Spyware and Implementing Network Security to Prevent it Essay

Spyware and Implementing Network Security to Prevent it - Essay Example Spyware may collect different types of information. Some variants attempt to track the websites a user visits and then send this information to an advertising agency. More malicious variants attempt to intercept passwords or credit card numbers as a user enters them into a web form or other application. The scourge of spyware is going to be here for quite a while, simply because the attacker make so much money from it. An attacker can make a dollar or more per month per infected system by using spyware to inject pop-up ads, Spam and other annoyances. Therefore, attackers have a vested interest to constantly adapt their software and make it ever more stealthy and sticky. Additionally, the stakes are even higher if the attacker can steal credit card or bank account information. What weve seen in the past three years is the growth of a spyware industry that spins off millions of dollars. That money is often folded back into research and development for more malicious attacks. This R&D funding makes their software even more powerful and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. As spyware continues to threaten the stability of corporate infrastructures, its crucial to understand how this malicious software works and how to defend against it. This assignment is a compilation of resources that explain what spyware is, how it attacks and most importantly what you can to do to win the war on spyware. Spyware is any technology that aids in gathering information about a person or organization without their knowledge. On the Internet where it is sometimes called a spybot or tracking software, spyware is programming that is put in someones computer to secretly gather information about the user and relay it to advertisers or other interested parties. Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program. Some common examples of spyware are CoolWebSearch (CWS), Gator

Cost of Goods Checkpoint Essay Example for Free

Cost of Goods Checkpoint Essay A multi-step income statement for a trading business highlights the fact that between 40% and 60% of revenue from sales is accounted for as the cost of goods sold. The cost of goods attributed to a company’s products is expensed as the company sells these goods. There are several ways to calculate COGS but one of the more basic ways is to start with the beginning inventory for the period and add the total amount of purchases made during the period then deducting the ending inventory. (According to Kimmel, Weygandt, and Kieso), cost of goods sold is found by taking the cost of goods available for sale (beginning merchandise inventory + net purchase), less the ending merchandise inventory (p. 244). In a wholesale or retail trading business, merchandise held for resale in the normal course of business is the largest asset owned by the organization. For this reason it is vital that accurate up-to-date records be maintained when goods are acquired and inventories taken. Finished goods and or merchandise makes up cost of goods sold. There are two classifications of inventory: merchandiser or manufacturer. In a merchandiser company inventory consists of many items all different. Whereas, a manufacturer, some inventory may not be ready (Kimmel, Weygandt, Kieso, p. 282). Examples of items that make up cost of goods include; produce, clothing, electronics, items that can be resold from manufacture to a company to the customer. This means when the business acquires a finished product, the cost of the product goes into an inventory asset account. The customer will then purchase the product, finished good, the business transfers the cost of the product from the inventory asset account to the cost of goods sold expense account because the product is no longer in the business’s inventory (Kimmel, Weygandt, Kieso, p. 282). References Kimmel, P. D. , Weygandt, J. J. , Kieso, D. E. (2011). Financial accounting: Tools for business decision making (6th ed. ). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database

A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters, and Favorite Father Brown St

Think nothing exciting ever happens in the life of a clergyman? These two thrilling books, A Morbid Taste for Bones, by Ellis Peters, and Favorite Father Brown Stories, by G.K. Chesterton, may make you reassess that presupposition. Favorite Father Brown Stories concerns an English priest named Brown who lives in 19th century England, and takes on various odd cases that come his way in everyday life. Alternately, A Morbid Taste for Bones concerns an older monk named Brother Cadfael who lives in the middle ages, and is caught in the middle of the murder of a farmer in a small village. Desperately, he tries to figure out who murdered the man, to appease the farmer’s livid daughter Sioned. Since both Brown and Cadfael are of the priesthood, it is fascinating comparing the two characters and seeing how they are similar, and how they are different. Particularly, they contrast in terms of the time and setting they live in, and also in their methods of solving cases, but they are simi lar in how they both share the same view that man is a depraved being, capable of both great virtue and terrible evil. One thing that separates the two characters of Father Brown and Brother Cadfael is the world that the two men live in, which is separated by several centuries of time and a seemingly different reality. For instance, Brown lives in the very down to earth, highly materialistic world of 1800’s England. In all of his stories, there seem to be very little, if any, reference to the supernatural. Actually, in one Brown story, â€Å"The Salad of Colonel Cray†, when a colonel suspects that he was placed under a curse by the head of a cult because of odd occurrences such as being slightly touched and having blood run down his neck violently, Brown ends... ...dfael lives in the mysterious times of the Middle Ages in Europe. Also, there is the fact that Brown is more of an introverted thinker, who keeps to himself until he has finally solved the mysterious cases surrounding him. Meanwhile, Brother Cadfael verbally processes and goes through his cases with those he can trust. But the thing that connects the two members of priesthood together is the fact that they both share a common view of man: that he is capable of good, but just as capable, and prone, to injustice, and iniquity. But these two sleuthing priests try to ensure that no injustice goes unnoticed when they are around, and that is what makes these books a joy to read. Works Cited Chesterton, G.K. Favorite Father Brown Stories. New York; Dover Publications, Inc. Print. 1993. Peters, Ellis. A Morbid Taste for Bones. New York; The Mysterious Press. Print. 1977

History of Alicia Bohol Philippines Essay

Those men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons of history. Aldous Huxley In the early part of the 19th century the town of Alicia, formerly known as Batuanan, was one of the three (3) biggest and oldest towns of Bohol along with Catigbian and Balilihan. It was a thriving trading center shortly after the Dagohoy Rebellion (1744 – 1829). The town of Batuanan, however, was formally established in June 1860 by virtue of a decree signed by the Spanish Governor General Livarez. There are two versions as to how the place came to be called Batuanan. One version stated that the place was a â€Å" Batuganan† meaning perch or lookout of the warriors of Dagohoy guarding against invading Spanish and pirates. From then on, the place was called Batuanan derived the word â€Å" Batuganan†. The second version is that Batuan trees bearing tomato-shaped fruits were abundant in the locality. This prompted the Spanish soldiers who were then conducting mopping-out operations against Dagohoy’s men to call the place Batuanan. Close to the end of Spanish regime in the country, two (2) high ranking officers were ambushed in the outskirts of the town. This incident prompted the Spanish officers to burn the whole Poblacion in retaliation. Again, in the early American regime, an American soldier was killed in another ambuscade, which brought about another scourge upon the town. This time the American soldiers burned all the structures to the ground, thus, resulting to the transfer of the seat of government to barrio Libas which is now the Poblacion of the Municipality of Mabini. This continued until 1903 when the Philippines Commission passed Commonwealth Act. No. 968 formally creating the Municipality of Mabini, wherein Batuanan became only a barrio thereof. However, after the span of few years, the people of Batuanan started agitating for the restoration of its status into a municipality. Towards  that end, they succeeded in having elected two (2) Mayors, namely: Dulcisimo Ayuban and Cipriano G. Aton. Also elected were two (2) Vice-Mayors, namely: Buenaventura Asas and Segunda Duetes and several councilors, among them were Victor Doydora, Dionisio Muring, Anastacio Curit, Pedro Huiso and Gaudencio Gumop-as. These officials paved the way for a concerted effort to secede from the town of mabini. It was not until 1949 when the real break came. Pedro Huiso and Cipriano Aton, together with some prominent leaders of Batuanan, through the help Governor Jacinto Borja sought an audience with President Elpidio Quirino, then seeking reelection, lobbying to create Batuanan into a municipality with a pledge that the people thereat will deliver a solid vote for the liberal Party candidates in the 1949 national elections. Thus, President Elpidio Quirino, during his stopover in Dumaguete from Tagbilaran, Bohol on September 16, 1949 issued Executive Order No. 265 creating Batuanan into an independent municipality to be known as Alicia, in honor of his wife, Doà ±a Alicia Syquia Quirino. On January 18, 1950 the municipality of Alicia, Bohol was formally inaugurated with its first appointed officials, namely: Mayor Pedro Huiso, Vice – Mayor Anastacio Curit, and Councilors Perpetua Talili, Gaudencio Gumop-as, Eladio Iyoy, Buenaventura Asas, Benito Licayan and Arsenio Ayuban. From then on, the town elected 9 mayors who succeded Pedro Huiso (1950-55), namely: Exequiel Madrià ±an Sr., Leoncio Garcia (1956- 59), Jesus Madrià ±an (1960-80), Dominador Molina (1980 – 1987), Exequiel Madrià ±an Jr.( 1988 – 1995), Basilio H. Balahay Jr. (1995 – 2001), Bienvenido C. Molina Jr., MD ( 2001 – 2007), Pedro B. Miasco ( 2007 – 2010), Marnilou S. Ayuban (2010 – present).

iTunes and the Future of Music Essay

Through its iTunes, iPod, and proprietary music software, Apple dominates the legal music download industry. But with the iPod contributing half of all the firm’s revenues, Apple faces intensifying competition posed by imitators such as the joint venture between Microsoft and MTV, and Samsung’s Helix. In addition to the competitive pressures, iPod also faces legal challenges. In France for example, legal enactments that compel firms with proprietary music management software to open their code to others are about to be passed. Such a law will also standardize formats across the industry so that songs from one vendor could be played on a digital player from any other system. Apple has also had to stare down the four largest record labels as far as pricing is concerned. While the four largest record labels preferred variable pricing in order to maximize earnings, Apple successfully argued for the flat 99 cents price which is more competitive (Boone and Kurtz, 2008, ch. 4). The success of Apple illustrates how commitment to the marketing orientation philosophy is useful in ensuring organizational success. Unlike the major record labels which insisted on selling music packaged in CDs, Apple realized that music consumers’ tastes and preferences had shifted in favour of the more convenient digital format, and developed a product around such needs. Through the strategy of product development as identified by the Ansoff Matrix, we see Apple adding on to its product line music videos, popular TV shows, and short movies (Mercer, 1996). Apart from the product, Apple also got other elements of its marketing mix right. In particular, its adoption of the flat $0. 99 price rather than the variable pricing pushed by major record labels ensures that the product remains competitive. Its ability to bundle together its three products – the iPod, iTunes and proprietary music software – is also a smart marketing gimmick that has enabled it to lock in customers (Boone and Kurtz, 2008, ch. 4). Apple derives its sustainable competitive advantage from its proprietary music software as well as its unique player iPod. By enacting laws that allow Apple’s rivals access to its code, and by standardizing formats across the industry so that songs from other vendors could play from the iPod and vice versa, the new regulations will in essence be eroding the source of the competitive advantage enjoyed by Apple in the digital music industry. For that reason, should the French legislation succeed, it would be better for Apple to pull iTunes out of the French market (Boone and Kurtz, 2008, ch. 4).

9 tips for handling difficult customers

9 tips for handling difficult customers Every business, in every sector, in every industry, is filled with difficult clients or customers who make doing your job 10 times harder than it has to be. After a long day of work, it can be enough to make you rage out†¦ or crumple into a ball and weep. When you feel like you’re going to lose it, try these 9 helpful strategies instead. 1. Show how well you can listen.You know they’re totally in the wrong, but they don’t understand that yet. They’ve got the situation or the facts all incorrect and you just can’t bear to hear them rehash details that don’t make sense. All they hear from your impatience is that they’re not being heard. Try just letting them get it all out. Listen patiently to what they have to say. Let them vent. It will help you set them straight if you understand their position better first and if they feel like you’ve been paying attention.2. Show empathy.Forget for a second that this person is rude, mean , and wrong. Whatever their problem, they really want you to understand and help them. Repeat back what you hear as the major issue. Express your genuine regret that they’re having a rough time, and show an honest willingness to help. Even if you have to fake it, use eye contact, body language, and verbal cues to show you care and are engaged. Don’t talk over your customer- this just feels like a power play. Let them finish first.3. Talk slower and sweeter.Just because your customer raises his or her voice doesn’t mean you have to respond in kind. Lower your voice and slow your speech down. The calming effect can be immense. You can still be firm- the last thing you want to do is show your fear. But try to inspire the client to relax just with the way you’re speaking.4. Look for nuance.Is their ire coming at you from a place of anger, anxiety, annoyance, or frustration? Getting a more specific sense of where their wrath originates can help you figure out how to tackle neutralizing it. Look at the situation from their point of view and try to figure out what may have triggered their (over)reaction. See if there’s anything you can accept blame for or fix easily, and start with that.5. Imagine you have an audience.If you’re having a hard time keeping your cool, just imagine you’re not alone. Rather, pretend you’re in a room full of clients or customers. Imagine this audience of people is judging your company on your merits as a problem solver. Keep the tone confident and cool. Playing this trick on yourself is a great way to stay professional and courteous, even when you want to scream.6. Find your foothold.Is there anything, in your customer’s tirade that makes a little bit of sense? Look for something you can work with- break down the rant into manageable, actionable chunks and talk your customer through those. Finding even one thing you can solve immediately, however small, can really diffuse a sit uation and make a customer feel heard and respected.7. Pretend to be wrong.If you flip the tables and start agreeing with everything your customer says to the point of taking all the blame upon your shoulders (where it doesn’t belong), you might just find the customer will soften and start saying things like, â€Å"Well, I understand it’s not your fault.† It’s a bit of a hit-or-miss strategy, but can be super effective in certain situations.8. Give them a parting gift.Your biggest goal as a liaison for your company is to repair the relationship. See if you can give your customer a voucher or a bonus discount of some kind- anything to make them feel they’ve â€Å"won.†9. Don’t take it personally.At the end of the day, some customers can’t be reason with and some people are irrationally angry. It’s not about you. It’s probably not even about the company. Let it wash right off your back. Don’t take it home.

scarlet letter- scaffold scene essays

scarlet letter- scaffold scene essays The Scaffold Scenes as a Structural Device In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter the author uses three scaffold scenes to mark the development of Hester Prynne as well as unite the plot, themes, and symbols of the novel in a perfect balance. The basic structure for the novel is also provided by the scaffold scenes because everything else revolves around what happens during these scenes. The first time we meet all the principal characters of the novel is in the first scaffold scene which is at the beginning of the story. The second of three crucial scaffold scenes appears exactly in the middle of the novel. Again, Hawthorne gathers all of his major characters in one place in this second scaffold scene. Hawthorne brings all the principal characters together one more time in the third and final scaffold scene to end the dramatic story in a very dramatic way as this scene begins with the triumph of Dimmesdales sermon and ends with his death. The first scaffold scene focuses on Hester and the scarlet letter. Hester stands alone with Pearl in her arms, a mere infant and sign of her sin. Meanwhile, a crowd of townspeople has gathered to watch her humiliation and to hear a sermon. Two important people in the crowd are Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale. Chillingworth, Hesters husband just returned from his long journey to America and her lover, Dimmesdale, shares her platform as a sinner but not her public humiliation. Dimmesdale is present throughout the whole scene but is very hesitant to admit that he is the secret lover, although Mr. Wilson is pestering him to find out from Hester who the culprit is. He doesnt admit because he is afraid if he does confess it will ruin his reputation as a person and as a minister. Chillingworth demands Hester to give him the name of her partner in sin but she will not do so. In this scene, we have Hesters public repentance, Dimmes ...

Leaf-Footed Bugs of Family Coreidae

Leaf-Footed Bugs of Family Coreidae Leaf-footed bugs (Family Coreidae) will grab your attention when several of these large insects gather on a tree or garden plant. Many members of this family have noticeable leaf-like extensions on their hind tibia, and this is the reason for their common name. Members of the family Coreidae tend to be fairly large in size, with the largest reaching almost 4 cm in length. North American species usually range from 2-3 cm. The leaf-footed bug has a tiny head relative to its body, with a four-segmented beak and four-segmented antennae. The pronotum is both wider and longer than the head. A leaf-footed bugs body is typically elongate and often dark in color, although tropical species can be quite colorful. The coreids forewings have many parallel veins, which you should be able to see if you look closely. The most commonly encountered North American leaf-footed bugs are probably those of the genus Leptoglossus. Eleven Leptoglossus species inhabit the U.S. and Canada, including the western conifer seed bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis) and the eastern leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus). Our largest coreid is the giant mesquite bug, Thasus acutangulus, and at up to 4 cm long, it lives up to its name. Classification Kingdom – AnimaliaPhylum – ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – HemipteraFamily - Coreidae Leaf-Footed Bugs Diet As a group, the leaf-footed bugs mostly feed on plants, often eating the seeds or fruit of the host. Some, like the squash bug, can do considerable damage to crops.   A few leaf-footed bugs may be predaceous. Leaf-Footed Bugs Life Cycle Like all true bugs, leaf-footed bugs undergo simple metamorphosis with three life stages: egg, nymph, and adult. The female usually deposits her eggs on the underside of foliage of the host plant. Flightless nymphs hatch and molt through several instars until reaching adulthood. Some leaf-footed bugs overwinter as adults. Certain coreids, most notably the golden egg bug (Phyllomorpha laciniata), demonstrate a form of parental care for their young. Instead of depositing eggs on a host plant, where the young could easily fall victim to predators or parasites, the female deposits her eggs on other adult leaf-footed bugs of her species. This may lessen mortality rates for her offspring. Special Behaviors and Defenses In some species, the male leaf-footed bugs establish and defend their territories from intrusion by other males. These coreids often have enlarged femora on the hind legs, sometimes with sharp spines, which they use as weapons in battles with other males. Leaf-footed bugs have scent glands on the thorax and will emit a strong odor when threatened or handled. Range and Distribution Over 1,800 species of leaf-footed bugs live throughout the world. Only about 80 species inhabit North America, mainly in the south. Sources Borror DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson.Encyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd edition, edited by John L. Capinera.Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, by Eric R. Eaton and Kenn  KaufmanFamily Coreidae – Leaf-Footed Bugs, Bugguide.net. Accessed online January 13, 2012.

Paper phil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Paper phil - Essay Example Hinduism also means the emergence of Vedas, in which the Upanishads were composed between the 7th and 3rd century and also it became a part of the Vedas. Buddhism was emerged as a part of Shramana movements, around the 5th century. â€Å"Hinduism has the belief of monotheistic (one God) as well as polytheistic (many Gods) elements: the one Supreme Being (Brahman) also exists simultaneously in the deities of the Creator (Brahma), the Reality or Sustainer (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva)† (Hinduism par.6). According to the Buddhism philosophy, there is no god which does not believe in the concept of god. â€Å"In fact, often those who scorn others, claiming some unconvincing excuse, are unable to look the target of their ridicule directly in the eye, perhaps because they see their ownselves there† (Ikeda & Nanda p.9). The reincarnation and ultimate salvation was taught by Buddhism and rejected Vedas of Hinduism. An important principle of Hinduism is the Law of Karma. It is the law of cause and effect in which each and every action should have a reaction, which will happen in the first life time or the next birth. Buddhism criticizes the religious value of sacrifice and giving importance to particular deities. Also they are denying Upanishads of Hinduism, where Upanishads contain the concept of one’s true self (atman) with the divine ground claimed that Individual’s existence does not have the quality of an imperishable, blissful self or atman. There are two great epics in Hinduism; they are Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata which was composed in 6th and 7th century. Buddhism has the doctrines which were written in Pali –a canon text. Yoga is one of the important disciplines of Hinduism. Through Yoga, one can get a controlled body and mind. In Buddhism they have the concept for salvation which is depended on oneself and not to others. Traditional worship of God in Hinduism is known as pooja. There will be a pooja room in every Hindu’s house. â€Å"Hinduism is

Team as an Ideal Design of Job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team as an Ideal Design of Job - Essay Example The paper will try examining issues that revolve around the work of the team and their significance in working with the managers. It is possible for managers to create a work unit by just bringing together many individuals with different skills. Before a manager designs a task that they need to be handled, it is always clear that they have a picture of the nature of the outcome they desire. They also have idea on which kind of input is required and what would be the process needed to realize the objective. It is through this understanding that the manger may decide to have a group of individuals to execute the work. This kind of approach has been associated with an authoritarian guidance by some manager. Workers who are involved in a process like this are always denied their autonomy and have very low worker interdependence. The study shows that the productivity of a work force is usually increased when workers have a high sense of interdependence as opposed to when workers are just pulled together to execute certain tasks. It is therefore right to say that team task design is a good design that managers can use to push for results to be gotten but only if the worker interdependence is enhanced. It should not be assumed that team interdependent is the sole mechanism that can be used by mangers to help in utilizing the team and produce successfully. There are some other ways through which teams can be used to realize the objective of an organization. A team as a unit requires some level of self direction and self management to realize certain objective. When teams have control of themselves, then they tend to engage in participatory approach of work, which also relieves the top management from micromanaging the teams and ever getting concerned with small matters that can be addressed at lower levels. It is imperative that mangers delegate duties to the juniors so that they may get

Medical Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Medical Anthropology - Essay Example Given these two definitions, it leads us to the assumption that some illnesses may be caused by certain diseases but these diseases are not necessarily a result of being feeling ill. An understanding of these two basic concepts is important especially when medical specialists are to diagnose patients who are from a culture that is different from their own. Social scientist have always lobbied to acknowledge the socio-historical upbringing if we are to understand a phenomenon, and the medical field should not be excluded from that. In fact, many literature like Joralemon’s â€Å"Exploring Medical Anthropology†, argues for the equal recognition of the societal context when giving diagnosis. This is because the socio-cultural aspect of a person will greatly affect his or her perception of himself in relation to the kind of illness the person is experiencing. Medical professionals may even be surprised at how much relevance these â€Å"inner thoughts† bear to help th em discover the true cause of certain diseases. Closely related to the terms disease and illness is also another controversial and contested subject in the medical science arena – the notion of â€Å"self†. ... This became the trend after the emergence of a long-standing hard and fast boundary between hard science and soft science, between real and folk medicine and both social science and natural science isolated each other when in fact, it should complement each other and should work hand in hand. The emergence of a new branch of anthropology eventually proved the abovementioned notion fallacious and insufficient; a serious claim against something that has prevailed during the majority of the scientific revolution. Medical anthropology provided a platform to bridge the gap between the social and natural sciences. After all, what the natural sciences discover or learn; it will in due course apply to social beings. Hence, it is irrelevant to create a strict dichotomy between social and natural sciences especially when we are in the pursuit of understanding cultural-specific diseases and illnesses and arriving at long-term solutions to address it. And Joralemon’s book provided an exte nsive discussion on the importance of incorporating the abovementioned socio-environmental aspect in the medical realm. The introduction of culture as an important facet in the business of health simultaneously (and perhaps unintentionally) evolved with the notion of â€Å"self†. In anthropological terms, there have been many definitions of the â€Å"self† and these include the following: (1) the self as the individual body, understood in the sense of the lived experience of the body self – hence, referring to the physical aspect. (2) The second definition of self ascertains the representational use of the body as a natural symbol with which to think about nature, society, and culture (Mary

Knowledge Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Knowledge Management - Essay Example It was way back in 1986, that there have been a number of theories that have been developed to manage the intellectual capital in the 21st century (Carlie, 1998). There has been immense and rapid growth in terms of knowledge management and this has been even higher since 1996. Knowledge management is a growing and established discipline and is being followed in many large organisations. Knowledge Management is slowly becoming a major and a very crucial issue in companies. It is essential to understand that knowledge is a major economic challenge for companies in the future (Hewitt, 2000). For every innovative and successful organisation, there is a high need for creating, capitalising and sharing the Knowledge capital. It is essential to understand that Knowledge management is a programme which is more of a long term effort, and includes a strong need for strategic commitment and involves and includes a number of analysis of the knowledge and know how in the company. It also involves the integration of a number of tools as well. Knowledge has been noted to bring about the possibility for mangers and businesses to make decision to create higher success and competitive advantage (Hewitt, 2000). Knowledge plays and essential part in every business and creates a potential in managers to use the corporate knowledge that they have to improve and optimize their resources not only in terms of financial but also the in terms of human resources as well. Researchers have noticed over the years that almost 75 – 80 percent of all large companies have a strong inclination and formal KM programs. KM is slowly becoming a major and crucial issue in companies. It is safe to say that knowledge has already grown largely and it has become one of the most essential aspects of any business. It has become a major driver and money is now slowly phasing out of the scene and as the old saying of ‘Knowledge is king’, is now being put to use in almost

Marketing Communication Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Communication Strategy - Case Study Example The essay will analyze and evaluate the buying behavior and perceptions of each segment. Communication objectives and strategies will also be included. A marketing communication plan will follow till the conclusion. 3TM is a simple structure that is low in specialization and formalization but high in centralization. Such organizations have few rules and the authority rests with the owner who in this case is the company's President/Executive Director; Shawn A. Wray. Such organizations are flat with two or three vertical levels and a loose body of empowered employees in whom decision making is centralized. Social factors: These include changes in demography and consumer's buying patterns. 3TM has to deal with people's changing attitudes towards charity and the company needs charity since it is the fuel to its engine. Also the public's perceptions of the different projects the company takes up is important since people support have different opinions to different projects and purposes to collect charity. Technological factors: All organizations have to keep up to date with the constant changes in technology. New developments in technology must be adopted for better management but they are expensive and funds are a problem for charity organizations. Internal marketing is a process within the organization that aims to empower and motivate employees at all levels in order to increase consumer satisfaction. The key concepts of internal marketing include alignment of the company's purpose in a way that it integrates with employee behavior in order to motivate employees to work for the betterment of the company. It is a problem but a necessity. Internal marketing is an essential communication tool since it helps to wipe out any resistance to change in the organization. It aims to involve employees at all levels in new initiatives and strategies. This motivates and empowers the employees and they feel like an important and valued part of the organization which further motivates them to work for the organization. This also eliminates high turnover and absenteeism since employees like to work for the organization. Internal marketing is a necessity since organizations are changing and growing continuously, renaming and re-branding is common, relationship marketing is the emerging field in marketing and it can be done with the help of employees only, Contract employment is more common then full-time employment so a brand vision and value is important for success, internal marketin

Knowledge Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Knowledge Management - Essay Example It was way back in 1986, that there have been a number of theories that have been developed to manage the intellectual capital in the 21st century (Carlie, 1998). There has been immense and rapid growth in terms of knowledge management and this has been even higher since 1996. Knowledge management is a growing and established discipline and is being followed in many large organisations. Knowledge Management is slowly becoming a major and a very crucial issue in companies. It is essential to understand that knowledge is a major economic challenge for companies in the future (Hewitt, 2000). For every innovative and successful organisation, there is a high need for creating, capitalising and sharing the Knowledge capital. It is essential to understand that Knowledge management is a programme which is more of a long term effort, and includes a strong need for strategic commitment and involves and includes a number of analysis of the knowledge and know how in the company. It also involves the integration of a number of tools as well. Knowledge has been noted to bring about the possibility for mangers and businesses to make decision to create higher success and competitive advantage (Hewitt, 2000). Knowledge plays and essential part in every business and creates a potential in managers to use the corporate knowledge that they have to improve and optimize their resources not only in terms of financial but also the in terms of human resources as well. Researchers have noticed over the years that almost 75 – 80 percent of all large companies have a strong inclination and formal KM programs. KM is slowly becoming a major and crucial issue in companies. It is safe to say that knowledge has already grown largely and it has become one of the most essential aspects of any business. It has become a major driver and money is now slowly phasing out of the scene and as the old saying of ‘Knowledge is king’, is now being put to use in almost

Does Music Influence Sexuality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Does Music Influence Sexuality - Research Paper Example This paper will explore the question as to whether music, or indeed any other media art form, has the power to influence sexuality and bring about sexual expression in its audiences. Discussion Music, like any other art form, is eminently able to evoke emotions in us. That is why you find people moved to tears by violin concertos or entranced by the lifting spirit of trumpets and cymbals in a March composition. Music is a language by itself, but while it has the ability to thrill you or move you emotionally, I have hardly ever heard it being able to stir sexuality in the human mind or body. We may refer to a particular music video as sexy or provocative, but hardly rate its music as so. Take any video by Shakira, or Madonna, or Britney Spears for example. While people talk about it in hushed tones, and berate its sexually explicit content, few would say that the music itself was sexy. The oohs, aahs and other gushes of excitement are linked to our memories of what was transpiring in the videos of the particular song at that moment. It is the video that is sexy, not the music. The notion that sex sells has been used to sell everything from cigarettes to cars, so why leave out music. And right from the time that Queen created ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, the very first English music video, music videos became a more and more important art form. There was even a time when the music didn’t really matter, the videos did. You could have the crappiest music and lyrics, but if you had a good video, with handsome boys and sexy girls doing their thing without a second thought, you had the makings of a hit on MTV. Take Lady Gaga and her ‘Bad Romance’ video. I don’t think I could come up with a worse video if I searched for years. Yet she is a top selling artist, even more famous than Avril Lavigne or Taylor Swift, whose songs and music definitely have more merit. Let us now consider the argument often put forward by parents and politicians that sex and violence has been the mainstay of music videos for some time now. Most likely this started with videos by Madonna, or Prince, or Shakira, in which sexual content and contentions are the order of the day. Look, sex sells and while such videos have often been used by upcoming artists to increase their publicity and shock value, the effect is fleeting. That is because airplay is limited, and competition is fierce in the music industry. Right from the time Madonna burst on the music scene with Like a Virgin, she has been ‘using sexual innuendo to shock audiences’ (Streitmatter, 34). It is like monkey see, monkey do. If we take the lyrics of Shaggy’s ‘It Wasn’t Me’ or Pink’s ‘Fucking Perfect’ or Akon’s ‘She’s Getting Naked’, most of the 40 plus crowd will be shocked to hear the lyrics, much less see the songs on MTV. Yet most of us hardly react with a shrug. It’s all make-believe, w e say, and our kids should know that. But do they really? Let’s say some Lothario or super vixen wants to act this out in real life. Does it catch on, and how bad would it be? I would say the effect would be limited. No one wants to make a fool of themselves or be taken advantage of, no matter what they are doing in the music videos. I for one believe that music does not influence sexuality and sexual expression. There are many positive things that music can do to you. It can lift up your spirits, help you

The Chemistry of Hair Coloring Essay Example for Free

The Chemistry of Hair Coloring Essay The first thing that comes to mind when people see hair color is â€Å"beauty. † But, what most do not realize is that chemistry plays a major role in many everyday products. What makes the colors so pretty and attractive? How can hair color effect synthetic hair? The question I want to answer is â€Å"what are the effects of hair color on synthetic hair? † I chose this topic because I wanted to learn how to color hair and apply it to chemistry. Hair coloring is a form of organic and inorganic chemistry. Organic chemistry involves carbon, whereas inorganic chemistry does not. Hair color is (or can be) a permanent chemical that is used to put a specific color in hair for vanity, or any other cause. There are various types of hair color such as: permanent, semi- permanent, rinses, and bleaches. Schuller is also known as the founder of L’Oreal, the world’s leading country in cosmetics and beauty. But, even before then, people have been coloring their hair for centuries. Many things that were used as medium were plants and minerals that have contained henna (temporary), and black walnut shells. Also, many of these techniques are used in modern-day salons. Such techniques include adding foil in the hair for a better outcome. My hypothesis is that if I apply hair color to two kinds of synthetic hair (Milky Way: Shake n’ Go, Sample A and Express Lock Sleek, Sample B), then there will be a better outcome on Sample B. I believe that my hypothesis is correct because Sample A is a less expensive brand. The brand matters because the more expensive the hair, the better the quality. So, what is synthetic hair? Synthetic hair is material that appears to be hair, but is actually made of non-human fibers such as Kanekalon, which is man-made hair, and Mono-fiber. Synthetic hair is commonly called â€Å"weave. † The fibers are flammable and can spark a fire in no less than ten seconds if exposed to an open flame. Before I started my experiment, I gathered my materials. The materials needed for this experiment were: I used two types of hair color, Bigen (Blue Black) and Bigen(Light Chestnut) (box containing: the dye powder), gloves, mixing bowl, water, basting brush, and a comb. I used two types of synthetic hair, Milky Way Shake n’ Go (Sample A) and Milky Way SAGA (Sample B). But, since I am not coloring an actual person’s hair I don’t need shampoo, conditioner, tipping cap, or a comb. When I started the experiment, first, I pulled back my hair and took off any loose accessories. Next, I put on gloves and a smock to protect my skin from chemicals. After I was covered completely, I started the experiment. First, I poured the dye powder into a plate since I did not have a mixing bowl. Next, I got a half of a cup of water and mixed it with the powder. After the solution was evenly mixed, I let it sit for about one minute. I cut the samples in half to have data on my board. When the samples were cut in half, I took the basting brush and covered the samples with color. When the color was on the hair, I had to let them sit for thirty minutes. When the thirty minutes passed, I rinsed the hair twice each and set them in sandwich bags labeled: A and B. When the experiment was over, I cleaned all of the tools I used and my area off. When going back over what I did in my experiments I recorded my observations. In the experiment, when I was mixing the hair color, as I mixed the solution got thicker and thicker. The hair that I used was very thin and soft. What are the effects of hair color on synthetic hair? My hypothesis was that if I apply hair color to two kinds of synthetic hair, then there will be a better outcome on Sample B. I thought that my hypothesis was right because Sample A is a less expensive type of hair. My hypothesis was rejected because although Sample A was less expensive, it was thicker and could take in more color that Sample B. My results did not support my hypothesis. In the experiment, I learned that coloring hair is strongly related to chemistry. It is related to chemistry because it requires mixing chemicals and creating new solutions.

The Issues At Daimler Benz Ag Management Essay

The Issues At Daimler Benz Ag Management Essay Daimler AG is one of the worlds automotive companies. It distributes into Mercedes Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services. The Daimler Group is one of the biggest producer of premium cars and the worlds biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. (Daimler, 2011) Daimlers corporate goal is to achieve stainable profitable growth and to increase the value of the company. Daimler aims to be the worlds leading automotive companies, intend to inspire customer with the brands, products and services and strive to occupy the leading for sustainable drive systems. (Daimler, 2011) Figure 1 is shown the Daimler Target System. 1.2 History Daimler AG has 125 years history. Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz were the pioneers of the automobile manufacture in the 19th century. After the First World War, there was a world economic crisis. The war caused a great depression for the world economy. It was a great challenge for Daimler-Benz. In 1937, Daimler-Benz AG started to produce armament items and aircraft engines. It was necessary to do reconstruction after the war damage in 1945. In 1949 to 1960, Daimler-Benz AG succeeded in regaining the position in the automobile industry. In 1960s and 1970s, Daimler-Benz defended an outstanding position in international motor vehicle markets. In the end of 1970s, Daimler-Benz assessed cautiously with the oil crisis and new Asian competitors. Since 1995, new strategic realignment concentrated on transport and services. The global economic crisis affected Daimler-Benz deeply in the end of 2008. (Daimler, 2011) 2. Issue Identified The issue is the merger between Daimler-Benz AG and the American automobile manufacturer Chrysler Corporation, but the near decade merger was finished by DaimlerChrysler AG sold 80.1% stake in 2007. 2.1 The Reason of choosing this issue Since Daimler and Chrysler located in different countries that are Germany and United States respectively. Both of them have their own culture. It is cross-culture. Through the merger between Daimler and Chrysler, I find out that the culture is one of the factor should be considered when two companies come from different countries. 2.2 Brief description of the issue In 1998, there was merger between Daimler-Benz AG of Germany and Chrysler Corporation of the United States (BBC News, 1998). On 6 May 1998, the merger agreement between Daimler-Benz AG and Chrysler Corporation was signed in London. On 7 May, they announced the merger to the worldwide and the new company called DaimlerChrysler AG. (Sheltom, Hall and Darling, 2003) DaimlerChrysler became the worlds fifth largest car make after merger. Mr Schrempp described the merger as a marriage made in heaven. Also, the new combined management had promised that there will be no plant-closures or lay-offs after merger. (BBC News, 1998) In 2002, DaimlerChrysler implemented a restructuring program that aims to bring it struggling Chrysler division back into the black by 2003. (BBC News, 2002) In 2006, DaimlerChrysler ordered to pay former Daimler-Benz shareholders about 232m euros to settle a dispute over its 1998 creation. This was not the first time that DaimlerChrysler had been sued over its establishment. (BBC News, 2006) Also, in 2006, the company brought unwelcome information to investors by revealing that Chrysler was losing money. This year, Chrysler set to clock up $1bn losses (BBC News, 2006) In 2007, there was deeply concerned about its poor performance, and the shareholders were pressuring the company to sell it. (BBC News, 2007a) In 2007, the German-US firm paid 5.5bn euros to buy 80.1%, much less than the $36bn paid for Chryslers 1998 merger with Daimler-Benz. (BBC News, 2007b) In 1998, Daimler Chairman Juergen Schrempp promised a merger of equals. But it wasnt long before Chrysler executives complained the bullheaded Germans would not listen to the Americans. The relationship began to fall quickly. Schrempp said that if he had been honest with the Americans about German dominance before the merger, they never would have made a deal. (abc News, 2010) Culture differences were blamed for the failure of DaimlerChrysler. This is like citing irreconcilable differences. DaimlerChryslers incapability to combine the company cultures was one of the reasons of failure. (Mann, 2007) 3. Analysis of situation 3.1 The Reason of using this model I will use Hofstedes culture different model to analyze this issue. It is because Hofstedes culture different model can have a comparison between these two countries. Also, Hofstede collected over 116,000 people in 50 countrys research (Deresky, 2003) about organizational behavior. This data makes the model more believable. Also, Hofstede used constructed scaled indices to rank each of the nation within the dimension based on cultural differences (Signorini, Wiesemes and Murphy, 2009) 3.2 Hofstedes culture different model Hofstedes culture different model is a framework that understand how basic values underlie organizational behavior. Hofstede proposed four value dimensions, they are power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism and masculinity (Deresky, 2003). First, the value dimensions is power distance, it is the level of acceptance by a society of the unequal distribution of power in organizations. High power distance that employees accept the bosss authority is larger than themselves in the hierarchy and they seldom bypass the chain of command. The example of high power distance is Philippines. On the other hand, low power distance is that boss and employees are having equal power, and the relationship between boss and employees are more harmony and cooperation, such as Austria. (Deresky, 2003) For the second dimension, it is uncertainty avoidance that refers to the extent to which people feel threatened by ambiguity in the social. High level of uncertainty avoidance causes that people tend to have strict laws and procedures, also have a strong sense of nationalism. In business side, the formal rules and procedures were designed to provide more security and greater career stability. Japan is the example of high level of uncertainty avoidance. However, low level of uncertainty avoidance causes that the nationalism is less decided and protests is allowed, and then the company is less structured and less formal. United States is one of the low level of uncertainty avoidance. (Deresky, 2003) The third value dimension is individualism. It refers to the tendency of people to look after themselves and their family and to ignore the need of society. Individualism is that achievement and democracy are highly valued. The relationship is independence between individual and organizations, the instance of individualism is United States. Collectivism that there is a strong belief in group decisions, believe the group more than the individual. Japan is the one of countries of collectivism. (Deresky, 2003) Fourth, masculinity is the degree of masculine values that assertiveness, materialism and lack of concern for other. Masculine culture considers cooperation more than individualistic. High masculine societies that one finds great job stress and organizational interests generally intrude on employees private lives. The example of highly masculine societies is Japan. On the other hand, counties with low masculinity that cause less conflict and job stress and reduce the need for assertiveness, such as Switzerland. (Deresky, 2003) The fifth dimension is the short-term orientation and long-term orientation, it is Hofstede added later. Long-term orientation is fostering virtues about future rewards. Short-term orientation is fostering virtues about the past and present. (Signorini, et al 2009) 3.3 Analysis of the issue Power distance In term of power distance, larger power distance countries are having more privileges for high level status, small power distance countries are preferred egalitarian (Signorini et al., 2009). According to Figure 2, the power distances score of Germany and United States is 35 and 40 respectively. Their result based on Hofstedes analysis is nearly, the level of accept unequal distribution of power in organization is low (Schneider and Barsoux, 2003). About Daimler organization, they embraced formality and hierarchy that mean the subordinates prefer to listen superior. Also, the employee in Daimler needed to follow the hierarchy such as decision making process. Employee needs to follow the formal channel, it shown the manager relies on formal rule. (Badrtalei and Bates, 2007) Daimler-Benz had a more traditional way in management style, they used top-down management style (Anonymous, 2004). German managers preferred autocratic style in leadership style. German employees are obedient to m anagers and follow them unquestioningly expect give the employee specific order, that mean employee had high dependence. (Sheltom et al., 2003) Based on the above information, Daimler belongs the high power distance and became the tall organization pyramids. About Chrysler, they were ignored barriers and promoted cross-functional teams that favored free-form discussions and casual repartee that the subordinates wanted to be discussed to superior. Also, the executives allowed mid-level manager to go forward their own opinion. (Badrtalei et al., 2007) In term of management style, Chrysler had a reputation for having more freewheeling, open culture (Anonymous, 2004). Regard to the leadership, their employees expect to be treated accordingly that mean the employees enjoy the equal right. In organization, employees can challenge their manager that employees needed for low dependence. (Shelton et al., 2003) The organization pyramids of Chrysler are flatter than Daimler. Uncertainty avoidance Based on Figure 2, the score of Germany is 65 and United States is 46. It shown that German was unhappiness with ambiguous situations and people wanted more direction and less change and the ambiguous situation may develop anxiety or stress. Because little direction and considerable uncertainty would made work less effectively in the company, they wrote some rules to cover the situation. On the other hand, United States was more willing to take risk and much less resistant to change. (Brooks, 2003) In Daimler Organization, there was suit-and-tie dress code and the employees should respect their titles and proper names. About decision making process, Daimler set up the formal channel and followed the hierarchy and complex decision-making processes. (Badrtalei et al., 2007) Germans analyzed a problem need to use great detail, find a solution, then discussed with the partners to make a decision (Dorothee, 1999). It shown that Daimler needs laws and rules when manages the organization. Chryslers employees favored open collars and they could bring out their ideas freely (Badrtalei et al., 2007). It shown they were less need for rule. Based on the score of uncertainty avoidance, United States is lower than Germany. The result fitted in the Daimler and Chrysler, because Daimler management preferred more to follow the rule and formal. Conversely, Chrysler was more casual management style that less stress and relax. When American discussed the problem, they created the solution during the discussion, not follow the information. (Dorothee, 1999) Individualism versus Collectivism In individualist nations, the individual is more independent in the group. In collectivist nations, the groups interest is more important that individuals interest. (Signorini et al., 2009) According to Figure 2, the result of Germany and United States is 67 and 91 respectively. United States is the highest score in the world. Hofstede found that American culture tend more individualistic and Asian cultures tend to be much more collective. (Brooks, 2003) Germans preferred a tightly knit social framework in which individuals look after one another and protect their members interests. Luthans (1998) said that Geramns are less individualistic than people in the USA. (Shelton et al., 2003) That reflected Germans perform best in in-groups. Also, Germans were more respectful of title, age and background connections, for example culture accords status based on gender, age or social connections. (Shelton et al., 2003) The executives of Daimler had larger staffs and fatter expense accounts (B adrtalei et al., 2007), the obligations of group were important than self. On the other hands, Chrysler is the American based company, so their culture was affected by American culture. USAs companies were tended to grant status based on achievement (Shelton et al., 2003), it reflected they hiring and promotion decisions based on skills. In Chrysler, officers had broader responsibilities and bigger salaries and bonuses (Badrtalei et al., 2007), their obligations of organization were low. Masculinity versus Femininity Based on Figure 2, the score of Germany and United States is 66 and 62 respectively. Masculinity countries that people strengthen assertiveness and competition and interest in material success. Femininity countries that people concern more with living environment and relationship. (Signorini et al., 2009) In the result of Hofstede, Germany and United Statess result was approach. In order to maintain the luxury image of Daimler, employees flew first-class during business travel. (Badrtalei et al., 2007) Daimler had a stress on competition. However, only top officers of Chrysler could fly first-class during the business travel (Badrtalei et al., 2007), it also was the performance of the masculinity. Because both of them preferred the masculinity in the result of Hofstede, their value of work, money and achievement were similarly. Long term orientation versus Short term orientation In term of long term orientation, there are differentiation between elder and younger sisters and brothers, in business that building of relationships and market position, people should live more equally. Short term orientation that all siblings are equal, in business that short-time results and the bottom line, economic and social life to be ordered by abilities etc. (Schneider and Barsoux, 2003) The result of long term orientation in Germany is 31, United States is 29 that shown in Figure 2. These two countries belonged to short term orientation based on Hofstede. Actually, Luthans (1998) remarked that Germans had a longer-time orientation. About workforce, Germany is more stable than United States. German employees preferred work for many years for the same company, they focused on building of relationships and a strong market position. (Shelton et al., 2003) Germans forced on full-year results of financial reporting system. (Badrtalei et al., 2007) On the other side, US employees were instable of the workforce and they rarely worked many years in the same company (Shelton et al., 2003), because they focus on short-term results. Also, the financial reporting system is on a quarterly basis (Badrtalei et al., 2007). 4. Conclusion Daimler AG is one of the worlds automotive companies and it has 125 years history. Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz was the founder of Daimler-Benz AG. In 1998, there was the merger between Daimler-Benz AG and Chrysler Corporation, these two companies located in Germany and United States respectively. And the cooperation of Daimler and Chrysler was merger of equals. At the beginning, their merger was viewed a strong alliance by international market. However, their relationship of merger maintained nine years. During the merger, DaimlerChrysler had cultural clashes, since the employees of DaimlerChrysler were came from Daimler and Chrysler respectively, they had some differences in work habits, communication style, planning and decisions, negotiation strategies and leadership. The cultural clashes of DaimlerChrysler can use Hofstedes cultural difference model to analyze. Hofstedes cultural difference model has five value dimensions to analyze the cultural difference. They are power distance dimension, the uncertainty avoidance dimension, individualist-collectivist dimension, masculinity-femininity dimension and long-term orientation short-term orientation dimension. According to Figure 2, the result of power distance dimension, masculinity-femininity and long-term orientation short-term orientation on Germany and United States is closely. Conversely, there was obviously difference on individualism-collectivist dimension and uncertainty avoidance dimension. In term of power distance dimension, Daimler executed hierarchy in the management style that subordinates must follow superior. On the other side, Chrysler was more freewheeling in management style, such as employee can challenge their manager. About uncertainty avoidance, Daimler was higher than Chrysler. Daimler was more traditional and need to use formal channel when making decision. Conversely, Chrysler preferred open collars, free-form discussions and casual repartee. (Badrtalei et al., 2007) Regard to individualism-collectivism, United States is the highest score in the world. Since Chrysler is the American based company, they were more force on themselves. To sum up, the Germans regarded the entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking, whereas the Americans valued the methodological engineering technical capabilities. (Darling, Seristo and Gabrielsson, 2005) 5. Recommendations Appendix Daimler Target System Figure 1 The result of Germany and United States Figure 2

Biography of Ernest Miller Hemingway Essay -- Hemingway American Write

Biography of Ernest Miller Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, journalist, writer of short stories, and winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize for literature. He created a distinguished body of prose fiction, much of it based on adventurous life. He was born on July 21, 1899, the second of six children, in Oak Park, Ill., in a house built by his widowed grandfather, Ernest Hall. Oak Park was a Protestant, upper middle class suburb of Chicago. He died on July 2, 1961. Early Years Hemingway stated in Green Hills of Africa that civil war is the best war for a writer. Both of his grandfathers fought in the Civil War and the family was proud of its military traditions. The Hemingway children were brought up on heroic tales of the Civil War. Ernest was also fascinated by the wars and heroes at the turn of the century: the Spanish-American War (1898);, the Goer War (1899-1902); and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), which inspired him to collect military cartoons. Ernest loved to read the Old Testament when he was a boy because it was so full of battles. (Meyers 3) Ernest Hemingway's maternal grandfather was Ernest Hall, who was injured in the Civil War. He tried to shoot himself when he was near death, but Hemingway's father had removed the bullets from his gun. Ernest was six years old at the time, and thought his father shouldn't have prevented his grandfather from committing suicide. His paternal grandfather was Anson Hemingway. He was a formal, serious, and deeply religious man who was active in the temperance movement. He established a prosperous real-estate business. Both families were prosperous. Hemingway's parents were Clarence Edmonds "Ed" Hemingway and Grace Hall. They had a fairly happy marriage although they were very different. Grace was the dominant one in the marriage. Hemingway was an active, imaginative, and fearless youngster. He said at an early age that he wasn't afraid of anything. He was aggressive, self-confident, and had a tendency to exaggerate. His mother said that he delighted in shooting imaginary wolves, bears, lions, buffalo, etc., and liked to pretend he was a "soldser". She also said he threw temper tantrums if he didn't get his way. (Meyers 9) Hemingway's mother, Grace was an accomplished singer and at one time wanted a career on stage. She settled for being a wife and mo... ...wn the carpeted stairway. He went down into the basement and unlocked the gun storage room. He chose a double-barreled Boss shotgun, took some shells from one of the boxes, climbed back upstairs to the front foyer, slipped in two shells, lowered the gun butt carefully to the floor, leaned forward, pressed the twin barrels against his forehead just above the eyebrows, and tripped both triggers. (Baker 563-64) After the electric-shocks his memory was fried by attempts to burn the depression out of his brain. With memory went insight and motivation to write. A whole universe of mourning descended. A depression that couldn't be killed by electrical pulses. Only the double fisted thud of lead would do. He couldn't write any more. His guard was down. The last punch was a knockout. He loved to drink, hunt, and gamble. He loved beautiful women and moments of purity. He loved the company of trusted friends. He loved bullfights, boxing, rivalry and rebellion. He loved so many things so deeply. He overflowed, spilling them onto the page - through his fingertips - he inhaled life and exhaled words. They were the same to him. Now he's holding his breath forever. (Hoerman 2-3)

Forward the Foundation Chapter 28

27 It was a lovely day, neither too warm nor too cold, not too bright nor too gray. Even though the groundskeeping budget had given out years ago, the few straggly perennials lining the steps leading up to the Galactic Library managed to add a cheerful note to the morning. (The Library, having been built in the classical style of antiquity, was fronted with one of the grandest stairways to be found in the entire Empire, second only to the steps at the Imperial Palace itself. Most Library visitors, however, preferred to enter via the gliderail) Seldon had high hopes for the day. Since he and Stettin Palver had been cleared of all charges in their recent assault and battery case, Hari Seldon felt like a new man. Although the experience had been painful, its very public nature had advanced Seldon's cause. Judge Tejan Popjens Lih, who was considered one of, if not the most influential judge on Trantor, had been quite vociferous in her opinion, delivered the day following Rial Nevas's emotional testimony. â€Å"When we come to such a crossroads in our ‘civilized' society,† the judge intoned from her bench, â€Å"that a man of Professor Hari Seldon's standing is made to bear the humiliation, abuse, and lies of his peers simply because of who he is and what he stands for, it is truly a dark day for the Empire. I admit that I, too, was taken in-at first. ‘Why wouldn't Professor Seldon,' I reasoned, ‘resort to such trickery in an attempt to prove his predictions?' But, as I came to see, I was most grievously wrong.† Here the judge's brow furrowed, a dark blue flush began creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. â€Å"For I was ascribing to Professor Seldon motives born of our new society, a society in which honesty, decency, and goodwill are likely to get one killed, a society in which it appears one must resort to dishonesty and trickery merely to survive. â€Å"How far we have strayed from our founding principles. We were lucky this time, fellow citizens of Trantor. We owe a debt of thanks to Professor Hari Seldon for showing us our true selves; let us take his example to heart and resolve to be vigilant against the baser forces of our human nature.† Following the hearing, the Emperor had sent Seldon a congratulatory holo-disc. On it he expressed the hope that perhaps now Seldon would find renewed funding for his Project. As Seldon slid up the entrance gliderail, he reflected on the current status of his Psychohistory Project. His good friend-the former Chief Librarian Las Zenow-had retired. During his tenure, Zenow had been a strong proponent of Seldon and his work. More often than not, however, Zenow's hands had been tied by the Library Board. But, he had assured Seldon, the affable new Chief Librarian, Tryma Acarnio, was as progressive as he himself, and was popular with many factions among the Board membership. â€Å"Hari, my friend,† Zenow had said before leaving Trantor for his home world of Wencory, â€Å"Acarnio is a good man, a person of deep intellect and an open mind. I'm sure he'll do all that he can to help you and the Project. I've left him the entire data file on you and your EncyIopedia; I know he'll be as excited as I about the contribution to humanity it represents. Take care, my friend-I'll remember you fondly.† And so today Hari Seldon was to have his first official meeting with the new Chief Librarian. He was cheered by the reassurances Las Zenow had left with him and he was looking forward to sharing his plans for the future of the Project and the Encyclopedia. Tryma Acarnio stood as Hari entered the Chief Librarian's office. Already he had made his mark on the place; whereas Zenow had stuffed every nook and cranny of the room with holo-discs and tridijournals from the different sectors of Trantor, and a dizzying array of visiglobes representing various worlds of the Empire had spun in midair, Acarnio had swept clear the mounds of data and images that Zenow had liked to keep at his fingertips. A large holoscreen now dominated one wall on which, Seldon presumed, Acarnio could view any publication or broadcast that he desired. Acarnio was short and stocky, with a slightly distracted look-from a childhood corneal correction that had gone awry-that belied a fearsome intelligence and constant awareness of everything going on around him at all times. â€Å"Well, well. Professor Seldon. Come in. Sit down.† Acarnio gestured to a straight-backed chair facing the desk at which he sat. â€Å"It was, I felt, quite fortuitous that you requested this meeting. You see, I had intended to get in touch with you as soon as I settled in.† Seldon nodded, pleased that the new Chief Librarian had considered him enough of a priority to plan to seek him out in the hectic early days of his tenure. â€Å"But, first, Professor, please let me know why you wanted to see me before we move on to my, most likely, more prosaic concerns.† Seldon cleared his throat and leaned forward. â€Å"Chief Librarian, Las Zenow has no doubt told you of my work here and of my idea for an Encyclopedia Galactica. Las was quite enthusiastic, and a great help, providing a private office for me here and unlimited access to the Library's vast resources. In fact, it was he who located the eventual home of the Encyclopedia Project, a remote Outer World called Terminus. â€Å"There was one thing, however, that Las could not provide. In order to keep the Project on schedule, I must have office space and unlimited access granted to a number of my colleagues, as well. It is an enormous undertaking, just gathering the information to be copied and transferred to Terminus before we can begin the actual work of compiling the Encyclopedia. â€Å"Las was not popular with the Library Board, as you undoubtedly are aware. You, however, are. And so I ask you, Chief Librarian: Will you see to it that my colleagues are granted insiders' privileges so that we may continue our most vital work?† Here Hari stopped, almost out of breath. He was sure that his speech, which he had gone over and over in his mind the night before, would have the desired effect. He waited, confident in Acarnio's response. â€Å"Professor Seldon,† Acarnio began. Seldon's expectant smile faded. There was an edge to the Chief Librarian's voice that Seldon had not expected. â€Å"My esteemed predecessor provided me-in exhaustive detail-an explication of your work here at the Library. He was quite enthusiastic about your research and committed to the idea of your colleagues joining you here. As was I, Professor Seldon†-at Acarnio's pause, Seldon looked up sharply-â€Å"at first. I was prepared to call a special meeting of the Board to propose that a larger suite of offices be prepared for you and your Encyclopedists. But, Professor Seldon, all that has now changed.† â€Å"Changed! But why?† â€Å"Professor Seldon, you have just finished serving as principal defendant in a most sensational assault and battery case.† â€Å"But I was acquitted,† Seldon broke in. â€Å"The case never even made it to trial.† â€Å"Nonetheless, Professor, your latest foray into the public eye has given you an undeniable-how shall I say it?-tinge of ill repute. Oh yes, you were acquitted of all charges. But in order to get to that acquittal, your name, your past, your beliefs, and your work were paraded before the eyes of all the worlds. And even if one progressive right-thinking judge has proclaimed you faultless, what of the millions-perhaps billions-of other average citizens who see not a pioneering psychohistorian striving to preserve his civilization's glory but a raving lunatic shouting doom and gloom for the great and mighty Empire? â€Å"You, by the very nature of your work, are threatening the essential fabric of the Empire. I don't mean the huge, nameless, faceless, monolithic Empire. No, I am referring to the heart and soul of the Empire-its people. When you tell them the Empire is failing, you are saying that they are failing. And this, my dear Professor, the average citizen cannot face. â€Å"Seldon, like it or not, you have become an object of derision, a subject of ridicule, a laughingstock.† â€Å"Pardon me, Chief Librarian, but for years now I have been, to some circles, a laughingstock.† â€Å"Yes, but only to some circles. But this latest incident-and the very public forum in which it was played out-has opened you up to ridicule not only here on Trantor but throughout the worlds. And, Professor, if, by providing you an office, we, the Galactic Library, give tacit approval to your work, then, by inference, we, the Library, also become a laughingstock throughout the worlds. And no matter how strongly I may personally believe in your theory and your Encyclopedia, as Chief Librarian of the Galactic Library on Trantor, I must think of the Library first. â€Å"And so, Professor Seldon, your request to bring in your colleagues is denied.† Hari Seldon jerked back in his chair as if struck. â€Å"Further,† Acarnio continued, â€Å"I must advise you of a two-week temporary suspension of all Library privileges-effective immediately. The Board has called that special meeting, Professor Seldon. In two weeks' time we will notify you whether or not we've decided that our association with you must be terminated.† Here, Acarnio stopped speaking and, placing his palms on the glossy, spotless surface of his desk, stood up. â€Å"That is all, Professor Seldon-for now.† Hari Seldon stood as well, although his upward movement was not as smooth, nor as quick, as Tryma Acarnio's. â€Å"May I be permitted to address the Board?† asked Seldon. â€Å"Perhaps if I were able to explain to them the vital importance of psychohistory and the Encyclopedia-â€Å" â€Å"I'm afraid not, Professor,† said Acarnio softly and Seldon caught a brief glimmer of the man Las Zenow had told him about. But, just as quickly, the icy bureaucrat was back as Acarnio guided Seldon to the door. As the portals slid open, Acarnio said, â€Å"Two weeks, Professor Seldon. Till then.† Hari stepped through to his waiting skitter and the doors slid shut. What am I going to do now? wondered Seldon disconsolately. Is this the end of my work? 28 â€Å"Wanda dear, what is it that has you so engrossed?† asked Hari Seldon as he entered his granddaughter's office at Streeling University. The room had been the office of the brilliant mathematician Yugo Amaryl, whose death had impoverished the Psychohistory Project. Fortunately, Wanda had gradually taken over Yugo's role in recent years, further refining and adjusting the Prime Radiant. â€Å"Why, I'm working on an equation in Section 33A2D17. See, I've recalibrated this section†-she gestured to a glowing violet patch suspended in midair in front of her face-‘taking into consideration the standard quotient and-There! Just what I thought-I think.† She stepped back and rubbed her eyes. â€Å"What is it, Wanda?† Hari moved in closer to study the equation. â€Å"Why, this looks like the Terminus equation and yet†¦ Wanda, this is an inverse of the Terminus equation, isn't it?† â€Å"Yes, Grandpa. See, the numbers weren't working quite right in the Terminus equation-look.† Wanda touched a contact in a recessed wallstrip and another patch sprang to life in vivid red on the other side of the room. Seldon and Wanda walked over to inspect it. â€Å"You see how it's all hanging together fine now, Grandpa? It's taken me weeks to get it this way.† â€Å"How did you do it?† asked Hari, admiring the equation's lines, its logic, its elegance. â€Å"At first, I concentrated on it from over here only. I blocked out all else. In order to get Terminus to work, work on Terminus-stands to reason, doesn't it? But then I realized that I couldn't just introduce this equation into the Prime Radiant system and expect it to blend right in smoothly, as if nothing happened. A placement means a displacement somewhere else. A weight needs a counterweight.† â€Å"I think the concept to which you are referring is what the ancients called ‘yin and yang.' â€Å" â€Å"Yes, more or less. Yin and yang. So, you see, I realized that to perfect the yin of Terminus, I had to locate its yang. Which I did, over there.† She moved back to the violet patch, tucked away at the other edge of the Prime Radiant sphere. â€Å"And once I adjusted the figures here, the Terminus equation fell into place as well. Harmony!† Wanda looked pleased with herself, as if she'd solved all the problems of the Empire. â€Å"Fascinating, Wanda, and later on you must tell me what you think it all means for the Project. But right now you must come with me to the holoscreen. I received an urgent message from Santanni a few minutes ago. Your father wants us to call him immediately.† Wanda's smile faded. She had been alarmed at the recent reports of fighting on Santanni. As Imperial budget cutbacks went into effect, the citizens of the Outer Worlds suffered most. They had limited access to the richer, more populous Inner Worlds and it became more and more difficult to trade their worlds' products for much needed imports. Imperial hyperships going in and out of Santanni were few and the distant world felt isolated from the rest of the Empire. Pockets of rebellion had erupted throughout the planet. â€Å"Grandfather, I hope everything's all right,† said Wanda, her fear revealed by her voice. â€Å"Don't worry, dear. After all, they must be safe if Raych was able to send us a message.† In Seldon's office, he and Wanda stood before the holoscreen as it activated. Seldon punched a code on the keypad alongside the screen and they waited a few seconds for the intragalactic connection to be established. Slowly the screen seemed to stretch back into the wall, as if it were the entrance to a tunnel-and out of the tunnel, dimly at first, came the familiar figure of a stocky powerfully built man. As the connection sharpened, the man's features became clearer. When Seldon and Wanda were able to make out Raych's bushy Dahlite mustache, the figure sprang to life. â€Å"Dad! Wanda!† said Raych's three-dimensional hologram, projected to Trantor from Santanni. â€Å"Listen, I don't have much time.† He flinched, as if startled by a loud noise. â€Å"Things have gotten pretty bad here. The government has fallen and a provisional party has taken over. Things are a mess, as you can imagine. I just put Manella and Bellis on a hypership to Anacreon. I told them to get in touch with you from there. The name of the ship is the Arcadia VII. â€Å"You should have seen Manella, Dad. Mad as anything that she had to go. The only way I was able to convince her to leave was to point out that it was for Bellis's sake. â€Å"I know what you're thinking, Dad and Wanda. Of course I would have gone with them-if I could have. But there wasn't enough room. You should've seen what I had to go through just to get them onto the ship.† Raych flashed one of his lopsided grins that Seldon and Wanda loved so much, then continued. â€Å"Besides, since I'm here, I have to help guard the University-we may be part of the Imperial University system, but we're a place of learning and building, not of destruction. I tell you, if one of those hot-headed Santanni rebels comes near our stuff-â€Å" â€Å"Raych,† Hari broke in, â€Å"How bad is it? Are you close to the fighting?† â€Å"Dad, are you in danger?† asked Wanda. They waited a few seconds for their message to travel the nine thousand parsecs across the Galaxy to Raych. â€Å"I-I-I couldn't quite make out what you said,† the hologram replied. â€Å"There's a bit of fighting going on. It's sort of exciting, actually,† Raych said, breaking into that grin again. â€Å"So I'm going to sign off now. Remember, find out what happened to the Arcadia VII going to Anacreon. I'll be back in touch as soon as I'm able. Remember, I-† The transmission broke off and the hologram faded. The holoscreen tunnel collapsed in on itself so that Seldon and Wanda were left staring at a blank wall. â€Å"Grandpa,† said Wanda, â€Å"what do you think he was going to say?† â€Å"I have no idea, dear. But there is one thing I do know and that is that your father can take care of himself. I pity any rebel who gets near enough for a well-placed Twist-kick from your dad! Come, let's get back to that equation and in a few hours we'll check on the Arcadia VII.† *** â€Å"Commander, have you no idea what happened to the ship?† Hari Seldon was again engaged in intragalactic conversation, but this time it was with an Imperial navy commander stationed at Anacreon. For this communication, Seldon was making use of the visiscreen-much less realistic than the holoscreen but also much simpler. â€Å"I'm telling you, Professor, that we have no record of that hypership requesting permission to enter the Anacreonic atmosphere. Of course, communications with Santanni have been broken for several hours and sporadic at best for the last week. It is possible that the ship tried to reach us on a Santanni-based channel and could not get through, but I doubt it. â€Å"No, it's more likely that the Arcadia VII changed destination. Voreg, perhaps, or Sarip. Have you tried either of those worlds, Professor?† â€Å"No,† said Seldon wearily, â€Å"but I see no reason if the ship was bound for Anacreon that it would not go to Anacreon. Commander, it is vital that I locate that ship.† â€Å"Of course,† the commander ventured, â€Å"the Arcadia VII might not have made it. Out safely, I mean. There's a lot of fighting going on. Those rebels don't care who they blow up. They just train their lasers and pretend it's the Emperor Agis they're blasting. I tell you, it's a whole different game out here on the fringe, Professor.† â€Å"My daughter-in-law and granddaughter are on that ship, Commander,† Seldon said in a tight voice. â€Å"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor,† said an abashed commander. â€Å"I'll be in touch with you as soon as I hear anything.† Dispiritedly Hari closed the visiscreen contact. How tired I am, he thought. And, he mused, I'm not surprised-I've known that this would come for nearly forty years. Seldon chuckled bitterly to himself. Perhaps that commander had thought he was shocking Seldon, impressing him with the vivid detail of life â€Å"on the fringe.† But Seldon knew all about the fringe. And as the fringe came apart, like a piece of knitting with one loose thread, the whole piece would unravel to the core: Trantor. Seldon became aware of a soft buzzing sound. It was the door signal. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Grandpa,† said Wanda, entering the office, â€Å"I'm scared.† â€Å"Why, dear?† asked Seldon with concern. He didn't want to tell her yet what he had learned-or hadn't learned-from the commander on Anacreon. â€Å"Usually, although they're so far away, I feel Dad and Mom and Bellis-feel them in here†-she pointed to her head-â€Å"and in here†-she placed her hand over her heart. â€Å"But now, today, I don't feel them-it feels less, as if they're fading, like one of the dome bulbs. And I want to stop it. I want to pull them back, but I can't.† â€Å"Wanda, I really think this is merely a product of your concern for your family in light of the rebellion. You know that uprisings occur all over the Empire all the time-little eruptions to let off steam. Come now, you know that chances of anything happening to Raych, Manella, or Bellis are vanishingly small. Your dad will call any day to say all is well; your mom and Bellis will land on Anacreon at any moment and enjoy a little vacation. We are the ones to be pitied-we're stuck here up to our ears in work! So, sweetheart, go to bed and think only good thoughts. I promise you, tomorrow, under the sunny dome, things will look much better.† â€Å"All right, Grandpa,† said Wanda, not sounding entirely convinced. â€Å"But tomorrow-if we haven't heard by tomorrow-we'll have to-to-â€Å" â€Å"Wanda, what can we do, except wait?† asked Hari, his voice gentle. Wanda turned and left, the weight of her worries showing in the slope of her shoulders. Hari watched her go, finally allowing his own worries to come to the surface. It had been three days since the hologram transmission from Raych. Since then-nothing. And today the naval commander at Anacreon denied ever having heard of a ship called Arcadia VII Hari had tried earlier to get through to Raych on Santanni, but all communication beams were down. It was as if Santanni-and the Arcadia VII-had simply broken off from the Empire, like a petal from a flower. Seldon knew what he had to do now. The Empire might be down, but it was not out. Its power, when properly wielded, was still awesome. Seldon placed an emergency transmission to Emperor Agis XIV. 29 â€Å"What a surprise-my friend Hari!† Agis's visage beamed at Seldon through the holoscreen. â€Å"I am glad to hear from you, although you usually request the more formal personal audience. Come, you've piqued my interest. Why the urgency?† â€Å"Sire,† began Seldon, â€Å"my son, Raych, and his wife and daughter live on Santanni.† â€Å"Ah, Santanni,† the Emperor said as his smile faded. â€Å"A bunch of misguided wretches if I eve -â€Å" â€Å"Sire, please,† broke in Seldon, surprising both the Emperor and himself with this flagrant breach of Imperial protocol. â€Å"My son was able to get Manella and Bellis onto a hypership, the Arcadia VII, bound for Anacreon. He, however, had to remain. That was three days ago. The ship has not landed at Anacreon. And my son seems to have disappeared. My calls to Santanni have gone unanswered and now the communication beams are broken. â€Å"Please, Sire, can you help me?† â€Å"Hari, as you know, officially all ties between Santanni and Trantor have been severed. However, I still hold some influence in selected areas of Santanni. That is, there are still a few loyal to me who have not yet been found out. Although I cannot make direct contact with any of my operatives on that world, I can share with you any reports I receive from there. These are, of course, highly confidential, but considering your situation and our relationship, I will allow you access to those pieces that might interest you. â€Å"I am expecting another dispatch within the hour. If you like, I'll recontact you when it arrives. In the meantime, I'll have one of my aides go over all transmissions from Santanni for the past three days to look for anything pertaining to Raych, Manella, or Bellis Seldon.† â€Å"Thank you, Sire. I thank you most humbly.† And Hari Seldon dipped his head as the Emperor's image faded from the holoscreen. Sixty minutes later Hari Seldon was still sitting at his desk, waiting to hear from the Emperor. The past hour had been one of the most difficult he had ever spent, second only to the hours after Dors's destruction. It was the not knowing that did Hari in. He had made a career of knowing-the future as well as the present. And now he had no idea at all about three of the people most precious to him. The holoscreen buzzed softly and Hari pressed a contact in response. Agis appeared. â€Å"Hari,† began the Emperor. From the soft slow sadness in his voice, Hari knew this call brought bad news. â€Å"My son,† said Hari. â€Å"Yes,† replied the Emperor. â€Å"Raych was killed, earlier today, in a bombardment on Santanni University. I've learned from my sources that Raych knew the attack was coming but refused to desert his post. You see, a good number of the rebels are students and Raych felt that if they knew that he was still there, they would never†¦ But hate overcame all reason. â€Å"The University is, you see, an Imperial University. The rebels feel they must destroy all things Imperial before rebuilding anew. The fools! Why-† And here Agis stopped, as if suddenly realizing that Seldon did not care about Santanni University or the plans of the rebels-not right now, at least. â€Å"Hari, if it makes you feel any better, remember that your son died in defense of knowledge. It was not the Empire Raych fought and died for but humanity itself.† Seldon looked up out of tear-filled eyes. Weakly he asked, â€Å"And Manella and little Bellis? What of them? Have you found the Arcadia Hl?† â€Å"That search has proved fruitless, Hari. The Arcadia VII left Santanni, as you were told. But it seems to have disappeared. It may have been hijacked by rebels or it may have made an emergency detour-at this point, we just don't know.† Seldon nodded. â€Å"Thank you, Agis. Although you have brought me tragic news, at least you have brought it. Not knowing was worse. You are a true friend.† â€Å"And so, my friend,† said the Emperor, â€Å"I'll leave you to yourself now-and your memories.† The Emperor's image faded from the screen as Hari Seldon folded his arms in front of him on his desk, put his head down, and wept. 30 Wanda Seldon adjusted the waistband of her unisuit, pulling it a little tighter around her middle. Taking up a hand hoe, she attacked some weeds that had sprung up in her small flower garden outside the Psychohistory Building at Streeling. Generally Wanda spent the bulk of her time in her office, working with her Prime Radiant. She found solace in its precise statistical elegance; the unvarying equations were somehow reassuring in this Empire gone so crazy. But when thoughts of her beloved father, mother, and baby sister became too much to bear, when even her research could not keep her mind off the horrible losses she'd so recently undergone, Wanda invariably found herself out here, scratching at the terraformed ground, as if coaxing a few plants to life might somehow, in some tiny measure, ameliorate her pain. Since her father's death a month ago and the disappearance of Manella and Bellis, Wanda, who had always been slim, had been losing weight. Whereas a few months ago Hari Seldon would have been concerned over his darling granddaughter's loss of appetite, now he, stuck in his own grief, seemed not to notice. A profound change had come over Hari and Wanda Seldon-and the few remaining members of the Psychohistory Project. Hari seemed to have given up. He now spent most of his days sitting in an armchair in the Streeling solarium, staring out at the University grounds, warmed by the bright bulbs overhead. Occasionally Project members told Wanda that his bodyguard, a man named Stettin Palver, would badger Seldon into a walk out under the dome or try to engage him in a discussion of the future direction of the Project. Wanda retreated deeper into her study of the Prime Radiant's fascinating equations. She could feel the future her grandfather had worked so hard to achieve finally taking shape, and he was right: The Encyclopedists must be established on Terminus; they would be the Foundation. And Section 33A2D17-in it Wanda could see what Seldon referred to as the Second, or secret, Foundation. But how? Without Seldon's active interest, Wanda was at a loss as to how to proceed. And her sorrow over the destruction of her family cut so deep that she didn't seem to have the strength to figure it out. The members of the Project itself, those fifty or so hardy souls who remained, continued their work as well as possible. The majority were Encyclopedists, researching the source materials they would need to copy and catalogue for their eventual move to Terminus-when and if they gained full access to the Galactic Library. At this point, they were working on faith alone. Professor Seldon had lost his private office at the Library, so the prospects of any other Project member gaining special access were slim. The remaining Project members (other than the Encyclopedists) were historical analysts and mathematicians. The historians interpreted past and current human actions and events, turning their findings over to the mathematicians, who in turn fit those pieces into the great Psychohistorical Equation. It was long painstaking work. Many Project members had left because the rewards were so few-psychohistorians were the butt of many jokes on Trantor and limited funds had forced Seldon to enact drastic pay cuts. But the constant reassuring presence of Hari Seldon had-till now-overcome the difficult working conditions of the Project. Indeed, the Project members who had stayed on had, to a person, done so out of respect and devotion to Professor Seldon. Now, thought Wanda Seldon bitterly, what reason is left for them to stay? A light breeze blew a piece of her blond hair across her eyes; she pushed it back absentmindedly and continued her weeding. â€Å"Miss Seldon, may I have a moment of your time?† Wanda turned and looked up. A young man-she judged him to be in his early twenties-stood on the gravel path next to her. She immediately sensed him to be strong and fearsomely intelligent. Her grandfather had chosen wisely. Wanda rose to speak with him. â€Å"I recognize you. You are my grandfather's bodyguard, are you not? Stettin Palver, I believe?† â€Å"Yes, that's correct, Miss Seldon,† Palver said and his cheeks reddened slightly, as if he were pleased that so pretty a girl should have given him any notice. â€Å"Miss Seldon, it is your grandfather I'd like to talk to you about. I'm very worried about him. We must do something.† â€Å"Do what, Mr. Palver? I am at a loss. Since my father†-she swallowed hard, as if she were having difficulty speaking-â€Å"died and my mother and sister disappeared, it is all I can do to get him out of bed in the morning. And to tell you the truth, it has affected me very deeply as well. You understand, don't you?† She looked into his eyes and knew that he did. â€Å"Miss Seldon,† Palver said softly, â€Å"I am terribly sorry about your losses. But you and Professor Seldon are alive and you must keep working at psychohistory. The professor seems to have given up. I was hoping that maybe you-we-could come up with something to give him hope again. You know, a reason to go on.† Ah, Mr. Palver, thought Wanda, maybe Grandpa has it right. I wonder if there truly is any reason to go on. But she said, â€Å"I'm sorry, Mr. Palver, I can think of nothing.† She gestured toward the ground with her hoe. â€Å"And now, as you can see, I must get back to these pesky weeds.† â€Å"I don't think your grandfather has got it right. I think there truly is a reason to go on. We just have to find it.† The words struck her with full force. How had he known what she had been thinking? Unless-â€Å"You can handle minds, can't you?† Wanda asked, holding her breath, as if afraid to hear Palver's response. â€Å"Yes, I can,† the young man replied. â€Å"I always have, I think. At least, I can't remember not doing it. Half the time I'm not even consciously aware of it-I just know what people are thinking-or have thought. â€Å"Sometimes,† he continued, encouraged by the understanding he felt emanating from Wanda, â€Å"I get flashes of it coming from someone else. It's always in a crowd, though, and I can't locate whoever it is. But I know there are others like me-us-around.† Wanda grabbed Palver's hand excitedly, her gardening tool tossed to the ground, forgotten. â€Å"Have you any idea what this might mean? For Grandpa, for psychohistory? One of us alone can do only so much, but both of us together-† Wanda started walking into the Psychohistory Building, leaving Palver standing on the gravel path. Almost to the entrance she stopped and turned. Come, Mr. Palver, we must tell my grandfather, Wanda said without opening her mouth. Yes, I suppose we should, answered Palver as he joined her. 31 â€Å"Do you mean to say I have been searching Trantor-wide for someone with your powers, Wanda, and he's been here with us for the past few months and we never knew it?† Hari Seldon was incredulous. He had been dozing in the solarium when Wanda and Palver shook him awake to give him their amazing news. â€Å"Yes, Grandpa. Think about it. I've never had occasion to meet Stettin. Your time with him has primarily been away from the Project and I spend the majority of my time closeted in my office, working with the Prime Radiant. When would we have met? In fact, the one time our paths did cross, the results were most significant.† â€Å"When was that?† asked Seldon, searching his memory. â€Å"Your last hearing-before Judge Lih,† Wanda replied immediately. â€Å"Remember the eyewitness who swore that you and Stettin had attacked those three muggers? Remember how he broke down and told the truth-and even he didn't seem to know why. But Stettin and I have pieced it together. We were both pushing Rial Nevas to come clean. He had been very steadfast in his original claim; I doubt that either one of us would have been able to push him alone. But together†-she stole a shy glance at Palver, who was standing off to the side-â€Å"our power is awesome!† Hari Seldon took all this in and then made as if to speak. But Wanda continued. â€Å"In fact, we plan to spend the afternoon testing our mentalic abilities, separately and together. From the little we've discovered so far, it seems as if Stettin's power is slightly lower than mine-perhaps a five on my rating scale. But his five, combined with my seven, gives us a twelve! Think of it, Grandpa. Awesome!† â€Å"Don't you see, Professor?† Palver spoke up. â€Å"Wanda and I are that breakthrough you're looking for. We can help you convince the worlds of the validity of psychohistory, we can help find others like us, we can help put psychohistory back on track.† Hari Seldon gazed up at the two young people standing in front of him. Their faces were aglow with youth and vigor and enthusiasm and he realized it did his old heart good. Perhaps all was not lost, after all. He had not thought he would survive this latest tragedy, the death of his son and the disappearance of his son's wife and child, but now he could see that Raych lived on in Wanda. And in Wanda and Stettin, he now knew, lived the future of the Foundation. â€Å"Yes, yes,† agreed Seldon nodding forcefully. â€Å"Come you two, help me up. I must get back to my office to plan our next step.†