Japanese Surrender Essay

The Japanese surrender marks the end of World War II. Though the Japanese believed there is more honor in death than surrendering, the Allies (Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States) gave them no choice. â€Å"By the end of World War Two, Japan had endured 14 years of war, and lay in ruins – with over three million dead (David Powers, 2011). The major defining factor in the Japanese defeat was the United States’ use of the atomic bomb. The United States’ President Harry S.  Truman warned Japan that America would use this â€Å"new and terrible weapon† if Japan did not â€Å"surrender unconditionally† (The Atomic Bomb and the Surrender of Japan, 2008). President Truman knew that American casualties would be high if they invaded Japan without the use of the atom bomb. On August 6, 1945 a uranium bomb nicknamed â€Å"Little Boy† was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. The total dead surpassed 68,000 from the blast at Hiroshima. Just three days after this explosion, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 40,000 people (The Atomic Bomb and the Surrender of Japan, 2008). These essentially were the final blows to Japan’s ability to continue this war. At this point it was obvious Japan’s spirits were crushed. Japan was no longer able to do the things it needed to keep its army afloat. The depleted naval force inhibited Japan from importing grain, coil, and other raw materials needed to sustain its war efforts. On Aug 14, 1945, Emperor Hiroito announced Japan’s surrender. The Document of Surrender was signed on September 2, 1945. This document was prepared by America’s War Department and approved by President Truman. The signing ceremonies were held on the battle ship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The second paragraph of the Japanese Document of Surrender best sums up Japans compliance the United States demands. â€Å"We hereby proclaim the unconditional surrender to the Allied Powers of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and of all Japanese armed forces and all armed forces under the Japanese control wherever situated† (U. S. National Archives & Records, 1945).

Professional Athletes: Role Models or Criminals?

Professional athletes have been role models for children and adults alike since the beginning of time. They are often thought of superhuman, celebrities, and to some—even Gods due to their incredible physical strength, and unnatural talent. Professional athletes are given many things that the average American only dreams about; ranging from multi-million dollar paychecks, expensive cars, high profile romances, to exotic vacations. Oh, and being above the law. Numerous high profile players have been arrested multiple times throughout their career, escaping with nothing more than a slap on the wrist from law enforcement, or the NFL.Even those players convicted, and sent to prison for their â€Å"sentence† will be able to return to the football field after being released. Over the past decade the incidents regarding player’s conduct have increased dramatically all the while dragging the NFL’s reputation and ethics through the mud. It begs the question– should these athletes who are the role models for millions, be above the law simply because they are entertainers and celebrities? The answer is no. In my opinion a drastic change needs to happen immediately regarding this growing problem.No longer should players be able to go unpunished for committing crimes. However, to find the solution for this growing predicament—is to establish what factors contribute directly to it. The problem goes beyond the athletes being able to go unpunished for committing crimes. It starts with the league’s menial punishments, team owner’s irresponsible player management, fan attitudes, and the character of the player’s themselves. On the other hand, there are people, including; fans, agents, and of course the players themselves, who believe that the punishments being given now are too severe.I would just like to show those people another view of this debate—the view of an everyday person. In April 2007 NFL commissione r Roger Goodell put into effect new policies regarding player conduct based on the high number of players being arrested for major crimes. Due to the nature of the transgressions NFL officials began to worry about losing fans deterred by the league’s image. The new policy included longer suspensions, heavier fines, and team accountability for their players committing crimes.The new policy includes â€Å"requiring teams to pay the league a portion of the salaries forfeited by players suspended for violating policies regarding personal conduct† (Schrotenboer). Goodell’s goal is to hold team owners and managers partially responsible for the actions of the players on their roster. This forces the decision makers to put more consideration into drafting and signing troubled athletes, because now it is their money—not just their image at stake. Although the policy is a step in the right direction it is not doing near enough to clean up the league because talent is more important than character to a team.One example of this is Cincinnati Bengal’s receiver Chris Henry who was released by the team only after being arrested six times between December 2005 and March 2009 for crimes ranging from possession of marijuana, sex with a minor, DUI, and possession of and aggravated assault with a gun (Brandt). However, even with his arrest log reading like a novel, Henry has served a total of just eighty-eight days in prison for his crimes. This sentence came only after the second incident concerning relations with a minor.But, the Bengals kept him on the roster, even though four of the six incidents occurred after Goodell’s new conduct policy was put into effect. As far as the harsher punishment Goodell promised, Henry received a total a three game suspension for each of the incidents before being cut following the most recent assault arrest (Carpenter, Maske). Who should be to blame for allowing this criminal to go free and continue mak ing his millions? The ultimate blame needs to be placed on not only Henry himself, but also the owner and manager of the Cincinnati Bengals.Coaches have a large impact on the players on their teams. By allowing them to misbehave, they are basically telling the players what they do off the field does not matter as long as you win. In order to help clean up the NFL, coaches need to set an example by putting the law before the sport. Being in charge of a multi-million dollar business such as a professional football team, head coaches are under immense pressure to win, and will do so by any means. Marvin Lewis, the head coach of Chris Henry’s former team, the Bengals is a perfect example of winning at any cost—all the while denying so.In the article Player Arrest Put the NFL in A Defensive Mode, authors Les Carpenter and Mark Maske point out Lewis’ actions. During a 2007 press conference focused on the eight Bengals players arrested in the past year, including one p layer, Chris Henry, who had been arrested three times. Coach Lewis was asked to give his opinion on the player’s behavior. He responded by bitterly condemning the player’s actions. â€Å"It is an embarrassment to our organization†¦It doesn’t matter what you do for a living or who you are, you’ve got to follow those rules and laws† (Carpenter and Maske).This statement came from the leader of these players, as well as the man who only suspended Henry for two games after his prison stint. However, Lewis is not the only coach to allow felon players to escape punishment—because they are needed to win. In order to reverse the coaches attitudes toward the law there are things that need to be changed. For example, coaches should be required to pay a fine for every player who breaks the conduct code, or gets arrested. The new policy requires the team to pay—but not the coaches. Even if fining the coaches was put into effect it wouldn†™t alter the situation on its own.To have maximum impact on the league as a whole, another avenue needs to be taken. One way is suggested by Mike Florio in his article, NFL should strip draft picks from rogue teams. â€Å"The only way to get teams to avoid players with a history of legal problems—or, even better, help the player change his unlawful ways—is to strip the team of draft picks† (Florio). However, in order for this to happen, league officials such as Goodell need to introduce harsher penalties and fines to have any impact on players, coaches, and owners alike.However, for some people the current punishments being enforced are completely over the top already. When Goodell revealed his plans for the new policy in 2007 he was met with enthusiasm, praise, doubt, and protest—and that was just from fans. This shocked me that there is an NFL fan out there so dedicated to his or her favorite player that they oppose punishing offenders? Surprisingly t he answer is yes. On April 1st, 2009 Cleveland Brown’s wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth left a Miami nightclub at two o-clock in the morning, got behind the wheel of his Bentley and began to drive home.Three miles from his destination he was approaching what he thought was a yellow light and sped up to avoid it changing. However, due to his drunken stupor he failed to notice it was actually a red light—which he ran seconds before striking, and killing a pedestrian using the crosswalk. Stallworth was then charged with DUI vehicular manslaughter and released on $200,000 bail. His punishment? Thirty days in prison, two years house arrest—oh and a one season suspension from the league. Stallworth killed a man and will spend a total of thirty days in county jail, and forfeit a maximum of $745,000 salary for killing a man.To many people this is an utterly inconceivable notion. Stallworth killed an innocent man by choosing to drive intoxicated, and because of his status as one of the league’s best players he did less jail time than most drug dealers. Following Stallworth’s arrest all eyes turned to Goodell and the rest of the NFL officials to see what punishment, under the still new polictallworth’s arrest all eyes turned to Goodell and the rest of the NFL officials to see what punishment, under the new policy would be given. Stallworth was suspended a total of sixteen games during the time which he serves house arrest.To me, that is not punishment. However, others do not agree—and they are another piece of the NFL’s problem. One of those people is La Mont Chappell who writes in an article addressing Goodell’s choice of punishment for Stallworth and other criminal players. â€Å"Donte Stallworth deserves some sort of punishment for getting drunk, choosing to drive drunk, hitting a pedestrian, and ultimately killing that pedestrian†¦It is unfair to Donte Stallworth to be suspended for such a lo ng period of time because NFL players do not have long careers† (Chappell).To Chappell and other protestors of increasing punishment where do they draw a line? In another article reaming Goodell NFL agent Peter Schaffer writes, â€Å"It is clear our new NFL commissioner has pushed the punitive bar too high, to the point of inappropriate excessive†¦in Stallworth’s case—the one major difference between a murder or some other type of intentional crime and a DUI manslaughter is that there was not the original intent to do harm to another human† (Schaffer). People such as Chappell and Schaffer; fans and agents are the final component to fixing the NFL’s image.Athletes will continue to commit crimes because loyal fans, and money hungry agents will make excuses for their actions, something that can be changed. For example, agents get paid big bucks when athletes get paid big bucks. So, if an athlete is suspended, it hurts the agent’s pockets as well. A new policy could be added that will fine agents as well as players for breaking the law. That will prevent agents from representing the players that are multiple offenders—therefore setting a positive example to the public, and making players think twice about doing something stupid.In then end the NFL’s image problem can be chalked up to many different sources and comprise of many different factors and unless something is done to counteract the current trend nothing will change. The commissioner took a small step forward in 2007 by implementing the new policy—but he needs to step up as the leader he is and make punishments and fines that will impact players into changing their ways. Sure, there will be critics, but that is what it takes to regain the respectable name the NFL once had. It will not be simple, and it may take time, but it needs to be done.

Business Research Methods Essay Example for Free

Business Research Methods Essay Starbucks (158) , Research methods (28) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints Starbucks grew as it attracted many people, leading to tripling its stores worldwide. It became part of every neighborhood, appearing on every street, in airports, supermarkets, and roadside rest stops all over America. This is when complaints began to surface that Starbucks is transforming into a fast-food restaurant and not a coffee house. The coffee industry was no longer dominated by Starbucks, for competitors began to put pressure on the business. In addition, the biggest dilemma to hit Starbucks was the 2008 economic crisis. This took a toll on the consumer who saw Starbucks as a luxury and searched for more affordable alternatives. As a result, Starbucks’ management was faced with the need to generate the right management question that would be the thread to making the best decision through its research design. An organizational dilemma can spark a research question. Once an organization determines a situation exists, research methods start to devise and eventually sample designs are implemented. When people think of Starbucks, do they think of great customer service, quality products, clean store, or great coffee? The organizational dilemma is: how should Starbucks go about keeping loyal customers while overcoming the old perceptions and changing with the times. According to Howard Schultz, â€Å"We are not in the coffee business serving people; we are in the people business serving coffee† (Starbucks Board of Directors, 2008). Marius Pretorius (2008) research infers Starbuck’s organizational dilemma, whether strategic or operational is not diminished when using Michael Porter’s (1985) generic strategies for competitive advantage. Declining sales require a turnaround solution that address strategic causes and cost relationship pressures that govern demand determinants. Which are â€Å"highly susceptible to external influences that are not clearly visible to the decision-makers† (Pretorius, 2008, pg. 21). Designing a two-stage exploratory study to identify the basis of distress and the key determinants is essential to a turnaround strategic plan. An exploratory study provides sufficient flexibility to address research costs, timelines, and development of clear constructs to address priorities and operational definitions (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). The first stage of the study will look to ascertain the causation of the organizational dilemma and postulate the asymmetrical relationships in declining sales by examining both internal and external independent and dependent variables. This research will categorize findings into four relationship types as stimulus-response, property-disposition, disposition-behavior, or property-behavior. This will refine the second stage of research and explore influencing factors in depth. Characteristics and Operational Definitions The research design will produce casual inferences upon which a complementary strategy will result. â€Å"Although they may be neither permanent nor universal, these inferences allow us to build knowledge of presumed causes over time† (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, pg. 154). Therefore, it is important to identify moderating or interactive variable dependencies. To ensure data validity operational definitions will challenge data to meet specific standards. These definitions may not exhibit the organization’s use but will establish a means to classify clearly an event. The main concern is to establish actionable information in which contributory or contingent effects on the original independent to dependent variable (IV–DV) relationship will provide empirical conclusions. References Cooper, D.R. & Schindler, P.S. (2011). Business research methods (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Porter, M.E., (1985). Competitive advantage: Creating and sustaining superior performance. New York, NY: The Free Press Pretorius, M., (2008). When Porter’s generic strategies are not enough: Complementary strategies for turnaround situations. Journal of Business Strategy 29(6): 19–28. Starbucks Board of Directors. (2008). Retrieved 2 2013, February, from Starbucks.com: www.starbucks.com/aboutus/environment.asp Starbucks, (2011) Our Company: Mission Statement. We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Racial Tension Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Racial Tension - Research Paper Example ere are countries such as South Africa that have formed policies of positive action and empowerment that only aims to the black without attending to the needs of the white (Grunsell, 203). The claims of white discrimination have been through the several murders of white farmers in those countries. Investigations have however thrown away the argument as they think that the murder have been through motivations in robbery rather than the thought racial tension. Some whites due to racial tension have tried to rewrite history. There was once a claim that blacks were the main cause of apartheid. This shows the extent that there have been racial discrimination and all that was thought to be bad in the old times were linked to the blacks. In some of the countries such as South Africa, racial tension has been seen to grow as a result of economic stagnation in the country. In these economies, there is higher rate of unemployment that is mostly linked to the blacks. The economic growth has been too higher to reduce the rate of unemployment in the blacks. In such countries the level of unemployment continues to rise in blacks while the white are still privileged and are given the first opportunities in the job sector. Racism is blamed for these occurrences. Many whites see the privileges that they have and the policies that favor them and despite the wealth that they have. They see the black as those that are not exposed to any privilege in job sec tor (Grunsell, 209). After the blacks receiving democracy in most of their countries, there still has been ruling by the whites. Studies that have been carried out have brought out the fact that there is a belief that the whites and the blacks will be difficult to come to trust each other. Policies that have been put forward to solve the issues of racism have failed as there are overpowered by the mistrust that occur between the two groups. In the current situation there is the situation of racial tension all over the world. There

Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 16

Business - Essay Example There are many things wrong with the IT department throughout the company. Because, the company acquired many other companies during the 1990s, the company lost touch with the IT department. Because, prior too now the company lacked a Chief Information Officer (CIO) the company has had a haphazard IT department. The current position of the IT department is the possible cause of lost revenue the company has been faced with. Only after Horizon 2000 was implemented was it discovered that it is almost impossible for someone in Detroit, Michigan to adequately receive information from someone working for the company in Taiwan. If the company cannot adequately, and efficiently share information throughout the company, the company will begin to lose revenue. The company loses revenue through the loss of accounts. The company loses accounts, because orders are being shipped untimely. Only when the company begins to implement a new Information Technology department will the company began to prosper again. The competitors have an advantage over the company, because the competitors have their IT departments organized. The competitors do not necessarily have more accounts than MDCM; but the competitors do have an advantage over the company; because, these companies are able to share information on a timely basis. Because, the competitors can share information on a timely basis, the competitors are able to fill customers’ orders in a timely manner. If MDCM were able to fill customer orders in a timely manner, MDCM may have an advantage over the competitors. When MDCM lost those four counts within 12 months, the company not only lost revenue, but the company lost these accounts competitors. When Max McMullen as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MDCM in 2000 he discovered some of the sales staff were competing against each other for the same account, MDCM, Inc. Information technology strategy synchronization, (4). This is why him McMullen decided to implement Horizon

Strategic Analysis of Hon Hai Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Analysis of Hon Hai - Case Study Example The study will also cover the merger and acquisition activities of the company along with the position of the company before and after the merger and acquisition activities. The report will also use key financial ratios to report on the financial performance of the company. While 'business strategy' represent the goal of the company to attain sustainable competitive advantage in one of the businesses of the company, 'corporate strategy' represents the objective of the company to manage multi-business activities to create corporate-wide advantage that will benefit each of the business the company owns and operates. The corporate strategy looks into the opportunities available to the company both internally and externally to enhance its competitive strengths and sustain its sales growth and profitability. A strategic analysis of any company thus includes assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the company on the basis of the internal environment as well as threats and opportunities that the company is subjected to because of its relative positioning in the market and the industry. The main objective of any strategic analysis is to identify the ways in which the existing resources can be shared between the multiple business activities and also identifyi ng new resources which will enhance the competitive strengths of the company. ... With this background this study intends to make a strategic analysis of the company Hon Hai (Foxconn) to report on the efforts of the company to enhance and sustain its competitive advantages. 1.1 Hon Hai (Foxconn) - An Overview Incorporated in the year 2004 the company is a group company of Foxconn Technology. Foxconn Group is the foremost provider of joint-design, joint-development, manufacturing, assembly and after-sales services to global Computer, Communication, and Consumer-electronics ("3C") leaders. Focusing on fields of nanotechnology, heat transfer, wireless connectivity, material sciences, and green manufacturing process, Foxconn's over 15,000 patents granted worldwide by 2005 made it a recognized leader of innovation and technical know-how in rankings such as MIT's patent scorecard. HonHai is mainly producing Hinge related products adopting an innovative technology. The production process is different from that of the traditional Hinge companies. By using the new technology the company has enhanced the production capacity to a great extent and has reduced the cost of production. The company has made a net operating income of $ 10.17 million representing 8 percent of the turnover, as of the end of the year 2006. The company is following a different production process than the competitors operating in the industry. The use of this modern technology has enhanced the production capacity of the capacity while lowering the cost of production. The company presently employs around 975 people. 1.2 Research Objectives The study will cover the following objectives among other things: (1) A detailed study of the advantages and disadvantages of merger and acquisition activities in general (2) A strategic analysis of the Company Hon Hai

How far did the Anti-Saloon League contribute to prohibition becoming Essay

How far did the Anti-Saloon League contribute to prohibition becoming active in the USA in the 1920's - Essay Example Drinking in those days started to become popular and soon men started spending more time in saloons and pubs than their own homes. The interest of the family was often affected by the habits of men who took to drinking and the effects of alcoholism soon started reverberating in the modern society. With pressures of life mounting in the towns and cities, it became fashionable for men to display their machoism by immersing themselves in booze and smoke. Other than machoism, visiting the saloon started to be considered as a social requirement. It was considered as a place where a man could enhance his awareness and also eat and booze cheaply. â€Å"The saloonkeeper is the only man who keeps open house in the ward. It is his business to entertain. It does not matter that he does not select his guests; that convention is useless among them. In fact, his democracy is one element of his strength. His face is the common meeting ground of his neighbours - and he supplies the stimulus which r enders social life possible; there is an accretion of intelligence that comes to him in his business. He hears the best stories. He is the first to get accurate information as to the latest political deals and social mysteries. The common talk of the day passes through his ears and he is known to retain that which is the most interesting.† (Moore 1897). It was the later part of the 1800s that the sentiment against alcoholism slowly started to catch up in the American society. People awakened to the effect of the drink and taking a cue from families that were often deprived of basic necessities because of their breadwinner’s drinking habits, began to assimilate ideas against alcoholism. Even though many anti-alcoholic forums were active in those days, the Anti-Saloon league became a force to reckon with and soon played a major in changing public opinion about alcoholism in the country. The league went on to become so powerful that it

Google article and Zappos article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Google and Zappos - Article Example Yahoo offers their workers free time given that the workers complete their jobs on time. However, at Google, workers are only given one-fifth free time of their working hours. Zappos incorporates a corporate culture which treats their employees as a family (Zappos 1). The firm puts its employees first and then everything else. A person would expect a firm to put its customers first and then its employees, but this is not the case at Zappos. The leadership of Zappos is what enables the company to maintain such as corporate culture (Zappos 1). The leaders advocate for fairness and understanding all through the company, and this has enabled the firm to maintain a family-like culture. Such a culture in the case of Zappos might make some workers perform less than other, yet the matter would not be addressed. Working as a family makes a person over-rely on others since they are there to assist one

Regulating Soldiers Body Temperature, Uniform Technology Summary Essay

Regulating Soldiers Body Temperature, Uniform Technology Summary - Essay Example A soldier may end up experiencing different health issues as a result of changes in climate in the areas they train and operate. These health issues can be divided into heat and cold based health issues. Heat related issues include heat cramps, syncope, fatigue and stroke and cold related health issues include hypothermia as well as frostbite. There are various technologies that can help monitor and change the body temperature of the soldiers with the changes in the climate. These technologies including phase change, hybrid, and evaporative as well as circulatory cooling technologies. Phase change material is a technology that can help in managing soldier’s body temperature if this technology is used to design the uniforms of the soldiers. This technology has several benefits including reduction of sweat, feeling of cold and decrease body temperature if the soldier is experiencing excessive warmth. While managing the temperature of a soldier’s body, this technology even provides soldiers with comfort. The technology is useful for soldier’s clothing because it does not causes issues when it comes in contract with the gears used by the soldiers. The technology lacks toxins; it is not flammable, is quite long lasting and can be reused. In order to use this technology along with uniforms the technology needs wires to function. This can restrict the acceptability of this technology, but if soldier’s uniforms have the ability to create electricity then this technology can easily be used. Another issue associated with this technology is fabric tearing but this problem may be experienced in the long run. Outlast is an existing clothing brand that has already developed uniforms for army professionals with the help of phase change material (PCM) (Armedforces-int.com 1). The company operates throughout the globe and is developing products that are made with PCM and these materials have been tested and approved by

Motivation and Organizational Culture Essay Example for Free

Motivation and Organizational Culture Essay Motivation and Organizational Culture Assignment In any given business or workplace environment the employees that work there should be the most valued assets. Research has shown that personnel who are happy and taken care of are much more productive than those who are not, therefore establishing a more pleasing work atmosphere. That being said, business leaders and managers alike play an extremely important role in workplace psychology. According to our text, leadership is the process of leading a group and influencing its members to achieve common goals. All managers are leaders (Robbins, DeCenzo, and Coulter, 2011). In today’s society more managers are leading through empowerment by allowing team members to be involved in the decision making process. More and more employees â€Å"are developing budgets, scheduling workloads, controlling inventories, solving quality problems, and engaging in similar activities that until very recently were viewed exclusively as part of the manager’s job. As mentioned earlier, research has shown that employees who are pleased are far more beneficial than employees who are not. There are many things that managers can do to ensure that their employees feel valued, and remain satisfied. First of all, it is important that managers avoid using intimidation. To intimidate means to make nervous, or instill fear. In some cases an individual can take advantage of their title and turn in to an authoritarian. In a sense this means that the big guys squash the little guys.

Analysing Homelessness In Australia

Analysing Homelessness In Australia Over the past few decades, mechanisms of social exclusion and social control have made it increasingly hard for Australias homeless. Many texts discuss the issue of defining homelessness and it is now widely accepted there are several different kinds. Here, I will be talking primarily about Primary homelessness, which is also known as sleeping rough, where people sleep in cars, parks or other public spaces (Which Way Home? 2008: 18). On average around 105,000 people are homeless in Australia each night and around 15% of these are rough sleeper (The Road Home 2008: 3). The majority of homeless people list financial difficulty, domestic violence, family breakdown or substance abuse as the main causes of their homeless status (Which Way Home? 2008: 20). Homelessness remains a particular problem among Australias Indigenous people, who are over represented in their use of homeless services in all states and territories (Which Way Home? 2008: 20). While homelessness itself is not illegal in Australia, many acts committed by the homeless are, such as public urination, public drunkenness and the possession of illegal drugs. Criminalization of the homeless occurs because these people lack the private space in which to engage in these behaviours. Governments assume that by removing the homeless from public spaces that they are reducing crime and creating safe streets for the law abiding public. However, as illustrated above, the crimes the homeless commit do not generally hurt others or damage property. They are breaking specific laws that have been created by the government which are enforced to exclude certain groups of society from specific public spaces, notably the spaces that the wealthy inhabit. Criminalizing the homeless for behavior that is unavoidable in their situation is not simply poor public policy; it also places unnecessary stress on the criminal justice system. Criminalizing the homeless also leaves the law enforcement officials to deal with related issues, such as issues such as mental illness and alcoholism (citation). Alcoholism is an issue that is common among the homeless population and it is a condition that often intensifies as a result of being homeless. Criminalizing the homeless for being drunk on the streets does not treat the problem, nor does it assist the police in cleaning up the streets. It is often found is that homeless alcoholics use rehabilitation centres as shelter services, but have little intention of treating their addiction (Wilhite 1992: 190). This indicates that the provision of suitable housing is a prerequisite to treating alcoholism. Once suitably housed, alcoholics have an increased chance of using alcohol rehabilitation services effectively. However, as suitable housing becomes increasingly scarce, the homeless are released from the justice system and back on to the street, where the cycle is then repeated. Homelessness has also increased significantly among the mentally ill in recent decades. This has been attributed to discontinuity in mental health services where individuals are transferred from an institutional to community living (Conover et al. 1997: 256). This burden of care has shifted from mental hospitals to the community; however, development of housing and community services has not kept up with the demand (Greenblatt 1992: 49). The outcome here is that many of Australias mentally ill have ended up are end up on the streets and are criminalized for behaviours that are symptoms of their illness. Once again, nobody benefits from the existing system. Our mentally ill are left untreated and our criminal justice system gets increasingly clogged with cases of minor offences that have harmed no one. Debate surrounding the causes of homelessness often relates to two factors: the first are socio-structural factors, which are concerned with changing labour markets, poverty, the housing system, and the nature of the welfare state (Greenhalgh et al. 2007: 643). The second are individualist and psychological factors that reflect individual agency, including alcohol dependence, substance abuse or social and behavioural problems (ibid). While it is now widely agreed by researchers that homelessness is a process where these factors combine and contribute to an individuals risk, this view does not appear to reflect the situation as portrayed by the media. In her Australian study, Carole Zufferey found that media representations of the homeless were strongly influenced by conservative agendas that emphasised individual responsibility (Zufferey 2008: 359). Media representations generally construct deserving and undeserving homeless and focus more on individualist causes than structural ones (Zufferey 2008: 359). As the media play a key role in shaping public understanding of social issues, these attitudes are often shared by the Australian public. A perception common in contemporary Australia is that homelessness is a lifestyle choice and that homeless people choose not to take advantage of services that are available to them. This sort of thinking was demonstrated recently when Opposition leader Tony Abbott was asked whether he would continue with the Rudd Governments goal of halving homelessness by 2020 (The Road Home 2008: viii). In his response Abbott quoted the bible, from the Gospel of Matthew The poor will always be with us in an effort to demonstrate that the government cannot assist those who choose to be homeless (citation). This blatantly illustrates his lack of understanding of the issue, one that is shared by many Australians. As Morse (1992: 13) puts it The choice to become homeless is not an affirmation of an ideal lifestyle, but a means to obtain a sense of self control and dignity when faced with a lack of meaningful, safe or viable living alternatives. Australians seem to have a range of ideological constructions surrounding the homeless, that they are lazy, dirty and untrustworthy, for example. These assist the processes and practices that exclude homeless people from social life and limit their ability to participate in society. When examining a widespread, public issue such as homelessness, it is important to look at the discourses that are at play, when policy is being implemented. Discourse refers to the rules, systems and procedures which help produce and form knowledge about the world (Hook 2001: 522). The rules of discourse govern the way that a topic can be meaningfully talked and thought about. It is therefore linked to the exercise of power, because it ensures the reproduction of the social system, through forms of selection, exclusion and domination (Young 1981: 49; Hook 2001: 522). In relation to homelessness there are many conflicting and overlapping discourses to be taken into account. Here, I will cover discourses relating to neo liberalism, personal responsibility, individualism and obligation in relation to homelessness policy. In policy responses, there is often a common sense assumption that all citizens aspire to be competitive, independent, self responsible, hardworking and morally autonomous individuals (Zufferey 2008: 362). In Australia, there is an unspoken assumption that these are the qualities needed for citizenship. This is evident in that the overall aim in many policies and services is for individuals to be governed into a state where they can self-regulate their behavior without the need for direct intervention by the state (Gilbert 2008: 109). In 2008, two policy papers were created by the Australian government in response to the current situation. The first was Which Way Home: A New Approach to Homelessness which aimed to examine a range of perspectives on homelessness in order to inform further policy (Which Way Home? 2008: 8). From this, a second paper was developed, entitled The Road Home: A National Approach to Reducing Homelessness which outlined the governments strategies for the future. Throughout both of these texts, there is the heavy promotion of moving people into the paid labour market, so they can be independent members of society. In Which Way Home, it states Stable long-term employment should be the ultimate goal for most . . . . With proper support, people can become more resilient and better able to manage their personal, financial and housing needs, and gain the confidence and skills they need to participate in mainstream economic and social life. (Which Way Home 2008: 14) While the aim of many of the proposed programs is to support clients by improving their independent living skills, they are still deeply embedded with assumptions about control, surveillance, containment, independence and self-determination (Greenhalgh 2007: 646). It is important to question who benefits from these programs and whose interests are being served. Is it the homeless who will benefit from these policies, or are they implemented for the bourgeoisie, who feel threatened by the presence of others who do not conform to the status quo? Policy responses such as those listed above may also be seen as an attempt to reduce expectations of what the state will provide by promoting the ideas of the personal responsibilities required for citizenship (Beresford et al. 1996: 179). Neo liberalist discourse appears to be pervasive throughout the proposed policies which are littered with management orientated methods and techniques (Anker 2008: 37). It can be seen that such methods are being implemented in the interest of efficiency and productivity, as opposed concern and assistance for people who have a range of problems and lack the tools that allow them to participate in social life. There is a sense that these individuals are seen as objects of policy as opposed to people who need care and resources. Policy makers also seem unaware that these people often do not lack the competence to participate in society; however their participation is undermined by dominant culture and ideologies that prevent them from doing so (Beresford et al. 1996: 193). Legitimation crisis A shortage of affordable housing has been identified as a major contributing factor to homelessness in Australia. Increased house prices and rentals have put financial pressure on both individuals and families and some find they are unable to afford their current living arrangements.Between 2002 and 2007, the number of families seeking assistance from homeless services in Australia increased by 30 per cent (Which Way Home 2008:12). This suggests that policy responses to housing in Australia are under developed and indicates that affordable housing for those in low income brackets is in extremely short supply. The government played a key role in creating this shortage by reducing its investment in public housing over recent years. It is estimated that between 1994 and 2004 government funding for the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement (CSHA) fell by 54 per cent in real terms (Judd et al. 2005: 246). This demonstrates where the governments priorities lie. Instead of investing in housing, which would assist the homeless and many low income earners, they continue to reduce their spending in this area. Certainly in the Howard years, this could be seen as a strategy to create a budget surplus, which could then be distributed via tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Homelessness is sometimes viewed as a complex problem attributed to the clients, not to the systems they have access to (Conover et al. 1997: 258). However, as demonstrated, policies and infrastructure which aim to reduce its prevalence are often under developed, impractical and show a lack of insight into the lives of those they are designed to help. Even if the infrastructure was developed, it wouldnt stop the government and the public acting on pre-existing discourses that say that homeless people are not entitled to participate in society Numerous and diverse factors contribute to homelessness in Australia. Homelessness has been maintained in the past due to ideological constructions that promote processes of exclusion (Morse 1992: 14) and by the absence of policy responses committed to reducing its prevalence. Future challenges lie in the further development of existing policies and integration of services and programs that together can provide comprehensive and innovative solutions to homelessness. Further understanding of the issue through research will also contribute to better policies and help to address practices that lead to social exclusion. 16 February, 2010 Bible bashing the homeless, Abbott style MICHAEL PERUSCO February 16, 2010 http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/bible-bashing-the-homeless-abbott-style-20100215-o2tj.html

Sleep and Dream :: essays research papers

Sleep and Dreams Sleep is a behavioral state characterized by little physical activity and almost no awareness of the outside world. Sleep is actually made up of two separate and distinctly different states called REM sleep (rapid eye movement) and NREM sleep (non-rapid eye movement). With NREM sleep it is further divided into stage 1-4 based on the size and the speed of the brain waves. Step one is the stage when you drift off to sleep or doze off. For example people doze off in class because you are bored and have nothing to do but listen to the teacher talk. Some parents may call it a cat nape when their kids go to sleep for about ten minutes or so. The second stage is called an intermediate stage of sleep. That is when the sleeper will gradually descend deeper into sleep, becoming more and more detached from the outside world and progressively more difficult to awaken. Stage three is the beginning of deep sleep, occurring about thirty to forty five minutes after you first fall asleep. The deepest sleep occurs in Stage four. Stage three and four has the biggest and slowest brain wave. REM sleep, a mentally active period during which dreaming occurs, provided a biological explanation for this phenomenon. Scientists found that brain activity during REM sleep begins in the pons, a structure in the brainstem, and neighboring midbrain regions. The pons sends signals to the thalamus and to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for most thought processes. There are several myths about sleep. For one, how much sleep a person should get? According to our text book people should sleep for at least eight hours to maintain sound mental and physical health. But every one doesn’t get the chance to slee p for that amount of time. There is no normal amount of time you should sleep. Everyone is not the same. For one I might sleep for five hours and feel refreshed enough to work another shift. Other hand my cousin might need more then eight hours of sleep to feel refreshed. Another myth is that you can learn complicated things, like a new language, while you are sleep. Personally no, because the only way you can learn something is to be awake. When a person fall to sleep while listening to a cd player or tape player while they are sleeping they are not going to hear what is said when they are in a deep sleep. Sleep and Dream :: essays research papers Sleep and Dreams Sleep is a behavioral state characterized by little physical activity and almost no awareness of the outside world. Sleep is actually made up of two separate and distinctly different states called REM sleep (rapid eye movement) and NREM sleep (non-rapid eye movement). With NREM sleep it is further divided into stage 1-4 based on the size and the speed of the brain waves. Step one is the stage when you drift off to sleep or doze off. For example people doze off in class because you are bored and have nothing to do but listen to the teacher talk. Some parents may call it a cat nape when their kids go to sleep for about ten minutes or so. The second stage is called an intermediate stage of sleep. That is when the sleeper will gradually descend deeper into sleep, becoming more and more detached from the outside world and progressively more difficult to awaken. Stage three is the beginning of deep sleep, occurring about thirty to forty five minutes after you first fall asleep. The deepest sleep occurs in Stage four. Stage three and four has the biggest and slowest brain wave. REM sleep, a mentally active period during which dreaming occurs, provided a biological explanation for this phenomenon. Scientists found that brain activity during REM sleep begins in the pons, a structure in the brainstem, and neighboring midbrain regions. The pons sends signals to the thalamus and to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for most thought processes. There are several myths about sleep. For one, how much sleep a person should get? According to our text book people should sleep for at least eight hours to maintain sound mental and physical health. But every one doesn’t get the chance to slee p for that amount of time. There is no normal amount of time you should sleep. Everyone is not the same. For one I might sleep for five hours and feel refreshed enough to work another shift. Other hand my cousin might need more then eight hours of sleep to feel refreshed. Another myth is that you can learn complicated things, like a new language, while you are sleep. Personally no, because the only way you can learn something is to be awake. When a person fall to sleep while listening to a cd player or tape player while they are sleeping they are not going to hear what is said when they are in a deep sleep.

The Snake Essays -- essays research papers

Joseph Campbell, who became the most famous scholar of world religions, because of his book, The Power of Myth. In his studies of world religions over his long career, Campbell discovered powerful and often repeated ideas that imbue all the religious traditions of the world. He found that the stories we call myths were at one time, or is still, a part of all religions and represents attempts to answer pretty much the same fundamental questions. What makes these myths powerful is that they are so basic to all human questing. And if we look at the religions around the world we, too, will find a plethora, a wealth of deities, gods and goddesses and spirits who have been and still are part of serious religious expressions. It helps to remember that the only thing that separates a myth from a mainline religion today is time. These myths are humanity’s earliest attempts to explain how the world came into existence, why there are people and all other manner of life, why bad and sad and glad things happen, why people act the way they do. We are still trying to answer those questions, and while there are some pretty good answers these days, we know that not everyone accepts them. We are still having in this relatively well educated country and even with all our media and science–raging debates about whether evolution or the Genesis creation story got us all here today. We are living in a world that is still filled with mythological stories, with gods and goddesses, and we are still seeking those basic answers to the same basic questions. How did we get here? Why are we here? What are we supposed to do? Is this all there is? Myth is most often nowadays used to mean a story that is not true, but in the study of world religions the term means something else entirely. Myth means both old and part of serious religious beliefs or expression, however incorrect the details may seem to us. Myth is about the metaphors of the spiritual seeking of all peoples, including our own. Myths were first developed out of the simple stories that conveyed on the metaphorical level what people of a given time believed to be true. For instance, the ancient Greeks believed the gods lived at the heights of Mount Olympus, just as many people today believe God is in Heaven. As a people evolved, so did their stories, and out of the storytelling that is innate in human beings, stories grew abo... ...And on and on. There are as many creations and creators as there are have been peoples of the earth. Then the myths deal with the problems of good and evil. For the Judeo-Christian traditions there is the story of the Garden of Eden and the forbidden fruit of the tree of life, also the story of Noah. The last category is Heroes and Prophets, those humans the gods and goddesses use to do their work, to be their spokespersons, as it were, that is to say, there was a time when slavery was an accepted practice around the world with very few exceptions, and the myths supported these practices, even those of our Judeo-Christian traditions. But as people have continued to evolve as social beings, we have come to accept that there are better ways, and so religious traditions have changed along the way. As we still see, though, such change is not easy, and takes a long time. So many of the religious traditions and practices of today will one day fade into that mist of myth, but we will through the stories continue to be a world of many deities. We can only hope that the gods and goddesses and spirits of humanity will move us to do better and kinder things for each other and for the world.

American Capitalism Essay -- Economics Politics

American Capitalism Capitalism - "An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state." America was an ideal breeding ground for capitalism, a relatively new country, in need of young entrepreneurs to kick start it's already buoyant economy. The country was an ideal place to get rich quick, an idea that inspired the immigrants that poured into it each year. In America it seemed you could turn your rags to riches in no time at all. It's this idea that fueled the American Dream Capitalism was motivated in the 20s by the Republican government. They believed in non-interference or "laissez faire", the policy of letting businesses regulate themselves and to have any caps in how far or how much they go. The government thought that businessmen could work best in a climate made by themselves, not coordinated by the government. Americans believed in rugged individualism, the fact that anyone could make a fortune if they put in enough hard graft. Republicans helped American capitalism prospering by introducing tariff barriers, making it that all goods coming from abroad had to taxed heavily before entering the country, meaning that prices in the USA for those products raised so the foreign companies could still make a profit. When presented with two items of similar quality, one with ultra-inflated prices from England, and one with a cheap price from America, it's likely that a normal person would choose the cheap American home brand product. By doing this Republicans helped the idea of American capitalism to prosper. As well as being the ... ... towering monolith such as this falls, it's going to make a sizable dent. It triggered off the great depression, people lost all their money, all jobs were stopped, property was taken away and life became a nightmare to all involved. Of course, some people survived relatively unscathed, but, as normal, those people were the rich. The whole concept of an American dream could have worked if the country had taken their time, realised that there was no rush, if companies had expanded slowly and if people hadn't been so interested in the stock market. Of course all these problems came from the idea of an American dream and people, being only human, are selfish and want to have more money, and more money is what is offered in a system of capitalism. The American dream soon turned sour and turned into an American nightmare.

Nutrition- 3 Day Diet Analysis

Three Day Diet Analysis According to the food pyramid, my diet is horrible considering what I have consumed in these 3 days. It shows that I need to start eating more, and better quality foods. My sugar intake is too high and should be reconsidered. Possibly I could swap out processed sugars for natural sugars; such as in fruit. It is obvious from the records I have provided that I do not take in as much (if any) fruit that one should be consuming on a daily basis. Thus, not only am I depriving myself of vitamins, I am also depriving myself of the fiber needed in order for my digestive system and metabolism to work as necessary.I will have to incorporate more whole grains with fruit and vegetables to act as roughage, as going to the bathroom proves difficult for me- most likely this is why. I was astonished by how many carbohydrates I take in too. Eating a lot of carbs can add to the blockage/ movement in the bowels so I need to consider decreasing the TYPE of carbohydrates that I ea t, cutting out white and processed breads and grains, replacing them for whole grains and wheat products. The only milk I intake is with my coffee and tea.Although I have four hot beverages a day with around 2 tablespoons of dairy, I am aware that this is no-where near the recommended 2 cups a day. On a good note however, I do not drink many sugary drinks at all- if any. Coffee, tea and water are my staple liquids therefore the sugar that I eat equals out to the sugars that I don’t drink. Drinking 2-3 glasses of water per day are less than the 6-8 glasses recommended however I do make a conscious effort to drink more on the days that I work out. I do not take in enough calories, as I burn on average 800calories and eat on any given day from 1200-1800.The meat and beans intake was at 3. 5 oz which I do not eat meat much so this is not a surprise it’s suppose to be 6oz intake. With the Vegetables this is an easy one I love any kind of vegetable and was short these 3 days I had 1 cups intake when it says I should do 3 cups. Fruit intake was 0 cup when it says 2 cups recommended. Grains intake was 3. 5oz recommendation is 7oz. All in all I would say I need to work on something’s but I am proud to say I will be working on changing my lifestyle. I have made a conscious effort to start a meal plan in conjunction with a 60 day workout called insanity.I have done this before and the results have been outstanding. I was at the peak of physical condition as well as health. With eating correctly my mind was clear and vivid. My memory was better and I had no feelings of sluggishness or feisty behavior. Joining this meal plan will help me jump-start my metabolism by keeping me on a strict guideline on times to eat (since this seems to be a problem with me), portions- since I don’t eat enough and balanced diet as it has proven as of now I am eating more protien and carbohydrates than anything else.Some of the ways I can work on these things is mak e sure I eat more in all the areas of the pyramid, with the grains I will eat more pastas, whole grain breads, crackers and just anything that has grain in it. Also more vegetables, this is easy because I do love them but need to go shopping more. I definitely have to make a more conscious effort to eat more fruit as they seem to be the last thing I want to pick up for some reason. Oranges, Grapefruit, apples, kiwis etc is good for me and I plan to eat them more.Milk will be hard since I am not a huge fan. I have an issue with eating WHITE liquid ingredients I. e milk, sour cream, mayonnaise, alfredo sauce. This doesn’t bother me much as most white things seem to be pure fat, usually. Oils, I do consume a lot of natural oils such as in avocados, olive oil and some nuts. Another thing I need to eat more of and that I LOVE, are legumes. They provide nutrients, fiber and hunger control all while being delicious. I do take a superfood supplement called Spirulina.If there is a sin gle food in this world that I feel people should take every-day, it is this product. What is spiraling: Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is being developed as the â€Å"food of the future† because of its amazing ability to synthesize high-quality concentrated food more efficiently than any other algae. Most notably, Spirulina is 65 to 71 percent complete protein, with all essential amino acids in perfect balance. In comparison, beef is only 22 percent protein.Spirulina has a photosynthetic conversion rate of 8 to 10 percent, compared to only 3 percent in such land-growing plants as soybeans. Nutritional Properties of Spirulina: Contains high concentrations of 18 Vitamins and Minerals Rich in Chlorophyll Contains ALL essential amino acids 65% of Spirulina is Protein Rich in gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) – an anti-inflammatory Omega 6 Fatty Acid 100x the Vitamin A of Carrots 50x the Iron of Spinach 10x the Beta Carotene of Carrots 7x the Calcium of Milk 6x the Protein of Eggs x More Iron Than Beef Rich in Phytonutrients and antioxidants Over-all, I feel that this three day meal plan was extremely beneficial as it got me to become re-conscious of the food that I am putting in my body. For someone that is so conscious of exercise, I am surprised at the way I have let myself slip, food wise. I am taking step towards fixing this immediately and feel that I should continue doing a food log at least every three months, not only as a motivation technique but as a means of continuing a certain lifestyle.

My Thoughts About Worldviews

A worldview, in my opinion, is the way you look at the world and how you see God; a worldview is a set of beliefs that directs the way you act. To determine your worldview, you must ask yourself a few questions. Some of these questions include: Who is God? Where did I come from? Why do I exist? What is my purpose in life? Answers in Genesis defines a worldview as â€Å"the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. A worldview is a collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group. †[1] To make this definition easier to understand, I’ll use an analogy. A worldview is like a pair of glasses.If you get the right prescription, you’ll be able to see really clearly. If you get the wrong prescription, it could make your eyes worse and make everything blurry. Just like how the glasses make a big difference in your life, your worldview makes an even bigger difference. Your worldview influences the way you live and m ake choices. For example, the worldview can show how a teen could do their homework. If he was Christian and wanted to do everything for the glory of God, he would do his homework the best he could. If he was a Post-Modernist and wanted to please himself, he might not do his homework to do something â€Å"fun†.Having the right worldview is very important. The Christian worldview includes monotheism which is the belief in one God. Not only do Christians believe in a personal, knowable Creator but he believes in the Trinity. The Trinity is God being in three parts: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. To most people, this is very confusing because they don’t understand how God can be three in one. In this case, Christians go to heaven not because of their works but because of God’s grace. God displayed His grace when He died on the cross for us. Christians get most of their information from the Bible.This is the foundation for a Christian’s philosophy. Since Christians believe in God, their philosophy includes believing in the supernatural. As for the Christian view of metaphysics, one would go to John 1:1-4 for an answer: â€Å"All things were made by God. †[2] For their view of cosmology, they believe that there was no accident; God created the world with a purpose and it shows how great God is. Christian philosophers also believe the mind is a reflection of God, and that it is evidence of Him. Some great Christian philosophers are C. S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer.A Christian’s ethic is grounded in the character of God, which is known because of the Bible. This is the reason why ethics goes hand in hand with theology. Christians do not have rules that differ for each person, instead, they have moral absolutes. This is â€Å"the belief that an absolute ethical standard exists for all individuals regardless of era or culture. †[3] As followers of Christ, Christians have a huge responsibility: â€Å". . . lov e the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. [4] Jesus tells us to love our neighbor because loving your neighbor is like loving your Lord, and when we serve our neighbors, we’re serving Him. Biology, however, starts with the creation of the world in six literal days. The Bible states that â€Å". . . God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. †[5] If you kept reading, you would find that God created the world with order, design, and purpose. Michael Behe, the author of Darwin’s Black Box, came up with the phrase â€Å"irreducible complexity. † A bacteria flagellum is irreducibly complex.This means that if the flagellum lost one of its parts, the flagellum would not work. This denies evolution by saying that the flagellum could not have evolved because it needed every part to work. â€Å"Th e biblical worldview is about viewing everything-our friendships, careers, property, environment, interaction, ultimate responsibilities, even our homework-the way God views it and talks about it in Scripture. †[6] Muslims believe in monotheism, just like Christians, but they believe in a different god. They believe that Allah is god and that Muhammad is his messenger.They do not think Allah is a knowable god and they do not believe in the Trinity. They do not believe in heaven but they believe in a paradise and to go there you must do a certain amount of good deeds. Also, Muslims must complete some tasks, often called pillars. These pillars include: confession, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage, and in some cases, jihad. Like Christians, Muslims have a book of scripture, called the Qur’an, written by Muhammad. Islam philosophy also believes in the supernatural because of Allah. Muslim philosophers, and some Christian philosophers, use the Kalam Cosmological Argum ent for the existence of God.Although Muslims do believe in miracles, Muhammad never performed any. This created some doubts but they still had faith in Muhammad. Some great Islamic philosophers are Ahmad and Yusif Ali Hammuda Abdalat. Like Christians, Muslims believe in moral absolutes. However, these absolutes come from Muhammad and the Qur’an (or Hadith), rather than Allah, because Muslims believe that Allah cannot be known. To help Muslims follow moral obligations, they follow the Five Pillars. Unlike Christians, Muslims are motivated to do good because of their fear of judgement.Another similarity with Christians and Muslims is the belief that a god created the earth with order, design, and purpose. Sometimes, there can be contradictions. Some Muslims think the earth was created in six days and others think it was eight days. Also, some think the days were ages instead of 24 hours. There is one big difference between Christians and Muslims: the fall of man. Muslims belie ve that man sinned but they do not believe that man was cursed. Secular Humanists believe in atheism. This means they do not believe in a god. God is not the only thing the Secular Humanists do not believe.They do not believe in Satan, angels, or souls. They think instead of God creating us, we created Him just like we created Santa Claus. Although they do not believe in a god, they still tolerate religions. Unlike Muslims and Christians, they do not believe in an afterlife. Books that are very popular among Secular Humanists are the Human Manifestos I, II, and III. Secular Humanist philosophy does not believe in the supernatural. They only believe in things that are made out of matter; this is also called naturalism. Since Secular Humanists don’t believe in the supernatural, they deny all miracles.Another problem for not believing in supernatural things is the mind and body problem. This is a problem because they do not believe in supernatural. Secular Humanists believe the mind is a â€Å"manifestation of the brain. †[7]If you do not believe in the supernatural, you could not think because it is not made of matter. Some famous Secular philosophers are Corliss Lamont and Carl Sagan. The ethics of a Secular Humanist is that everyone has their own ethics. Unlike in Christianity or Islam, Humanists avoid absolutes. Everyone chooses what is right by what they think is right or whatever fits the situation. This is also called moral relativism.Secular Humanists use reason to determine what is right or wrong. As for Secular Humanists, they believe in Neo-Darwinism. This is â€Å"the theory that new species were made from natural selection acting over vast periods of time on chance genetic mutations in reproductively isolated populations. †[8] They also believe in spontaneous generation and the big bang theory. Both of these ideas talk about how everything was made randomly without a god. Secular Humanists have six â€Å"planks† they hold their biology on: spontaneous generation, natural selection, struggle for existence, beneficial mutations, adaptations, and the fossil record.Marxists and Leninists, like Secular Humanists, are called scientific atheists. Unlike the secular humanists, they do not tolerate religion, they hate it and want to get rid of it! Karl Marx said that we created religion in order to worship ourselves. He said this but he also believes that we are gods so we should take reality and use to our liking. Like Secular Humanists, Marxists-Leninists do not believe in an afterlife. They believe the book related to Marxism-Leninism is the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marxist-Leninist philosophy isn’t called naturalism or supernaturalism.It is called Dialectical Materialism. There is no god in this philosophy but they call many Christian attributes, dialectical matter. This means that something begins with a thesis. Eventually, an antithesis is made and then the thesis an d antithesis combine and make a synthesis. This process repeats many times. For a Marxist-Leninist, their epistemology has faith in science. Their view of metaphysics is that the earth is all that exists and the only thing that will exist. As for the mind/body problem, Marxists and Leninists think the mind is a reflection of matter and then it is translated into thought.Some famous Marxist-Leninist philosophers are Frederick Engels and Vladimir Lenin. Marxists-Leninists have a different kind of morality: proletariat morality. This is â€Å"the ethical belief that whatever advances the proletariat and the cause of communism is morally good and whatever hinders the proletariat or communism is morally evil. †[9] This is pretty much saying that people who are trying to get rid of the class system are good, and whoever is trying to interfere is evil. Marxists-Leninists also believe that morality is constantly changing. Lastly, Marxists-Leninists want a classless society, also call ed utilitarianism.They believe that if we have a classless society, we will all be considered moral. Like Secular Humanists, Marxists-Leninists believe in spontaneous generation but, contrary to Darwinism, they believe in punctuated evolution. This is â€Å"the theory of evolution that proposes that evolutionary changes occur over a relatively quick period of time, followed by periods of little to no evolutionary change. †[10] Cosmic Humanism is a little different than the worldviews we have talked about so far. Cosmic Humanists are not monotheists or atheists; they believe in pantheism.This means they believe everything is God (eg. nature and humans). Also, they do believe in an afterlife but they believe in reincarnation. Not only do you live after you are dead but you have had previous lives. For Cosmic Humanism, there is no book like other worldviews. In my opinion, I think they just look at movies. Cosmic Humanist philosophy is also different from previous philosophies. They believe everything is supernatural (non-naturalism). They also embrace Zen Buddhism. This is the belief that you can become enlightened through meditation and self-contemplation.A Cosmic Humanist’s ontology is, in a way, like a Marxist or a Secular Humanist. A Marxist/Secular Humanist believes everything is material and a Cosmic Humanist believes EVERYTHING is spiritual. As for their view of epistemology, they believe we need to get in touch with our higher self. Since we are all gods, Cosmic Humanists believe in truth relativity. This means, truth is whatever each person thinks it is. A couple of Cosmic Humanist philosophers are Joseph Campbell and Neale Donald Walsch. Out of all the ethical systems, the Cosmic Humanist’s is the easiest to understand.Since everyone is God, we all do good all the time. Everyone does what they feel is right so you can’t judge. This is another example of moral relativism. As for their system of justice, they believe in karma. They think that if you do good, good things will come but if you do bad, you will be punished for it. Cosmic Humanists believe in something very different. This is called cosmic evolution. Cosmic evolution is the idea that â€Å"all humanity is going toward a new age of higher consciousness. †[11] All Cosmic Humanists are trying to get into an age of higher consciousness and become gods.Also, they believe in the idea that all living things make up one, complex living organism ( The Gaia Hypothesis). Postmodernists are also atheists. Not only are they atheists but they believe in something called the â€Å"Death of God† theology. This is â€Å"a movement that was essentially promoting the idea that religion did not need to invoke ‘God’ in the area of theology. †[12] Something that is different from the other worldviews is that Postmodernists like to be ambiguous. They also believe there are no universal truths (relativism) so they, like Secular Huma nism, tolerate religion (pluralism).Finally, Postmodernists have a â€Å"trend† called emergent churches. It is a church that is incorporating Postmodernism into a Christian’s theology. Post-Modernists’ philosophy is called Anti-Realism. This means reality is anything a human can think up. Since a human can think up reality, a human can also have their own truth (subjective truth), and when they read something, it can mean whatever they want it to mean (deconstruction). Because a human can have their own truth and reality, there is no metaphysics, ontology, cosmology, or epistemology. Strangely, there are still influential philosophers.A couple of them are Jean-Francois Lyotard and Jacques Derrida. As for Postmodernists, they follow cultural relativism. Cultural relativism is â€Å"the belief that truth and morals are relative to one’s culture. †[13] Although they believe that Postmodernism is the best worldview, they still call it relative. Commun ity morals are determined by coercion and consensus. Like Marxists-Leninists, Postmodernists think morality evolves with society. Lastly, Post-Modernists affirms in punctuated evolution. They believe in evolution because they like the idea that man is insignificant and because they like the thought of chance.

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 14 Billibotton

DAHL-†¦ Oddly enough, the best-known aspect of this sector is Billibotton, a semi-legendary place about which innumerable tales have grown up. In fact, a whole branch of literature now exists in which heroes and adventurers (and victims) must dare the dangers of passing through Billibotton. So stylized have these stories become that the one well-known and, presumably, authentic tale involving such a passage, that of Hari Seldon and Dors Venabili, has come to seem fantastic simply by association†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica 66. When Hari Seldon and Dors Venabili were alone, Dors asked thoughtfully, â€Å"Are you really planning to see this ‘Mother' woman?† â€Å"I'm thinking about it, Dors.† â€Å"You're an odd one, Hari. You seem to go steadily from bad to worse. You went Upperside, which seemed harmless enough, for a rational purpose when you were in Streeling. Then, in Mycogen, you broke into the Elders' aerie, a much more dangerous task, for a much more foolish purpose. And now in Dahl, you want to go to this place, which that young man seems to think is simple suicide, for something altogether nonsensical.† â€Å"I'm curious about this reference to Earth-and must know if there's anything to it.† Dors said, â€Å"It's a legend and not even an interesting one. It is routine. The names differ from planet to planet, but the content is the same. There is always the tale of an original world and a golden age. There is a longing for a supposedly simple and virtuous past that is almost universal among the people of a complex and vicious society. In one way or another, this is true of all societies, since everyone imagines his or her own society to be too complex and vicious, however simple it may be. Mark that down for your psychohistory.† â€Å"Just the same,† said Seldon, â€Å"I have to consider the possibility that one world did once exist. Aurora†¦ Earth†¦ the name doesn't matter. In fact-â€Å" He paused and finally Dors said, â€Å"Well?† Seldon shook his head. â€Å"Do you remember the hand-on-thigh story you told me in Mycogen? It was right after I got the Book from Raindrop Forty-Three†¦ Well, it popped into my head one evening recently when we were talking to the Tisalvers. I said something that reminded me, for an instant-â€Å" â€Å"Reminded you of what?† â€Å"I don't remember. It came into my head and went out again, but somehow every time I think of the single-world notion, it seems to me I have the tips of my fingers on something and then lose it.† Dors looked at Seldon in surprise. â€Å"I don't see what it could be. The hand-on-thigh story has nothing to do with Earth or Aurora.† â€Å"I know, but this†¦ thing†¦ that hovers just past the edge of my mind seems to be connected with this single world anyway and I have the feeling that I must find out more about it at any cost. That†¦ and robots.† â€Å"Robots too? I thought the Elders' aerie put an end to that.† â€Å"Not at all. I've been thinking about them.† He stared at Dors with a troubled look on his face for a long moment, then said, â€Å"But I'm not sure.† â€Å"Sure about what, Hari?† But Seldon merely shook his head and said nothing more. Dors frowned, then said, â€Å"Hari, let me tell you one thing. In sober history-and, believe me, I know what I'm talking about there is no mention of one world of origin. It's a popular belief, I admit. I don't mean just among the unsophisticated followers of folklore, like the Mycogenians and the Dahlite heatsinkers, but there are biologists who insist that there must have been one world of origin for reasons that are well outside my area of expertise and there are the more mystical historians who tend to speculate about it. And among the leisure-class intellectuals, I understand such speculations are becoming fashionable. Still, scholarly history knows nothing about it.† Seldon said, â€Å"All the more reason, perhaps, to go beyond scholarly history. All I want is a device that will simplify psychohistory for me and I don't care what the device is, whether it is a mathematical trick or a historical trick or something totally imaginary. If the young man we've just talked to had had a little more formal training, I'd have set him on the problem. His thinking is marked by considerable ingenuity and originality-â€Å" Dors said, â€Å"And you're really going to help him, then?† â€Å"Absolutely. Just as soon as I'm in a position to.† â€Å"But ought you to make promises you're not sure you'll be able to keep?† â€Å"I want to keep it. If you're that stiff about impossible promises, consider that Hummin told Sunmaster Fourteen that I'd use psychohistory to get the Mycogenians their world back. There's just about zero chance of that. Even if I work out psychohistory, who knows if it can be used for so narrow and specialized a purpose? There's a real case of promising what one can't deliver.† But Dors said with some heat, â€Å"Chetter Hummin was trying to save our lives, to keep us out of the hands of Demerzel and the Emperor. Don't forget that. And I think he really would like to help the Mycogenians.† â€Å"And I really would like to help Yugo Amaryl and I am far more likely to be able to help him than I am the Mycogenians, so if you justify the second, please don't criticize the first. What's more, Dors†-and his eyes flashed angrily-â€Å"I really would like to find Mother Rittah and I'm prepared to go alone.† â€Å"Never!† snapped Dors. â€Å"If you go, I go.† 67. Mistress Tisalver returned with her daughter in tow an hour after Amaryl had left on this way to his shift. She said nothing at all to either Seldon or Dors, but gave a curt nod of her head when they greeted her and gazed sharply about the room as though to verify that the heatsinker had left no trace. She then sniffed the air sharply and looked at Seldon accusingly before marching through the common room into the family bedroom. Tisalver himself arrived home later and when Seldon and Dors came to the dinner table, Tisalver took advantage of the fact that his wife was still ordering some last-minute details in connection with the dinner to say in a low voice, â€Å"Has that person been here?† â€Å"And gone,† said Seldon solemnly. â€Å"Your wife was out at the time.† Tisalver nodded and said, â€Å"Will you have to do this again?† â€Å"I don't think so,† said Seldon. â€Å"Good.† Dinner passed largely in silence, but afterward, when the daughter had gone to her room for the dubious pleasures of computer practice, Seldon leaned back and said, â€Å"Tell me about Billibotton.† Tisalver looked astonished and his mouth moved without any sound issuing. Casilia, however, was less easily rendered speechless. She said, â€Å"Is that where your new friend lives? Are you going to return the visit?† â€Å"So far,† said Seldon quietly, â€Å"I have just asked about Billibotton.† Casilia said sharply, â€Å"It is a slum. The dregs live there. No one goes there, except the filth that make their homes there.† â€Å"I understand a Mother Rittah lives there.† â€Å"I never heard of her,† said Casilia, her mouth closing with a snap. It was quite clear that she had no intention of knowing anyone by name who lived in Billibotton. Tisalver, casting an uneasy look at his wife, said, â€Å"I've heard of her. She's a crazy old woman who is supposed to tell fortunes.† â€Å"And does she live in Billibotton?† â€Å"I don't know, Master Seldon. I've never seen her. She's mentioned sometimes in the news holocasts when she makes her predictions.† â€Å"Do they come true?† Tisalver snorted. â€Å"Do predictions ever come true? Hers don't even make sense.† â€Å"Does she ever talk about Earth?† â€Å"I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised.† â€Å"The mention of Earth doesn't puzzle you. Do you know about Earth?† Now Tisalver looked surprised. â€Å"Certainly, Master Seldon. It's the world all people came from†¦ supposedly.† â€Å"Supposedly? Don't you believe it?† â€Å"Me? I'm educated. But many ignorant people believe it.† â€Å"Are there book-films about Earth?† â€Å"Children's stories sometimes mention Earth. I remember, when I was a young boy, my favorite story began, ‘Once, long ago, on Earth, when Earth was the only planet-‘ Remember, Casilia? You liked it too.† Casilia shrugged, unwilling to bend as yet. â€Å"I'd like to see it sometime,† said Seldon, â€Å"but I mean real book-films†¦ uh†¦ learned ones†¦ or films†¦ or printouts.† â€Å"I never heard of any, but the library-â€Å" â€Å"I'll try that.-Are there any taboos about speaking of Earth?† â€Å"What are taboos?† â€Å"I mean, is it a strong custom that people mustn't talk of Earth or that outsiders mustn't ask about it?† Tisalver looked so honestly astonished that there seemed no point in waiting for an answer. Dors put in, â€Å"Is there some rule about outsiders not going to Billibotton?† Now Tisalver turned earnest. â€Å"No rule, but it's not a good idea for anyone to go there. I wouldn't.† Dors said, â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"It's dangerous. Violent! Everyone is armed.-I mean, Dahl is an armed place anyway, but in Billibotton they use the weapons. Stay in this neighborhood. It's safe.† â€Å"So far,† said Casilia darkly. â€Å"It would be better if we left altogether. Heatsinkers go anywhere these days.† And there was another lowering look in Seldon's direction. Seldon said, â€Å"What do you mean that Dahl is an armed place? There are strong Imperial regulations against weapons.† â€Å"I know that,† said Tisalver, â€Å"and there are no stun guns here or percussives or Psychic Probes or anything like that. But there are knives.† He looked embarrassed. Dors said, â€Å"Do you carry a knife, Tisalver?† â€Å"Me?† He looked genuinely horrified. â€Å"I am a man of peace and this is a safe neighborhood.† â€Å"We have a couple of them in the house,† said Casilia, sniffing again. â€Å"We're not that certain this is a safe neighborhood.† â€Å"Does everyone carry knives?† asked Dors. â€Å"Almost everyone, Mistress Venabili,† said Tisalver. â€Å"It's customary. But that doesn't mean everyone uses them.† â€Å"But they use them in Billibotton, I suppose,† said Dors. â€Å"Sometimes. When they're excited, they have fights.† â€Å"And the government permits it? The Imperial government, I mean?† â€Å"Sometimes they try to clean Billibotton up, but knives are too easy to hide and the custom is too strong. Besides, it's almost always Dahlites that get killed and I don't think the Imperial government gets too upset over that.† â€Å"What if it's an outsider who gets killed?† â€Å"If it's reported, the Imperials could get excited. But what happens is that no one has seen anything and no one knows anything. The Imperials sometimes round up people on general principles, but they can never prove anything. I suppose they decide it's the outsiders' fault for being there.-So don't go to Billibotton, even if you have a knife.† Seldon shook his head rather pettishly. â€Å"I wouldn't carry a knife. I don't know how to use one. Not skillfully.† â€Å"Then it's simple, Master Seldon. Stay out.† Tisalver shook his head portentously. â€Å"Just stay out.† â€Å"I may not be able to do that either,† said Seldon. Dors glared at him, clearly annoyed, and said to Tisalver, â€Å"Where does one buy a knife? Or may we have one of yours?† Casilia said quickly, â€Å"No one takes someone else's knife. You must buy your own.† Tisalver said, â€Å"There are knife stores all over. There aren't supposed to be. Theoretically they're illegal, you know. Any appliance store sells them, however. If you see a washing machine on display, that's a sure sign.† â€Å"And how does one get to Billibotton?† asked Seldon. â€Å"By Expressway.† Tisalver looked dubious as he looked at Dors's frowning expression. Seldon said, â€Å"And once I reach the Expressway?† â€Å"Get on the eastbound side and watch for the signs. But if you must go, Master Seldon†-Tisalver hesitated, then said-â€Å"you mustn't take Mistress Venabili. Women sometimes are treated†¦ worse.† â€Å"She won't go,† said Seldon. â€Å"I'm afraid she will,† said Dors with quiet determination. 68. The appliance store dealer's mustache was clearly as lush as it had been in his younger days, but it was grizzled now, even though the hair on his head was still black. He touched the mustache out of sheer habit as he gazed at Dors and brushed it back on each side. He said, â€Å"You're not a Dahlite.† â€Å"Yes, but I still want a knife.† He said, â€Å"It's against the law to sell knives.† Dors said, â€Å"I'm not a policewoman or a government agent of any sort. I'm going to Billibotton.† He stared at her thoughtfully. â€Å"Alone?† â€Å"With my friend.† She jerked her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of Seldon, who was waiting outside sullenly. â€Å"You're buying it for him?† He stared at Seldon and it didn't take him long to decide. â€Å"He's an outsider too. Let him come in and buy it for himself.† â€Å"He's not a government agent either. And I'm buying it for myself.† The dealer shook his head. â€Å"Outsiders are crazy. But if you want to spend some credits, I'll take them from you.† He reached under the counter, brought out a stub, turned it with a slight and expert motion, and the knife blade emerged. â€Å"Is that the largest you have?† â€Å"Best woman's knife made.† â€Å"Show me a man's knife.† â€Å"You don't want one that's too heavy. Do you know how to use one of these things?† â€Å"I'll learn and I'm not worried about heavy. Show me a man's knife.† The dealer smiled. â€Å"Well, if you want to see one-â€Å" He moved farther down the counter and brought up a much fatter stub. He gave it a twist and what appeared to be a butcher's knife emerged. He handed it to her, handle first, still smiling. She said, â€Å"Show me that twist of yours.† He showed her on a second knife, slowly twisting one way to make the blade appear, then the other way to make it disappear. â€Å"Twist and squeeze,† he said. â€Å"Do it again, sir.† The dealer obliged. Dors said, â€Å"All right, close it and toss me the haft.† He did, in a slow upward loop. She caught it, handed it back, and said, â€Å"Faster.† He raised his eyebrows and then, without warning, backhanded it to her left side. She made no attempt to bring over her right hand, but caught it with her left and the blade showed tumescently at once-then disappeared. The dealer's mouth fell open. â€Å"And this is the largest you have?† she said. â€Å"It is. If you try to use it, it will just tire you out.† â€Å"I'll breathe deeply. I'll take a second one too.† â€Å"For your friend?† â€Å"No. For me.† â€Å"You plan on using two knives?† â€Å"I've got two hands.† The dealer sighed. â€Å"Mistress, please stay out of Billibotton. You don't know what they do to women there.† â€Å"I can guess. How do I put these knives on my belt?† â€Å"Not the one you've got on, Mistress. That's not a knife belt. I can sell you one, though.† â€Å"Will it hold two knives?† â€Å"I might have a double belt somewhere. Not much call for them.† â€Å"I'm calling for them.† â€Å"I may not have it in your size.† â€Å"Then we'll cut it down or something.† â€Å"It will cost you a lot of credits.† â€Å"My credit tile will cover it.† When she emerged at last, Seldon said sourly, â€Å"You look ridiculous with that bulky belt.† â€Å"Really, Hari? Too ridiculous to go with you to Billibotton? Then let's both go back to the apartment.† â€Å"No. I'll go on by myself. I'll be safer by myself.† Dors said, â€Å"There is no use saying that, Hari. We both go back or we both go forward. Under no circumstances do we separate.† And somehow the firm look in her blue eyes, the set to her lips, and the manner in which her hands had dropped to the hafts at her belt, convinced Seldon she was serious. â€Å"Very well,† he said, â€Å"but if you survive and if I ever see Hummin again, my price for continuing to work on psychohistory-much as I have grown fond of you-will be your removal. Do you understand?† And suddenly Dors smiled. â€Å"Forget it. Don't practice your chivalry on me. Nothing will remove me. Do you understand?† 69. They got off the Expressway where the sign, flickering in the air, said: BILLIBOTTON. As perhaps an indication of what might be expected, the second ‘I' was smeared, a mere blob of fainter light. They made their way out of the car and down to the walkway below. It was early afternoon and at first glance, Billibotton seemed much like the part of Dahl they had left. The air, however, had a pungent aroma and the walkway was littered with trash. One could tell that auto-sweeps were not to be found in the neighborhood. And, although the walkway looked ordinary enough, the atmosphere was uncomfortable and as tense as a too-tightly coiled spring. Perhaps it was the people. There seemed the normal number of pedestrians, but they were not like pedestrians elsewhere, Seldon thought. Ordinarily, in the press of business, pedestrians were self-absorbed and in the endless crowds on the endless thoroughfares of Trantor, people could only survive-psychologically-by ignoring each other. Eyes slid away. Brains were closed off. There was an artificial privacy with each person enclosed in a velvet fog of his or her own making. Or there was the ritualistic friendliness of an evening promenade in those neighborhoods that indulged in such things. But here in Billibotton, there was neither friendliness nor neutral withdrawal. At least not where outsiders were concerned. Every person who passed, moving in either direction, turned to stare at Se ldon and Dors. Every pair of eyes, as though attached by invisible cords to the two outsiders, followed them with ill will. The clothing of the Billibottoners tended to be smudged, old, and sometimes corn. There was a patina of ill-washed poverty over them and Seldon felt uneasy at the slickness of his own new clothes. He said, â€Å"Where in Billibotton does Mother Rittah live, do you suppose?† â€Å"I don't know,† said Dors. â€Å"You brought us here, so you do the supposing. I intend to confine myself to the task of protection and I think I'm going to find it necessary to do just that.† Seldon said, â€Å"I assumed it would only be necessary to ask the way of any passerby, but somehow I'm not encouraged to do so.† â€Å"I don't blame you. I don't think you'll find anyone springing to your assistance.† â€Å"On the other hand, there are such things as youngsters.† He indicated one with a brief gesture of one hand. A boy who looked to be about twelve-in any case young enough to lack the universal adult male mustache had come to a full halt and was staring at them. Dors said, â€Å"You're guessing that a boy that age has not yet developed the full Billibottonian dislike of outsiders.† â€Å"At any rate,† said Seldon, â€Å"I'm guessing he is scarcely large enough to have developed the full Billibottonian penchant for violence. I suppose he might run away and shout insults from a distance if we approach him, but I doubt he'll attack us.† Seldon raised his voice. â€Å"Young man.† The boy took a step backward and continued to stare. Seldon said, â€Å"Come here,† and beckoned. The boy said, â€Å"Wa' for, guy?† â€Å"So I can ask you directions. Come closer, so I don't have to shout.† The boy approached two steps closer. His face was smudged, but his eyes were bright and sharp. His sandals were of different make and there was a large patch on one leg of his trousers. He said, â€Å"Wa' kind o' directions?† â€Å"We're trying to find Mother Rittah.† The boy's eyes flickered. â€Å"Wa' for, guy?† â€Å"I'm a scholar. Do you know what a scholar is?† â€Å"Ya went to school?† â€Å"Yes. Didn't you?† The boy spat to one side in contempt. â€Å"Nah.† â€Å"I want advice from Mother Rittah-if you'll take me to her.† â€Å"Ya want your fortune? Ya come to Billibotton, guy, with your fancy clothes, so I can tell ya your fortune. All bad.† â€Å"What's your name, young man?† â€Å"What's it to ya?† â€Å"So we can speak in a more friendly fashion. And so you can take me to Mother Rittah's place. Do you know where she lives?† â€Å"Maybe yes, maybe no. My name's Raych. What's in it for me if I take ya?† â€Å"What would you like, Raych?† The boy's eyes halted at Dors's belt. Raych said, â€Å"The lady got a couple o' knives. Gimme one and I'll take ya to Mother Rittah.† â€Å"Those are grown people's knives, Raych. You're too young.† â€Å"Then I guess I'm too young to know where Mother Rittah lives.† And he looked up slyly through the shaggy halt that curtained his eyes. Seldon grew uneasy. It was possible they might attract a crowd. Several men had stopped already, but had then moved on when nothing of interest seemed to be taking place. If, however, the boy grew angry and lashed out at them in word or deed, people would undoubtedly gather. He smiled and said, â€Å"Can you read, Raych?† Raych spat again. â€Å"Nah! Who wants to read?† â€Å"Can you use a computer?† â€Å"A talking computer? Sure. Anyone can.† â€Å"I'll tell you what, then. You take me to the nearest computer store and I'll buy you a little computer all your own and software that will teach you to read. A few weeks and you'll be able to read.† It seemed to Seldon that the boy's eyes sparkled at the thought, but-if so-they hardened at once. â€Å"Nah, Knife or nothin'.† â€Å"That's the point, Raych. You learn to read and don't tell anyone and you can surprise people. After a while you can bet them you can read. Bet them five credits. You can win a few extra credits that way and you can buy a knife of your own.† The boy hesitated. â€Å"Nah! No one will bet me. No one got credits.† â€Å"If you can read, you can get a job in a knife store and you can save your wages and get a knife at a discount. How about that?† â€Å"When ya gonna buy the talking computer?† â€Å"Right now. I'll give it to you when I see Mother Rittah.† â€Å"You got credits?† â€Å"I have a credit tile.† â€Å"Let's see ya buy the computer.† The transaction was carried through, but when the boy reached for it, Seldon shook his head and put it inside his pouch. â€Å"You've got to get me to Mother Rittah first, Raych. Are you sure you know where to find her?† Raych allowed a look of contempt to cross his face. â€Å"Sure I do. I'll take ya there, only ya better hand over the computer when we get there or I'll get some guys I know after you and the lady, so ya better watch out.† â€Å"You don't have to threaten us,† said Seldon. â€Å"We'll take care of our end of the deal.† Raych led them quickly along the walkway, past curious stares. Seldon was silent during the walk and so was Dors. Dors was far less lost in her own thoughts, though, for she clearly remained conscious of the surrounding people at all times. She kept meeting, with a level glare, the eyes of those passersby that turned toward them. On occasion, when there were footsteps behind them, she turned to look grimly back. And then Raych stopped and said, â€Å"In here. She ain't homeless, ya know.† They followed him into an apartment complex and Seldon, who had had the intention of following their route with a view to retracing his steps later, was quickly lost. He said, â€Å"How do you know your way through these alleys, Raych?† The boy shrugged. â€Å"I been loafin' through them since I was a kid,† he said. â€Å"Besides, the apartments are numbered-where they ain't broken off-and there's arrows and things. You can't get lost if you know the tricks.† Raych knew the tricks, apparently, and they wandered deeper into the complex. Hanging over it all was an air of total decay: disregarded debris, inhabitants slinking past in clear resentment of the outsiders' invasion. Unruly youngsters ran along the alleys in pursuit of some game or other. Some of them yelled, â€Å"Hey, get out o' the way!† when their levitating ball narrowly missed Dors. And finally, Raych stopped before a dark scarred door on which the number 2782 glowed feebly. â€Å"This is it,† he said and held out his hand. â€Å"First let's see who's inside,† said Seldon softly. He pushed the signal button and nothing happened. â€Å"It don't work,† said Raych. â€Å"Ya gotta bang. Loud. She don't hear too good.† Seldon pounded his fist on the door and was rewarded with the sound of movement inside. A shrill voice called out, â€Å"Who wants Mother Rittah?† Seldon shouted, â€Å"Two scholars!† He tossed the small computer, with its small package of software attached, to Raych, who snatched it, grinned, and took off at a rapid run. Seldon then turned to face the opening door and Mother Rittah. 70. Mother Rittah was well into her seventies, perhaps, but had the kind of face that, at first sight, seemed to belie that. Plump cheeks, a little mouth, a small round chin slightly doubled. She was very short-not quite 1.5 meters tall-and had a thick body. But there were fine wrinkles about her eyes and when she smiled, as she smiled at the sight of them, others broke out over her face. And she moved with difficulty. â€Å"Come in, come in,† she said in a soft high-pitched voice and peered at them as though her eyesight was beginning to fail. â€Å"Outsiders†¦ Outworlders even. Am I right? You don't seem to have the Trantor smell about you.† Seldon wished she hadn't mentioned smell. The apartment, overcrowded and littered with small possessions that seemed dim and dusty, reeked with food odors that were on the edge of rancidity. The air was so thick and clinging that he was sure his clothes would smell strongly of it when they left. He said, â€Å"You are right, Mother Rittah. I am Hari Seldon of Helicon. My friend is Dors Venabili of Cinna.† â€Å"So,† she said, looking about for an unoccupied spot on the floor where she could invite them to sit, but finding none suitable. Dors said, â€Å"We are willing to stand, Mother.† â€Å"What?† she looked up at Dors. â€Å"You must speak briskly, my child. My hearing is not what it was when I was your age.† â€Å"Why don't you get a hearing device?† said Seldon, raising his voice. â€Å"It wouldn't help, Master Seldon. Something seems to be wrong with the nerve and I have no money for nerve rebuilding.-You have come to learn the future from old Mother Rittah?† â€Å"Not quite,† said Seldon. â€Å"I have come to learn the past.† â€Å"Excellent. It is such a strain to decide what people want to hear.† â€Å"It must be quite an art,† said Dors, smiling. â€Å"It seems easy, but one has to he properly convincing. I earn my fees.† â€Å"If you have a credit outlet,† said Seldon. â€Å"We will pay any reasonable fees if you tell us about Earth-without cleverly designing what you tell us to suit what we want to hear. We wish to hear the truth.† The old woman, who had been shuffling about the room, making adjustments here and there, as though to make it all prettier and more suitable for important visitors, stopped short. â€Å"What do you want to know about Earth?† â€Å"What is it, to begin with?† The old woman turned and seemed to gaze off into space. When she spoke, her voice was low and steady. â€Å"It is a world, a very old planet. It is forgotten and lost.† Dors said, â€Å"It is not part of history. We know that much.† â€Å"It comes before history, child,† said Mother Rittah solemnly. â€Å"It existed in the dawn of the Galaxy and before the dawn. It was the only world with humanity.† She nodded firmly. Seldon said, â€Å"Was another name for Earth†¦ Aurora?† And now Mother Rittah's face misted into a frown. â€Å"Where did you hear that?† â€Å"In my wanderings. I have heard of an old forgotten world named Aurora on which humanity lived in primordial peace.† â€Å"It's a lie.† She wiped her mouth as though to get the taste of what she had just heard out of it. â€Å"That name you mention must never be mentioned except as the place of Evil. It was the beginning of Evil. Earth was alone till Evil came, along with its sister worlds. Evil nearly destroyed Earth, but Earth rallied and destroyed Evil-with the help of heroes.† â€Å"Earth was before this Evil. Are you sure of that?† â€Å"Long before. Earth was alone in the Galaxy for thousands of years-millions of years.† â€Å"Millions of years? Humanity existed on it for millions of years with no other people on any other world?† â€Å"That's true. That's true. That's true.† â€Å"But how do you know all this? Is it all in a computer program? Or a printout? Do you have anything I can read?† Mother Rittah shook her head. â€Å"I heard the old stories from my mother, who heard it from hers, and so on far back. I have no children, so I tell the stories to others, but it may come to an end. This is a time of disbelief.† Dors said, â€Å"Not really, Mother. There are people who speculate about prehistoric times and who study some of the tales of lost worlds.† Mother Rittah made a motion of her arm as though to wipe it away. â€Å"They look at it with cold eyes. Scholarly. They try to fit it in with their notions. I could tell you stories for a year of the great hero Ba-Lee, but you would have no time to listen and I have lost the strength to tell.† Seldon said, â€Å"Have you ever heard of robots?† The old woman shuddered and her voice was almost a scream. â€Å"Why do you ask such things? Those were artificial human beings, evil in themselves and the work of the Evil worlds. They were destroyed and should never be mentioned.† â€Å"There was one special robot, wasn't there, that the Evil worlds hated?† Mother Rittah tottered toward Seldon and peered into his eyes. He could feel her hot breath on his face. â€Å"Have you come to mock me? You know of these things and yet you ask? Why do you ask?† â€Å"Because I wish to know.† â€Å"There was an artificial human being who helped Earth. He was Da-Nee, friend of Ba-Lee. He never died and lives somewhere, waiting for his time to return. None knows when that time will be, but someday he will come and restore the great old days and remove all cruelty, injustice, and misery. That is the promise.† At this, she closed her eyes and smiled, as if remembering†¦ Seldon waited a while in silence, then sighed and said, â€Å"Thank you, Mother Rittah. You have been very helpful. What is your fee?† â€Å"So pleasant to meet Outworlders,† the old woman replied. â€Å"Ten credits. May I offer you some refreshment?† â€Å"No, thank you,† said Seldon earnestly. â€Å"Please take twenty. You need only tell us how to get back to the Expressway from here.-And, Mother Rittah, if you can arrange to have some of your tales of Earth put into a computer disc, I will pay you well.† â€Å"I would need so much strength. How well?† â€Å"It would depend on how long the story is and how well it is told. I might pay a thousand credits.† Mother Rittah licked her lips. â€Å"A thousand credits? But how will I find you when the story is told?† â€Å"I will give you the computer code number at which I can be reached.† After Seldon gave Mother Rittah the code number, he and Dors left, thankful for the comparatively clean odor of the alley outside. They walked briskly in the direction indicated by the old woman. Dors said, â€Å"That wasn't a very long interview, Hari.† â€Å"I know. The surroundings were terribly unpleasant and I felt I had learned enough. Amazing how these folktales tend to magnify.† â€Å"What do you mean, ‘magnify'?† â€Å"Well, the Mycogenians fill their Aurora with human beings who lived for centuries and the Dahlites fill their Earth with a humanity that lived for millions of years. And both talk of a robot that lives forever. Still, it makes one think.† â€Å"As far as millions of years go, there's room for- Where are we going?† â€Å"Mother Rittah said we go in this direction till we reach a rest area, then follow the sign for CENTRAL WALKWAY, bearing left, and keep on following the sign. Did we pass a rest area on the way in?† â€Å"We may be leaving by a route different from the one we came in. I don't remember a rest area, but I wasn't watching the route. I was keeping my eye on the people we passed and-â€Å" Her voice died away. Up ahead the alley swelled outward on both sides. Seldon remembered. They had passed that way. There had been a couple of ratty couch pads resting on the walkway floor on either side. There was, however, no need for Dors to watch passersby going out as she had coming in. There were no passersby. But up ahead in the rest area they spotted a group of men, rather large-sized for Dahlites, mustaches bristling, bare upper arms muscular and glistening under the yellowish indoor light of the walkway. Clearly, they were waiting for the Outworlders and, almost automatically, Seldon and Dors came to a halt. For a moment or two, the tableau held. Then Seldon looked behind him hastily. Two or three additional men had stepped into view. Seldon said between his teeth, â€Å"We're trapped. I should not have let you come, Dors.† â€Å"On the contrary. This is why I'm here, but was it worth your seeing Mother Rittah?† â€Å"If we get out of this, it was.† Seldon then said in a loud and firm voice, â€Å"May we pass?† One of the men ahead stepped forward. He was fully Seldon's height of 1.73 meters, but broader in the shoulders and much more muscular. A bit flabby at the waist, though, Seldon noted. â€Å"I'm Marron,† he said with self-satisfied significance, as though the name ought to have meaning, â€Å"and I'm here to tell you we don't like Outworlders in our district. You want to come in, all right-but if you want to leave, you'll have to pay.† â€Å"Very well. How much?† â€Å"All you've got. You rich Outworlders have credit tiles, right? Just hand them over.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"No point saying no. We'll just take them.† â€Å"You can't take them without killing me or hurting me and they won't work without my voiceprint. My normal voiceprint.† â€Å"That's not so, Master-see, I'm being polite-we can take them away from you without hurting you very much.† â€Å"How many of you big strong men will it take? Nine? No.† Seldon counted rapidly. â€Å"Ten.† â€Å"Just one. Me.† â€Å"With no help?† â€Å"Just me.† â€Å"If the rest of you will clear away and give us room, I would like to see you try it, Marron.† â€Å"You don't have a knife, Master. You want one?† â€Å"No, use yours to make the fight even. I'll fight without one.† Marron looked about at the others and said, â€Å"Hey, this puny guy is a sport. He don't even sound scared. That's sort of nice. It would be a shame to hurt him. I tell you what, Master. I'll take the girl. If you want me to stop, hand over your credit tile and her tile and use your right voices to activate them. If you say no, then after I'm through with the girl†¦ and that'll take some time†-he laughed-â€Å"I'll just have to hurt you.† â€Å"No,† said Seldon. â€Å"Let the woman go. I've challenged you to a fight-one to one, you with a knife, me without. If you want bigger odds, I'll fight two of you, but let the woman go.† â€Å"Stop, Hari!† cried out Dors. â€Å"If he wants me, let him come and get me. You stay right where you are, Hari, and don't move.† â€Å"You hear that?† said Marron, grinning broadly. † ‘You stay right where you are, Hari, and don't move.' I think the little lady wants me. You two, keep him still.† Each of Seldon's arms were caught in an iron grip and he felt the sharp point of a knife in his back. â€Å"Don't move,† said a harsh whisper in his ear, â€Å"and you can watch. The lady will probably like it. Marron's pretty good at this.† Dors called out again. â€Å"Don't move, Hari!† She turned to face Marron watchfully, her half-closed hands poised near her belt. He closed in on her purposefully and she waited till he had come within arm's length, when suddenly her own arms flashed and Marron found himself facing two large knives. For a moment, he leaned backward and then he laughed. â€Å"The little lady has two knives-knives like the big boys have. And I've only got one. But that's fair enough.† His knife was swiftly out. â€Å"I hate to have to cut you, little lady, because it will be more fun for both of us if I don't. Maybe I can just knock them out of your hands, huh?† Dors said, â€Å"I don't want to kill you. I'll do all I can to avoid doing so. Just the same, I call on all to witness, that if I do kill you, it is to protect my friend, as I am honor-bound to do.† Marron pretended to be terrified. â€Å"Oh, please don't kill me, little lady.† Then he burst into laughter and was joined by the other Dahlites present. Marron lunged with his knife, quite wide of the mark. He tried it again, then a third time, but Dors never budged. She made no attempt to fend off any motion that was not truly aimed at her. Marron's expression darkened. He was trying to make her respond with panic, but he was only making himself seem ineffectual. The next lunge was directly at her and Dors's left-hand blade moved flashingly and caught his with a force that pushed his arm aside. Her right-hand blade flashed inward and made a diagonal slit in his T-shirt. A thin bloody line smeared the dark-haired skin beneath. Marron looked down at himself in shock as the onlookers gasped in surprise. Seldon felt the grip on him weaken slightly as the two who held him were distracted by a duel not going quite as they had expected. He tensed himself. Now Marron lunged again and this time his left hand shot outward to enclose Dors's right wrist. Again Dors's left-hand blade caught his knife and held it motionless, while her right hand twisted agilely and drew downward, even as Marron's left hand closed upon it. It closed on nothing but the blade and when he opened his hand there was a bloody line down the palm. Dors sprang back and Marron, aware of the blood on his chest and hand, roared out chokingly, â€Å"Someone toss me another knife!† There was hesitation and then one of the onlookers tossed his own knife underhanded. Marron reached for it, but Dors was quicker. Her right-hand blade struck the thrown knife and sent it flying backward, whirling as it went. Seldon felt the grips on his arms weaken further. He lifted them suddenly, pushing up and forward, and was free. His two captors turned toward him with a sudden shout, but he quickly kneed one in the groin and elbowed the other in the solar plexus and both went down. He knelt to draw the knives of each and rose as double-armed as Dors. Unlike Dors, Seldon did not know how to handle the blades, but he knew the Dahlites would scarcely be aware of that. Dors said, â€Å"Just keep them off, Hari. Don't attack yet.-Marron, my next stroke will not be a scratch.† Marron, totally enraged, roared incoherently and charged blindly, attempting by sheer kinetic energy to overwhelm his opponent. Dors, dipping and sidestepping, ducked under his right arm, kicked her foot against his right ankle, and down he crashed, his knife flying. She then knelt, placed one blade against the back of his neck and the other against his throat, and said, â€Å"Yield!† With another yell, Marron struck out against her with one arm, pushed her to one side, then scrambled to his feet. He had not yet stood up completely when she was upon him, one knife slashing downward and hacking away a section of his mustache. This time he yowled like a large animal in agony, clapping his hand to his face. When he drew it away, it was dripping blood. Dors shouted, â€Å"It won't grow again, Marron. Some of the lip went with it. Attack once more and you're dead meat.† She waited, but Marron had had enough. He stumbled away, moaning, leaving a trail of blood. Dors turned toward the others. The two that Seldon had knocked down were still lying there, unarmed and not anxious to get up. She bent down, cut their belts with one of her knives and then slit their trousers. â€Å"This way, you'll have to hold your pants up when you walk,† she said. She stared at the seven men still on their feet, who were watching her with awestruck fascination. â€Å"And which of you threw the knife?† There was silence. She said, â€Å"It doesn't matter to me. Come one at a time or all together, but each time I slash, someone dies.† And with one accord, the seven turned and scurried away. Dors lifted her eyebrows and said to Seldon, â€Å"This time, at least, Hummin can't complain that I failed to protect you.† Seldon said, â€Å"I still can't believe what I saw. I didn't know you could do anything like that-or talk like that either.† Dors merely smiled. â€Å"You have your talents too. We make a good pair. Here, retract your knife blades and put them into your pouch. I think the news will spread with enormous speed and we can get out of Billibotton without fear of being stopped.† She was quite right.