Importance of Cross Cultural Communications Essay

Effective cross-cultural communication is one of the most important issues dealt with in business, particularly when a firm operates at an international level. Communication is a process with three key elements, which includes a source, an audience, and a channel. Communication derived from businesses will have listeners that include, but are not limited to customers, employees, suppliers, and the community (Caddy et al.). These listeners contribute to the success of a firm, which is why there is so much emphasis put into creating appropriate channels of communication. This effect is further amplified when dealing at an international level, where the effect of culture and time has more bearing. What makes effective communication important is the fact that it affects all aspects of the business function. Therefore, failing in just one of these areas can create repercussions that reverberate throughout the whole company. This essay will examine the importance of cross-cultural communication, and how it is intertwined with a firm’s HR management, strategic planning, operations, ethical decisions, and marketing campaign. Human resource management deals with people within the organisation first and foremost. For a Human Resource manager, managing the cultural aspect of communication becomes is vital because of the effect it can have on each individual employee. In an international work environment, there will likely be a number of employees from different parts of the globe sharing the same space (Parzhiger 2002). This can be a source of friction within a work environment, particularly when you consider that ethnocentric attitudes can exist within a workplace (Han et al 2007). Such friction within the communication process can manifest itself through racism, bias, prejudice, and discrimination (Parzhigar 2002). Not only are such actions considered illegal, but it can also contribute to low morale within the workforce. This eventually leads to unmotivated and therefore unproductive staff. In order to resolve such cross-cultural issues, a Human Resources manager must first come to realize that both individuals and groups differ in terms of the way they communicate (Parzhigar 2002). That way, policies or extra training programs can be established to act as a guide the actions of  employees. Many managers, though, are fail to realise such differences, or unqualified to handle them. This is why much consideration must be given when deciding who is qualified to lead an international assignment (Hodges 2003, p. 450.) By acknowledging people’s differences, the manager can create policies that will limit friction in the workplace, thereby ensuring that it runs peacefully. An effective communication system will help a firm gain a distinct competitive advantage because the constraints of time will be limited. Time distances can often be a hindrance to a company looking to collect information from overseas branches or partners. Firms have combated this problem by utilizing contemporary technology such as phones and videoconferences (Bovee 2008). This will help firms operating at an international level, collect information from overseas subsidiaries or clients more effectively. Additionally, by keeping these relationships close, manager’s gain the ability to access new technologies developed overseas (Han et al. 2007). The ability to forecast overseas trends and harness new technologies is another competitive advantage gained by having effective cross-cultural communication channels established. Proper market research, where communication aspects such as culture are taken into account, will help the firm in this regard. By establishing these effective channels, a firm can more readily anticipate particular changes in tastes and technologies of other countries (Han et al. 2007). This will allow thereby the firm to strike a balance with regards to price and availability, which, in turn, will give them a competitive advantage (Hodgets 2003). Managing operations will be much more efficient once cross-cultural communication issues have been dealt with. Many cultures employ a hierarchical approach to communication, but often this method of results in important issues being dodged. This problem is highlighted in an (Nakamoto 2008) article on Japanese companies. In the article it is reported that many of the Japanese companies employ a very rigid communication structure, and overseas managers were hired to create a more efficient method of  communication. An open exchange or direct method of communication is much more effective as ideas can be garnered from different levels of the organisation. Overcoming various linguistic issues is another operational benefit experienced when an effective communication channel is established. Due to the legal issues of each country, language differences do not only affect face o face interaction, but written communications as well (Bovee 2008). Through proper planning and research, however, a business is able to preempt such a problem from occurring, possibly by arranging for an interpreter to translate. Failing to establish an effective means for communication when an ethical issue arises can be detrimental to the stability of a workplace. This problem is particularly pertinent, when you consider the fact that globalization has diversified workplace cultures. This can lead to what Huntington (cited in Eunson 2005) described as a ‘clash of civilizations’, due to the different perspectives on morality in the western and eastern countries. Neglecting this issue can create permanent dissention or dissatisfaction between co-worker, which, as highlighted earlier, leads to low productivity levels and high staff turnover rates. Only by establishing a means of communication where ethical issues are taken into account, can prevent such an implosion from taking effect. Effective communication channels can only be effective when the moral views of other cultures are taken into account. Contemporary management in western society, for example, attempts to find practical solutions while more conservative nations seek more ‘foundational’ ones (Parzhiger 2002). Cross-cultural communication is also valuable to firm looking to establish good marketing systems. The aim of marketing is to try and link business with customers and the ability to understand the unique traits of a particular culture can help give a firm an edge over its competitors. This point was illustrated in a communication video (Balnave 2006), where a lack of an ineffective channel of communication with a particular culture was a  cause for their advertising campaign to be viewed as inappropriate. Establishing effective communications, however, will allow a firm to capitalize on local markets through support of their local culture (Han et al. 2007). As the evidence compiled in this essay has shown the importance of effective cross-cultural communication should never be diminished. It is one of the most important aspects to consider when trying developing an international brand. Through the establishment of communication training and relevant policies, employees will be better equipped to interact with their foreign counterparts. It will also assist the firm in understanding foreign cultures, and markets, which ultimately improves their strategic planning. However the biggest benefit experienced by communicating effectively is internal. It creates a more harmonious work environment, a more efficient way of relaying information, and more productive staff. Bibliography Caddy, I Cull, M Tibbits, G 2008, Business Academic Skills, 1st edn, Pearson Education Australia, Sydney’Communicating Effectively in the Global Workplace’, 2008, in Bovee, C(ed), Communication Today ,9th edn, Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle Rivee, New Jersey. Eunson, B 2005, Communicating in the 21st century, John Wiley and Sons Australia ltd., QLDHan, J, Wild, J, Wild, L 2007, International business: the challenges of globalization, Pearson Prentice Hall, New JerseyHodgets, RM Luthans, F 2003, International management: culture, strategy, and behaviour, 5th edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New YorkNakamoto, M 2008, ‘Modernisers span a cultural divide’, Financial Times, 22 May, Parhizgar, KD 2002, Multicultural behaviour and global business environments, International Business Press, New York

Equal Opportunities

In this essay I am going to explain the term † equal opportunities† in relation to early years practice. Explore this in the context of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and explain the impact the Convention on UK legislation. I am also going to suggest some steps which in my consideration can implement equality of opportunity for children in UK. Equal opportunity is a descriptive term for an approach intended to give equal access to a certain social environment or to ensure people are not specifically excluded from participating in activities such as education, employment or health care on the basis of immutable traits. The lack of access might cause poor self-esteem, respect, misunderstandings, stereotyping and discrimination. Bruce and Meggit, 2002) Also it means opening up the universe for the child and family so that they can take full benefit of the early childhood activities in school and in society. Equal opportunity does not mean treating everyone the same. The Common areas of discrimination are race, financial capability, gender and the ability of the child. Every child's future depends on opportunities provided to it in his early years of life which usually defines the child's outlook towards life. This will be the window through which the child will define race, gender, nationality, religion, family set-up, special needs and sexual orientation of parents in his or her own way. The teacher and parents will play the most vital role in the child's early years of development and they will be providing all the vital elements of this process to build the child's future. Teachers and parents have to make sure that he is in the right environment for this development to take place. To help them, the UN has played a major role and contributed immensely to this process. The UN general assembly agreed to adopt the conventions on the rights of the child on November 20th, 1989. It came into force in September 1990 after it was ratified by 192 member nations. The convention is child centric and deals with child specific needs and right to education and care. It also looks after the best interest of the child. Articles 2,3,6,7,8,11,12,13,23,28,29,30,31,32,34,35 are related specifically to the early years in respect to education and care. These articles of the policy state that the member nations will respect the rights set forth in the present convention to each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind. (Convention on the rights of the child, 1990) The Convention on the Rights of the Child applies in the UK since ratification in December 1991, when the government agreed to make all laws, policy and practice compatible with the UN Convention. (http://www. unicef. org) Every child has certain basic rights, including the right to life, his/her own name and identity, and to be raised by his/her parents within a family or cultural grouping and have a relationship with both parents, even if they are separated. † (www. wikipedia. org) The principals outlined in the international human rights framework apply to both children and adults. I am doing to concentrate on children which are mentioned especially in many of the human rights. Standards are specially modified or adapted where the need an d concerns surrounding are distinct for children. http://www. child-abuse. com) The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes and promotes this great link between children’s rights and responsibilities. The aims of education defined in the Article 29, include nurturing children’s respect for human rights, for their own and others cultural values and for the environment. This Article teaches us how vital it is for every child from birth to be thought tolerance and approval for people of other cultural and be able to get access to the same level and standard of education. Children need to be involved in process of learning about other cultures in order to understand them better. In this way children become familiarly with all the information, accept them and learn that everybody has equal rights and deserve approval and respect from Other people, no matter how old they are. (UN Convention, Article 29) Other articles express children’s rights in terms that stress how children’s exercise of those rights must be responsible and respectful of the rights of others. Article 15, states that children have the rights to meet with others and to join or set up association, unless the fact of their doing so would violate the rights of others. . Every child should be allowed to join those groups, in this way children learn about each other and build up their level of tolerance. Through social life children and young people meet and observe other children and learn from each other. (UN Convention, Article 15) Another example of children rights is Article 31 which again promotes the rights to rest and leisure, play and recreational activities appropriate for the age of the child. Children need to have the time to re-charge they energy, rest and play with each other or, and on their own. In many situations we learn about children who have to work long hours and very often do not get enough sleep at night. This is when we could mention children being explored, hard working children who have no time for cultural, artistic or leisure activities. (UN Convention, Article 31) In upholding the rights of children, the Convention does not infringe on the rights of parents to decide what is best for their children. Instead, it specifically states that governments shall make every effort to keep families intact and shall provide support and assistance to parents in fulfilling their responsibilities with regard to the upbringing and development of their children. The promotion of children's rights is not a matter of placing children in conflict with the adult authorities in their lives, but of encouraging all citizens to work together for a safe, healthy and productive future for children. (http://www. unicef. org) Parents, carers, families and teachers are the most important influence on outcomes for children and young people. The Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme aims to ensure that support for parents becomes routine, particularly at key points in a child or young person’s life. (http://www. crin. ch) The UK government aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, achieve economic well-being. The UK government aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, achieve economic well-being. This means that the organizations involved with providing services to children-from hospitals and schools, to police and voluntary groups- will be teaming up in new ways, sharing information and working together, to protect children and young people from harm and help them achieve what they want in life. Children and young people will have far more say about issues that affect them as individuals and collectively. (http://www. cre. gov. uk) The Children’s Commissioner for England was appointed, to give children and young people a voice in government and in public life. The Commissioner will pay particular attention to gathering and putting forward the views of the most vulnerable children and young people in society, and will promote their involvement in the work of organizations whose decisions and actions affect them. The Commissioner’s role is to observe every aspect about young children and react immediately if something is acting against they rules and believes. (http://www. cre. org. uk) By agreeing to undertake the obligation of the convention, UK’s government have committed themselves to project and ensure children’s rights as they agreed to hold themselves accountable for the commitment before the international community. State parties to the convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and polices in the best interest of the child. The task, however, must engage not just governments but all members of society. The standards and principles articulated in the convention can only become a reality when they are respected by everyone within the families, in school and other institution that provide service for children, in communities and at all levels of administrations. (MCI protocol) The DfES (Department for Education and Slikks) works in partnership with community foundations, rural community councils, councils for voluntary service and grant making trusts to provide an experienced fund administrator in each area. Administrators ensure that outreach and support are available to support applicants. Decisions on allocating funding are made by assessment panels comprised of people with knowledge of the issues faced by children in the communities served by the funds. (http://dfes. gov. uk) New child charities have been recognised all over country helping to promote and claim children’s rights, and monitor how far their are being realised and respected. The charities collaborate with government and civil society to make progress in realising children’s rights. The UN committee welcomed a number of UK initiatives, especially new legislation such as the Human Rights Act and Adoption and Children Bill, youth participation, the available strategy for children, young people, and strategies on child poverty and teenage pregnancy. ( http://www. publication. parliament. uk). All parts of government have a responsibility to learn about, promote and implement the convention. The children, young people and families directorate within the department for education and skills co-ordinates the government’s report to the committee on the rights of the child. Beverley Hughes MP, the minister for children, young people and families, has special responsibility within the government for ensuring the convention is put into practice. The government is also meant to make sure that all new laws fit with the convention. Children’s rights groups and organisations have an important role to play in raising awareness about the convention, and referring to it whenever decisions are made that affects children and young people. By agreeing to undertake the obligation of the convention, UK overnment has committed themselves to protect and ensure children’s rights as they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for the commitment before the international community. States parties to the convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and polices in the best interests of the child. The task, however, must engage not just governments but all members of society. The standards and principles articulated in the convention can only become a reality when they are respected by everyone within the families, in schools and other institutions that provide services for children, in communities and at all levels of administration (Kandola and Fullerton,1998) Types of support offered could include structured parenting education groups, couple support, home visiting and  employment or training advice. All schools actively seek to engage parents in children and young people's education, helping parents to understand what they can do at home to work with the schoolchildren’s centres and extended schools develop a coherent set of services both to support parents and to involve them properly at all stages of a child's learning and development. (http://www. crin. ch) In conclusion, we should all apply the equal opportunities policy and each on of us should begin by him/herself. We should treat anyone an adult or a child equally regardless of his gender, race, nationality, social class and religion because he/she is an important part of the society we live in, and has a major role in it, especially children because they are the future generation, who will take our place in the society. Furthermore, we the adults should be the role model of our children because they are our mirror that reflect us wherever they go and whatever they do. Bibliography Bruce, . T and Meggitt, C. (2002) Child Care and Education, Hodder and Stoughton, London www. unicef. org UNICEF (Undated) Convention on Rights of the Child, 1990, http://www. ohchr. org/english/law/pdf/crc. pdf http://www. crin. ch Kandola, R. and Fullerton, J. (1998), The equal opportunity handbook http://www. child-abuse. com http://www. publication. parliament. uk http://www. wikipedia. org

Case study and history of hypertension

Case study and history of hypertension History of Present Illness: Mr. AS is an 85 year old Caucasian male with a past history of hypertension and chest pain who currently presents to us with dementia and complaints of not knowing how he got here. Our patient was diagnosed with hypertension at the age of 40 and developed chest pain at the age of 45 when he was told he needed a pace maker. The pace maker was placed and he has had no heart complications since then. At the age of 55 our patient was diagnosed with dementia which he lived with independently at home until two years ago when he had a stroke. He was admitted to ALF on April 28, 2009 where he was told that he had a stroke and could not walk. Mr. AS has been staying at the facility since admission. Our patient currently denies any chest pain, headaches or vision changes. Mr. AS does complain of a cough that becomes productive at times with clear sputum. He stopped smoking 20 years ago and has a 160 pack year history. He also states that he thinks he hears himself wheezing at times. Mr. AS states that his legs don’t allow him to walk anymore and that the exercises that are done with the walker hurt his arms. He states that he has feeling in his legs but that movement is the problem. Mr. AS stated during the interview that he has accepted the fact that he will not be able to walk again and that he is content with his life as long as he can breathe and talk. Our patient also stated that he has problems remembering recent events and is better at remembering events that occurred during his childhood. Past Medical History: Hypertension at the age of 40 which is controlled with medication. Chest pain at the age of 45 which was fixed with the placement of a pacemaker. Dementia was diagnosed at the age of 55 Stroke at the age of 83 Appendectomy at the age of 10 due to an appendicitis Inguinal hernia repair at the age of 10 Current Medications Mirtazapine 15mg PO QD for depression Namenda 10mg PO Bid for treatment of alzheimer ’s symptoms Allopurinol 300mg PO QD for hyperuricemia Aspirin 81mg PO QD for general health and relief of minor pain Certavite antioxidant 18mg PO QD to prevent vitamin deficiency and undernutrion Loratadine 10mg PO QD for allergies Nifedipine 90mg PO QD for treatment of hypertension and angina Metoprolol tartrate 25mg PO QD for treatment of hypertension and angina Nasal decongestant 0.05% SP 2 sprays for each nostril Bid for allergies Omeprazole 20mg PO Bid for gastroesophageal reflux Aricept 10mg PO QD for dementia associated with alzheimer’s Tamsulosin HCl 0.4mg PO QD for benign prostatic hyperplasia Zolpidem Tartrate 5mg PO QD for help sleeping Acetaminopen 500mg PO every 6 hours for high temperature Allergies No known allergies Family History: Grandma had TB, patient could not remember cause or time of death and chart did not contain any information. Information about the mother and father could not be obtained by the patient or the c hart. Information about siblings could not be obtained by the patient or the chart. Patient states that he has one son who has back pain and is overweight. No other information could be provided by the patient or the chart. Patient states that he has no grandchildren Married twice and both deceased, cause unknown by patient and not stated in chart. Family members will need to be contacted to obtain more information on history of cancer, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, or psychological illnesses. Social:

Criminology Theories Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Criminology Theories - Research Paper Example In this regard, the science of Criminology can be considered that deals with an understanding of the nature of crimes that occur within a society, thereby focusing on determining the cause of the crime and the prime suspects associated with a crime (Siegel 5). In relation to this science, there are certain theories – demonology, classical, positivism, psychological – that can be associated with particular crimes, in this study the cases being the above mentioned ones. Let us in brief understand what these concepts mean in order to relate them to these cases, as discussed later in the study. The concept of demonology in criminology attributes an act of crime to other forces in the world and not the individual performing it (Einstadter and Stuart 31). Thus this would consider outside factors to have influenced an individual towards committing a crime. The classical theory of crime  stresses that humans are individuals who are independent,  and hence a criminal act is committed by them following  sensible and cautious reckoning; the execution of a crime gives more contentment  as compared to pain (â€Å"Classical Theory of Crime Causation†). Positivism theory deals with a systematic application of the scientific method, the investigations based on legal terms, and statistics related to it (â€Å"Positivism†). Here the actor is assumed to be focused on more than the act. Lastly, the psychological theories of crime are of the bel ief that differences in behaviour among individuals are capable of making some people more prone to committing crimes. These differences arise from factors like the personality characteristics, biological factors, or interactions in the society (â€Å"Psychological Theories of Crime†). In the current study these four theories would be studied to understand how they are associated with the cases of mass or serial murders as

TELUS company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

TELUS company - Research Paper Example This paper gives a detailed case analysis of TELUS Corporation and describes its current financial status. Keywords: telecommunication industry, competitive advantage, business strategy TELUS Case Analysis The telecommunication industry is viewed as being highly dynamic and is characterized by ever growing competition. The communication industry has gone through a revolution from the postage of hand written letters, to telephone communication and to mass communication through wireless gadgets and the internet (Rens, 2001). TELUS Corporation is one of the key telecommunication companies competing in the global market for customers’ usage and advancing communication technology. The company focuses on more than the telephone services by allowing use of IP, data, voice and wireless technology to provide their customers with fast, convergent, efficient and convergent solutions. The company was started in Alberta in 1990 and entered into a merger with BCTel in 1999. Currently, the c orporation provides services in entertainment, internet, video, satellite, internet access and voice services. The corporation is considered to be the third largest telecommunication operator in Canada having approximately 7 million customers. The company’s major competition comes from Roger with over 8 million users and Bell with slightly over 7 million users. In 2010, the company posted annual revenue of over 9 billion dollars (TELUS Corporation). The condition of the industry environment is favorable since the number of wireless subscribers in the Canadian market is fast growing and has a medium level penetration. The 21st century has presented the corporation with new challenges which have had an impact on its financial status. The major challenge facing the company is the high level of competition that is experienced in the telecommunication industry (Aburdene, 2007). It can be observed that although the company is among the largest mobile operators in Canada, it takes u p the lowest market share. Rogers has 36 percent, Bell has 29 percent while TELUS has 28 percent. Recent studies have found out that the company’s market share is affected by three major aspects. First, the brand awareness of the company’s products and services is relatively lower in comparison to the other two key players. Secondly, their variation strategy is poor and fails to yield the desired results. Finally, the company’s average price is higher, for example it is 38 percent higher than Bell’s and 7.58 percent higher than Rogers’. The company faces increased competition as it operates in the deregulated market place. The competition does not only arise from the giant telecommunication company but also from emerging companies that provide improved services such as the IP telephone (Aburdene, 2007). Here, the greatest challenge is holding on to their market share and remaining at the top of all market segments. The competition in the market has been intensified by dynamic customer needs and high levels of consumer sovereignty. Consumers can easily switch their good and service providers in the telecommunication industry depending on their tastes and preferences (Aburdene, 2007). The company is advised to adopt the use of the latest technology in order to satisfy needs of the customers and to compete

Strategic Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Strategic Marketing - Essay Example The organization needs to collect more information related with the trends and practices undertaken within a new market so that it can be familiarize with the new market. (2) Export modes (agents): In this stage, the company finds a local strategic partner or local distributer that can provide efficient and substantial information about the new market. In this stage, a base for being international is prepared (Onkvisit, and Shaw, 15). (3) Establishment of a foreign sales subsidiary: This is the stage in which the company has achieved wider knowledge about the business conditions of the foreign country. With the help of this knowledge and information, the company opens its new sales subsidiary in the concerned destination, and starts a direct business unit within a new country. This is the most crucial stages of the process of internationalization which will allow the organization get firmly established within the foreign country. (4) Establishment of production or manufacturing unit: In this stage, the company establishes its production or manufacturing unit in a new country for the purpose minimizing costs of production. In this stage of the process, the company uses local resources, man power, and talent (Gimbert, 173). With the help of such primary stages, the company can become international and global. In order to be global, the company has to take some crucial decisions which cast a direct impact over the viability of different stages of internationalization. These main decisions are: Decision of going international In these decisions, the company decides whether to go in international market or stay in domestic market. Decision regarding selection of the target market The company has also needs to select the destination in which, it wants to expand its business. Decision regarding selection of the mode of entry in target market The organization also has to made decision about the method with the help of which, it is planning to get entered into the new m arket. Decision of selecting the most appropriate marketing channel and communication tools in the new market The company also needs to take decision whether it should adopt the standard marketing mix or go for modified marketing mix as per the demand of the country. Decision for adapting the most suitable strategic position of the organization within the market The organization needs to have a particular trade position within the market in terms of having compliance with trade policies, other organizations and so on. These all the decisions affect internationalization process at different stages. These all the decisions are strategic by nature which has long term impact over sustainability of the organization. Every activity or process undertaken by the organization is directly influenced by such different types of business decisions. At different stages of internationalization, the organization requires performing a different set of tasks. The decisions undertaken by organization changes or modifies the way of working and accomplishing business operations effectively, which impact over the outcome of any practice directly (European International Business Academy, 25). In this way, decisions undertaken by the organization are directly aligned with successful completion of different stages of internationalization. Answer 2: Marketing channel Marketing channel can be considered as a process and step wise approach undertaken by producer and

Book analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Book analysis - Essay Example Those individuals who have a compulsion to erase most painful memories from recall are the most vulnerable to become MPD. Those individuals who have been subject to abuse or trauma as a child have a strong incentive to discard remnants of those experiences. The trouble is that memory is a physiological-neurological construct as opposed to being purely a facet of the mind. Moreover, even this tendency toward partial amnesia is promoted by a ‘self’ that is in itself conditioned by early traumatic experience. Hence the subject is twice challenged to relieve himself/herself from the conflicted mental makeup. The outcome of this churning is the compromised solution of a MPD, whereby, the subject swings between the original composite personality and the forced-aspiring personality. The former is the personality as it is, whereas the latter is the personality desired. The interesting thing about memory is how it is tagged with verbal identifiers. These identifiers are culturally determined and are usually dependent upon the prevalent ideas, norms and fashions attached to the particular cultural milieu. In this context, memory is an extension of the language faculty in humans. Usually, it is the most emotive experience which is also the most memorable. Emotions arise out of subjective feelings. They are also fleeting and replicable in various similar situations. Hence our psyches crave for a method in which the valued experience is concretized. Words and set-phrases that were earlier acquired from the cultural environment are perused for this purpose. Hence, to answer a famous literary poser, calling a Rose by any other name, changes everything about the object and its associations. As Hacking observes in the book, the process of acquisition of memory and even the development of intelligence has a strong basis in semantics. Yet, the obvious danger is that the semantics might ‘justify’ apparently

Manga in United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Manga in United States - Essay Example Manga were brought out only slowly into U.S. markets, first in association with anime and then independently. As on December 2007[update], a minimum of 15 U.S. manga publishers have released 1300 to 1400 titles The sway of manga on European cartooning is rather different than U.S. experience. Manga was open to the European market during the 1970s when Italy and France broadcast anime. According to the Japan External Trade Organization, sales of manga touched $212.6 million within France and Germany alone in the year 2006. Times are tough across the globe. With the economic slowdown, many industries are badly hurt. Anime/manga sales have already been slumping in the local as well as the international market. If the favorite entertainment segment has to survive these hard times, then products have to be bought not only for ourself but for our near and dear ones. Hello Kitty is a little cat, with a round face, a bow on her left ear, a short tail but without mouth, this cartoon cat is printed on over 22,000 kinds of commodities to be sold in more than 40 countries. She earns $500,000,000 for her owner, Sanrio Company, as well as billions of dollars for those companies authorized to use her image. Some unauthorized companies put it on a variety of things, creating a profit of $1,000,000,000 every year.

Visual analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Visual analysis - Essay Example The first artwork that will be analyzed is the artwork presented by Emily Dunlap. Emily Dunlap created this impressive piece of artwork using several materials. This piece of artwork dated 2012 bears the title â€Å"Until you come back†. Some of the materials used to create this piece include an oil bar, cotton thread and canvas. The end product of the artwork was a portrayal of sunflowers, a terra cotta pot, a watering can and Miracle Gro. This artwork measures 6 inches by 9 inches. The texture of these artworks seems rather rough from the use of canvas and cotton thread. The bright illustration and amusing presentation of this artwork creates an appealing visual depiction of art (Leeuwen and Jewitt 129). This drawing also incorporates an interest in exploring the human perceptions of the environment through portraying real art. In fact, this piece of artwork by Dunlap can be depicted like a mirror that viewers can use to identify a creative expression of the landscape. The brief detail in the artwork easily captures the view of individuals. â€Å"Until you come back† is composed of a portrayal of sunflowers that unify the composition of the artwork. This artwork can be compared to the collections by Solomon "Sol" LeWitt who was a renowned American artist. LeWitt had significantly specialized in painting, photography, drawing and print making (Leeuwen and Jewitt 200). The simplicity in the drawings from these artists is quite evident. Their artworks can be defined as playful, random and curvilinear. This is because LeWitt used graphite and crayon in several scribble artworks. In the same case, Dunlap experimented on a contemporary technique in fine art that involved the use of cotton thread in the artwork â€Å"Until you come back†. This asserts that both artists have something in common in the field of art. In this part, I picked the Cairn Copy artwork presented by Daina

Business and Law - short story Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business and Law - short story - Case Study Example Apart from this she also had to undergo mental stress as she had lost her prestige. Sarah suffered physical injuries and mental agony because she got a t-shirt from a sale conducted by Cameron at her hotel. Just because she wore the t-shirt which had toxic material, Sarah suffered rashes all over her body and she was admitted to the hospital. She had to spend almost 6 weeks at the hospital. Finally when she was better the rashes left scars all over her body due to which she could not negotiate a movie deal with a major movie studio. The manufacturer has to use reasonable skill and care in the circumstances (ie. if the possible injury is very serious then the manufacturer will have a heavier duty, if the chance of injury is remote, the duty will be greater than if the chance of injury has a greater probability). When the facts indicate some negligence (eg. a snail in a bottle), the consumer does not have to prove how the manufacturer was negligent. The manufacturer has to prove that they did meet the standard of care. Based on the above Sarah has every right to take action against Cameron. She can sue Cameron in the court of law. Sarah's physical injuries caused by wearing the t-shirt resulted in her cancellation of a major movie contract. This was only because of the negligence on the part of Cameron who sold the t-shirt. Sarah also has the right to claim for emotional distress. The law says that if emotional distress causes physical injury in this case (Sarah's skin rashes) then the claimant who suffered emotional distress can make a claim. 3. Issues of the case: The gasfitter knowingly did damage to the pipeline of the hotel. Action: Sam can take legal action against the gasfitter. He can sue the gasfitter in the court of law and can also claim damages for negligence caused by him. Sam due to the negligence of the gasfitter had lost around $80,000 because it took 8 days to start the business after the gasfitter had tampered with his gasoline. 5. Sam the hotel owner had filed a claim for damages with her insurance company. In this case the insurance company has every right to deny her claim because it is evident that Sam has been inviting trouble from the whale rights activists 'Dignity for Whales'. She went against the law by selling whale meat. Sam had renewed the insurance policy and there was a contract with him and the insurance company. The insurance company cannot deny the claim. But since Sam had invited the damages she has no right to claim. With regard to the second attack, from the problem it is not clear as to why his hotel was attacked for the second time. Probably if she had carried on to serve whale meat then she has no right to claim. But if Sam had not continued serving whale meat then he has a right to claim from the insurance company. 6. Issues of the case: Cameron suffered loss of her stock due to fire. She had lost 95% of her stock but the insurance company paid her 100%. The issue is that whether Cameron can keep the sale

Regional Economic Cooperation Essay Example for Free

Regional Economic Cooperation Essay One of the most important developments in the world trade system in the 1990s has been the emergence of regional cooperation. The end of the Cold War reduced political tensions between countries in Asia as well as globalizing production processes and increasing vertical integration. Cities like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore have been lifting their populations out of poverty in part through cooperative arrangements with neighboring countries. Transnational economic zones have utilized the different endowments of the various countries of East Asia, exploiting cooperative trade and development opportunities. Transfer of technology and manufacturing between nations has allowed them to develop sequentially. Information technology has improved linkages between economies and put remote regions in contact with the world. The private sector provides capital for investment; the public sector provides infrastructure, fiscal incentives, and the administrative framework to attract industry. Regional cooperation is now considered the means of enhancing economic development and providing economic security within the regions. Trade among ASEAN members accounted for more than 23% of all trade by member nations in 1994, topping that of any of the groups major trading partners. Singapore has concentrated on becoming the technology center for Southeast Asia, sending labor-intensive operations to low-cost neighboring countries like Malaysia and Indonesia in special mutual cooperative trade and development arrangements known as growth triangles or growth polygons. The Southern Growth Triangle, also known as SIJORI (Singapore, the Johore state of Malaysia, and Riau Province of Indonesia), was formed in 1989 and covers a population of about 6 million people. It attracted $10 billion in private sector investments during its first five years. Such regional economic cooperation has occurred in other Asian regions as well, spurring economic development. Growth triangles are expected to be a continued driving force for growth in Asian economies throughout the 1990s. Four growth triangles have been established since 1989, involving parts of 11 countries. There are currently eight growth polygons in East and Southeast Asia, with additional triangles being planned. For example, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Chinas Yunnan Province have been discussing ways to develop the Mekong area since 1992. Regional cooperation provides a competitive model to attract investment and technology. According to the secretary general of ASEAN, Ajit Singh, These growth areas will have to be flexible to change where necessary, innovative, and always attentive to the needs of the investors and the businessmen. They also have to be aware that they are competing with much larger countries such as China and India, whose capacities for attracting investors are much greater than their own (Kruger 1996, 17). Asian capital markets are now watching the global economy, and large companies recognize their need to be involved in this fastest growing region in the world. The growth triangles typically group remote regions of the nations involved in an effort to exploit complementary assets within the groupings. For example, the Tumen Delta triangle integrates the capital and technology of Japan and the Republic of Korea with the natural resources of Russia and North Korea (i. e. , the Peoples Democratic Republic of Korea) and the labor and agricultural resources of China. The governments of Brunei, East and West Kalimantan, and North Sulawesi of Indonesia; Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan in Malaysia; and Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines have given priority to expanding air and shipping routes within the East ASEAN Growth Area, another polygon. Where all parts of the polygon are at similar levels of development, growth is expected to be slower. Singapore has provided capital and technology for developments in Malaysia to support SIJORI. Thailand is expected to provide capital and experience in developing the Mekong polygon. It will encompass a population of over 400 million people offering low wages, rents, and land costs. The Southern China Growth Triangle The Southern China Growth area comprises Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the southern provinces of China (Thant et al. 1994). Because China lags behind Taiwan and Hong Kong considerably in economic development and has a very large population, growth in this triangle has enormous potential. Establishment of this triangle was spurred by market forces and private sector initiatives rather than by policy coordination among the countries. However, government policies have supported the economic links that were instituted. The PRCs economic reforms and open door policy initiated in 1978 laid the foundation for economic success in Guangdong and Fujian provinces. Establishment of Chinas first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in 1980 provided for tax concessions, expanded land use rights, and simplified procedures for foreign investment. Policies for land use, finance, and trade were designed to reduce transaction costs and to provide greater access to the domestic as well as the world market. Policies formulated within the SEZs themselves have been even more liberal than those in other parts of the triangle. For China, the triangle has provided exports, foreign exchange, and employment as well as access to the larger global economy. Rapid economic growth and higher incomes have occurred in Guangdong and Fujian Provinces with materials and components from Taiwans manufacturing sectors and the support of Hong Kongs advanced services sector. Geographical proximity and common language are the most compelling factors for capital to move across the border from Hong Kong into Guangdong Province, or for investment to flow across the Formosa Strait from Taiwan to Fujian Province. Cantonese is a Chinese dialect spoken in both Hong Kong and Guangdong, while Fujianese is spoken in both Taiwan and Fujian. For Hong Kong and Taipei, the triangle has provided a means of implementing structural changes in manufacturing and export patterns at minimal cost. In spite of recent political posturing on the part of China, economic planners in Hong Kong and Taiwan are optimistic that economic logic will continue to drive regional integration. Low-Cost Sourcing As Japanese and U. S firms seek to reduce the cost of their latest innovations, they are outsourcing production to low-cost contract manufacturers. China has a growing number of low-cost parts and components suppliers. With a minimum of overhead and a large pool of low-cost labor in China, there is a growing list of high-quality vendors in China. The continuing miniaturization of products has lead to joint ventures with companies from Japan, the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries. The success of these firms is dependent upon providing competitive value in a timely manner. Low-cost board assembly operations in China utilize the latest SMT equipment required by new computer and telecommunications products. Capital intensity will increase as IC packaging and SMT assembly operations are installed. In the 1980s, Korea and Taiwan provided the first step in the cost reduction chain by providing the most advanced process capabilities. Singapore and Malaysia became additional sources for contract manufacturing with the establishment of global vendors like SCI and Solectron. Today, further cost reduction is possible by moving production to lower cost regions like China and the Philippines. Wongs Electronics in Hong Kong provides a three-step process for cost reduction that includes low-cost labor, low-cost sourcing, and low-cost production designs. Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and China are considered the home of lowest-cost manufacturing competitors in the electronics industry today. They offer limited component technology or product design skills, but provide many low-cost suppliers of generic, low-technology components. Since low-cost manufacturing countries generally lack the technologies required to become industry leaders, they must follow the technology trends as quickly as possible. OEM competitors from Taiwan and Singapore are being forced to open branch plants in China or other Southeast Asian countries to produce the most labor-intensive, cost-driven products.

Carpal tunnel syndrome Essay Example for Free

Carpal tunnel syndrome Essay Video games are very popular with children all over the world, they keep kids occupied and entertained. A lot of parents are concerned about how these video games are affecting their children. Are these video games good or bad for our children? Video gaming has both positive and negative effects on children. Video games are not only entertaining but also educational; they create challenges for children to take on in order to proceed to new levels. Video gaming is also very influential with a child. That is why it is very important to monitor children while playing. There are many positive effects to playing video games. Playing a video game is a way to exercise the brain, it helps children develop skills like following directions, problem solving and hand-eye coordination that develop fine motor and spatial skills. Video games contribute a lot to education, like developing reading skills; gamers must read to get instructions, follow storylines, and get information. Gamers also become more determined because, usually they don’t succeed the first time playing a level so they try and try again until they move on to the next level. Games can provide a positive outlet for children to release bottled up frustrations the same way many sports like basketball and football do. Video games allow parents to bond with their children and play together and can be something they share in common. Of course with every good there is a bad. Most of the bad things about video games are usually blamed on the violence that is in them. Children who play more violent video games are more likely to have more aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Playing too much video game keeps children indoors and become less social with family and friends. It also causes children to spend less time doing other activities like doing homework or playing sports. Some video games teach children improper morals and are easily confused between reality and fantasy. Excessive gameplay can contribute to poor performance in school and also cause a slew of health issues like obesity, video-induced seizures, postural, muscular and skeletal disorders and carpal tunnel syndrome. Children who are spending too much time playing video games may show signs of impulsive behavior and have attention problems. The effects of video games vary on children depending on the kind of parenting. Children usually imitate what they see in these video games so it’s important for parents to understand their children’s maturity level and what kind of games parents should allow their children to play. We are now living in a sophisticated and high-tech world so video games are essential to the development of children with today’s technology. The point is for parents to understand that playing video games have different effects on different children. The positives of video games definitely outweigh the negatives of video games especially with proper supervision of the children who play these video games.

Land Vegetation Ethiopia

Land Vegetation Ethiopia 1. Project Summary Land cover/use Study projects provide policy makers, industry and community interest groups, and landholders with accurate information on  woody vegetation cover, information on changes in the cover, mapping and providing statistical information. In earlier times the northern Ethiopian highlands were characterized by humid climate and denser vegetation (Bard et al., 2000). Significant human impact on the land resource resulted in 65 per cent of the total land mass to be a dry land. Land clearing for agricultural activity has become an increasingly main topic in the natural resource debate that contrasts the economic aspects of land development to the people dependent on it and with the ecological need to conserve. This project is a one of the initiative to investigate the land cover and its respective slope of the study site and to recommend technologies applicable to the overall land cover study projects in the dry high lands of Ethiopia. The study combines field verification  and computer processing using state-of-the-art remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies. The study specifically applies and eexplore the potential of Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) bands of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer ASTER images to discriminate land use categories where the land is fragile with mixed uses villages, patches of forest, patches of grazing land, crop land, wasteland, etc. the study will also explore the potential of ASTER images to provide stereo images for DEM generation of the scene that can be used to generate the Slope. The DEM generation task will investigate developing a rational polynomial function model. At last integration of the land cover and the DEM together with other GIS data can be used as input data to classify the suitability of land for specific land use. 2. The Problem Statement and Justification for the Research More than 63% of all smallholders in Ethiopia have less than 1 hectare of land. Population is growing rapidly and, although in the northern parts of the country the average rural population density is only 33 persons per square km, the population density per unit of arable land is much higher (138 persons per square km). Land fragmentation is common and the more fragmented holdings are, the more time it takes to manage them, with potential consequences for productivity. The national average is 3.2 parcels per smallholder, though districts averages vary from a little over 1 to more than 5. The broadest areas of high fragmentation are in eastern Amhara and Tigray, although there are also districts with high average fragmentation in Gambella, parts of SNNP, and the eastern highlands. (Ethiopian Agricultural Sample Enumeration, 2001/02. Central Statistical Authority.). As a result of fragmentation, farm sizes are very small and the use of fallow is rapidly disappearing, causing problems of declining soil fertility and erosion. Population growth increases the demand for land and contributes to farming on steep and fragile soils, also leading to erosion problems. It increases demand for biomass as a source of fuel, leading to deforestation and increased burning of dung and crop residues, thus increasing the problems of erosion and nutrient depletion. Population growth increases demand for livestock products and therefore leads to increased livestock numbers, causing overgrazing and consumption of crop residues by animals. In such situation Land degradation is a great threat for the future and it requires great effort and resources to improve. The major causes of land degradation in Ethiopia are the rapid population increase, severe soil loss, deforestation, low vegetative cover and unbalanced crop and livestock production. Inappropriate land-use systems and land-tenure policies enhance desertification and loss of biodiversity. The balance between crop, livestock, and forest production is disturbed, and the farmer is forced to put more land into crop production. The government has envisaged long- and short-term strategies to reduce the pressure on land and land fragmentation. Among the short term strategies are providing technical and vocational training to the landless youth to enable them to find off-farm employment and encouraging emigration to urban centers and to other parts of the region for resettlement. These strategies recommended allocation and reallocation of land to be based on the land use classification to be done in detail study. Understanding the current status of land use is very important and this project will come up with important elements of current land use study using remote sensing technologies to provide reliable information that help to prepare a complete land use plan. Justification Land Cover/ Slope Study To approach the growing problems of natural resource management, spatially explicit information about physical, biotic, and human factors must be available in a variety of geographic and temporal scales (USFWS 1976). Local planners and managers require detailed knowledge of the region for which they have responsibility as well as information on the regional, state, and national levels. Land cover data are essential at several scales. Current land cover data are vital to many applications including: making basic habitat assessments, delineating specific vegetative communities, calculating soil loss, and evaluating water quantity/quality within and between watersheds. The list of categories to be mapped is determined through the objectives of the mapping effort. This thesis describes such a mapping effort, one of presenting a basic land cover/Slope map, along with methods useful for land use planning applications. The conventional methods in producing DEMs need large campaigns that result in land surveying teams using analogue or analytical techniques. In the last decades satellite stereo image based topographical map production is turned into operational state from its experimental state. Recently many local scale landscape or topographical monitoring requirements are maintained by high resolution satellite images (Kanab 2002, Zomer et al. 2002, Baily et al. 2003, Su ¨zen and Doyuran 2004a, b, Liu et al. 2004). Advantages of ASTER for land evaluation The ASTER sensor is carried on board the Terra satellite that was launched in December 1999. The sensor has 14 spectral bands; three for Very Near Infra Red (VNIR) at 15 meters resolution, six for Short Wave Infra Red at 30 meters resolution, five for Thermal Infra Red at ninety meters resolution. Graphic 1 (below) shows the band coverage of the ASTER sensor. Thus with such resolution and number of bands it is possible to discriminate small fragile lands typical of Ethiopian highlands. In addition ASTER imagery has an extra channel of image data that is created by the sensor capturing a backwards looking image for the third VNIR band. So for image band three there exists one (nadir) image channel and also a backwards looking (off nadir) image channel. This creates an along-track stereo effect that provides DEM generation capability to be used for slope study. Scope This thesis presents a small watershed land cover/Slope map representing for the northern region of the country. It will provide information just beyond the local watershed by demonstrating feasibility of using selected satellite imagery for regional planning as well. It is known that Land suitability analysis is the process of matching demand, crop requirement, and supply, the quality of the land. Where it is necessary to specify the type of specific land use (e.g for forest plantation, maize, rangeland, etc.) so as to match with crop requirement, basic land characteristics, such as depth of soil, climate, amount of pH, level of soil nutrient, depth to ground water, etc.. Thus the scope of this thesis is limited to generating parameters necessary for the land suitability analysis. Project Objectives General objective To demonstrate the feasibility of Advanced Space borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) imagery to provide base line data for land use planning for sustainable land management Specific objectives Investigating discriminating power of ASTER Imagery in studying land cover in highly fragmented high lands of northern Ethiopia. To develop rational polynomial function model to generate a DEM that will be further processed to develop slope information. 4. Description of Project Activities and Methodology Selecting Study Area The landscape of Ethiopia is extremely diverse. In order to map land cover on a regional scale, it is necessary to understand the structure and dynamics of land cover on a local scale. To this end, the study area will be located to approximately represent throughout the northern part of the region. Thus the site will include major physiographic regions, i.e., predominantly mountains, valleys, and plains. On top of that the study site will be chosen on the following criteria: ease of access to allow comparison of actual land cover to images in hand, availability of current digital cover maps, and representation of regional land cover. Classification Scheme The first step in land cover mapping is to determine a classification system, i.e., to list the land categories to be mapped. Several items will be considered in this process: The objectives The characteristics of the data And the accuracy requirements. As in most well planned mapping efforts, the objectives determine the classes and the procedures used. Since the objective of this study is to identify fragmented land use types rather than classifying different vegetation types, emphasis will be placed on land impacted by human activities. The data available also determined the level of detail. ASTER imagery is assumed to be the best data currently available. The relatively high spatial resolution and the number of spectral bands of this imagery offers the best opportunities for discriminating a variety of cover types among any available satellite data such as Landsat. Imagery ASTER imagery with 15m spatial resolution, which is taken in the dry season of 2003, is the basic dataset from which land cover and Slope will be mapped. The data to be used for land cover study will be the VNIR bands (Band 1: 0.52-0.60 Lm; Band 2: 0.63-0.69Lm and Band 3N: 0.76-0.86Lm) of and 3N and 3B bands for the Slope study. A DEM created from ASTER level 1A (L1A) imagery can be expected to have a vertical accuracy of approximately 25 meters. Although in areas with less vegetation or man made features, this can rise to approximately 11 meters. It is therefore useful for small to medium scale mapping applications, 1:50,000 to 1:100,000. Only the near-infrared (NIR) channel of ASTER image has stereoscopic view capability as another NIR sensor is located as back view on board Terra satellite. Therefore, one NIR sensor collects image in nadir direction while another NIR sensor gets image in back-looking direction. Using two different looking directions, stereo imaging and DEM generation can be attained (Welch et al. 1998, Toutin 2002, Hirano et al. 2003). Training Data for image classification Since this study applies supervised classification, training data are needed at the start of classification. To this effect training data will be acquired from a variety of sources such as available maps, aerial photography of the same year and expert knowledge and review. Image Classification One scene for the land cover study and another nadir scene for the Slope study will be used for classification. To georeference the image, Ground Control Points (GCPs) will be collected from easily identifiable points using Geographic Positioning System (GPS). Image classification will be done either using pixel based supervised image classification or with object-oriented image classification depending on the accuracy to be achieved. ILWIS 3.3 software format will be the major image processing tools that will be used. Ground Truth and Classification Accuracy Assessment Before a map should be used, it is necessary to know its accuracy (Congalton1996). Accuracy assessment will be made using ground truth points to be collected from the major land use/cover types using GPS. It is recommended to have a ground truth at the same time of data acquisition, or at least within the time that the environmental condition does not change. A general rule of thumb is 75 to 100 reference points per category for a large image (Congalton 1996). However; for such a small scale study quite less number of reference points will be feasible. Statistics The Confusion Matrix In order to determine the errors in the classification, the following model called confusion matrix: (IDRISI module CONFUSE.) will be applied where: Matrix columns = ground data (assumed ‘correct) Matrix rows = map data (classified by the automatic procedure) Cells of the matrix = count of the number of observations for each (ground, map) combination Diagonal elements = agreement between ground and map; ideal is a matrix with all zero off-diagonals Errors of omission (map producers accuracy) = incorrect in column / total in column. Measures how well the map maker was able to represent the ground features. Errors of commission (map users accuracy) = incorrect in row / total in row. Measures how likely the map user is to encounter correct information while using the map. Overall map accuracy = total on diagonal / grand total Statistical test of the classification accuracy for the whole map or individual cells is possible using the kappa index of agreement www.sc.chula.ac.th/courseware/2309507/lec_content.htm). Users and producers accuracy measure the correctness of each category with respect to errors of commission and omission. Accuracy of each class cannot be completely stated in one statistic; both accuracies are needed for a valid assessment. Users accuracy is obtained by dividing the number correctly classified by the total number of pixels, within the classified image, of that class assessed. A low users accuracy represents a high error of commission. Producers accuracy is calculated by dividing the number of pixels correctly classified by the total number of reference points within that class (bottom row of error matrix). A low Producers accuracy represents a high error of omission. The Kappa statistic describes the degree of superiority (expressed as a proportion), that the classification results have as compared to a random classification. DEM Generation Developments in computers, broadening of visualization applications and the availability of geospatial data, made the use of digital elevation models (DEM) an indispensable quantitative environmental variable in most of the research topics. The landscape change and process-based studies in digital Earth sciences require the excessive use of DEM (Ka ¨a ¨b 2002, Zomer et al. 2002, Baily et al. 2003, Su ¨zen and Doyuran 2004a, b, Liu et al. 2004), for landslide susceptibility/hazard assessment, erosion susceptibility, glacier monitoring, geomorphological mapping, etc., in order to quantitatively represent or to analyse the morphology or the landscape. Within this study, the major steps that will be performed are (1) pre-processing and (2) The first step in pre-processing is the orthorectification of raw L1A images. The whole scene ASTER L1A image will be orthorectified using available 1: 50,000 scaled topographic maps. DEM generation from stereoscopic imagery is dependent on establishing the mathematical model relating the scene coordinates of conjugate points to the ground coordinates of the corresponding object point. Either rigorous or approximate models can be used to establish such a relationship. Rigorous modeling necessitates a full understanding of the imaging geometry associated with the involved sensor. Moreover, it involves the external characteristics (as represented by the Exterior Orientation Parameters EOP) and the internal characteristics (as represented by the Interior Orientation Parameters IOP) of the imaging sensor. Such characteristics are derived with the help of control information, which might take the form of a calibration test field, ground control points, and/or onboard navigation units (e.g., GPS/INS). However, the derivation of these parameters might not be always possible due to: the lack of sufficient control; weak imaging geometry (especially for satellite imaging systems with narrow angular field of view); and/or intentional concealment by the data provider (e.g., Space Imaging does not release the IOP and the EOP for their commercially available imagery). Therefore, there has been an increasing interest to investigate approximate models, which do not explicitly involve the internal and external characteristics of the imaging system. (A. Habib, E. M. Kim, M. Morgan, I. Couloigne, 2005). There has been an increasing interest within the photogrammetric community to adopt approximate models since they require neither a comprehensive understanding of the imaging geometry nor the internal and external characteristics of the imaging sensor. Approximate models include Direct Linear Transformation (DLT), self-calibrating DLT (SDLT), Rational Function Model (RFM), and parallel projection (Vozikis et al., 2003; Fraser, 2000; OGC, 1999; Ono et al., 1999; Wang, 1999; Gupta et al., 1997; El-Manadili and Novak, 1996). This thesis will apply RPF; it is based on the ratios of polynomials with different degree which can vary from 1 to 3. The coefficients are estimated using a large number of Ground Control Points (GCPs). In general, the procedure for DEM generation from stereoscopic views can be summarized as follows (Shin et al., 2003): †¢ Feature selection in one of the scenes of a stereo-pair: Selected features should correspond to an interesting phenomenon in the scene and/or the object space. †¢ Identification of the conjugate feature in the other scene: This problem is known as the matching/correspondence problem within the photogrammetric and computer vision communities. †¢ Intersection procedure: Matched points in the stereo-scenes undergo an intersection procedure to produce the ground coordinates of corresponding object points. The intersection process involves the mathematical model relating the scene and ground coordinates. †¢ Point densification: High density elevation data is generated within the area under consideration through an interpolation in-between the derived points in the previous step. The image orientation with rational polynomial functions involves general transformation to describe the relationship between image and ground coordinates. They provide a generic representation of the camera object-image geometry. The RPF provided with the high resolution satellite images connect image space and object space by: Row or column = rpf (ÃŽ », Ï•, h) Where row/column is the image coordinates and ÃŽ », Ï•, and h are longitude, latitude and ellipsoidal height in geographic coordinates of WGS84 datum (Grodecki et al., 2004). Direct solutions use rational function coefficients and sensor parameters information without any control points and refinement the original coefficients. Indirect solutions use ground control points for computing coefficients without using sensor parameters (Tao, Hu 2001). Our solution is based on ground control points without any initial values of coefficients. First approximate values of parameters extract and then precise values compute with using ground control points. Rational Function Model with 20 parameters (Valadan, Sadeghiam 2002) is used in this paper as follow: Where : are the normalized row and column of pixel in image. : are the normalized coordinates of the image point in the Conventional Terrestrial (CT) coordinate system. : Rational Function Coefficients (RFCs). Estimating the RFM coefficients The method by which the RFM coefficients are recovered depends on the availability of a physical sensor model. In cases where a physical model is provided a terrain independent scheme can be applied. This scheme is based on the generation of a 3D grid in object space, using the physical sensor model. The 3D grid should contain several layers of points and its characteristics are determined by the coverage of the image and the terrain relief differences. Then, a Least Squares solution of the RFM coefficients can be derived. Finally, an estimation of the quality of the derived RFM coefficients should be carried out based on an evaluation of the residuals in a higher density 3D grid. When a physical model is not available, a terrain dependent scheme is used. As in this scheme it is not possible to generate a 3D grid, the solution is highly sensitive to the terrain relief, as well as to the distribution, number, and quality of the GCPs used. Generation The generation process involves four steps: primitive extraction, primitive matching, space intersection, and interpolation. Primitive extraction: At this stage, a decision has to be made regarding the primitives to be matched in the normalized scenes. Possible matching primitives include distinct points, linear features, and/or homogeneous regions. The choice of the matching primitives is crucial for ensuring the utmost reliability of the outcome from the DEM generation process. In this research, point features are chosen. Fà ¶rstner interest operator (Fà ¶rstner, 1986) will be used to extract distinct points from the imagery. The operator identifies points with unique grey value distribution at their vicinity (e.g., corner points).The next section discusses the matching procedure of these points. Primitive Matching: The matching criteria deal with establishing a quantitative measure that describes the degree of similarity between a template in the left scene and a matching window, of the same size, within the search space in the right scene. Either correlation coefficient or least squares matching could be used to derive such a similarity measure Space Intersection: Following the matching process, conjugate points undergo an intersection procedure to derive the ground coordinates of the corresponding object points. The RPF equation will be used for such computation. Interpolation: So far, the ground coordinates of matched interest points, which passed the consistency check, are derived through space intersection. These points are irregularly distributed and are not dense enough to represent the object space. Therefore, they need to be interpolated. In this research, Kriging will be used to interpolate the resulting object space points into regular grid. The Kriging methodology derives an estimate of the elevation at a given point as a weighted average of the heights at neighboring points. 5. Project Milestones and Expected outputs 5.1. Expected output Following are the expected outputs from this research; Based on the success of ASTER imagery in demonstrating land cover classification and slope generation, the result herein may be used as basic data to assist slope management, land use planning, and other land management efforts such as land suitability, and landslide susceptibility mapping when combined with other GIS data. Provides a procedure based on the rational polynomial function model for generating DEM directly from a stereo ASTER images, and other experimental results. In particular, the method can be quickly and easily applied to areas with little map data, and at low cost. Based on the success it can be extended for all the northern high lands of Ethiopia. 5.2. Dissemination plan The immediate users of the research result are policy makers, teaching institutes and other planning and development organization in their programming of land use management. It will also assist the local government in the design and making of policy issues. The small holder farmers are the ultimate users of the research results through well designed land management projects that are effective in ensuring sustainable development of the resources they are dependent on. 6. Work Plan 7. References Fraser, C. S., H. B. Hanley (2003). Bias compensation in rational functions for Ikonos satellite imagery. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, 69(1): 53-57. Ganas, A. E. Lagios, N. Tzannetos (2002). An investigation into the spatial accuracy of the Ikonos2 orthoimagery within an urban environment. Int. Journal of Remote Sensing, 23(17): 3513-3519. Grodecki, J. and G. Dial (2003). Block adjustment of high resolution satellite images described by rational polynomials. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, 69(1): 59-68. Hu, Y., C.V., Tao (2002). Updating solutions of the rational function model using additional control information. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, 68(7): 715-724. MARCAL, A.R.S., BORGER, J.S., BOMES, J.A. COSTA, P.J.F. (2005) Land cover update by supervised classification of segmented ASTER images. International Journal of Remote Sensing 26, 1347-1362. www.sc.chula.ac.th/courseware/2309507/lec_content.htm YAN, G., MAS, J.F., MAATHUIS, B.H.P., XIANGMIN, Z., VAN DIJK, P.M. (2006) Comparison of pixel-based and object-oriented image classification approaches—a case study in a coal fire area, Wuda, Inner Mongolia, China. International Journal of Remote Sensing 27, 4039-4055.

attendace is it necessary? Essay -- essays research papers

Does it Matter how its Taught?: Is Attendance Necessary?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first thing that I began to think about is my own personal experience with this question in the first day of class. The reason being is that I have been in college for now 4 years and I am severely behind in terms of a 4-year degree at this point. I have had my times to think about what I like in terms of teaching style, but never had the right teacher to make me believe in the style. In this essay I hope to convince you (the reader) that it is mostly the way the student looks for flaws in the teaching style instead of embracing it. Also I will explain that in certain places across the country that certain teaching styles are easier to students in certain environments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my early years at school there are many different teaching styles that I encountered. First being the large lecture hall, then the small freshman writing classes, the hands on theatre classes and the many other different style and size classes. The larger lecture style classes were already over filled due to the university’s demand for these classes. The teacher would come in and just sit down, take role and call on the same students who usually understood the material a little better that the rest of the class and then we would leave. Repetition I have learned is a nightmare to some students, this is no learning environment for most students, even in our class the larger percentage of students couldn’t wait until time was up. Only a few got the time and effort of help from the professor, who normally didn’t even answer our question stating that â€Å"This is a lecture class format and if you can’t figure it out I can’t help you†. Now this may not be true for some professors, and perhaps this professor just didn’t have the time or knowledge but the question is how is it taught, and this is not the right way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second style of teaching that I will point too is the smaller more group-oriented classes where discussion is more prevalent. Question and answer from the instructor is more common and group exercises help students understand the basis for argument. Argument is a small tool to help students take different sides to a topic is one of the greatest teaching tools but has a few opponents however. Gerald Graff writes in the Yale University P... ...t colleges, they skate though classes without ever finding their true calling. Without these teachers drawing students into their classes then most of us wouldn’t finish school, we as students have to have something to look forward to something too, in going to class. If it’s a good looking girl, the funny teacher, that guy that sits next to you, whatever it is the most important thing is to listen to what the teacher has to say. These teachers even if their boring, take pride in what they do even if we don’t like it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some say that teaching is an art form, some may like the art it others don’t. What we have to consider is that they way professors teach us isn’t always the right way for the right people. Numerous studies have been conducted as to how teaching styles affects certain students, with this in mind how it’s taught is a direct correlation to how we think.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As we draw the line back to the beginning, the way its taught has everything to do with what I like to learn. If we as students get the opportunity to skip class, because some students like to learn on there own, than that’s a choice we should be able to take.

Decision-Making: Taking Action with Reason Essay -- essays research pa

Decision-Making: Taking Action with Reason The end result of any decision is action. Action based on reason, intuition, planning, or circumstance it is still action. The best course of action often is determined by the implementation of a decision making process. This process or model can be rational based or intuitive base. It is possible to combine the intuitive and rational decision models. The OODA (Observation, Orientation, Decision, Action) Loop acknowledges the existence of intuition within the context of reason. Col. John Boyd, USAF (Ret) is credited with the formalization of this thought process. The concept breaks the decision making process into four elements: Observation, Orientation, Decision, and Action. Observation is the information gathering stage. This includes situation assessment, outcome determination, research, and determining the variables impacting the situation. Orientation encompasses experiences, cultural influences, genetics, and forthcoming information. Decision is the application of the Observation and Orientation stages to form a viable plan of execution. Action is the execution of the decided plan. A key element to this model is that all stages are part of an ongoing process that can be utilized to make quick, effective decisions. (MindSim Corporation [MindSim Corp.], 2000) The OODA Loop is currently in use for my company’s conversion project. We are consolidating divisions, systems, and resources in addition to converting one division’s ...

Public Education: Funding based Upon Race Essay examples -- Teaching E

Public Education: Funding based Upon Race Education†¦beyond all other devices of human origin, is a great equalizer of the conditions of men—the balance wheel of the social machinery. I do not here mean that it so elevates the moral nature as to make men disdain and abhor the oppression of their fellow men†¦But I mean that it gives each man the independence and the means by which he can resist the selfishness of other men. It does better than to disarm the poor of their hostility toward the rich: it prevents being poor. –Horace Mann, 1848 Public education in the United States is exalted as the â€Å"great equalizer.† This utopian concept would be true if the education provided to all citizens was equal. Unfortunately, the dueling principles upon which the American nation was founded— freedom to accumulate wealth and equality for all—inhibit the establishment and maintenance of equal education. Funding inequities within the United States public education system embody the tension between one’s right to accumulate capital and one’s duty to guarantee equality for all. As the current system stands, the right to accumulate and utilize financial resources prevails. Thus, an educational system that perpetuates the economic inequality of America’s racial groups endures. In the 1954 United States Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, school segregation was found to be unconstitutional. On behalf of the Court, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote, â€Å"We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.† The reasoning behind the unanimous decision diverged from the line of argumentation that had been used by civil rig... ...ll Curve: How Education Matters† in Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 64, No. 3 (1995). Kozol, Jonathan, Savage Inequalities (New York: Harper Perennial, 1991). MacPhail-Wilcox, B. and R.A. King, â€Å"Resource allocation studies: Implications for school improvement and school finance research† in Journal of Education Finance, vol. 11 (1986). Massey, Douglas S. and Nancy A. Denton, American Apartheid (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993). Murray, Charles, Lossing Ground (New York: Basic Books, 1984). Taylor, W.L., and D.M. Piche A report on shortchanging children: The impact of fiscal inequity on the education of students at risk (1991). Wilson, William Julius, The Truly Disadvantaged (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1987). Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, (1954). Campaign for Fiscal Equity, et al v. the State of New York (2000).

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.