the society on the language, while the latters focus is on the languages effect on the society. Sociolinguistics overlaps to a considerable degree with pragmatics. It is†¦show more content†¦Language, The Social Mirror: Language is a multi-faceted phenomenon. For Chomsky, language is the human essence, a mirror reflecting the natural creativity of the mind. However, language, with its rich variation, can also be seen as a mirror reflecting the miscellaneous nature of the society or the distinct locality of a culture. In her book, Language, the Social Mirror (1982), Chaika states that language and society are so closely intertwined that it is impossible to understand one without the other (p.1). The mutual dependence, mutual influence, and mutual shaping between language and society are inevitable. Similarly, language and culture are intimately interrelated. Instead of thinking of language and culture, Duranti (1997: 336-7), following Harry Hoijer (1953), suggests that we should think of language in culture. He further states, the linguistic system interprets all other systems within the culture. To expand this idea, we could say that language is in us as much as we are in language. This statement reminds us of linguistic relativity contained within the Whorfian Hypothesis, and at the same time suggests that language is a mirror of the society as well as culture . The following sections will look at language from a socio-cultural perspective, and point out the implications of this outlook on foreign language teaching. LanguageShow MoreRelatedI Am You: The Misrecognized Post-Structuralist Subject827 Words   |  3 Pagestwo theorists, both arguing that a subject is misrecognized and constructed differently to the traditional Cartesian Subject. Beginning with Lacan’s â€Å"The Mirror Stage,† he uses psychoanalysis to develop a new understanding of the intellectual development in babies, as he explains that when a child from six to eighteen months views itself in a mirror there is a â€Å"†¦transformation that takes place in the subject when he [sic] assumes an image† (Lacan 72). This transformation is the acknowledgement of theRead MoreEssay on Individualism1284 Words   |  6 Pagesview of the world. Because modern society finds it important that people think independently, decide autonomously and take personal initiatives, the concept of individualism has acquired a positive connotation. However, individualism is also linked with the tendency to withdraw from social li fe and turn in towards oneself. 2) Which drives people to withdraw into a small, enclosed world consisting of their family and a few select friends, leaving the rest of society to its own devices. 3) CourageousRead MoreMirrors by Sylvia Plath967 Words   |  4 Pages13th March, 2014 In the poem â€Å"Mirrors†, by Sylvia Plath the speaker accentuates the importance of looks as an aging woman brawls with her inner and outward appearance. Employing an instance of self refection, the speaker shifts to a lake and describes the discrepancies between inevitable old age and zealous youth. By means of sight and personification, shifts and metaphors, the orator initiates the change in appearance which relies on an individual’s decision to embrace and reject it. Read MoreOur Regular Routines : A Bridge Between Our Thoughts And People Around Us797 Words   |  4 Pagessentences, I was reflecting about ‘myself’. As Charles Cooley would say: I was in front of a mirror, thinking how others will see me (as cited by Cahill Sandstrom, 2011, p.153). It seems that for most people this is a normal action, performed unconsciously. However, what happens when our imagination of what others might think about us, interferes with our daily routine? What happens when we look at the mirror of self and see only monsters? Nowadays, due to many social and psychological factors, manyRead MoreIndigenous Literacies And Aboriginal English1461 Words   |  6 Pagesclassroom that mirrors these key factors, as it will build the foundations for a nourishing learning environment. This type of learning environment will aid in linking the students parents and the surrounding community together that encourages an equal society. Indigenous literacies are used to communicate certain messages that are meaningful to the people in that individual community. These literacies are used to communicate stories, laws, maps, songs and dances to their own society. These formsRead MoreComparison of One is Not Born a Woman by Wittig and The Second Sex Simone De Beauvoir867 Words   |  4 Pages thus gender is merely an imaginary realm. It only exist in the language exercises, and the way that cultural products are conceived in them. This essay is a preliminary attempt to offer an analysis of ‘One Is Not Born a Woman’ by Wittig and ‘The Second Sex’ by Simone De Beauvoir holds on the language usage contribution to the creation of genders and the imagined femininity. Through the society imaginations of genders, the society character can be depicted and captured in this imagery. This virtualRead More Personification of Oppression in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre1561 Words   |  7 Pagesindividual in the novel. A seemingly exact opposite of the personas placid character, the maniacal Bertha Mason actually personifies an inner part of Jane, the part of her personality that longs to live free but goes crazy under the oppression of society, and especially that of Mr. Rochester. Janes doppelgà ¤nger, or counterpart, truly doubles Miss Eyres suffocated life.    Throughout her young life, Jane Eyre lives under some form of tyranny. Whether she passes her days as an abused and unwantedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Hearth And The Salamander 1258 Words   |  6 Pageswith Clarisse, the old woman, and Faber ignite in him the spark of doubt about this approach. His resultant search for knowledge destroys the unquestioning ignorance he used to share with nearly everyone else, and he battles the basic beliefs of his society. Motifs Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes. PARADOXES In the beginning of â€Å"The Hearth and the Salamander,† Montag’s bedroom is described first as â€Å"not empty†Read MoreA Little Bit Of Politics And A Whole Lot Of Race982 Words   |  4 PagesA Little Bit of Politics and a Whole lot of Race Anna Deavere Smith is arguably the most talented docudrama performer of her time and has constructed many great plays such as House Arrest, Twilight: Los Angeles, and Fires in the Mirror. Her docudramas seek to speak the voices of the unheard in order for her audience to have a broad understanding of different perspectives on major events throughout history. She does this by interviewing a large number of people that come from different racial backgroundsRead MoreManet at the Bar1216 Words   |  5 Pagesand leaves Manets true interpretation of his painting in the air for discussion. Although there are many interpretations, A Bar at the Folies-Bergere is an avant-garde; viewer engaging painting meant to give the viewer a new perspective, hence the mirror. At this time the Folies-Bergere was one of the most elaborate variety shows in Paris, all sorts of entertainment could be viewed here, from circus acts to ballets. It was a literal social gathering of who’s- who’s and Paris’ finest. One of the many

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Economic order quantity free essay sample

1. Which of the following statements about learning curves is generally TRUE? a. management can dictate achievement of a certain rate of learning. b. learning curves were first quantified by Frank Lillian Gilbreth. c. using the â€Å"doubling† model, a learning curve of 70% means the 20th unit takes 70% of the time that the 10th unit will take. d. learning curves are a recognition of the concept that the cost of each produced unit usually decreases with experience. 2. Which of the following is an assumption of learning curves? a. the cumulative time of production increases as production increases. b. time reduction per unit increases as cumulative production increases. c. the same learning curve should be used when a company increases its level of automation. d. the reduction in time per unit follows a positive exponential curve. 3. A firm has just begun production of a new government contract for 1000 infrared cameras. The 1st camera took 500 hours to produce. If the rate of learning is eighty-seven percent ( 87% ), how much time should the 175th camera take to produce? a. less than or equal to 100 hours. b. greater than 100 hours but less than or equal to 125 hours. c. greater than 125 hours but less than or equal to 150 hours. d. greater than 150 hours. 4. Which of the following is NOT true about small batch sizes in JIT systems? a. they increase each setup time. b. they reduce the average level of inventory. c. they allow for the early detection of any quality problems. d. they improve the utilization of system capacity. 5. Which one of the following is an advantage of JIT systems? a. JIT systems reduce equipment needs by using larger lot sizes. b. JIT systems can be easily implemented in any operations environment. c. JIT systems result in a decrease in safety stock and work-in-process inventory. d. JIT systems result in an increase in manufacturing lead times. 6. Companies utilizing JIT systems generally have: a. suppliers who are low-cost producers. b. suppliers that are willing to accept short-term contracts. c. suppliers that are located nearby to decrease delivery lead time. d. many suppliers to assure that material shortages never occur. 7. The definition of â€Å"little† JIT is a ( an ) : a. management system of people and procedures to fulfill all product delivery deadlines. b. production system of small-lot manufacturing to reduce work-in-process inventory. c. materials management system for removing 100% of all inventories. d. integrated system of managing resources, information, and decision processes to eliminate waste throughout the supply chain. 8. In one particular version of the kanban system, a move card ( or equivalent ) is used to signal that: a. materials are needed from an outside vendor. b. a machine has broken down. c. the assembly line is ready to be balanced. d. assemblies or components are needed from the preceding (upstream) work station. 9. Continuous improvement with JIT systems: a. requires periodically increasing lot sizes or workforce levels to uncover problems. b. entails systematically reducing work-in-process inventories and focusing on operational problem areas. c. focuses exclusively on internal operations because relationships with cus- tomers and suppliers are addressed by the logistics department. d. abandoning the system from time to time for added flexibility. 10. Which one of the following is an aggressive alternative for aggregate planning? a. use seasonal inventories to buffer the manufacturing process from variations in customer demand. b. offer complementary products or services with contra-cyclical demand requirements. c. use overtime and undertime to change workforce levels. d. use subcontracting to overcome short-term capacity shortages. 11. Daily demand for a particular product’s sub-assembly is 30 units and its lead time is one (1) hour. The number of authorized compartments for its kanban tray is four (4). Safety stock for this subassembly has been set at five (5) units. The authorized number of trays for this item will be: a. 0 b. 2 c. 4 d. 6 12. Which of the following statements regarding the economic order quantity ( EOQ ) is true? a. if materials handling costs were to drop, the inventory carry cost per unit of an item would decrease and the EOQ would also decrease. b. the EOQ model assumes a variable demand pattern. c. the EOQ model combines several different item orders to the same supplier. d. if an order quantity is larger than the EOQ, the annual holding (carry) cost for inventory exceeds the annual ordering cost. 13. In the basic EOQ model, if lead time increases from 3 to 6 days, the EOQ will: a. double. b. increase, but not double. c. remain the same. d. decrease by a factor of ‘2’. 14. Consider a piecemeal replenishment situation where the production rate is 100 units per day, the demand (consumption) rate is 4 units per day, and the economic production lot size is 500 units. Which of the following statements is true? a. the average inventory per cycle is 250 units. b. the average inventory per cycle is greater than 250 units. c. the rate of buildup in inventory during the production cycle is less than 100 units per day. d. the rate of buildup in inventory during the production cycle is greater than, or equal to 400 units per day. 15. An item experiences an annual demand of 7,200 units. It costs $8. 00 to hold the item in inventory for one year and $16. 00 to place an order. If the EOQ model is used, what is the time between orders? a. less than 1 week. b. greater than 1 week but

Monday, December 2, 2019

Massage therapy free essay sample

? Many Americans suffer from emotional and psychological disorders brought on by the everyday challenges of life. Some common disorders which include anxiety, depression, insomnia and chronic pain are brought on by prolonged stress. Pain and stress are not good or bad. They are the bodys defense mechanism. A stressful situation, whether it is a long awaited promotion at work or death of a loved one, can cause multiple imbalances that, if prolonged, will result in disorders. Massage therapy does have a positive effect on the emotional and psychological state of a client. It can assist the body in proper healing when done professionally and therapeutically. Massage therapy has been a respected form of medicine for more than 3,000 years. It was held in high value in ancient Chinese and Japanese cultures, then spread through Europe and became an adopted practice for many Greeks and Romans as a treatment for stiff muscles and some diseases. We will write a custom essay sample on Massage therapy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The value of massage declined over the centuries. As Western medicine became prominent, the value of massage therapy was reduced to pure luxury for the wealthy, with only temporary relaxation effects. This was the beginning of the quick fix era. Today massage therapy is considered alternative to pharmaceuticals rather than vice versa. There are still many skeptics who minimize the benefits of massage to simply relaxation and view it as unnecessary. However, many others are beginning to realize the true potential of therapeutic massage. When done correctly and regularly, a client will come to realize minimized pain, mind clarity and more mobility. Massage therapy is soft tissue manipulation for healing purposes. Massage promotes blood and lymph circulation, relaxes muscles, relieves pain and restores balance. This can be done through a variety of styles. While massage incorporates many different techniques, the three main modalities are Swedish, deep tissue and therapeutic. Swedish massage promotes circulation and relaxation using light touch. It is most commonly known and used, which is why people do not see any other therapeutic benefits. Deep tissue has more benefit, however it is not utilized or offered as often due to the extent of treatment. Therapeutic is the most effective because it incorporates all modalities to form a personalized treatment that is best for each individuals disorder. It is important to listen to the warning signs provided by the body. The human body is an intricate and interrelated organism. Most stress begins on a subconscious level which is brought on when something stimulates a particular response in the bodys organs or tissues. If the stimulus is consistent and unresolved, it will manifest itself on a conscious level as pain. Pain is the bodys way of getting information across that there is an unresolved stressor. A stressor can be a positive or negative life experience. However, both can result in wear and tear on the body and, if not understood, can manifest emotional and psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. The body uses stress and pain as a warning that the mental, physical and spiritual being is out of alignment. The health of the body is tied to emotional and psychological health which manifests itself through discomfort and disorders. When dealt with in a proper, healthy way, balance and peace is restored. When ignored, the prolonged stress can lead to other disorders such as depression and anxiety, as well as chronic pain. This will continue until something causes it to stop. If prolonged, stress can manifest itself through other health complications such as anxiety, phobias and depression. There are countless stressors that cause countless disorders. The most well-known ways to prevent disorders are to get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, eat a nutritionally balanced diet and exercise. However, for many people these ways are not enough. Massage therapy is one of the most effective treatments with the least amount of side effects. Regular massage treatments can be used to aid the bodys natural healing process. These effects are easily observable. When it comes to emotional disorders, massage therapy has the greatest effect on stress, anxiety and depression (Field 2011). Calming endorphins are released through purposeful touch and muscle manipulation. This causes stress levels to lower and promotes clear thinking which assists in a more positive self-image. The more treatments received regularly, the longer a person will be more able to cope with their stress. Massage therapy promotes relaxation. This is the most agreed upon statement by professionals in the medical field. Many people suffer from insomnia. Insomnia inhibits the bodys natural healing process and therefore the disorder remains and increases (Vitiello 2007). Pain tells the body to release hormones to fix the problem. When that doesnt happen the problem persists and increases. Insomnia is a viscous circle that deteriorates the bodys defenses. This cycle can effectively assist the onset of other illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, ulcers or diabetes. Studies show that massage relieves pain, decreases anxiety and provides psychological support. Anxiety levels rise when going through stressful situations and has a negative effect on moods thought processes and behaviors. With the appropriate amount of pressure, massage can calm anxiety by providing positive comfort and relaxation. Fibromyalgia has quickly become another common disorder. It is a combination of anxiety, depression, chronic tension and pain, and insomnia. Studies have shown that all of these symptoms reduce significantly with regular massage therapy treatments. First sleep cycles improve and clients become more rested and less fatigued. This relieves muscle tension which aids in better rest and less fatigue. Reports show that further results include lower anxiety and depression levels. Numerous studies have shown the immediate effects of massage therapy. Stress, anxiety, depression and pain have been proven to decrease after just one massage. This decrease will continue over a period of time. The length of time depends on the variable of issues. Essentially massage will have a lasting effect. However, because of the multiple variables involved, there is still much skepticism. There are numerous variables that must be accounted for when studying the effects of massage therapy. Aside from the varying disorders and their severity, the massage practitioner and the client have a major influence on the outcome of the treatments. One massage practitioner can do the same techniques as another on the same client, yet have different results. Not every massage therapist has the same therapeutic motive or even believes that it really is effective. This presents a problem because that kind of therapist will not put their full potential into the purpose of healing and therefore it effects will be less noticeable. Even worse is the client who is so skeptical they make sure massage is not effective. It becomes mind over matter where a person subconsciously refuses to relax and thereby sabotaging their own healing. Many of these clients have had bad experiences with massage. Some massage therapists use too much pressure and leave bruises. Others have bad ethics and make the client uncomfortable. Others believe that mediation and surgery is the only way to heal, even though, after years of this kind of treatment, they still continue to complain about their disorders. Most people are skeptical of massage because of the western medicine practitioners and pharmaceutical companies. People believe that medications will cure anything and no one has to be held accountable for their actions or lack of action when it comes to taking care of their body. It is quick and easy and is usually covered by insurance. Most insurance companies refuse to cover massage or other alternative medicine. People still feel that their doctors and insurances know best and that since alternatives are not covered and are rarely recommended, it is because they do not work. This inference is false. Massage therapy is a process of holistic healing. It is a process that is meant to heal the whole body, not just an individual disorder. It is not like a pill that has one purpose. However, the healing process does begin immediately following one treatment. For many, it took a lifetime of wear and tear to get their body into the condition they have. Naturally, it will take more than one treatment to heal them. Even though a client comes in for one reason, such as migraines, the healing process must include much more than a head massage. The whole upper body must be addressed to stop the pain cycle. After each treatment their migraines will become less and less frequent. Once that happens, the client will become aware of other issues they never realized they had because the migraines were so bad. One relieved disorder usually reveals another. This is a process that could take a few months or a few years, depending on all the variables between the clients and massage practitioner. In conclusion, massage therapy does relieve stress, anxiety and many other emotional and psychological disorders. It is becoming a highly respected and recommended as an alternative to modern medicine. More and more people are becoming tired of seeing their doctors, who dont seem to really care about their health, and medications that have horrible side effects. There are numerous complaints about physicians not believing clients and telling them its all in their head. On top of that, the doctor only spends 10 minutes with them after they have waited for over an hour. Listening to a client is part of a massage therapists training. Good listening skills are one of many variables in assisting the holistic healing process. Clients often discuss their issues, which were ignored by their doctors. The massage practitioner is able to listen and acknowledge the issues, helping the client realize they may not be crazy after all. This simple act can relieve an immense amount of tension which reduces anxiety and depression. It is time for people to become proactive of their physical health and, just as important, emotional health and holistic well-being. Before turning to western medicine for pharmaceuticals that only mask the issues, massage therapy should be the first thing people try. If the medication is not a life or death drug, it would be worth changing to massage therapy as the main treatment and western medicine as the alternative. It is not always a quick fix but in the long run the results are more rewarding. Massage is much more than simply for relaxation purposes. When done properly, it is extremely therapeutic, attaining many positive results.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Religion Clause in Amend. essays

Religion Clause in Amend. essays Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The establishment clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one religion to another. It enforces the "separation of church and state". The free exercise clause prohibits the government, in most instances, from interfering with a person's practice of their religion. In determining weather the a governmental practice is violate the First Amendment Establishment Clause, the Courts have developed the "Lemon Test." The Lemon Test organized in the Court's 1971 Lemon v. Kurtzman, is a three-pronged inquiry: 1) Does the challenged legislation or activities have a legitimate secular purpose? 2) Does the legislation or activity have a primary effect that neither advances nor inhibits religion? and 3) Does the legislation or activity excessively entangle government with religion? Several cases that demonstrate the use of the Lemon Test are Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District argued February 24, 1993 Decided June 18, 1993. The issued raised was whether the State may refuse to pay for a deaf child's sign language interpreter in a parochial school. The school district has successfully argued in the U.S. District Court and in the U.S. Court of Appeals (9th Circuit) that permitting a government-funded interpreter to work in a Catholic school would have the primary effect of advancing religion by constituting public aid to a religious institution, which violates the effects prong of the Lemon test. It was also held that paying for the sign language interpreter in a Catholic school would create, in the eyes of Zobrest' ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Examining Relational Leadership In Christianity Religion Essay Example

Examining Relational Leadership In Christianity Religion Essay Example Examining Relational Leadership In Christianity Religion Essay Examining Relational Leadership In Christianity Religion Essay What is relational leading? Leadership is a relationship in which one individual seeks to act upon the ideas, beliefs, values, and behaviors of another individual. This is Leadership of a relationship of influence-a transforming relationship in which the leader invests in the growing and development of the followings, authorising them to go what God has gifted them to be. True leading is in relationship that makes a difference, non merely in function or in authorization. A place does nt do a leader ; rubric may give you some authorization, but non influence. Relational leading dainties people with self-respect, offers hope, gives significance and yet addresses the mission of the administration. It does non count how much power or personal appeal you think you possess, how exciting you think your vision is. What affair is, does person take to accept your influence, or follows. Leadership is about go forthing your comfort zone and taking hazard to prosecute those around you. Leadership that produces fruit is in the character Is every Christian a leader? Christians are leaders by seeking to do differences in the lives of those around them. Enter into relationship with another individual to act upon their behavior, values, beliefs or attitude Centeredness is really of import. It is the foundation of valid religion, belief and reasonable assurance. It helps to cover with the issues of: Identity: Our individuality is in understanding that God loves us. It s non in our work, or in our leading. God had entered into a relationship with us ; He commits Himself to our security-this determines our worth, values and our individual Survival: Our endurance is on the fact that God will maintain us procure for Christ and in Christ. Our relationship with God shapes our lives. Our frights and concerns are already taken attention of, because we are safe in God s manus. Leadership is non for the swoon of bosom, but it s promoting to cognize that you re non in it entirely Meaning: Our naming and significance is non to a place or function neither a specific ministry. But our naming is to populate the new life of Christ. And everyone is pointed to God wherever we are. Leadership for Christians is about God non anyone. Merely an confidant relationship with Jesus Christ can ground the Christian leader in the love of God. We have been chosen by God to be his people, to be his retainer. The ground why we are populating is to be God s kids and unrecorded life for His glorification. We begin by concentrating on our relationship with God. One intent of leading is to turn the people. Success in leading is step by the growing of the followings Relational Leadership is Servanthood: Leadership is about service, about shepherds who care for the sheep, who have been given duty to feed. Shepherd leading is servant entrusted with the attention of the flock. It is a place of duty and service, non position and power. The step of our committedness is action. We are called to function. The mensurating stick of our committedness is non our lip service, but our life. Leaders must move on their value ; action is the gage, non mere words or idea. Selfish motivations prevent a retainer s leading. Jesus, a true illustration of servant leader ; taught us the jurisprudence of shepherd forfeit and stairss of servanthood: He left the glorifications of Heaven and the highest place in Heaven, non merely to fall in His creative activity, ( followings ) but to take on the lowest signifier of the creative activity. The nazarene gave up His godly signifier. He emptied Himself of any right. He became a adult male. He became a retainer. He was obedient to the point of decease. Jesus manner of leading Teachs that we lead by functioning. He teaches that the greatest must be the retainer Leaderships lose the right to be selfish. Leaderships deny self-they are to delight others non themselves. Leaderships develop others-they attention deficit disorder value to others. Accept mistreatment-they are to forgive wrongs by copying Christ. Leaderships have nil to lose-Barnabas did nt hold to guard his repute or fright that he would lose popularity. He came to function, non to be served. This enabled him to concentrate on giving, non acquiring. As a retainer, he had no rights to lose. As duties increase ; rights decreases. As you grow into leading, you intentionally give up rights and options. Servants push for no options and presume no rights. Some leaders expect the people to function them alternatively of them functioning the people. When leaders fail to pattern servant leading, necessarily they become self-seeking. Leaderships must make whatever it takes to function the mission. Leaderships must neer bury that God calls them to function Love: This is the foundation for every act of a Leader. In the early church, leaders modelled love to their churches. In bend, the churches modelled it to the remainder of the universe. Love must be the foundation and motivation for the leaders action. Leaderships have to be first love-slaves and served the people. While leaders so possessed great gifts, their gifts should take 2nd topographic point to functioning others out of love. Clemency: Servant Leader is one who trusts in the clemency of God. Who knows that God reaches out in Christ to supply the really obeisance that we can non populate up to ourselves. We are in a compact relationship in which God offers clemencies that leads to ageless life. Managing Resistance: One of the greatest trials of leading is how you handle resistance. Nehemiah faced the usual tactics of the resistance: ridicule, opposition, and rumor. Nehemiah modelled the right response to all resistances and challenges by: Trusting on God. Respecting the resistance Reinforcing his weak points Reassuring the people Regenerating the people s strength continually. Refusing to discontinue. Continuity is the ultimate gage of our leading ; the secret is to outlive our critics. Criticism ever changes the leader. Unhappy people tend to assail the point individual. Moses taught via his action on managing resistance: Keep your humbleness Face unfavorable judgment forthrightly Be specific about the issue Lay out effects Pray for the criticizers Restore them when appropriate. Leaderships should understand the differences between constructive and destructive unfavorable judgment. Look beyond the unfavorable judgment to see the critics. Guard your ain attitude toward the critics. Keep yourself spiritually in form. Associate with people of religion. Wait for clip to turn out the critics incorrect. Concentrate on your mission ; alter your errors How to pull off conflict/opposition: The trial of a hostile crowd-handling people who do nt desire to go with you is the acerb trial of a leader s poise Remain unagitated and soft when facing struggle, and your illustration will go contagious Speak sagely, doing certain your information is true and accurate Remember, God is the ultimate Judge and will put to death justness Use your words to further healing ; fix the job, non the incrimination Stay docile ; be unfastened to rectification and quick to apologise when incorrect Add value to everyone who contacts you, even when you disagree. Communicating vision Having a message does nt count if leaders do nt pass on clearly and motivate others. Without the ability to pass on, a leader travels entirely. The more the squad knows, the more it can assist. Open communicating and sharing of information develop trust Be clear in your communicating: your squad can non put to death if they do nt cognize what you want. No 1 will catch your vision unless you foremost reassign a image of it into his or her bosom. When you communicate the vision, you paint the mark, flicker and fuel the fire from within, and pull them frontward Good leaders provide grips to enable their people to catch clasp of the vision. Effective leaders find a manner to pass on future vision and past triumphs, because their people need to be invariably reminded of both When pass oning your vision, you need to be courteous-everyone deserves to be shown regard, no affair what their place or what sort of history you might hold with them. If you re gracious to your people, you set a tone for the full administration. Never forget that as the leader, your communicating sets the tone for the interaction among your people. Reduce your message to one memorable phrase-effective leaders know the importance of compacting their complex activities into an easy memorized sentence. This is a secret of good communicating. Make it short! Make it simple! Make it important! Pull offing Change: When programs change, leaders over-communicate-Paul knew leaders must be flexible, non fickle. Yet when programs change, people need more communicating. Leaderships maintain unity when they over-communicate and calmly guarantee their people that they are still doing advancement. Some leaders merely work best in one manner, with one degree of follower adulthood. While such leading may be effectual, it does non turn people. Leaderships must be adaptable. You must be able to alter your leading manner to fit the adulthood degree of your followings in other to turn them. Leaderships who are non adaptable tend to maintain followings at one inactive degree of adulthood. Leaderships should acknowledge these displacements and non be surprise by them. When the state of affairs alterations, the adulthood degree alterations ; and the leader needs to accommodate to the appropriate relational leading manner. The manner you choose to take is non up to you. It is determined by the adulthood of the individual you seek to act upon. Conclusively, servant leading is non about place or accomplishment. It s about attitude. Some leaders have hapless attitudes towards servanthood, and merely as you can feel when a worker does nt desire to assist people, you can merely as easy observe whether a leader has a retainer s bosom. True servant leaders put others in front of their ain docket. They possess the assurance to function and originate service to others. They are non place witting and they serve out of love. Servant leading is neer motivated by use or self-promotion. In the terminal, the extent of your influence depends on the deepness of your concern for others. Followings come when leaders serve. God frequently calls His leaders servant. If you will be a servant to these people and function them they will ever be your retainers.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Diatoms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diatoms - Essay Example Diatom species fall under Bacillariophyta taxa. According to Stoermer and Eugene et al (38), although many species of diatom family may still be unknown, current studies reveal approximately more than ten thousand species. Research backs this up by coming up with statistics that they are the most prevalent in most marine set ups. The key feature with diatoms is that they are used forensically to identify and differentiate different distinct species. The diatomic carapace is a blend of silica component (made up of organic carbon). The carapace composition involves the overlying epitheca and the underlying hypotheca. The two posterior side to side surfaces appear like lock-and-key apparatus. One unique diatom cell can be shielded in the carapace to protect it from harmful environmental factors which may terminate their life cycle. Diatom are known to have distinct features. The carapace for instance have flamboyant over-elaborate designs which clearly depict unique pores. These pores a re crucial in that they allow efficient gaseous exchange within the diatom. They also allow effective sense of the surrounding environment and rapid response to the changing systems within the water body. The diatom research analysis majoring on carpenter Bayou water systems where samples of mud, mineral debris, and organic matter were collected dating to 2015, January. A plastic tube was vertically inserted into the mud to collect the samples. The main objective of this technique was to reduce the highest sand fraction and the lowest clay fraction so as to retain the diatom sample. To obtain the actual diatom cells, 1 gram of the sediment was poured via a sieve to clear any sediments. The purifying procedure was repeated thrice using 45, 90 and 125 micrometers blended with distilled water. The solute that remained in the sieve (mainly diatoms) were spread in a petri dish for four days. This was followed by sample transfer to slides fully

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Description of the company as General Merchandise Store Essay

Description of the company as General Merchandise Store - Essay Example The company has also established a number of supercenters in major cities to meet the increasing demand for one-stop family shopping. These stores combine general merchandise and full groceries ranging from bakery goods, beverages, fresh seafood, fresh farm produce, condiments and spices, frozen foods, canned and packed foods, meat, and dairy products to dry goods and staples. Most of these are open 24 and have specialty shops like cell phone store, pharmacy, restaurants, hair salon, tire and tube express among others. The neighborhood markets bridge the gap between the supercenters and the discount stores by offering a limited range of general merchandise but a full range of health and beauty products, groceries, pharmaceuticals and photo developing services. The characteristics of the key players of a company have the potential of impacting on organizational behavior and this, in turn, will financial performance directly and indirectly. Because of this, there are some characteristi cs I would like to possess and would like to see them in other key players of the company like the chief finance officer (CFO) and the chief operations officer (COO). The first is having a vision. All the key players of the company must have a common picture of what the company aims at attaining. Having a vision will lead to the creation of a company where all employees work toward the attainment of a common goal. All key players should be self-less collaborators and team builders.... Having a vision will lead to the creation of a company where all employees work toward the attainment of a common goal. All key players should be self-less collaborators and team builders. These traits will go a long way into encouraging the spirit and mindset of teamwork and collaboration across the company among all ranks of employees. In relation to this, the key players should have strong interpersonal relationships. In businesses, especially retailing, people skills are as valuable as technical assets because of high levels of constant interpersonal engagement. This characteristic will therefore lead to the creation of a company where employees treat customers with the utmost respect leading to the best customer experience. The key players should also be of good character and highly ethical. This trait will lead to the creation of a company whose policies, procedures and business activities indicate a strict adherence to ethics. In addition, key players should have passion. Both employees and customers want passion if the employees embraced this character, it will lead to the creation of a customer-focused culture where everyone is willing to go an extra mile to give customers a passionate shopping experience. Analysis of motivational theories discussed and determination of how best to motivate company employees. The motivational theories discussed so far indicate a variation in views among psychologists regarding what best motivates workers. To some, workers are best motivated by pay, to others, workers are motivated by satisfaction of their social needs and to some, a satisfaction of psychological needs. However, it would be unfruitful to lay a framework for employee motivation basing on a single factor. For example, a

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Ethnicity and Education Essay Example for Free

Ethnicity and Education Essay Most studies found that overall ethnic minorities tend to do less well than other members of the population when it comes to educational achievement. The government sponsored â€Å"Swann report† found that â€Å"Asians† did almost as well as â€Å"Whites† however not as well, one Asian group in particular the â€Å"Bangladeshi’s† did particularly badly and â€Å"West Indians† preformed considerably worse than â€Å"Whites†. Many factors which occur inside the school are the cause of educational achievement however other factors contribute. The expectations of teachers on ethnic minorities have caused differences in educational achievement. Bernard Coard believes that teachers expect â€Å"Black† children to fail therefore labelling the child as a failure. Interactionalists are concerned with how teachers â€Å"pidgeonhole† students this is the labelling theory, this is where the teacher makes a judgement of the child based on the child’s appearance, behaviour, previous family members and relationships with other students. However most labels are based on stereotypes rather than evidence, the reality is that once a label starts it is difficult to get rid of and this can cause problems for a student’s educational achievement. Teachers will discuss the students label in the staff room and other teachers will attach the same label to the child and this can lead to the child not being allowed to attend school trips. If a student is labelled as a failure by a teacher then the teacher is likely to put the student into a lower tier exam thus the pupil can only achieve a maximum of a grade C and can’t achieve to the best of their ability. When a student is labelled as a failure the student can begin to believe that the label is true and begin to make it part of their part of their identity, become a failure this is known as the self-fulfilling prophecy thus creating ethnic differences in educational achievement within the school system. David Hardgreves argues that anti school sub cultures can be formed as a result of negative labelling. However Maureen Stone and Swann both indicate that those who are labelled may not accept their labels. Institutional Racism within schools can lead to educational achievement and the differences it causes within ethnic minorities. The â€Å"Swann report† found that a small number of teachers are consciously racist however there are a great deal of teachers who are â€Å"unintentionally† racist. Bernard Coard states that the British educational system makes children become educationally subnormal he states that â€Å"West Indian children are told that their language is second rate and unacceptable† he states that within the British educational system the word â€Å"White† is associated with â€Å"good† and the word â€Å"Black† with evil. Coard also states that the attitudes portrayed in the classroom are reinforced by the pupils outside of the classroom. Many sociologists would also argue that the mispronunciation of student’s names and not learning them can be classed as racism within the school system. Cecile Wright found that majority of staff are committed to ideals of equality but despite these ideals there are still considerable amounts of discrimination in the classroom. Asian children were often excluded from discussions and teachers expressed an â€Å"open disapproval of their customs and traditions†, these comments from teachers made Asian children feel more isolated from other pupils. Martin Hammersley found that racist comments in the staffroom did not lead to racism in the classroom. J. Taylor found that â€Å"most teachers are concerned to have a fair policy towards the treatment of black pupils†. Mac an Ghaill studied 25 afro Caribbean and Asian students studying A levels. He found that â€Å"although they disagreed over the extent of racism within education, this did not directly determine their attitude to education and their levels of academic success. The way that students responded to schooling varied and this was influenced by their ethnic group†. This could eventually lead to the formation of anti-school sub cultures. These are pupils who have rejected some or all of the values and rules set down in the school ethos. Peter Woods identified 8 different groups ranging from Ingratiation total conformity to Rebellion outright rejection of school rules and values. This can cause ethnic differences in educational achievement within the school system. The Ethocentric curriculum can cause ethnic differences in educational achievement this is the school being biased towards one particular culture. Many sociologists argue that the curriculum is geared towards white middle class students. The curriculum is set in place for white middle class students and this means that ethnic minorities will not understand the curriculum and will fall behind and not do well thus leading to educational underachievement. Parents from ethnic minorities may not be able to afford or have the right experience to make an informed choice on the best school to suit their children’s needs whereas middle class parents have the money and correct experience to make an informed decision on the best school for their child. Ethnic differences in educational achievement are the result of school factors however other factors have significance. Material Deprivation is the effect poverty has on educational achievement. Poorer parents from ethnic minorities may not be able to provide their children with the educational toys needed such as computers. Cramped housing means less space to study. High rate of illness can lead to missing days of school. Children from poorer backgrounds may need to contribute to the financial running of the home thus getting part time jobs which will affect their studies and will leave school at the earliest opportunity to start work. Harker states that overcrowding causes a negative effect on educational achievement which can cause differences in ethnic minorities which can cause bullying and truancy. Cultural Deprivation is the term used to describe serious inadequacies in the socialisation process and its effects on educational achievement. Poor parenting means children underachieving in education. Many sociologists argue that ethnic minorities tend to be more fatalistic meaning that parents tend to have low aspirations and expectations for their child meaning less emphasis is placed on doing well in education. Whereas â€Å"White† middle classes would have high aspirations and high expectations. Socialisation focuses on the values, expectations and norms transmitted from parents to children. Children from Ethnic tend to focus on immediate gratification where they try to reep their rewards at the earliest opportunity such as leaving school at 16 to earn money. Whereas â€Å"White† middle class children aim for a bright future described as deferred gratification which is putting off short term rewards to gain better rewards in the future. Cultural Deprivation can affect the way parents prepare their children for school. Working class children would sit and watch T. V. whereas middle class parents would take their children to museums. Driver and Ballard state that high achievement in Asian groups may be linked to the fact that they live in close knit families that can help each other. Price highlighted a high rate of single parent families in black Caribbean communities which may explain high underachievement. Linguistic Deprivation is the ability to use appropriate language which is an important factor in educational success. Bernstein came up with two codes of language Restricted and Elaborate codes. The Restricted code is used in casual situations. This is limited vocabulary and Simplistic grammar which can only be understood if you are aware of this topic. The Elaborate code is used in formal situations. This is sophisticated grammar and vocabulary and can be understood if aware of the topic. Bernstein found that White middle class children had the ability to switch between the two codes whereas children from ethnic minorities were limited to using the restricted code. This means they are severely disadvantaged in education where the language is all formal. In conclusion, it is probable that a number of factors work together in producing the lower levels of achievement found in some ethnic groups. The Swann report concluded that racial discrimination inside and outside school along with social deprivation were probably the main factors. Others would add that cultural factors also play some part in explaining the differences.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Mother Teresa Essay -- essays research papers

Choose the two sections of Mother Tesresa’s book that stuck out most, and explain why they made an impact on you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This book was so informative that it is so hard to pick only two parts that impacted me the most. If I have to choose only two the first would be Chapter Eight, â€Å" The Poor and Rich in Love.† As Mother Theresa makes so many points in this section. The stories she tells about bringing the dying off the streets to die in peace. This is so touching that these missionaries devote their lives to the poor. They choose to be poor, and Mother Theresa talks about they choose to be poor to really understand and feel what these poor people are experiencing. The stories she tells of bringing dying people in from the streets and how they die so peacefully and have a last change to really feel that there is a God before passing away, this is very touching. There are poor people all over the world and these sisters have devoted their lives to the poor and choose to be poor themselves. Which Mother Teresa says she feels is important, this way they can understand these people and do work for Jesus. In several sections she speaks of dying people who are so happy that they have been brought to a wonderful peaceful place to die. They get to believe in God again before passing away. They actually are smiling as they die, with someone who cares at there side. After leaving on the streets for years and no one wanting them, how peaceful it must be to die ...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER TWELVE AGENT

AGENT Munn Li Compor, councilman of Terminus, looked uncertain as he extended his right hand to Trevize. Trevize looked at the hand sternly and did not take it. He said, apparently to open air, â€Å"I am in no position to create a situation in which I may find myself arrested for disturbing the peace on a foreign planet, but I will do so anyway if this individual comes a step closer.† Compor stopped abruptly, hesitated, and finally said in a low voice after glancing uncertainly at Pelorat, â€Å"Am I to have a chance to talk? To explain? Will you listen?† Pelorat looked from one to the other with a slight frown on his long face. He said, â€Å"What's all this, Golan? Have we come to this far world and at once met someone you know?† Trevize's eyes remained firmly fixed on Compor, but he twisted his body slightly to make it clear that he was talking to Pelorat. Trevize said, â€Å"This – human being – we would judge that much from his shape – was once a friend of mine on Terminus. As is my habit with my friends, I trusted him. I told him my views, which were perhaps not the kind that should have received a general airing. He told them to the authorities in great detail, apparently, and did not take the trouble to tell me he had done so. For that reason, I walked neatly into a trap and now I find myself in exile. And now this – human being – wishes to be recognized as a friend.† He turned to Compor full on and brushed his fingers through his hair, succeeding only in disarranging the curls further. â€Å"See here, you. I do have a question for you. What are you doing here? Of all the worlds in the Galaxy on which you could be, why are you on this one? And why now?† Compor's hand, which had remained outstretched throughout Trevize's speech, now fell to his side and the smile left his face. The air of self-confidence, which was ordinarily so much a part of him, was gone and in its absence he looked younger than his thirty-four years and a bit woebegone. â€Å"I'll explain,† he said, â€Å"but only from the start!† Trevize looked about briefly. â€Å"Here? You really want to talk about it here? In a public place? You want me to knock you down here after I've listened to enough of your lies?† Compor lifted both hands now, palms facing each other. â€Å"It's the safest place, believe me.† And then, checking himself and realizing what the other was about to say, added hurriedly, â€Å"Or don't believe me, it doesn't matter. I'm telling the truth. I've been on the planet several hours longer than you and I've checked it out. This is some particular day they have here on Sayshell. It's a day for meditation, for some reason. Almost everyone is at home – or should be. – You see how empty this place is. You don't suppose it's like this every day.† Pelorat nodded and said, â€Å"I was wondering why it was so empty, at that.† He leaned toward Trevize's ear and whispered, â€Å"Why not let him talk, Golan? He looks miserable, poor chap, and he may be trying to apologize. It seems unfair not to give him the chance to do so. ‘, Trevize said, â€Å"Dr. Pelorat seems anxious to hear you. I'm willing to oblige him, but you'll oblige me if you're brief about it. This may be a good day on which to lose my temper. If everyone is meditating, any disturbance I cause may not produce the guardians of the law. I may not be so lucky tomorrow. Why waste an opportunity?† Compor said in a strained voice, â€Å"Look, if you want to take a poke at me, do so. I won't even defend myself, see? Go ahead, hit me – but listen!† â€Å"Go ahead and talk, then. I'll listen for a while.† â€Å"In the first place, Golan†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Address me as Trevize, please. I am not on first-name terms with you.† â€Å"In the first place, Trevize, you did too good a job convincing me of your views†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You hid that well. I could have sworn you were amused by me.† â€Å"I tried to be amused to hide from myself the fact that you were being extremely disturbing. – Look, let us sit down up against the wall. Even if the place is empty, some few may come in and I don't think we ought to be needlessly conspicuous.† Slowly the three men walked most of the length of the large room. Compor was smiling tentatively again, but remained carefully at more than arm's length from Trevize. They sat each on a seat that gave as their weight was placed upon it and molded itself into the shape of their hips and buttocks. Pelorat looked surprised and made as though to stand up. â€Å"Relax, Professor,† said Compor. â€Å"I've been through this already. They're in advance of us in some ways. It's a world that believes in small comforts.† He turned to Trevize, placing one arm over the back of his chair and speaking easily now. â€Å"You disturbed me. You made me feel the Second Foundation did exist, and that was deeply upsetting. Consider the consequences if they did. Wasn't it likely that they might take care of you somehow? Remove you as a menace? And if I behaved as though I believed you, I might be removed as well. Do you see my point?† â€Å"I see a coward.† â€Å"What good would it do to be storybook brave?† said Compor warmly, his blue eyes widening in indignation. â€Å"Can you or I stand up to an organization capable of molding our minds and emotions? The only way we could fight effectively would be to hide our knowledge to begin with.† â€Å"So you hid it and were safe? – Yet you didn't hide it from Mayor Branno, did you? Quite a risk there.† â€Å"Yes! But I thought that was worth it. Just talking between ourselves might do nothing more than get ourselves mentally controlled – or our memories erased altogether. If I told the Mayor, on the other hand. – She knew my father well, you know. My father and I were immigrants from Smyrno and the Mayor had a grandmother who†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes yes,† said Trevize impatiently, â€Å"and several generations farther back you can trace ancestry to the Sirius Sector. You've told all that to everyone you know. Get on with it, Compor!† â€Å"Well, I had her ear. If I could convince the Mayor that there was danger, using your arguments, the Federation might take some action. We're not as helpless as we were in the days of the Mule and – at the worst – this dangerous knowledge would be spread more widely and we ourselves would not be in as much specific danger.† Trevize said sardonically, â€Å"Endanger the Foundation, but keep ourselves safe. That's good patriotic stuff.† â€Å"That would be at the worst. I was counting on the best.† His forehead had become a little damp. He seemed to be straining against Trevize's immovable contempt. â€Å"And you didn't tell me of this clever plan of yours, did you?† â€Å"No, I didn't and I'm sorry about that, Trevize. The Mayor ordered me not to. She said she wanted to know everything you knew but that you were the sort of person who would freeze if you knew that your remarks were being passed on.† â€Å"How right she was!† â€Å"I didn't know – I couldn't guess – I had no way of conceiving that she was planning to arrest you and throw you off the planet.† â€Å"She was waiting for the right political moment, when my status as Councilman would not protect me. You didn't foresee that?† â€Å"How could I? You yourself did not.† â€Å"Had I known that she knew my views, I would have.† Compor said with a sudden trace of insolence, â€Å"That's easy enough to say – in hindsight.† â€Å"And what is it you want of me here? Now that you have a bit of hindsight, too.† â€Å"To make up for all this. To make up for the harm I unwittingly – unwittingly – did you.† â€Å"Goodness,† said Trevize dryly. â€Å"How kind of you! But you haven't answered my original question. How did you come to be here? How do you happen to be on the very planet I am on?† Compor said, â€Å"There's no complicated answer necessary for that. I followed you!† â€Å"Through hyperspace? With my ship making Jumps in series?† Compor shook his head. â€Å"No mystery. I have the same kind of a ship you do, with the same kind of computer. You know I've always had this trick of being able to guess in which direction through hyperspace a ship would go. It's not usually a very good guess and I'm wrong two times out of three, but with the computer I'm much better. And you hesitated quite a bit at the start and gave me a chance to evaluate the direction and speed in which you were going before entering hyperspace. I fed the data – together with my own intuitive extrapolations – into the computer and it did the rest.† â€Å"And you actually got to the city ahead of me?† â€Å"Yes. You didn't use gravitics and I did. I guessed you would come to the capital city, so I went straight down, while you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Compor made a short spiral motion with his finger as though it were a ship riding a directional beam. â€Å"You took a chance on a run-in with Sayshellian officialdom.† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Compor's face broke into a smile that lent it an undeniable charm and Trevize felt himself almost warming to him. Compor said, â€Å"I'm not a coward at all times and in all things.† Trevize steeled himself. â€Å"How did you happen to get a ship like mine?† â€Å"In precisely the same way you got a ship like yours. The old lady – Mayor Branno – assigned it to me.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I'm being entirely frank with you. My assignment was to follow you. The Mayor wanted to know where you were going and what you would be doing.† â€Å"And you've been reporting faithfully to her, I suppose. – Or have you been faithless to the Mayor also?† â€Å"I reported to her. I had no choice, actually. She placed a hyperrelay on board ship, which I wasn't supposed to find, but which I did find.† â€Å"Well?† â€Å"Unfortunately it's hooked up so that I can't remove it without immobilizing the vessel. At least, there's no way I can remove it. Consequently she knows where I am – and she knows where you are.† â€Å"Suppose you hadn't been able to follow me. Then she wouldn't have known where I was. Had you thought of that?† â€Å"Of course I did. I thought of just reporting I had lost you – but she wouldn't have believed me, would she? And I wouldn't have been able to get back to Terminus for who knows how long. And I'm not like you, Trevize. I'm not a carefree person without attachments. I have a wife on Terminus – a pregnant wife – and I want to get back to her. You can afford to think only of yourself. I can't. – Besides, I've come to warn you. By Seldon, I'm trying to do that and you won't listen. You keep talking about other things.† â€Å"I'm not impressed by your sudden concern for me. What can you warn me against? It seems to me that you are the only thing I need be warned about. You betray me, and now you follow me in order to betray me again. No one else is doing me any harm.† Compor said earnestly, â€Å"Forget the dramatics, man. Trevize, you're a lightning rod! You've been sent out to draw Second Foundation response – if there is such a thing as the Second Foundation. I have an intuitive sense for things other than hyperspatial pursuit and I'm sure that's what she's planning. If you try to find the Second Foundation, they'll become aware of it and they'll act against you. If they do, they are very likely to tip their hand. And when they do, Mayor Branno will go for them.† â€Å"A pity your famous intuition wasn't working when Branno was planning my arrest.† Compor flushed and muttered, â€Å"You know it doesn't always work.† â€Å"And now it tells you she's planning to attack the Second Foundation. She wouldn't dare.† â€Å"I think she would. But that's not the point. The point is that right now she is throwing you out as bait.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So by all the black holes in space, don't search for the Second Foundation. She won't care if you're killed in the search, but I care. I feel responsible for this and I care.† â€Å"I'm touched,† said Trevize coldly, â€Å"but as it happens I have another task on hand at the moment.† â€Å"You have?† â€Å"Pelorat and I are on the track of Earth, the planet that some think was the original home of the human race. Aren't we, Janov?† Pelorat nodded his head. â€Å"Yes, it's a purely scientific matter and a long-standing interest of mine.† Compor looked blank for a moment. Then, â€Å"Looking for Earth? But why?† â€Å"To study it,† said Pelorat. â€Å"As the one world on which human beings developed – presumably from lower forms of life, instead of, as on all others, merely arriving ready-made – it should be a fascinating study in uniqueness.† â€Å"And,† said Trevize, â€Å"as a world where, just possibly, I may learn more of the Second Foundation. – Just possibly.† Compor said, â€Å"But there isn't any Earth. Didn't you know that?† â€Å"No Earth?† Pelorat looked utterly blank, as he always did when he was preparing to be stubborn. â€Å"Are you saying there was no planet on which the human species originated?† â€Å"Oh no. Of course, there was an Earth. There's no question of that! But there isn't any Earth now. No inhabited Earth. It's gone!† Pelorat said, unmoved, â€Å"There are tales†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hold on, Janov,† said Trevize. â€Å"Tell me, Compor, how do you know this?† â€Å"What do you mean, how? It's my heritage. I trace my ancestry from the Sirius Sector, if I may repeat that fact without boring you. We know all about Earth out there. It exists in that sector, which means it's not part of the Foundation Federation, so apparently no one on Terminus bothers with it. But that's where Earth is, just the same.† â€Å"That is one suggestion, yes,† said Pelorat. â€Å"There was considerable enthusiasm for that ‘Sirius Alternative,' as they called it, in the days of the Empire.† Compor said vehemently. â€Å"It's not an alternative. It's a fact.† Pelorat said, â€Å"What would you say if I told you I know of many different places in the Galaxy that are called Earth – or were called Earth – by the people who lived in its stellar neighborhood?† â€Å"But this is the real thing,† said Compor. â€Å"The Sirius Sector is the longest-inhabited portion of the Galaxy. Everyone knows that.† â€Å"The Sirians claim it, certainly,† said Pelorat, unmoved. Compor looked frustrated. â€Å"I tell you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But Trevize said, â€Å"Tell us what happened to Earth. You say it's not inhabited any longer. Why not?† â€Å"Radioactivity. The whole planetary surface is radioactive because of nuclear reactions that went out of control, or nuclear explosions – I'm not sure – and now no life is possible there.† The three stared at each other for a while and then Compor felt it necessary to repeat. He said, â€Å"I tell you, there's no Earth. There's no use looking for it.† Janov Pelorat's face was, for once, not expressionless. It was not that there was passion in it – or any of the more unstable emotions. It was that his eyes had narrowed – and that a kind of fierce intensity had filled every plane of his face. He said, and his voice lacked any trace of its usual tentative quality, â€Å"How did you say you know all this?† â€Å"I told you,† said Compor. â€Å"It's my heritage.† â€Å"Don't be silly, young man. You are a Councilman. That means you must be born on one of the Federation worlds – Smyrno, I think you said earlier.† â€Å"That's right.† â€Å"Well then, what heritage are you talking about? Are you telling me that you possess Sirian genes that fill you with inborn knowledge of the Sirian myths concerning Earth.† Compor looked taken aback. â€Å"No, of course not.† â€Å"Then what are you talking about?† Compor paused and seemed to gather his thoughts. He said quietly, â€Å"My family has old books of Sirian history. An external heritage, not an internal one. It's not something we talk about outside, especially if one is intent on political advancement. Trevize seems to think I am, but, believe me, I mention it only to good friends.† There was a trace of bitterness in his voice. â€Å"Theoretically all Foundation citizens are alike, but those from the old worlds of the Federation are more alike than those from the newer ones – and those that trace from worlds outside the Federation are least alike of all. But, never mind that. Aside from the books, I once visited the old worlds. Trevize – hey, there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Trevize had wandered off toward one end of the room, looking out a triangular window. It served to let in a view of the sky and to diminish the view of the city – more light and more privacy. Trevize stretched upward to look down. He returned through the empty room. â€Å"Interesting window design,† he said. â€Å"You called me, Councilman?† â€Å"Yes. Remember the postcollegiate tour I took?† â€Å"After graduation? I remember very well. We were pals. Pals forever. Foundation of trust. Two against the world. You went off on your tour. I joined the Navy, full of patriotism. Somehow I didn't think I wanted to tour with you – some instinct told me not to. I wish the instinct had stayed with me.† Compor did not rise to the bait. He said, â€Å"I visited Comporellon. Family tradition said that my ancestors had come from there – at least on my father's side. We were of the ruling family in ancient times before the Empire absorbed us, and my name is derived from the world – or so the family tradition has it. We had an old, poetic name for the star Comporellon circled – Epsilon Eridani.† â€Å"What does that mean?† asked Pelorat. Compor shook his head. â€Å"I don't know that it has any meaning. Just tradition. They live with a great deal of tradition. It's an old world. They have long, detailed records of Earth's history, but no one talks about it much. They're superstitious about it. Every time they mention the word, they lift up both hands with first and second fingers crossed to ward off misfortune.† â€Å"Did you tell this to anyone when you came back?† â€Å"Of course not. Who would be interested? And I wasn't going to force the tale on anyone. No, thank you! I had a political career to develop and the last thing I want is to stress my foreign origin.† â€Å"What about the satellite? Describe Earth's satellite,† said Pelorat sharply. Compor looked astonished. â€Å"I don't know anything about that.† â€Å"Does it have one?† â€Å"I don't recall reading or hearing about it. But I'm sure if you'll consult the Comporellonian records, you can find out.† â€Å"But you know nothing?† â€Å"Not about the satellite. Not that I recall.† â€Å"Huh! How did Earth come to be radioactive?† Compor shook his head and said nothing. Pelorat said, â€Å"Think! You must have heard something.† â€Å"It was seven years ago, Professor. I didn't know then you'd be questioning me about it now. There was some sort of legend – they considered it history†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What was the legend?† â€Å"Earth was radioactive-ostracized and mistreated by the Empire, its population dwindling – and it was going to destroy the Empire somehow.† â€Å"One dying world was going to destroy the whole Empire?† interposed Trevize. Compor said defensively, â€Å"I said it was a legend. I don't know the details. Bel Arvardan was involved in the tale, I know.† â€Å"Who was he?† asked Trevize. â€Å"A historical character. I looked him up. He was an honest-to-Galaxy archaeologist back in the early days of the Empire and he maintained that Earth was in the Sirius Sector.† â€Å"I've heard the name,† said Pelorat. â€Å"He's a folk hero in Comporellon. Look, if you want to know these things – go to Comporellon. It's no use hanging around here.† Pelorat said, â€Å"Just how did they say Earth planned to destroy the Empire?† â€Å"Don't know.† A certain sullenness was entering Compor's voice. â€Å"Did the radiation have anything to do with it?† â€Å"Don't know. There were tales of some mind-expander developed on Earth – a Synapsifier or something.† â€Å"Did it create superminds?† said Pelorat in deepest tones of incredulity. â€Å"I don't think so. What I chiefly remember is that it didn't work. People became bright and died young.† Trevize said, â€Å"It was probably a morality myth. If you ask for too much, you lose even that which you have.† Pelorat turned on Trevize in annoyance. â€Å"What do you know of morality myths?† Trevize raised his eyebrows. â€Å"Your field may not be my field, Janov, but that doesn't mean I'm totally ignorant.† â€Å"What else do you remember about what you call the Synapsifier, Councilman Compor?† asked Pelorat. â€Å"Nothing, and I won't submit to any further cross-examination. Look, I followed you on orders from the Mayor. I was not ordered to make personal contact with you. I have done so only to warn you that you were followed and to tell you that you had been sent out to serve the Mayor's purposes, whatever those might be. There was nothing else I should have discussed with you, but you surprised me by suddenly bringing up the matter of Earth. Well, let me repeat: Whatever there has existed there in the past – Bel Arvardan, the Synapsifier, whatever – that has nothing to do with what exists now. I'll tell you again: Earth is a dead world. I strongly advise you to go to Comporellon, where you'll find out everything you want to know. Just get away from here.† â€Å"And, of course, you will dutifully tell the Mayor that we're going to Comporellon – and you'll follow us to make sure. Or maybe the Mayor knows already. I imagine she has carefully instructed and rehearsed you in every word you have spoken to us here because, for her own purposes, it's in Comporellon that she wants us. Right?† Compor's face paled. He rose to his feet and almost stuttered in his effort to control his voice. â€Å"I've tried to explain. I've tried to be helpful. I shouldn't have tried. You can drop yourself into a black hole, Trevize.† He turned on his heel and walked away briskly without looking back. Pelorat seemed a bit stunned. â€Å"That was rather tactless of you, Golan, old fellow. I could have gotten more out of him.† â€Å"No, you couldn't,† said Trevize gravely. â€Å"You could not have gotten one thing out of him that he was not ready to let you have. Janov, you don't know what he is – Until today, I didn't know what he is.† Pelorat hesitated to disturb Trevize. Trevize sat motionless in his chair, deep in thought. Finally Pelorat said, â€Å"Are we just sitting here all night, Golan?† Trevize started. â€Å"No, you're quite right. We'll be better off with people around us. Come!† Pelorat rose. He said, â€Å"There won't be people around us. Compor said this was some sort of meditation day.† â€Å"Is that what he said? Was there traffic when we came along the road in our ground-car?† â€Å"Yes, some.† â€Å"Quite a bit, I thought. And then, when we entered the city, was it empty?† â€Å"Not particularly. – Still, you've got to admit that this place has been empty.† â€Å"Yes, it has. I noticed that particularly. – But come, Janov, I'm hungry. There's got to be someplace to eat and we can afford to find something good. At any rate, we can find a place in which we can try some interesting Sayshellian novelty or, if we lose our nerve, good standard Galactic fare. – Come, once we're safely surrounded, I'll tell you what I think really happened here.† Trevize leaned back with a pleasant feeling of renewal. The restaurant was not expensive by Terminus standards, but it was certainly novel. It was heated, in part, by an open fire over which food was prepared. Meat tended to be served in bite-sized portions – in a variety of pungent sauces – which were picked up by fingers that were protected from grease and heat by smooth, green leaves that were cold, damp, and had a vaguely minty taste. It was one leaf to each meat-bit and the whole was taken into the mouth. The waiter had carefully explained how it had to be done. Apparently accustomed to off-planet guests, he had smiled paternally as Trevize and Pelorat gingerly scooped at the steaming bits of meat, and was clearly delighted at the foreigners' relief at finding that the leaves kept the fingers cool and cooled the meat, too, as one chewed. Trevize said, â€Å"Delicious!† and eventually ordered a second helping. So did Pelorat. They sat over a spongy, vaguely sweet dessert and a cup of coffee that had a caramelized flavor at which they shook dubious heads. They added syrup, at which the waiter shook his head. Pelorat said, â€Å"Well, what happened back there at the tourist center?† â€Å"You mean with Compor?† â€Å"Was there anything else there we might discuss?† Trevize looked about. They were in a deep alcove and had a certain limited privacy, but the restaurant was crowded and the natural hum of noise was a perfect cover. He said in a low voice, â€Å"Isn't it strange that he followed us to Sayshell?† â€Å"He said he had this intuitive ability.† â€Å"Yes, he was all-collegiate champion at hypertracking. I never questioned that till today. I quite see that you might be able to judge where someone was going to Jump by how he prepared for it if you had a certain developed skill at it, certain reflexes – but I don't see how a tracker can judge a Jump series. You prepare only for the first one; the computer does all the others. The tracker can judge that first one, but by what magic can he guess what's in the computer's vitals?† â€Å"But he did it, Golan.† â€Å"He certainly did,† said Trevize, â€Å"and the only possible way I can imagine him doing so is by knowing in advance where we were going to go. By knowing, not judging.† Pelorat considered that. â€Å"Quite impossible, my boy. How could he know? We didn't decide on our destination till after we were on board the Far Star.† â€Å"I know that. – And what about this day of meditation?† â€Å"Compor didn't lie to us. The waiter said it was a day of meditation when we came in here and asked him.† â€Å"Yes, he did, but he said the restaurant wasn't closed. In fact, what he said was: ‘Sayshell City isn't the backwoods. It doesn't close down. ‘ People meditate, in other words, but not in the big town, where everyone is sophisticated and there's no place for small-town piety. So there's traffic and it's busy – perhaps not quite as busy as on ordinary days – but busy.† â€Å"But, Golan, no one came into the tourist center while we were there. I was aware of that. Not one person entered.† â€Å"I noticed that, too. I even went to the window at one point and looked out and saw clearly that the streets around the center had a good scattering of people on foot and in vehicles – and yet not one person entered. The day of meditation made a good cover. We would not have questioned the fortunate privacy we had if I simply hadn't made up my mind not to trust that son of two strangers.† Pelorat said, â€Å"What is the significance of all this, then?† â€Å"I think it's simple, Janov. We have here someone who knows where we're going as soon as we do, even though he and we are in separate spaceships, and we also have here someone who can keep a public building empty when it is surrounded by people in order that we might talk in convenient privacy.† â€Å"Would you have me believe he can perform miracles?† â€Å"Certainly. If it so happens that Compor is an agent of the Second Foundation and can control minds; if he can read yours and mine in a distant spaceship; if he can influence his way through a customs station at once; if he can land gravitically, with no border patrol outraged at his defiance of the radio beams; and if he can influence minds in such a way as to keep people from entering a building he doesn't want entered. â€Å"By all the stars,† Trevize went on with a marked air of grievance, â€Å"I can even follow this back to graduation. I didn't go on the tour with him. I remember not wanting to. Wasn't that a matter of his influence? He had to be alone. Where was he really going?† Pelorat pushed away the dishes before him, as though he wanted to clear a space about himself in order to have room to think. It seemed to be a gesture that signaled the busboy – robot, a self-moving table that stopped near them and waited while they placed their dishes and cutlery upon it. When they were alone, Pelorat said, â€Å"But that's mad. Nothing has happened that could not have happened naturally. Once you get it into your head that somebody is controlling events, you can interpret everything in that light and find no reasonable certainty anywhere. Come on, old fellow, it's all circumstantial and a matter of interpretation. Don't yield to paranoia.† â€Å"I'm not going to yield to complacency, either.† â€Å"Well, let us look at this logically. Suppose he was an agent of the Second Foundation. Why would he run the risk of rousing our suspicions by keeping the tourist center empty? What did he say that was so important that a few people at a distance – who would have been wrapped in their own concerns anyway – would have made a difference?† â€Å"There's an easy answer to that, Janov. He would have to keep our minds under close observation and he wanted no interference from other minds. No static. No chance of confusion.† â€Å"Again, just your interpretation. What was so important about his conversation with us? It would make sense to suppose, as he himself insisted, that he met us only in order to explain what he had done, to apologize for it, and to warn us of the trouble that might await us. Why would we have to look further than that?† The small card-receptacle at the farther rim of the table glittered unobtrusively and the figures representing the cost of the meal flashed briefly. Trevize groped beneath his sash for his credit card which, with its Foundation imprint, was good anywhere in the Galaxy – or anywhere a Foundation citizen was likely to go. He inserted it in the appropriate slot. It took a moment to complete the transaction and Trevize (with native caution) checked on the remaining balance before returning it to its pocket. He looked about casually to make sure there was no undesirable interest in him on the faces of any of the few who still sat in the restaurant and then said, â€Å"Why look further than that? Why look further? That was not all he talked about. He talked about Earth. He told us it was dead and urged us very strongly to go to Comporellon. Shall we go?† â€Å"It's something I've been considering, Golan,† admitted Pelorat. â€Å"Just leave here?† â€Å"We can come back after we check Out the Sirius Sector.† â€Å"It doesn't occur to you that his whole purpose in seeing us was to deflect us from Sayshell and get us out of here? Get us anywhere but here?† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"I don't know. See here, they expected us to go to Trantor. That was what you wanted to do and maybe that's what they counted on us doing. I messed things up by insisting we go to Sayshell, which is the last thing they wanted, and so now they have to get us out of here.† Pelorat looked distinctly unhappy. â€Å"But Golan, you are just making statements. Why don't they want us on Sayshell?† â€Å"I don't know, Janov. But it's enough for me that they want us out. I'm staying here. I'm not going to leave.† â€Å"But†¦ but – Look, Golan, if the Second Foundation wanted us to leave, wouldn't they just influence our minds to make us want to leave? Why bother reasoning with us?† â€Å"Now that you bring up the point, haven't they done that in your case, Professor?† and Trevize's eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion. â€Å"Don't you want to leave?† Pelorat looked at Trevize in surprise. â€Å"I just think there's some sense to it.† â€Å"Of course you would, if you've been influenced.† â€Å"But I haven't been†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Of course you would swear you hadn't been if you had been.† Pelorat said, â€Å"If you box me in this way, there is no way of disproving your bare assertion. What are you going to do?† â€Å"I will remain in Sayshell. And you'll stay here, too. You can't navigate the ship without me, so if Compor has influenced you, he has influenced the wrong one.† â€Å"Very well, Golan. We'll stay in Sayshell until we have independent reasons to leave. The worst thing we can do, after all – worse than either staying or going – is to fall out with each other. Come, old chap, if I had been influenced, would I be able to change my mind and go along with you cheerfully, as I plan to do now?† Trevize thought for a moment and then, as though with an inner shake, smiled and held out his hand. â€Å"Agreed, Janov. Now let's get back to the ship and make another start tomorrow. – If we can think of one.† Munn Li Compor did not remember when he had been recruited. For one thing, he had been a child at the time; for another, the agents of the Second Foundation were meticulous in removing their traces as far as that was possible. Compor was an â€Å"Observer† and, to a Second Foundationer, he was instantly recognizable as such. It meant that Compor was acquainted with mentalics and could converse with Second Foundationers in their own fashion to a degree, but he was in the lowest rank of the hierarchy. He could catch glimpses of minds, but he could not adjust them. The education he had received had never gone that far. He was an Observer, not a Doer. It made him second-class at best, but he did not mind – much. He knew his importance in the scheme of things. During the early centuries of the Second Foundation, it had underestimated the task before it. It had imagined that its handful of members could monitor the entire Galaxy and that Seldon's Plan, to be maintained, would require only the most occasional, the lightest touch, here and there. The Mule had stripped them of these delusions. Coming from nowhere, he had caught the Second Foundation (and, of course, the First – though that didn't matter) utterly by surprise and had left them helpless. It took five years before a counterattack could be organized, and then only at the cost of a number of lives. With Palver a full recovery was made, again at a distressing cost, and he finally took the appropriate measures. The operations of the Second Foundation, he decided, must be enormously expanded without at the same time increasing the chances of detection unduly, so he instituted the corps of Observers. Compor did not know how many Observers were in the Galaxy or even how many there were on Terminus. It was not his business to know. Ideally there should be no detectable connection between any two Observers, so that the loss of one would not entail the loss of any other. All connections were with the upper echelons on Trantor. It was Compor's ambition to go to Trantor someday. Though he thought it extremely unlikely, he knew that occasionally an Observer might be brought to Trantor and promoted, but that was rare. The qualities that made for a good Observer were not those that pointed toward the Table. There was Gendibal, for instance, who was four years younger than Compor. He must have been recruited as a boy, just as Compor was, but he had been taken directly to Trantor and was now a Speaker. Compor had no illusions as to why that should be. He had been much in contact with Gendibal of late and he had experienced the power of that young man's mind. He could not have stood up against it for a second. Compor was not often conscious of a lowly status. There was almost never occasion to consider it. After all (as in the case of other Observers, he imagined) it was only lowly by the standards of Trantor. On their own non-Trantorian worlds, in their own nonmentalic societies, it was easy for Observers to obtain high status. Compor, for instance, had never had trouble getting into good schools or finding good company. He had been able to use his mentalics in a simple way to enhance his natural intuitive ability (that natural ability had been why he had been recruited in the first place, he was sure) and, in this way, to prove himself a star at hyperspatial pursuit. He became a hero at college and this set his foot on the first rung of a political career. Once this present crisis was over, there was no telling how much farther he might advance. If the crisis resolved itself successfully, as surely it would, would it not be recalled that it was Compor who had first noted Trevize – not as a human being (anyone could have done that) but as a mind? He had encountered Trevize in college and had seen him, at first, only as a jovial and quick-witted companion. One morning, however, he had stirred sluggishly out of slumber and, in the stream of consciousness that accompanied the never-never land of half-sleep, he felt what a pity it was that Trevize had never been recruited. Trevize couldn't have been recruited, of course, since he was Terminus – born and not, like Compor, a native of another world. And even with that aside, it was too late. Only the quite young are plastic enough to receive an education into mentalics; the painful introduction of that art – it was more than a science – into adult brains, set rustily in their mold, was a thing of the first two generations after Seldon only. But then, if Trevize had been ineligible for recruiting in the first place and had outlived the possibility in the second, what had roused Compor's concern over the matter? On their next meeting, Compor had penetrated Trevize's mind deeply and discovered what it was that must have initially disturbed him. Trevize's mind had characteristics that did not fit the rules he had been taught. Over and over, it eluded him. As he followed its workings, he found gaps – No, they couldn't be actual gaps – actual leaps of nonexistence. They were places where Trevize's manner of mind dove too deeply to be followed. Compor had no way of determining what this meant, but he watched Trevize's behavior in the light of what he had discovered and he began to suspect that Trevize had an uncanny ability to reach right conclusions from what would seem to be insufficient data. Did this have something to do with the gaps? Surely this was a matter for mentalism beyond his own powers – for the Table itself, perhaps. He had the uneasy feeling that Trevize's powers of decision were unknown, in their full, to the man himself, and that he might be able to†¦ To do what? Compor's knowledge did not suffice. He could almost see the meaning of what Trevize possessed – but not quite. There was only the intuitive conclusion – or perhaps just a guess – that Trevize might be, potentially, a person of the utmost importance. He had to take the chance that this might be so and to risk seeming to be less than qualified for his post. After all, if he were correct. He was not sure, looking back on it, how he had managed to find the courage to continue his efforts. He could not penetrate the administrative barriers that ringed the Table. He had all but reconciled himself to a broken reputation. He had worked himself down (despairingly) to the most junior member of the Table and, finally, Stor Gendibal had responded to his call. Gendibal had listened patiently and from that time on there had been a special relationship between them. It was on Gendibal's behalf that Compor had maintained his relationship with Trevize and on Gendibal's direction that he had carefully set up the situation that had resulted in Trevize's exile. And it was through Gendibal that Compor might yet (he was beginning to hope) achieve his dream of promotion to Trantor. All preparations, however, had been designed to send Trevize to Trantor. Trevize's refusal to do this had taken Compor entirely by surprise and (Compor thought) had been unforeseen by Gendibal as well. At any rate, Gendibal was hurrying to the spot, and to Compor, that deepened the sense of crisis. Compor sent out his hypersignal. Gendibal was roused from his sleep by the touch on his mind. It was effective and not in the least disturbing. Since it affected the arousal center directly, he simply awoke. He sat up in bed, the sheet falling from his well-shaped and smoothly muscular torso. He had recognized the touch; the differences were as distinctive to mentalists as were voices to those who communicated primarily by sound. Gendibal sent out the standard signal, asking if a small delay were possible, and the â€Å"no emergency† call returned. Without undue haste, then, Gendibal attended to the morning routine. He was still in the ship's shower – with the used water draining into the recycling mechanisms – when he made contact again. â€Å"Compor?† â€Å"Yes, Speaker.† â€Å"Have you spoken with Trevize and the other one.† â€Å"Pelorat. Janov Pelorat. Yes, Speaker.† â€Å"Good. Give me another five minutes and I'll arrange visuals.† He passed Sura Novi on his way to the controls. She looked at him questioningly and made as though to speak, but he placed a finger on his lips and she subsided at once. Gendibal still felt a bit uncomfortable at the intensity of adoration/respect in her mind, but it was coming to be a comfortingly normal part of his environment somehow. He had hooked a small tendril of his mind to hers and there would now be no way to affect his mind without affecting hers. The simplicity of her mind (and there was an enormous aesthetic plea – sure to be found in contemplating its unadorned symmetry, Gendibal couldn't help thinking) made it impossible for any extraneous mind field to exist in their neighborhood without detection. He felt a surge of gratitude for the courteous impulse that had moved him that moment they had stood together outside the University, and that had led her to come to him precisely when she could be most useful. He said, â€Å"Compor?† â€Å"Yes, Speaker.† â€Å"Relax, please. I must study your mind. No offense is intended.† â€Å"As you wish, Speaker. May I ask the purpose?† â€Å"To make certain you are untouched.† Compor said, â€Å"I know you have political adversaries at the Table, Speaker, but surely none of them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Do not speculate, Compor. Relax. – Yes, you are untouched. Now, if you will co-operate with me, we will establish visual contact.† What followed was, in the ordinary sense of the word, an illusion, since no one but someone who was aided by the mentalic power of a well-trained Second Foundationer would have been able to detect anything at all, either by the senses or by any physical detecting device. It was the building up of a face and its appearance from the contours of a mind, and even the best mentalist could succeed in producing only a shadowy and somewhat uncertain figure. Compor's face was there in mid-space, as though it were seen through a thin but shifting curtain of gauze, and Gendibal knew that his own face appeared in an identical manner in front of Compor. By physical hyperwave, communication could have been established through images so clear that speakers who were a thousand parsecs apart might judge themselves to be face-to-face. Gendibal's ship was equipped for the purpose. There were, however, advantages to the mentalist-vision. The chief was that it could not be tapped by any device known to the First Foundation. Nor, for that matter, could one Second Foundationer tap the mentalist-vision of another. The play of mind might be followed, but not the delicate change of facial expression that gave the communication its finer points. As for the Anti-Mules – Well, the purity of Novi's mind was sufficient to assure him that none were about. He said, â€Å"Tell me precisely, Compor, the talk you had with Trevize and with this Pelorat. Precisely, to the level of mind.† â€Å"Of course, Speaker,† said Compor. It didn't take long. The combination of sound, expression, and mentalism compressed matters considerably, despite the fact that there was far more to tell at the level of mind than if there had been a mere parroting of speech. Gendibal watched intently. There was little redundancy, if any, in mentalist-vision. In true vision, or even in physical hypervision across the parsecs, one saw enormously more in the way of information bits than was absolutely necessary for comprehension and one could miss a great deal without losing anything significant. Through the gauze of mentalist-vision, however, one bought absolute security at the price of losing the luxury of being able to miss bits. Every bit was significant. There were always horror tales that passed from instructor to student on Trantor, tales that were designed to impress on the young the importance of concentration. The most often repeated was certainly the least reliable. It told of the first report on the progress of the Mule before he had taken over Kalgan – of the minor official who received the report and who had no more than the impression of a horselike animal because he did not see or understand the small flick that signified â€Å"personal name.† The official therefore decided that the whole thing was too unimportant to pass on to Trantor. By the time the next message came, it was too late to take immediate action and five more bitter years had to pass. The event had almost certainly never happened, but that didn't matter. It was a dramatic story and it served to motivate every student into the habit of intent concentration. Gendibal remembered his own student days when he made an error in reception that seemed, in his own mind, to be both insignificant and understandable. His teacher – old Kendast, a tyrant to the roots of his cerebellum – had simply sneered and said, â€Å"A horselike animal, Cub Gendibal?† and that had been enough to make him collapse in shame. Compor finished. Gendibal said, â€Å"Your estimate, please, of Trevize's reaction. You know him better than I do, better than anyone does.† Compor said, â€Å"It was clear enough. The mentalic indications were unmistakable. He thinks my words and actions represent my extreme anxiety to have him go to Trantor or to the Sirius Sector or to any place but where, in fact, he is actually going. It meant, in my opinion, that he would remain firmly where he was. The fact that I attached great importance to his shifting his position, in short, forced him to give it the same importance, and since he feels his own interests to be diametrically opposed to mine, he will deliberately act against what he interprets to be my wish.† â€Å"You are certain of that?† â€Å"Quite certain.† Gendibal considered this and decided that Compor was correct. He said, â€Å"I am satisfied. You have done well. Your tale of Earth's radioactive destruction was cleverly chosen to help produce the proper reaction without the need for direct manipulation of the mind. Commendable!† Compor seemed to struggle with himself a short moment. â€Å"Speaker,† he said, â€Å"I cannot accept your praise. I did not invent the tale. It is true. There really is a planet called Earth in the Sirius Sector and it really is considered to be the original home of humanity. It was radioactive, either to begin with or eventually, and this grew worse till the planet died. There was indeed a mind-enhancing invention that came to nothing. All this is considered history on the home planet of my ancestors.† â€Å"So? Interesting!† said Gendibal with no obvious conviction. â€Å"And better yet. To know when a truth will do is admirable, since no nontruth can be presented with the same sincerity. Palver once said, â€Å"The closer to the truth, the better the lie, and the truth itself, when it can be used, is the best lie.† Compor said, â€Å"There is one thing more to say. In following instructions to keep Trevize in the Sayshell Sector until you arrived – and to do so at all costs – I had to go so far in my efforts that it is clear that he suspects me of being under the influence of the Second Foundation.† Gendibal nodded. â€Å"That, I think, is unavoidable under the circumstances. His monomania on the subject would be sufficient to have him see Second Foundation even where it was not. We must simply take that into account.† â€Å"Speaker, if it is absolutely necessary that Trevize stay where he is until you can reach him, it would simplify matters if I came to meet you, took you aboard my ship, and brought you back. It would take less than a day†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No, Observer,† said Gendibal sharply. â€Å"You will not do this. The people on Terminus know where you are. You have a hyper-relay on your ship which you cannot remove, have you not?† â€Å"Yes, Speaker.† â€Å"And if Terminus knows you have landed on Sayshell, their ambassador on Sayshell knows of it – and the ambassador knows also that Trevize has landed. Your hyper-relay will tell Terminus that you have left for a specific point hundreds of parsecs away and returned; and the ambassador will inform them that Trevize has, however, remained in the sector. From this, how much will the people at Terminus guess? The Mayor of Terminus is, by all accounts, a shrewd woman and the last thing we want to do is to alarm her by presenting her with an obscure puzzle. We don't want her to lead a section of her fleet here. The chances of that are, in any case, uncomfortably high.† Compor said, â€Å"With respect, Speaker. – What reason do we have to fear a fleet if we can control a commander?† â€Å"However little reason there might be, there is still less reason to fear if the fleet is not here. You stay where you are, Observer. ‘When I reach you, I will join you on your ship and then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"And then, Speaker?† â€Å"Why, and then I will take over.† Gendibal sat in place after he dismantled the mentalist-vision – and stayed there for long minutes – considering. During this long trip to Sayshell, unavoidably long in this ship of his which could in no way match the technological advancement of the products of the First Foundation, he had gone over every single report on Trevize. The reports had stretched over nearly a decade. Seen as a whole and in the light of recent events, there was no longer any doubt Trevize would have been a marvelous recruit for the Second Foundation, if the policy of never touching the Terminus – born had not been in place since Palver's time. There was no telling how many recruits of highest quality had been lost to the Second Foundation over the centuries. There was no way of evaluating every one of the quadrillions of human beings populating the Galaxy. None of them was likely to have had more promise than Trevize, however, and certainly none could have been in a more sensitive spot. Gendibal shook his head slightly. Trevize should never have been overlooked, Terminus-born or not. – And credit to Observer Compor for seeing it, even after the years had distorted him. Trevize was of no use to them now, of course. He was too old for the molding, but he still had that inborn intuition, that ability to guess a solution on the basis of totally inadequate information, and something – something. – Old Shandess – who, despite being past his prime, was First Speaker and had, on the whole, been a good one – saw something there, even without the correlated data and the reasoning that Gendibal had worked out in the course of this trip. Trevize, Shandess had thought, was the key to the crisis. Why was Trevize here at Sayshell? What was he planning? What was he doing? And he couldn't be touched! Of that Gendibal was sure. Until it was known precisely what Trevize's role was, it would be totally wrong to try to modify him in any way. With the Anti-Mules – whoever they were – whatever they might be – in the field, a wrong move with respect to Trevize (Trevize, above all) might explode a wholly unexpected micro-sun in their faces. He felt a mind hovering about his own and absently brushed at it as he might at one of the more annoying Trantorian insects – though with mind rather than hand. He felt the instant wash of other-pain and looked up. Sura Novi had her palm to her furrowed brow. â€Å"Your pardon, Master, I be struck with sudden head-anguish.† Gendibal was instantly contrite. â€Å"I'm sorry, Novi. I wasn't thinking – or I was thinking too intently.† Instantly – and gently – he smoothed the ruffled mind tendrils. Novi smiled with sudden brightness. â€Å"It passed with sudden vanishing. The kind sound of your words, Master, works well upon me.† Gendibal said, â€Å"Coed! Is something wrong? Why are you here?† He forbore to enter her mind in greater detail in order to find out for himself. More and more, he felt a reluctance to invade her privacy. Novi hesitated. She leaned toward him slightly. â€Å"I be concerned. You were looking at nothing and making sounds and your face was twitching. I stayed there, stick-frozen, afeared you were declining – ill – and unknowing what to do.† â€Å"It was nothing, Novi. You are not to fear.† He patted her nearer hand. â€Å"There is nothing to fear. Do you understand?† Fear – or any strong emotion – twisted and spoiled the symmetry of her mind somewhat. He preferred it calm and peaceful and happy, but he hesitated at the thought of adjusting it into that position by outer influence. She had felt the previous adjustment to be the effect of his words and it seemed to him that he preferred it that way. He said, â€Å"Novi, why don't I call you Sura?† She looked up at him in sudden woe. â€Å"Oh, Master, do not do so.† â€Å"But Rufirant did so on that day that we met. I know you well enough now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I know well he did so, Master. It be how a man speak to girl who have no man, no betrothed, who is – not complete. You say her previous. It is more honorable for me if you say ‘Novi' and I be proud that you say so. And if I have not man now, I have master and I be pleased. I hope it be not offensive to you to say ‘Novi.† â€Å"It certainly isn't, Novi.† And her mind was beautifully smooth at that and Gendibal was pleased. Too pleased. Ought he to be so pleased? A little shamefacedly, he remembered that the Mule was supposed to have been affected in this manner by that woman of the First Foundation, Bayta Darell, to his own undoing. This, of course, was different. This Hamishwoman was his defense against alien minds and he wanted her to serve that purpose most efficiently. No, that was not true. – His function as a Speaker would be compromised if he ceased to understand his own mind or, worse, if he deliberately misconstrued it to avoid the truth. The truth was that it pleased him when she was calm and peaceful and happy endogenously – without his interference – and that it pleased him simply because she pleased him; and (he thought defiantly) there was nothing wrong with that. He said, â€Å"Sit down, Novi.† She did so, balancing herself precariously at the edge of the chair and sitting as far away as the confines of the room allowed. Her mind was flooded with respect. He said, â€Å"When you saw me making sounds, Novi, I was speaking at a long distance, scholar-fashion.† Novi said sadly, her eyes cast down, â€Å"I see, Master, that there be much to scowler-fashion I understand not and imagine not. It be difficult mountain-high art. I be ashamed to have come to you to be made scowler. How is it, Master, you did not be – laugh me?† Gendibal said, â€Å"It is no shame to aspire to something even if it is beyond your reach. You are now too old to be made a scholar after my fashion, but you are never too old to learn more than you already know and to become able to do more than you already can. I will teach you something about this ship. By the time we reach our destination, you will know quite a bit about it.† He felt delighted. Why not? He was deliberately turning his back on the stereotype of the Hamish people. What right, in any case, had the heterogeneous group of the Second Foundation to set up such a stereotype? The young produced by them were only occasionally suited to become high-level Second Foundationers themselves. The children of Speakers almost never qualified to be Speakers. There were the three generations of Linguesters three centuries ago, but there was always the suspicion that the middle Speaker of that series did not really belong. And if that were true, who were the people of the University to place themselves on so high a pedestal? He watched Novi's eyes glisten and was pleased that they did. She said, â€Å"I try hard to learn all you teach me, Master.† â€Å"I'm sure you will,† he said – and then hesitated. It occurred to him that, in his conversation with Compor, he had in no way indicated at any time that he was not alone. There was no hint of a companion. A woman could be taken for granted, perhaps; at least, Compor would no doubt not be surprised. – But a Hamishwoman? For a moment, despite anything Gendibal could do, the stereotype reigned supreme and he found himself glad that Compor had never been on Trantor and would not recognize Novi as a Hamishwoman. He shook it off. It didn't matter if Compor knew or knew not – or if anyone did. Gendibal was a Speaker of the Second Foundation and he could do as he pleased within the constraints of the Seldon Plan – and no one could interfere. Novi said, â€Å"Master, once we reach our destination, will we part?† He looked at her and said, with perhaps more force than he intended, â€Å"We will not be separated, Novi.† And the Hamishwoman smiled shyly and looked for all the Galaxy as though she might have been – any woman.