To Discuss Whether the Classless Society Is Attainable and Sustainable in This Century

The aim of this assignment is to discuss whether the classless society is attainable and sustainable in this century. To begin the definition of concepts are given, then the origin of the classes. It then looks at how the capitalist society cannot evolve to the classless society in this century. According to Ernesto (2007:17), Classes are a large group of people who differ in their relation to the means of their role in the social economic and political organization. Their class stratus is determined by their position to the means of production. According to Ernesto (2007:17), the theory of Karl Marx depicts four stages that have societies evolved in the last centauries and from the last stage, the class struggles can hence bring the classless society. According to Friedrich (1944:25), one of his greatest debates was the issue regarding the freedom of mankind. The main determining factor for Karl Marx for a classless society and freedom is class conflict. He also asserts that Karl Marx traced the history of mankind by the ways in which the economy operated and the role of classes within the economy. Because of this, the greatest factor in the classes was determining who owns this freedom. With this in mind, Karl Marx gives us a solution to both the issues of freedom and class conflict in his critique of capitalism and theory of communism, which is the ideal society for Marx. His theory of communism is based on the â€Å"ultimate end of human history† because there will be freedom for all humankind. Ernesto (2007:18) asserts that the conflict theory looks at how certain social interactions occur through conflict. People engage in conflict everyday to gain more power than others in society. Karl Marx is known for studying the conflicts that occur between different classes. Karl Marx has introduced some radical ideas and theories to society through his writings. As the industrial revolution moved forward in society, so did the widening gap between class structures. Karl Marx studied the differences arising between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat people. According to Bellamy (2003:49), the bourgeoisies are interested mainly in developing a capitalist society, using advanced methods of production. The bourgeoisies are the capitalist who own the factories; the products made in the factories, and controlled all the trade. The Proletariats or working class people have gained nothing in society but the thrill of their own labor. The Proletariats feel that they are treated poorly by the middle class society. They receive only enough in life to survive and have no chance of achieving a higher, class status. According to Harding (1984), the bourgeoisie or middle class people in society were exploiting and degrading the Proletariat people. The Proletariats helped to improve production in society, which developed capitalism and helped it to grow faster. The Proletariats were not getting the wages they deserved for the labor that was accomplished. Capital gain was being made for the labor the working class provided, but there was still no way of improving status in society. The middle class was taking over and the rich were staying rich and the poor continued to be poor. Marx wanted the working class to stand up to the bourgeoisie and cause a class conflict. The idea was that if the working class revolted against the capitalist, it would bring about the revolution that would usher the capitalist society into a classless society. According to Holmes (2009), Karl Marx saw communism as the ideal society which was also the classless society because it is the genuine resolution of the conflict between man and man; the true resolution of the strife between existence and essence, between freedom and necessity that capitalism fosters. Holmes (2009) also alludes to how Karl Marx was also committed to the notion that theory and action go hand in hand. He dismissed earlier philosophers or thinkers because they only interpreted the world in various ways; His main idea however is to change the world. He also stated â€Å"Ideas cannot carry out anything at all. In order to carry out ideas men are needed who can exert practical force†. From Dirlik (1989:28) view of this theory, there are various reasons why the classless society cannot be attainable in this day and age. Firstly Attaining the classless society using Karl Marx's theory of communism is not possible because it failed to offer principles or guidelines of even the most general kind for how the system of communism was to be fully established. He is simply shows the stages and the classless paradise which could be attained by conflict. No procedures of conflict are also depicted for the working class to be able to come into harmony with the capitalists. It is this lack of practical guidelines that shows the theory would be doomed to fail if used in practice. Another contradiction of its failure to be attained and sustained is the fact that Karl Marx's theory stems from the social conditions existing during his lifetime. According to Theodore (2004:66), this was when the industrial revolution was hitting its stride therefore led him to making this theory. Great technological advances were being made to the modes of production. According to Theodore (2004:67), Mobility of people from class to class is hindered by who owns the means of production. Moving from a mere worker to a producer can be so costly on individuals and sometimes impossible in other instances. The people having the power increase in power while only serving their own interest. For example, if a person was working as a worker in a mine, it can sometimes be impossible even if the social conflict exists. The worker will not move from the side of the proletariat to the bourgeoisies but will simply move to a higher class within the working class. The worker is only likely to be promoted till he can even have the power to lead the organization but not own the means of production. Because of the nature of their training and the labor they offer according to their skill, they are trapped on the working class side of the capitalist society. Dirlik (1989:120) Mobility form one class to the other is also sometimes impossible because the capitalist will only have economic deals with other capitalists. One producer will interact with another producer making it impossible for the working class to even know the world of the producer. It would even be foregn to him as long as he works. If mobility was easy from the working class side to the capitalist class, then we would one day have what is called an equilibrium where everyone can freely determine their own place in the class they belong to. From Bellamy (2003:97) view, a classless society also means an environment of equity in distribution of resources. This can be impossible because equity is simply dividing all resources and power equally to all. Such an environment also entails that there is no need for political leadership or governance because everyone has the same level of political and economic power. According to Bellamy (2003:98), Karl Marx’s idea of man in the state of nature is that he is selfish and will take advantage of others for their own selfish gain. This also means power cannot equally be divided. Democracies therefore choose representatives who are empowered by the people to make state decisions because they understand that not everyone can lead at the same time. Therefore political equity is an impossible situation. According to Theodore (2004:68) equality is fairness in the distribution of resources means of production and power. It means people are treated fairly depending on their position to the means of production. From the deductions made above, Classes will still exist in a state of equality but fairness is the leading factor. The working class should not be exploited by the capitalist but their surplus value should be equivalent and proportional to their labour input. Fairness can also mean the working class can determine their own class because the means of production are not to the advantage of one class only but to everyone. The individual in an environment of equality will have the power to determine their own position in the political and economic stratus.

Five Forces Analysis on Indian Retail Industry

Porter’s Five Forces Analysis on Indian Retail Industry An analysis of the structure of the industry should be undertaken in order to find effective sources of competitive advantage (Porter, 1985). Therefore, in order to analyse the competitive environment of Tesco, Porter’s five forces analysis has been used by the researcher as follows: Threat of substitute products and services The threat of substitutes in the grocery retail market is considerably low for food items and medium to high for non-food items. In the food retail market, the substitutes of major food retailers are small chains of convenience stores, off licenses and organic shops which are not seen as a threat to supermarkets like Tesco that offer high quality products at considerably lower prices (Financial Times, 2009). Moreover, Tesco is further getting hold of these shops by opening Express stores in local towns and city centres creating a hurdle for these substitutes to enter the market. However, the threat of substitutes for non-food items, for instance clothing, is fairly high. It should be noted that so long as the economic recession prevails, customers will be inclined towards discounted prices hence Tesco is a threat to the speciality shops. Threat of entry of new competitors The threat of entry of new competitors into the food retail industry is low. It requires huge capital investments in order to be competitive and to establish a brand name. Major brands that have already captured the food retail market are Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons and they account for 80% of all shopping in the UK (Mintel, 2010). Therefore, new entrants have to produce something at an exceptionally low price and/or high quality to establish their market value. Gaining planning authorisation from local government takes a considerable amount of time and resources to establish new supermarkets and this is therefore a considerable barrier to new entrants. Intensity of competitive rivalry The intensity of competitive rivalry in the food and grocery retail industry is extremely high. Tesco faces intense competition from its direct competitors, including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose, which are ompeting with each other over price, products and promotions intermittently. It should therefore be highlighted that Asda is one of the key competitors in this segment with an increase of market share from 16. 6% to 16. 8% during the fiscal year 2010/ 09, while Sainsbury’s has shown an increase to 16. 1% from 15. 8% and Morrisons to 11. 6% from 11. 3% through the same period (Euromonitor, 2010). The slow market growth essentially means that these increasing market shares from competitors have intensified the market rivalry, which is threatening Tesco’s market leadership position. In rural areas where the nearest superstore can be some distance away, some primary consumers are attracted by retailers like Somerfield and Co-op . Hard discounters like Aldi and Lidl have taken over the market in times of recession. During 2008 they recorded a growth of sales of over 25% (Keynote, 2010). Bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of buyers is fairly high. In cases where products have a slight differentiation and are more standardized, the switching cost is very low and the buyers can easily switch from one brand to another. It has been proposed that customers are attracted towards the low prices, and with the availability of online retail shopping, the prices of products are easily compared and thus selected. Bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is fairly low. It should be noted that the suppliers are inclined towards major food and grocery retailers and dread losing their business contracts with large supermarkets. Hence, the position of the retailers like Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury’s is further strengthened and negotiations are positive in order to get the lowest possible price from the suppliers.

“Nobody Knows” and “Maboroshi”: Films about Pain and Struggle

These two Japanese films were directed by the critically acclaimed director Hirokazu Koreida. Both films were well accepted by the general public. These two films also garnered numerous awards and are known for their compelling storylines. Film critics around the world praised these two films on almost every department. â€Å"Maboroshi† was released in 1995, while â€Å"Nobody Knows† was released in 2004. There is a noticeable gap between the times these two movies were released, but director Hirokazu Koreida never lost his style and vision in film making. â€Å"Maboroshi† is Koreida’s first film. It revolves around the life of a woman named Yomiko. After her husband committed suicide, she was left miserable and alone. She struggled to put the past behind as she was consumed by pain and depression. As she struggles to battle her own insecurities, regrets and doubts, she is forced to resolve the inexplicable cause for her grief through an eventual renewal of love and companionship. It seems that Yumiko cannot escape the ghost of the past. Yet, she has renewed hope and comfort in the arms of another man. She decided to marry this man who is a fisherman. This man was lost after a storm came while he was fishing at the sea. After his return, Yomiko was never the same. Her doubts and fears have consumed her. She was also troubled with anxiety. She was stuck in the past, lost in thoughts that could bring pain and depression. These are the reasons why she could not fully commit herself to her second husband. The film â€Å"Nobody knows† is a story about four children who were abandoned by their parents. The film was based on actual events which took place in 1988. It was said that the actual even was more depressing than the movie adaptation. The story begins when a woman named Keiko abandons her young children in a shabby apartment in an unknown Japanese city. She left her children with almost no money for survival. Her character shows us how irresponsible parents could be. Akira, her eldest son, took the role of their parents. He had to take care of his three siblings. He tried his best to be a good parent by borrowing money from people he knew and even gave gifts for his siblings during Christmas. The film gives a picture of how hard life can be in an urban setting, where life is fast and only the fittest would survive. The film is about the struggle of these four children in finding comfort, security, happiness and salvation. Film Analysis and Comparison The analysis and comparison will be divided into three parts. The first part will tackle the technical aspects of both films. Then the second part will tackle the theme and the story of both films. We will try to see if the two films are somewhat parallel. The last part of the analysis and comparison is about the message of the two films. Technical Aspects Since both films were directed by the same person, they do not differ that much in terms of the technical stuff. These two films boast greatness in cinematography. The shots were meticulously framed and scenes were carefully orchestrated. The lighting in both films helped a lot in accentuating the mood and emotion that a certain scene elicits. This was more evident in â€Å"Maboroshi†. The film has a distinct imagery which was achieved by the contrast of colors and proper lighting effects. There are scenes from the film that actually looks like a canvass. The primary colors came in very effectively to highlight certain objects. An example would be the moving vehicles which brings luminous contrast. Even just the small details like the pink ball thrown by a child, the illuminated rooms bathed in light, and the blue paint in fishing boats were are all captivating. The film is pleasing to the eye. The scenes from this film were shot from a distance, making it more like a piece of artwork. This actually makes the audience feel distant from the characters and the story. â€Å"Maboroshi† could be described as an art film that is crafted by a master artist. Just like â€Å"Maboroshi†, â€Å"Nobody Knows† can also be called an art film. It is quite different because it is like a documentary. The film feels more like a documentary on the story of the four abandoned children rather than a regular film. It is quite noticeable that there are only few dialogues in both films. Certain scenes are actually shot pretty long and camera movement was seldom. The sparse dialogue and minimalist production actually worked well with â€Å"Nobody Knows† because it made the film more authentic. The movie’s slow pace and quietness made the plot build up more emotional. The set's close quarters and bright lighting puts emphasis on the isolation and loneliness of the children's apartment. The documentary style of filming that was employed in this film allowed the audience to see things from the children’s point of view. Both films were well directed and the actors gave a wonderful performance. Since dialogue was sparse in both films, the body movement and facial expression of the actors had to play a big part in the story telling. We should applaud the actors in both films because they delivered well in this department. A number of them actually garnered acting awards. Yuya Yugira (Akira) from â€Å"Nobody Knows† won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival. He was only a novice at that time. Koreida revealed the emotions and thoughts of his characters through the use of body movement and facial expressions. Emotions could be felt even by just looking at the eyes of the children. The best directors simply know how to use this style. The connection between the characters and the audience is the grand result of these stylistic choices. The Story and Theme If we look deeper into these two films, we will notice that their respective themes are quite parallel. â€Å"Maboroshi† and â€Å"Nobody Knows† both talk about pain and struggle. These two themes are the driving forces of the two films. If we look back and recall the plot of â€Å"Maboroshi†, we would notice that the story is about the pain and struggles that the main character (Yomiko) was going through. She was always in a situation wherein she has to confront her pain and struggles. This is the same for the movie â€Å"Nobody Knows†. The story was also about pain and struggle. The four abandoned kids had to go through a lot because they had irresponsible parents. The whole story was about their struggle for survival and their continuous search for salvation. The director employed the proper style and method to illustrate these two themes. The quietness and sparse dialogues helped a lot in relating these two themes to the audience. This is also the same reason why the two films are somewhat depressing. Although it’s necessary that films about these themes should be dark and gloomy, the use of contrast and a little bit of humor could still be effective. Director Hirokazu Koreida was successful in utilizing this style. In â€Å"Maboroshi†, he used contrast of colors to bring light into the overall mood of the story. He made the audience see beauty amidst the gloom that surrounds the film. In â€Å"Nobody Knows†, he used a bit of humor and optimism that is quite unexpected in the worst of situations. There was a part when one of the kids had these funny squeaking shoes which could represent the privilege of finding hope as they leave their shelter for the first time. The two films are about the universal concept of pain. They explore the emotion that makes us human. The question on how to deal with it is actually answered in the two films. Message Maboroshi is a Japanese word that loosely translates to â€Å"illusory light.† It is an incomprehensible mirage that occasionally unveils itself along the waves of the sea, leading many curious sailors to their impending doom. Its origin is still a mystery. Nobody knows why men are lured by its worldly promises. There are things in this world that cannot be explained. There are events that are incomprehensible. It only reminds us of our limitations and our humanity. The lesson that we can draw from the film is that there tragedies and misfortunes in life that we cannot immediately understand, but this does not mean that we should give up on our search for redemption and recovery. One must learn to accept these tragedies to be able to move on with life. The message that we can draw from â€Å"Nobody Knows† is similar to â€Å"Maboroshi†. The film shows us that there is hope amidst the worst of situations. Akira showed courage and devotion, even though it seemed that the weight of the world is upon him. The four siblings showed determination to survive, hoping that someday they will find a place in the harsh world they live in. â€Å"Maboroshi† and â€Å"Nobody Knows† were crafted artistically. They are unique, full of emotion, and captivating. They reach through the hearts of the audience, pleading for sympathy and compassion. These two films are undeniably deserving of the praise and recognition they have received.      

Investment Analysis and Security Valuation to a Real Life Situation Research Paper

Investment Analysis and Security Valuation to a Real Life Situation - Research Paper Example The scrip of the Almarai Company under the agriculture and food sector has been given a buy recommendation as it is a bull in the market which is also outperforming most of the other players of this sector. Almarai Company is one of the attractive stocks on the Saudi Stock Exchange Tadawul. The stock is actively traded. Eqarani (2012) has reviewed Almarai to be the largest integrated dairy company in the world, with a well recognized brand that was ranked number three in Forbes’s ‘Top-40 Arab Brands’ list. A snap shot taken out of the exchange and presented as Fig 1 depicts its active trading patterns. Fig1 The company has the authorized capital of 4000 million Saudi Arab Riyals and has issued 400 million shares of par value of 10 Riyals. The stock is trading at a level above 50 Riyals on Tadawul stock exchange. The company has a paid capital of 4000 million Riyals and its floated issued shares are 165,409,795. The company belongs to the agriculture and food secto r which is a tremendously growing sector of the economy of Saudi Arabia. The growth for this sector on the Tadawul in last one year is 29.21%. There are reasons. Saudi Arabia is the largest market in the middle-east for agricultural and food products. This sector of economy in Saudi Arabia is growing at a GDP of 8%. Agriculture products in Saudi Arabia account for more than 25% of the private sector investments. The companies not only produce for the local market but they are eying the export market also in the surrounding middle-east countries. All the more, the Saudi government has set its priority on becoming self dependent on the food front because still it is importing 70% of the food items. It is boon time for companies including multinationals for meteorically rise in this progressing economy. Almarai Company already holds a significant place in the economy. The company enjoys a robust health and is a mature company. It was established way back in 1977. The then chairman of t he company Prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saudi Al Kabeer worked with a vision to transform the tiny dairy farming industry into an efficient and professional giant that should be able to cater to the growing demands of its population and that too by making its products available at affordable costs. A few graphs presented below depict the consistent good performance of the company in last few years. Graph 1 (Years range from 1 to 4 on X-axis is 2008 to 2011) The Graph 1 shows that the revenue earned by the company is rising at a consistent rate of 8 to 10 per cent each subsequent year. This is an indicator of robust market position of the company. Graph 2 (Years range from 1 to 4 on X-axis is 2008 to 2011) The scenario of operating income is comfortable. The operating income in Dec’ 2011 is 1517 million riyals incrementing by 59 million riyals in comparison to the operating income level of 1459 million riyals in Dec’2010. In contrast to this the incremental enhancemen t in the operating income in Dec’2010 was 494 million riyals in comparison to its level of 965 million riyals in Dec’ 2009. This is a point of concern but at the same time the capital investment in the expansions done by the company explains this low incremental increase in Dec’2011. It is not that heavier in comparison to

The Pioneers Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Pioneers - Term Paper Example This paper is a critical analysis of contributions of Isaac Newton and Aristotle, some of the most distinguished scientific pioneers in the history of humanity. Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton, a distinguished English philosopher is considered as the most creative and prominent scientific theorist of all times. His most remarkable contribution in mathematical and scientific fields includes the discovery of infinitesimal calculus and pioneering theories in the study of light and color. Moreover, Isaac Newton revolutionalized physical science by the discovery of the three laws of motion and the law of gravitational pull (Westfall, 1971). His contribution in science and mathematics resulted to development of classical mechanics, a very influential scientific discipline. Though Isaac Newton is considered to be one of the most original thinkers, he collaborated the works and ideas of other scientists in the 17 century and before such as Kepler, Galileo, Descartes and Copernicus among others . Isaac Newton asserted this fact by acknowledging in one of his most famous quote that if he had seen further, it was by standing on the shoulders of giants (Alexandre, 1965). He distinguished himself as a brilliant physicist, astronomer, mathematician, alchemist and as a natural philosopher. According to Westfall (1971), Isaac Newton was born in January 4, 1643 to Hannah Ayscough and Isaac Newton. His actual place of birth was at Woolsthorpe, a rural town in Lincolnshire County. During his birth, the Gregorian calendar was not used in England then and hence his birth date was recorded using the Julian calendar as 25 December 1642. The Gregorian calendar, which is the modern style, was adopted in 1752 in England and it was ten days ahead of the Julian style (Westfall, 1971). Isaac Newton was born prematurely and his father had died three months prior to his birth. Later, his mother Hannah remarried when the boy was just three years old, an incident that most Newtonian biographers c onsider as traumatic to his childhood and adulthood. Soon after his mother remarried, Isaac Newton was left under the care of his maternal grandmother Margery Asycough (Westfall, 1971). Isaac Newton was separated from his mother until 1653, when she returned to her motherland after the death of her second husband. He enrolled at King’s school after refusing her mothers attempt of dropping him out of school to train him become a farmer. Isaac Newton’s early academic life was lackluster, but he later, he discovered his abilities after joining Cambridge University from Woolsthorpe in 1661 (Hall, 1980). Cambridge University is a renowned institution of higher learning but at the time of Isaac Newton admission, the centre had not yet grasped emerging scientific changes in its curriculum (Hall, 1980). In this regard, Ackrill (1981) noted that the curriculum was based on ancient works of Aristotle and other classical authors. In this respect, most biographers affirm that Isaa c Newton’s undergraduate studies involved a lot of Aristotle, resulting to his undistinguishable academic performance. However during this time, Isaac Newton concentrated and mustered the works of

Characterize the role of ICTY in developing international criminal law Coursework

Characterize the role of ICTY in developing international criminal law - Coursework Example A few years ago the concept of the establishment of international war crime tribunal seemed unrealistic but now ad hoc tribunals for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda have been established and the development of permanent international criminal court (ICC) is expected soon2. This paper will analyze the role of International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). ICTY was formed under chapter VII of the UN Charter. Under article 39 of the Charter, the Security Council found threat to the international peace and security therefore it was decided to establish a subsidiary unit that assures law enforcement to maintain security and peace internationally under article 7(2) and 41. The tribunal operates independently of political and Security Council considerations3. The United Nations set up ICTY for prosecuting those who were held responsible for committing serious crimes during the war in the former Yugoslavia and put perpetrators on trial for their actions. The purpose of establishing ICTY was to deter military and civil officers in the former Yugoslavia from committing more violent incidents. It was also intended to give a message internationally that those who attempted crimes would meet justice4. The international criminal tribunal (ICTY) was meant to maintain security and peace internationally. Case studies from Yugoslavia, Cambodia, and Rwanda showed that international tribunals have significantly contributed towards the international law and retributive justice. It can further help in reconciliation in other forms of justice and establishing peace. The impact of ICTY on the local public protest also signifies the disparity between local and international perspectives on justice. In Nuremberg and Tokyo practice of the victors’ justice, the role of ICTY has been very significant. It is also asserted that the practice of ICTY is and will continue to

Pizza home delivery business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Pizza home delivery business - Case Study Example Our Objective: The objectives of Pizza Home delivery are to generate a profit, grow at a challenging and manageable rate, and make a margin of 15% within the first year of operation. The long term objective is to expand and become and become a leading Pizza home delivery service within the UK The timing is right for starting this new venture. In phase of the collapse of the traditional family settings and the London Olympic coupled with stringent and 'difficult credit facilities offered by banks' regulations set forth by regulatory bodies, this firm has come to give its prospective clients just the services they much desire. The demand from our clients, as well as our ambition and passion for Pizza making business, and the procurement of highly professional and qualified chef, has made this venture one of great potential. Pizza home delivery is a new business venture. It is an establishment to be based in Cambridge the sole distribution of Pizza at peoples home a private home delivery Pizza service and restaurant for affluent young families (parents and children). A "third space" for mothers and fathers who can relax in their houses and with a phone call they are served. It would be positioned as a home away from home, without being too far away. There is no other offering in Cambridge, United Kingdom at the moment. It is a for-profit business that provides a range of tailored services to new and young families all under one roof. It is envisioned that the usage of the services will be working and busy people of all works of life within different age groups however when fathers/male carers use the restaurants and the facilities, they must feel comfortable, welcomed and entertained. We will provide three class of pizza and sizes, for individuals, family, and for parties. The Pizza home delivery services will be facilitated by our home delivery vans. The Market There is definitely a market opportunity for Pizza home delivery restaurant services. The size of the market right now in terms of finances is sitting at there are 2241 businesses within the ABS Classification of Interest Groups and over the last 4 years has experienced an average growth rate of 4%. The total revenue in for this industry has been estimated by an independent market analyst to be more than 1billion GBPs. In terms of customers there are more than 6,735 families living withing the target market Cambridge that comprise our target market; couples with young children under the age of 10 with a household take home income of over 750GBP per week on average. It is estimated that the potential market share will be 10% with projected member take up of 500 members in the first year due to pent up demand. Continued growth

Paper on disenfranchised grief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paper on disenfranchised grief - Essay Example In fact, many marriages were ruined due to alcohol addiction committed by a spouse. In addition to this, children of alcoholics were affected by their father’s addiction, too. The article What to Do with an Alcoholic Spouse? culled from www.marriagebuilders.com quotes: As a consequence, loved ones resort to coping methods such as ignoring the person (alcoholic) and treating him as if he is already dead. This type of coping behavior is identified as social death. Leary (2001) made mention of social death as a type of interpersonal rejection that family members practice so they can distance themselves from the loved one in pain. When a family resorts to social death as a coping mechanism, family members experience loss, but society does not consider it that way and may even frown upon the reaction of family members. Families that cope using psychosocial death as a defense mechanism can be considered suffering from disenfranchised grief as Doka ( 1989) argued that â€Å"in all of these cases, spouses and others may experience a profound sense of loss, but that loss cannot be publicly acknowledged for the person is still biologically alive†. Therefore, the spouse and children of alcoholics experience disenfranchised grief on a daily basis especially when the person ( alcoholic ) resides in the same house. Doka (1989) explains that†(a) grieving person experiences deep personal loss, but the very nature of the syndrome complicates emotional responses, creating ambivalence, anger, and guilt†. In short, the disenfranchised grief becomes very complicated as a consequence of psychosocial death. Some decades ago, there were few interventions in supporting the loved ones of alcoholics who had been experiencing disenfranchised grief. Nevertheless, it is important to seek intervention strategies for this type of grief so that people can move on to their normal lives. Nowadays, there are different types of intervention that are available. One

Healthcare Reform (I Oppose It) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Healthcare Reform (I Oppose It) - Essay Example With increase in the cost of life, it is apparent that paying for medical cover is to some extend seen as a luxury especially by middle class people. The budget on how to spend the earnings has been difficult characterized by large budgets and loans that act as a burden to many people. Besides, it is only logical that one cannot pay for medical cover and forfeit their meals. Groszkruger (2011) argued that the government should put in place mechanisms that allow its citizens to be flexible in the way they carry on with their lives. For instance, instead of the government introducing a healthcare program and then impose some policies that compels people to part with money, it would have been better if the government came up with proposals that would help people that are unable to pay for the plan to get the funds. For instance, a section of the national budget should be set aside to pay for those people that are unable to pay. In a different dimension, the law to tax people if they fail to pay for the plan can be argued to be oppressive because it is the right for people to get free medical help from the government. In fact, according to Wolfe (2012) the government should not bring in the issue of taxing social amenities that are considered fundamental to its people. Instead, there should be funds obtained through other means in taking care of healthcare of the Americans. The plan and other social policies should be outlined in such a way that the Americans can only contribute small amounts to aid the running of the institutions put in place. In regard to solving the issue of lack of money to pay for the coverage, the Obamacare proposes that one can obtain financial help to pay for the coverage. Although one would be made to believe that this is a solution, it is only seen as so on the basis of paying for the coverage. In fact, this could be argued to mean digging a hole to obtain soil

Technology and culture class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Technology and culture class - Essay Example Bill Joy, on the other hand, talks about the threat of artificial intelligence to mankind in his book â€Å"Why the future doesn’t need us†. He talks in a very pessimistic manner and he talks about how robots will take over from humans and will perform everything without the help of human technology. Bill argues against the â€Å"rise of the robots† and predicts a horrific future for mankind because of this. He predicts that the acceleration in improvement of technology mean s that humans will fuse with robots. A comparison of the two authors works show that Ray is more of an optimist about the improvement of technology, while Bill is a pessimist. Bill claims that the doom of humans will occur because humans will drift towards robot control. This is because the problems in future will be s complex on artificial intelligence will be able to solve them after which robots will take control of everything. Ray, on the other hand, believes that the exponential improvement in technology will bring about changes that will shock mankind. He does not talk about the doom of the human

Writing to Local Community about Steve Jobs Essay

Writing to Local Community about Steve Jobs - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that  many individuals aspire to become Apple’s employees based on the different experience it offers. In addition, Apple employees are one of the most accommodating and helpful individuals. Apple’s work policy and ethics always considers the client as the â€Å"boss† therefore, their needs are always addressed. This principle is always customer oriented and as an Apple’s employee, an individual must be ready to serve. The employees play an important role in addressing the clients’ issues.As the research stresses  the company has highly qualified employees based on the past and present performance of the company in the highly competitive market. In addition, the company’s board members   have numerous individuals that they can consider for the position of Chief Executive Officer. Given Steve Jobs’ personality and successful career life, there is much information about him and therefore this will make i t easy for me to acquire relevant information that I will use to answer my questions. Therefore, there will be no need to schedule an interview with him, which can be a challenge because of his busy lifestyle. Published materials and videos will provide the required insight about him and the author will incorporate the information from these sources.  The audience for this profile will target individuals who aspire to be successful entrepreneurs. Students will also find this article relevant since Steve Jobs is one of the prominent members in the contemporary world that young people look up to.  

Nature or Nurture Essay Example for Free

Nature or Nurture Essay NURTURE OR NATURE It has been long debated the importance of nature verses nurture. It is hard to prove one from the other since it is shown for them both to play major roles in the development of a child to an adult. I believe that my personality is a combination of both nature and nurture but I think that I am +more nurtured. There are so many behaviors that I have developed from the environment I grew up. I have learnt to respect all people from being influenced at school and by my parents. I have also been trained to be responsible of things such as doing my work. I learnt that if I am not responsible and dont do my work, then I must pay bad consequences. I have also learnt from experiences that if I do what I am supposed to do, I may be rewarded for good things done. My environment has influenced me in many ways to act upon certain things automatically. Things like looking both ways before crossing the street, or other things that appear to be common sense are learnt from nurture. I have gone through many experiences in which I have learnt different lessons. These lessons have taught me how to act in my life. I know that I am very different person than my mom or my dad. I dont have very much in common with either of them. Although we do share some of the same aspects, I feel that I am more different from them than alike. I have developed the majority of my social skills from my friends and not my parents. Most of my social life revolves around my friends, who have influenced me a lot of the decisions I make and in the way I act. I dont socialize with my parents nearly as much as I do with my peers. I dont think I know my parents well enough to say if I am like them when they are around their friends or not. The nature and nurture of a person can vary greatly. Sometimes there are certain things that are hard to decide whether they are inherited or learnt. I might share some qualities with my parents, but they could just be characteristics that I learnt in my life that my parents also learnt in their lives too and were not inherited. I believe that genes indicate the potential for ones behavior and personality, and that the environment helps create the extent as to how that behavior is carried out.

Comparing National and Personal Security

Comparing National and Personal Security Why national security is more important than personal security. What if national security was gone tomorrow? Some people would automatically assume the worst.Although we wouldnt be invaded by another country   in a month or be any more likely to be attacked as a country,the people of America would be in a great deal of danger. When a natural disaster strikes a populated area,the first people to respond are firefighters,paramedics,and police officers.Even in the event of the area being completely leveled,they still have to keep order and keep the civilians safe.Without them,most people who are stranded or in need would never be found or die,although many times civilians help in search and rescue.Its obvious that American emergency services plays the defining role of how many people survive a natural disaster,and are employes of the government,even if their pay comes from taxpayers.Besides wanting to help its people,the only reason the United States   government would have to send help to civilians after a disaster is national security,which is the belief that the government and parliaments should protect its people through various means and powers. Of all the powers Congress has,the most they have has to do is with national security,like investigations and declaring war,so its apparent that national security is important to the United States government.But with great power comes great responsibility.A natural reaction to the United States government protecting its people from crisis is going too far. Luckily,there are limitations to what they can do.For example,the 4th amendment stops the government or government workers from searching your body,belongings,home or other possessions without reasonable cause or a warrant from a judge and the 5th allows the right to remain silent.Even in cases like executive order 9066 (japanese american civilians   locked up after Pearl Harbor) or Guantanamo Bay (prisoners tortured after and for information on 9/11) where personal rights were crushed under a boot of national security,it was all in an attempt to keep the people safe.Yes,the 2 two events above were horrible and should have n ever happened,but the intents were still good. In 1915,german submarines sunk a United States ship,leading Congress to declare war on Germany,showing a successful national security response as Germany had killed Americans and were a threat to the nation.Similarly,after the attack on Pearl Harbor Congress once again declared war in a response to a threat to national security.When 9/11 occurred many inactive veterans would step back on the battlefield since the attack on the Trade Towers was a national crisis,falling under a national security matter.If the government had not reacted in the way they did,there would have been many more attacks like the ones above. Not every occasion where national security overtakes personal rights is bad. When a shooter and his wife were killed after killing 14 people in San Bernardino, the FBI recovered an Iphone from one of the bodies.When they demanded Apple, the famous company that makes the phones, to help them crack the phone by making a back door,they said no. If they did help,they could have potentially saved lives, but there personal right to say no prevented that, stopping the FBI from doing their jobs because the phone could have helped they find more shooters/information. Many people are also skeptical of national security because of how secret and over powered they think it is. But this isnt necessarily the case. No matter if everyone in the world saw and recorded someone blowing up a building,the terrorist would still have to right to a trial in the United States and someone would have to prove, without a reasonable doubt, that he did in fact blow up the building, according to the 5th amendment of the United States constitution. And to make it even harder for national security,due to the same amendment, the terrorist wont have to testify against himself/herself, so all the evidence must come from someone/something else.Much criticism of national security comes from the secrecy and the reluctance of the United States government to release information to the public.Although it is only right for a countrys people to fully   know of the problems plaguing national security,many times the secrecy is absolutely necessary.It is to ensure that Unied S tates methods and analysis of receiving and decoding information are not revealed to other nations.For example,on July 17 1950, at the peak of United States fear Julius Rosenberg was arrested for allegedly passing Russian secrets to Russia.About a month later his wife was arrested as well.They He worked for the United States Army Signal Corps and was an engineer, making him seem ordinary.During their trial however, a majority of the evidence presented was weak and didnt seem to be nearly enough to send them to the electric chair for the crimes they seemed to not have done.But nearly forty years after the trial,evidence that was classified at the time was released to the public,revealing that the United States had been listening in on Russian transmissions and Julius Rosenberg (wifes role still unknown) had indeed been giving Atomic secrets to Russia.If   the United States government had released the information during the trial to the public to appeal to their personal right to know if the Rosenbergs were actually guilty or not,the Russians would have known that they were being listened in to and the United States would have lost any future oppertunities to gather any infromation.It is also important to note that the Rosenbergs have avoided death by admitting to their espionage. Even with some of the necessary secrecy, National security still isnt as secret as most people think it to be.In the United States,about one point four million people have access to top secret information.Although this sounds scary, contradictory to public assumption, top secret is not the highest level of secret information.There are multiple levels of sensitive information clearance higher than top secret including sensitive compartment information and special access programs. In the end, national security is more important than personal rights because without it, the government would have little reason to help its people and would most likely end up working for itself instead of their people. References Constitute. Constitute, Constitute Project, www.constituteproject.org/constitution/United_States_of_America_1992. Executive Order 9066. Britannica School, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 9 Feb. 2009. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Executive-Order-9066/473853?opensearch=executive%20order%209066. Accessed 15 Feb. 2017. Okita, Dwight. In Response to Executive Order 9066: All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to Relocation Centers. Breaking Silence: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian-American Poets, edited by Joseph Bruchac, Greenfield Review Press, 1983, p. 211. LitFinder, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=LITFsw=wu=j020902v=2.1id=GALE%7CLTF0000508187WKit=rasid=0c318a462d4449dbc9f55f57ba1a9a13. Accessed 15 Feb. 2017 The Powers of Congress. Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, www.ushistory.org/gov/6a.asp.

Effect of Phototherapy on Sleep Disorders

Effect of Phototherapy on Sleep Disorders In the natural world, the light – dark cycle entrains our rhythm. Light is a very effective ‘Zeitgeber’. In the presences of environmental time cues, sleep-wake physiology, and gene expression continue to exhibit a near-24-hour circadian rhythm regulated by the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus in the Hypothalamus. Phototherapy is an accepted modality for non- pharmacological management of Circadian Disorders such as Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, Insomnia etc. This review discusses the physiological principle and highlights evidence based literature of phototherapy and its management in Sleep Disorders. Introduction; Living organism’s exhibit a biological periodicity, this rhythm when occurs on a 24 hour cycle is known as ‘Circadian Rhythm’. A rhythmic biological cycle that displays an endogenous entrainable oscillation of less than 24 hours in known as ultradian rhythm. and that last for more than 24 hours is known as Infradian rhythms. Circadian Rhythms generate rhythmic cycling of sleep patterns, food intake, sexual behavior, core body temperature and secretion release of hormones such as ACTH, Prolactin, Gonadotorophin and Melatonin. Circadian Rhythms are generated by the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) of the Anterobasal Hypothalamus. Pineal gland regulates the rhythmic production and release of melatonin. The duration, phase and amplitude of melatonin and cortisol secretion, are influenced by changes in light-dark cycles. The plasma levels are low during day time and are high at night. This rhythm is maintained by the SCN and is entrained by the light-dark cycle. Low light intensities like 100 to 500 lux also have been shown to suppressed levels of melatonin. Phototherapy or light therapy utilizes light boxes which are typically LED square bright lights, ranging from 8-12 x 12-24 inches that emit 10,000 Lux (highest Lux) light, cool color temperature light acts as natural sunlight without the harmful effect of UV rays. This mode of entraining the sleep wake cycle is an accepted modality and mainstay treatment in the non-pharmacotherpeutic management of Circadian Rhythm Disorders. Principles of Phototherapy The goal of the Circadian Rhythm is to maintain a bridge between sleep patterns and the internal clock that is set at a optimally synchronized time. This results in a normal sleep-wake pattern. The Biological Model-Phase response curve The Phase Response curve is modulated by two efficacious modalities i.e. light and melatonin, both of which are exploited to entrain the circadian cycle. Bright light is very helpful in synchronizing the human rhythms and the melatonin serves as a ‘‘dark pulse’’ helping to induce night-time behaviors. Bright morning light advances circadian rhythms; bright evening light delays them. Melatonin in the evening advances circadian rhythms; melatonin in the morning delays them. Circadian Disturbances and Insulin Resistance Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a multifactorial disorder, of which Circadian Disturbances is one of the lifestyle factors that contribute to it. Sleepdisturbances including sleep insufficiency, sleep loss, sleep fragmentation, are connected to abnormal Glucose Metabolism and thus, increase the risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Studies in rodent models suggest that disruption of Circadian Rhythms leads to impaired glucose homeostasis and beta-cell failure, culminating in increased susceptibility to Type 2DM. Disturbed Circadian Rhythm is causative factor in the recent epidemic â€Å"Obesity†. In controlled clinical studies, acute 1-3 week circadian misalignment (alone) or in combination with sleep restriction results in dysregulation of glucose homeostasis and consequent glucose intolerance attributed in part to loss of beta-cell function as well as decline in insulin sensitivity. CIRCADIAN RHYTHM PROBLEM CONTRIBUTES TO INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohns disease (CD), is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory disorder of the intestinal tract. Study says that sleep disturbances are one of the main reasons of pathogenesis of the patients with IBD. In addition melatonin plays a vital role in regulation of inflammation as well as immune system and antioxidant system in the intestinal disorders. (16, 17) CIRCADIAN RHYTHM and visually Impaired Bright light has been shown to suppress Melatonin secretion even in visually impaired subjects which substantiates the fact that non-visual photoreceptors in the eye mediate the Circadian Rhythm regulating effects of light CIRCADIAN RHYTHM AND IMMUNITY Sleep restriction and sleep deficit increase your vulnerability to disease. The immune system is connected to the sleep regulatory system and actions of the immune system to fight disease.Sleep is regulated partly by immune system components called cytokines. Blood counts of T-cells and levels of proinflammatory cytokines are high during the night while leukocytes and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 go up during daytime. Changes in the immune system seem associated with the onset of narcolepsy, which has a neurological cause (brain cell death) inflammatory diseases increase cytokine levels and make people feel fatigued. This is a good thing during a short-term injury or illness, as it drives the person to rest. For those with chronic inflammation, however, the immune system keeps them tired for long periods, which may explain symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue disorder. The trouble in sleeping that people with those conditions experience is not due to just the discomforts of the illnesses, but because the sleep regulation system is affected. The different phases of sleep are responsible for different functions within our bodies. The first and second phases involve settling in, resulting in rhythmic breathing and a lowered body temperature. The third and fourth stages are when our bodies are working to restore themselves. During this time our muscles relax and the blood supply going to them increases. Our bodies use this time to repair tissue damage and grow new tissue. Important hormones are released and our energy is renewed. These stages appear to be a critical factor in maintaining a healthy immune system and any sleep disturbance that impacts them, impacts our health. It is becoming increasingly evident that disruption of daily rhythms, such as from sleep deprivation, affects the immune response. Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), is an immune system protein that can sense bacterial and viral DNA Role of Phototherapy Cognitive Impact Light intensity has a direct impact on cognitive performance and alertness and on the subjective feeling of sleepiness. The researchers found that volunteers subjected to higher light intensity during the afternoon were more alert all the way into the early evening than those who were not. But when subjected to light intensity 10 times weaker, they showed signs of sleepiness and obtained lower scores on the memory tests. Artificial light is used to phase shift circadian rhythm and help improve performance, sleep, and well-being during shiftwork simulations , this was proved in study designed for NASA personals during t he prelaunch week. The treated subjects were self exposed to 10, 000 Lux. The treated personnel showed a positive result reporting better sleep, performance, and physical and emotional well-being than control subjects and rated the treatment as highly effective for promoting adjustment to their work schedules for the study. Nocturnal alertness, performance, and daytime sleep could be improved by light exposure of tolerable intensity and duration in a real work place. This was proved in a cross-over design study conducted on 12 night Shift nurses with three different treatment procedures: Room Light (RL) exposure in the night followed by a 1hr sunlight or 10,000 lux light next morning(08:30 to 09:30), Bright Light (BL) a 4-hour nocturnal light exposure of 4,000-6,000 lux (from 01:00 to 05:00) and Bright Light with Sunglasses (BL/S) the same nocturnal light exposure as in BL was done with light attenuation in the morning. Nocturnal alertness was measured by a visual analog scale. Daytime sleep was recorded with actigraphy. Nocturnal alertness was the highest in the BL/S. The improvement was maximized by attenuating morning light. Sun-Downing phenomenon Sundowning is a clinical phenomenon characterized by the emergence or increment of neuropsychiatric symptoms such as confusion, disorientation, anxiety, agitation, aggression, pacing, wandering, resistance to redirect screaming, yelling and so forth observed late afternoon, evening or at night and occurs among cognitively impaired, demented, or institutionalized elderly patients. In a 6-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial the effects of bright light therapy combined with melatonin on motor restless behavior in demented patients had been evaluated. This study concluded that bright light therapy (10,000 lux bright light) has a positive effect on motor restlessness in subjects with dementia. Mood disturbances Manic-Depressive Illness (MDP): MDP is recurrent illness in which episodes of Mania and Depression occur and remit spontaneously. Several clinical studies say that disturbance in the Circadian Rhythms play a crucial role in its pathophysiology. Melatonin secretion shows abnormal levels in some bipolar patients (MDP). Patients with MDP exhibit circadian sleep wake rhythm in which patients spent one complete sleepless night in between two nights of normal sleep. In a study, 143 patients with a major depressive episode in the course of bipolar disorder (DSM-IV criteria) treatment with 3 consecutive totalsleepdeprivation cycle (each composed of a period of 36 hours awake followed by recovery sleep), light therapy, and lithium rapidly decreased the depressive suicidality and prompt antidepressant response in patients with drug-resistant major depression in the course of bipolar disorder. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is typically characterized by instability and impaired behaviour , affectivity, interpersonal relations and lifestyle. This open study assessed 13 female patients for the effectiveness of the application of bright light (10,000 lux, 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. for 6 weeks) added to SSRIs in drug-resistant depressed patients with comorbid BPD who did not show any improvement to 6-week administration of antidepressants. The participants were regularly evaluated using the CGI, HAMD and MADRS scales and the BDI and BDI self-report inventories. All the assessments proved that the application of Bright light leads to a significant improvement. SAD: Phototherapy acts through Retinal Melatonin or Rhodopsin, which regulates Dopamine release in the eye where it acts as the main neurotransmitter. The retina-SCNvpineal gland forms a link, which is disturbed in SAD. By suppressing retinal Melatonin, Phototherapy has been suggested to correct the underlying biochemical abnormality seen in SAD and thereby inducing clinical remission.In Non- Demented people, light therapy is an accepted and validated treatment for seasonal affective disorder, but has also been reported to be effective in Non –Seasonal Depression (15). Recently it has been noted that exposure of SAD patients to natural sunlight in the morning hours resulted in complete remission of depressive symptoms. In the study, N=24(12 SAD patients and 12 controls) were exposed to morning light therapy in the winter and the melatonin profiles being sensitive to light were measured before and after treatment. The SAD Patients showed a phase advance of melatonin rhythms in response to phototherapy which showed an association between phase position and phase shift in the SAD patients. This instability may be secondary to impaired serotoninergic function in the afferent pathways to the suprachiasmatic nuclei. This seems to be a significant advancement in the etiology of SAD that links light with Mood Disorders. In Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is common when vitamin D stores are typically low. wavelengths between 280-320 nm which are Broad-spectrum light therapy that allow the skin to produce vitamin D. In a prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted N=15 subjects with SAD (8 subjects-100,000 I.U. of vitamin D and 7 subjects–phototherapy). At the onset of treatment and after 1 month of therapy subjects different depression scale were administered. Vitamin D status improved in both groups (74% vitamin D group, p ADHD Morning bright light therapy is associated helps reduce both subjective and objective measures of core ADHD pathology, improves mood symptoms, and phase advance in circadian preference. Multiple regressions showed that the shift toward an earlier circadian preference with LT was the strongest predictor of improvement on both subjective and objective ADHD measures. In the Elderly The risk of developing depression increases with old age. The occurrence of a major depressive episode in Alzheimer’s disease is as high as 20-25%and minor depressive symptoms occur in an additional 20-30% (9, 10). In a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, patients with early Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Subjective Memory Complaints (SMC)(N=79, Age = between 50 75). Patients were exposed to ~10,000 lux for two years, the active condition or ~300 lux in the placebo condition, daily, for two half-hour sessions at fixed times in the morning and evening. Neuropsychological, behavioral, physiological and endocrine measures are assessed at baseline and follow-up every five to six months. The evaluation showed long-term daily bright light prevented worsening of sleep-wake rhythms and depressive symptoms in elderly people with memory complaints. Elderly experience increased difficulties with sleeping, and thus could be one of the contributing factor for mood problems.(11) Factors contributing in Aging process Aging process | | Impaired Ocular light transmission due to age related eye deficiencies | | Requires high demand of light intensities inorder to maintain a sufficient input to SCN | | Diminished SCN input | | Arrhythmia in the Sleep Wake cycle Studies report that it is possible to reactivate the SCN and improve ‘Sleep –Wake Rhythm’ by applying extra light. Light therapy provides a safe treatment option (13).It’s reported that, bright light therapy is decreasing common health issues (14). In 10 Alzheimers patients with sundowning behavior and sleep disturbances were studied for a week who received 2 hours/day of exposure to bright light between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. The results showed that the proportion of total daily activity occurring during the nighttime decreased during the light-treatment week. The relative amplitude of the circadian locomotor activity rhythm, a measure of its stability, increased during the light-treatment week. This kind of effect mediated through a chronobiological mechanism. Artificial light is used to phase shift circadian rhythm and help improve performance, sleep, and well-being during shiftwork simulations , this was proved in study designed for NASA personals during t he prelaunch week. The treated subjects were self exposed to 10, 000 Lux. The treated personnel showed a positive result reporting better sleep, performance, and physical and emotional well-being than control subjects and rated the treatment as highly effective for promoting adjustment to their work schedules for the study. In study bright light exposure improved sleep quality in 7-18% subjects, the study consisted of 13 interventional studies with 1154 participants. Jet lag causes distress to the number of travelers impairing sleep, mood and cognitive performance. Timed exposure to bright light and melatonin administration can help to reduce symptoms. Specific recommendations using bright light and melatonin for eastward and westward travel before and after departure are provided for time zone changes of up to 6, 7–9 and 10 or more hours. Timed bright light and melatonin administration, by helping to adjust underlying circadian rhythms to the new time zone, can serve to mitigate the symptoms of jet lag. Reducingthe symptoms of jet lag by this methods can lessen the mood, cognitive and behavioral symptoms resulting from these desynchronized rhythms.(

Just Breathing Essay -- essays research papers

Just Breathing Ill-timed encounters with torment and death will always leave one behind as a reflective and thought full individual. â€Å"Just Breathing†, which was published in 1997 in the book â€Å"Sex, Drugs, Rock’n’Roll: Stories to end the centuryâ€Å", deals with a woman who feels, that she has changed after a strange meeting with the woman Magde. This essay contains an analysis and an interpretation of Nina and the function Madge has in Nina’s life. The story begins quite sudden because the reader is practically thrown into the story and the characters aren’t introduced. If you take a look at the verbs in the first three lines you will see that most of them are written in past tense. Therefore you can see that the narrator is looking back on the story of Nina. It’s unclear whether or not the narrator knows Nina, but by examining the text furtherer it becomes more and more obvious that it is a narrator who is present in the short story. From time to time while telling the story the narrator interrupts Nina to comment on the thoughts and actions of her, â€Å"Line 6, p 1 [why did illness never strike in term time?]† and â€Å"Line 101, p 4[buying twenty Benson & Hedges. (Twenty!)]†. In this short story Diana Hendry uses interior monologues to show the emotionally affected woman, Nina, and her life after a close encounter with death. Nina is a middle-aged woman who has taught English Literature for 15 years and she is married to Tom. After a serious asthma attack Nina is back at home...

Loneliness and Acceptance Essay -- First Person Narrative Examples

   I feel uncomfortable in my own world. Being alone unnerves me. I always have felt the need to share my world, my mind and my feelings with somebody. My feelings about myself seem less important than what others think of me. I'm scared of being lonely. And so are we all. We all seem to be on a continuous search for someone who will really love and understand us. Someone to provide us with a purpose for life. And yet I think we are all essentially alone. We are alone in our thoughts an emotions. The first time I really felt alone was when I was leaving Kentucky. We were at the airport saying our last good-byes. I was leaving everything and everyone that I loved, understood, cared for, to come and study in the Bay area. I was leaving familiar territory and moving into an unknown, unfamiliar world. I was saying good-bye to people who I had either grown up with or those who had seen me grow up. All my memories and emotions were attached to them. They were people who I thought really knew me and understood me. Yet every one of them had their own impression of how I should feel. Excitement, joy, fear, and sadness being the most popular. However nobody really knew what I was feeling. I felt all these emotions blended into an unique emotion of my own. One that I could not share with even my best friend. When I expressed my fears and anxiety about leaving Kentucky, no one seemed to really listen to what I was saying. They kept saying it would be alright. I was mature and almost an adult and the Western world with its great material temptations wouldn't corrupt me. But in my mind I felt isolated. I wanted them to sit and feel my anguish with me. But they wanted to pacify me, console me as though I were a baby. At that time I fel... ...e or friendship. We are taught that we don't have an identity if we are alone. Which is why we treat loneliness as a disease, one to be avoided at any cost. Loneliness is viewed as an inadequacy of our personalities. Though all of us are taught to be independent, our independence is superficial. We can cook, clean, and do our laundry but we can't seem to take care of our emotions independently. We are taught that we need to share all our emotions. And I believe that however hard we search we can never get the kind of understanding that we are looking for. We are taught to be uncomfortable in our own world. Society conditions us to believe that we are inadequately equipped to be alone and content. And that alone always means lonely.    Works Cited Macdonald, Elizabeth. "Odalisque" Encounters (Edt. Pat C. Hoy, Robert DiYanni) The Mc.Graw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Discrimination of Women in Soccer Essay

Gender discrimination and sexism in soccer is hurting many young talented female athletes and their dreams of becoming successful in soccer. Gender inequalities are obvious, but nobody takes the time to try to solve the problem. Media, sport authorities, and many others are responsible of the sexism in soccer. The discrimination among women in soccer is decreasing, but still are many things to solve and many girl dreams of becoming a soccer player totally ended. Male dominance in soccer has become a problem for female athletes, who in the hope of pursuing their dreams in soccer, have been discriminated and treated in an inferior way than males. Soccer is part of our culture, and whether you’re a fan or not, you could probably name one male soccer player. But could you name a women soccer player? Could you name Rachel Yankey? She has scored 17 goals for England National Team, the same as David Beckham, the star of England soccer team. Or could you name Maribel Dominguez? She migrated to USA when FIFA stopped her from playing soccer on a men’s soccer team in Mexico, and in her first year with the Atlanta Beat scored 17 goals and was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. But have you heard these names before? Women’s soccer has still a long way to go and evolve. According to Hughes (2011, March 11), media has a strong influence in what we see or what we don’t see and unfortunately just 2% of mainstream sports coverage is dedicated to women’s sport, so, how come people can learn or be interested about women’s soccer if sport shows don’t even give them a segment. Also is difficult to find information, matches results, or statistics of women’s competitions.

Drug abuse Essay

The policy in Switzerland seems to be a success because in the last 10 years there has been an astounding reduction in new users, 82% in fact. Addicts are offered heroin on prescription, access to â€Å"shooting galleries†, needle exchanges and oral methadone. This medicalised drug use has removes its glamour, making it trivial and less appealing. The British government however takes the view that allowing drug consumption rooms risks increasing levels of dealing and anti-social crime. This is the disadvantage currently obstructing the government following suit. The doctor thinks that some users have turned round their lives as a result of this treatment. They come off heroin because of the boredom of routine and drudgery. In addition to the professional opinion, a more personal outlook given by a former addict stated that it should be done in very controlled conditions and only used as a last resort. As I saw on the video, drug abuse has been a problem for centuries and I personally do not see a situation where the world will be free of drug abuse. This is because, when the word drug is defined we mean a medication and there are many legal drugs that are medically prescribed for the treatment of the ill. Drugs such as morphine and paracetamol can also be misused, and the abuse can lead to deaths. In this sense the problem of drug abuse can never be completely eliminated because people will just find another drug to abuse. However, one must be cautious when reading the newspapers as it is likely to be biased. Not everything must be taken into account as it is not likely to be authentic or reliable. To a certain extent not all drugs are as bad as each other; some drugs bring about more harm than others. In other ways, if particular drugs are abused constantly and in heavy quantities they can cause severe consequences, such as tobacco for example. Particular notice needs to be taken of Danger Ratings and the seriousness of heroin addiction. More should be done to prevent this, by tightening rules and regulations and giving harsher punishments to put off new users and give help to existing addicts. Both sources offer contrasting methods for dealing with the problem. The first method, calling upon the government to update the system may not be taken into consideration by some politicians as they do not want to lose votes. However, if it is considered and action is taken, it is a worthwhile action. The second method calling upon softer laws can be seen as helping in some ways, but mainly making it easier for drugs to be abused. In my opinion, the government should tighten rules and regulations for drug abuse and crackdown on Drug related crime, reducing the usage of drugs, and also supply help for the addicts to stabilise their lives. Politics and the law are barriers to both approaches because each method has to gain the Governments approval prior to the action taken, this may prove difficult. This is due to the fact that political parties view their own positions in government more precious than the welfare of the public. As a result of this, they are more concerned with losing votes rather than losing lives. As a whole, drug abuse and addiction is a problem that cannot ever be eradicated completely but it can be controlled and reduced, particularly with certain drugs. As mentioned previously, there are options available to control the issue, and measures can be put in place to reduce drug abuse. The best method would be to take a combination of both options as stated previously. Maybe, in the distant future, drug abuse may not be such a huge pandemic as it is today.

Forward the Foundation Chapter 16

6 Hari Seldon was fighting off melancholy. He was lectured in turn by Dors, by Raych, by Yugo, and by Manella. All united to tell him that sixty was not old. They simply did not understand. He had been thirty when the first hint of psychohistory had come to him, thirty-two when he delivered his famous lecture at the Decennial Convention, following which everything seemed to happen to him at once. After his brief interview with Cleon, He had fled across Trantor and met Demerzel, Dors, Yugo, and Raych, to say nothing of the people of Mycogen, of Dahl, and of Wye. He was forty when he became First Minister and fifty when he had relinquished the post. Now he was sixty. He had spent thirty years on psychohistory. How many more years would he require? How many more years would he live? Would he die with the Psychohistory Project unfinished after all? It was not the dying that bothered him, he told himself. It was the matter of leaving the Psychohistory Project unfinished. He went to see Yugo Amaryl. In recent years they had somehow drifted apart, as the Psychohistory Project had steadily increased in size. In the first years at Streeling, it had merely been Seldon and Amaryl working together-no one else. Now ** Amaryl was nearly fifty-not exactly a young man-and he had somehow lost his spark. In all these years, he had developed no interest in anything but psychohistory: no woman, no companion, no hobby, no subsidiary activity. Amaryl blinked at Seldon who couldn't help but note the changes in the man's appearance. Part of it may have been because Yugo had had to have his eyes reconstructed. He saw perfectly well, but there was an unnatural look about them and he tended to blink slowly. It made him appear sleepy. â€Å"What do you think, Yugo?† said Seldon. â€Å"Is there any light at the end of the tunnel?† â€Å"Light? Yes, as a matter of fact,† said Amaryl. â€Å"There's this new fellow, Tamwile Elar. You know him, of course.† â€Å"Oh yes. I'm the one who hired him. Very vigorous and aggressive. How's he doing?† â€Å"I can't say I'm really comfortable with him, Hari. His loud laughter gets on my nerves. But he's brilliant. The new system of equations fits right into the Prime Radiant and they seem to make it possible to get around the problem of chaos.† â€Å"Seem? Or will?† â€Å"Too early to say, but I'm very hopeful. I have tried a number of things that would have broken them down if they were worthless and the new equations survived them all. I'm beginning to think of them as the achaotic equations!† â€Å"I don't imagine,† said Seldon â€Å"we have anything like a rigorous demonstration concerning these equations?† â€Å"No, we don't, though I've put half a dozen people on it, including Elar, of course.† Amaryl turned on his Prime Radiant-which was every bit as advanced as Seldon's was-and he watched as the curving lines of luminous equations curled in midair-too small, too fine to be read without amplification. â€Å"Add the new equations and we may be able to begin to predict.† â€Å"Each time I study the Prime Radiant now,† said Seldon thoughtfully, â€Å"I wonder at the Electro-Clarifier and how tightly it squeezes material into the lines and curves of the future. Wasn't that Elar's idea, too?† â€Å"Yes. With the help of Cinda Monay, who designed it.† â€Å"It's good to have new and brilliant men and women in the Project. Somehow it reconciles me to the future.† â€Å"You think someone like Elar may be heading the Project someday?† asked Amaryl, still studying the Prime Radiant. â€Å"Maybe. After you and I have retired-or died.† Amaryl seemed to relax and turned off the device. â€Å"I would like to complete the task before we retire or die.† â€Å"So would I, Yugo. So would I.† â€Å"Psychohistory has guided us pretty well in the last ten years.† That was true enough, but Seldon knew that one couldn't attach too much triumph to that. Things had gone smoothly and without major surprises. Psychohistory had predicted that the center would hold after Cleon's death-predicted it in a very dim and uncertain way-and it did hold. Trantor was reasonably quiet. Even with an assassination and the end of a dynasty, the center had held. It did so under the stress of military rule-Dors was quite right in speaking of the junta as â€Å"those military rascals.† She might have even gone farther in her accusations without being wrong. Nevertheless, they were holding the Empire together and would continue to do so for a time. Long enough, perhaps, to allow psychohistory to play an active role in the events that were to transpire. Lately Yugo had been speaking about the possible establishment of Foundations-separate, isolated, independent of the Empire itself serving as seeds for developments through the forthcoming dark ages and into a new and better Empire. Seldon himself had been working on the consequences of such an arrangement. But he lacked the time and, he felt (with a certain misery), he lacked the youth as well. His mind, however firm and steady, did not have the resiliency and creativity that it had had when he was thirty and with each passing year, he knew he would have less. Perhaps he ought to put the young and brilliant Elar on the task, taking him off everything else. Seldon had to admit to himself, shamefacedly, that the possibility did not excite him. He did not want to have invented psychohistory so that some stripling could come in and reap the final fruits of fame. In fact, to put it at its most disgraceful, Seldon felt jealous of Elar and realized it just sufficiently to feel ashamed of the emotion. Yet, regardless of his less rational feelings, he would have to depend on other younger men-whatever his discomfort over it. Psychohistory was no longer the private preserve of himself and Amaryl. The decade of his being First Minister had converted it into a large government-sanctioned and -budgeted undertaking and, quite to his surprise, after resigning from his post as First Minister and returning to Streeling University, it had grown still larger. Hari grimaced at its ponderous-and pompous-official name: the Seldon Psychohistory Project at Streeling University. But most people simply referred to it as the Project. The military junta apparently saw the Project as a possible political weapon and while that was so, funding was no problem. Credits poured in. In return, it was necessary to prepare annual reports, which, however, were quite opaque. Only fringe matters were reported on and even then the mathematics was not likely to be within the purview of any of the members of the junta. It was clear as he left his old assistant that Amaryl, at least, was more than satisfied with the way psychohistory was going and yet Seldon felt the blanket of depression settle over him once more. He decided it was the forthcoming birthday celebration that was bothering him. It was meant as a celebration of joy, but to Hari it was not even a gesture of consolation-it merely emphasized his age. Besides, it was upsetting his routine and Hari was a creature of habit. His office and a number of those adjoining had been cleared out and it had been days since he had been able to work normally. His proper offices would be converted into halls of glory, he supposed, and it would be many days before he could get back to work. Only Amaryl absolutely refused to budge and was able to maintain his office. Seldon had wondered, peevishly, who had thought of doing all this. It wasn't Dors, of course. She knew him entirely too well. Not Amaryl or Raych, who never even remembered their own birthdays. He had suspected Manella and had even confronted her on the matter. She admitted that she was all for it and had given orders for the arrangements to take place, but she said that the idea for the birthday party had been suggested to her by Tamwile Elar. The brilliant one, thought Seldon. Brilliant in everything. He sighed. If only the birthday were all over. Dors poked her head through the door. â€Å"Am I allowed to come in?† â€Å"No, of course not. Why should you think I would?† â€Å"This is not your usual place.† â€Å"I know,† sighed Seldon. â€Å"I have been evicted from my usual place because of the stupid birthday party. How I wish it were over.† â€Å"There you are. Once that woman gets an idea in her head, it takes over and grows like the big bang.† Seldon changed sides at once. â€Å"Come. She means well, Dors.† â€Å"Save me from the well-meaning,† said Dors. â€Å"In any case, I'm here to discuss something else. Something which may be important.† â€Å"Go ahead. What is it?† â€Å"I've been talking to Wanda about her dream-† She hesitated. Seldon made a gargling sound in the back of his throat, then said, â€Å"I can't believe it. Just let it go.† â€Å"No. Did you bother to ask her for the details of the dream?† â€Å"Why should I put the little girl through that?† â€Å"Neither did Raych, nor Manella. It was left up to me.† â€Å"But why should you torture her with questions about it?† â€Å"Because I had the feeling I should,† said Dors grimly. â€Å"In the first place, she didn't have the dream when she was home in her bed.† â€Å"Where was she, then?† â€Å"In your office.† â€Å"What was she doing in my office?† â€Å"She wanted to see the place where the party would be and she walked into your office and, of course, there was nothing to see, as it's been cleared out in preparation. But your chair was still there. The large one-tall back, tall wings, broken-down-the one you won't let me replace.† Hari sighed, as if recalling a longstanding disagreement. â€Å"It's not broken-down. I don't want a new one. Go on.† â€Å"She curled up in your chair and began to brood over the fact that maybe you weren't really going to have a party and she felt bad. Then, she tells me, she must have fallen asleep because nothing is clear in her mind, except that in her dream there were two men-not women, she was sure about that-two men, talking.† â€Å"And what were they talking about?† â€Å"She doesn't know exactly. You know how difficult it is to remember details under such circumstances. But she says it was about dying and she thought it was you because you were so old. And she remembers two words clearly. They were ‘lemonade death.'† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Lemonade death.† â€Å"What does that mean?† â€Å"I don't know. In any case, the talking ceased, the men left, and there she was in the chair, cold and frightened-and she's been upset about it ever since.† Seldon mulled over Dors's report. Then he said, â€Å"Look, dear, what importance can we attach to a child's dream?† â€Å"We can ask ourselves first, Hari, if it even was a dream.† â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Wanda doesn't say outright it was. She says she ‘must have fallen asleep.' Those are her words. She didn't say she fell asleep, she said she must have fallen asleep.† â€Å"What do you deduce from that?† â€Å"She may have drifted off into a half-doze and, in that state, heard two men-two real men, not two dream men-talking.† â€Å"Real men? Talking about killing me with lemonade death?† â€Å"Something like that, yes.† â€Å"Dors,† said Seldon forcefully, â€Å"I know that you're forever foreseeing danger for me, but this is going too far. Why should anyone want to kill me?† â€Å"It's been tried twice before.† â€Å"So it has, but consider the circumstances. The first attempt came shortly after Cleon appointed me First Minister. Naturally this was an offense to the well-established court hierarchy and I was very resented. A few thought they might settle matters by getting rid of me. The second time was when the Joranumites were trying to seize power and they thought I was standing in their way-plus Namarti's distorted dream of revenge. â€Å"Fortunately neither assassination attempt succeeded, but why should there now be a third? I am no longer First Minister and haven't been for ten years. I am an aging mathematician in retirement and surely no one has anything to fear from me. The Joranumites have been rooted out and destroyed and Namarti was executed long ago. There is absolutely no motivation for anyone to want to kill me. â€Å"So please, Dors, relax. When you're nervous about me, you get unsettled, which makes you more nervous still, and I don't want that to happen.† Dors rose from her seat and leaned across Hari's desk. â€Å"It's easy for you to say that there is no motive to kill you, but none is needed. Our government is now a completely irresponsible one and if they wish-â€Å" â€Å"Stop!† commanded Seldon loudly. Then, very quietly, â€Å"Not a word, Dors. Not a word against the government. That could get us in the very trouble you're foreseeing.† â€Å"I'm only talking to you, Hari.† â€Å"Right now you are, but if you get into the habit of saying foolish things, you don't know when something will slip out in someone else's presence-someone who will then be glad to report you. Just learn, as a matter of necessity, to refrain from political commentary.† â€Å"I'll try, Hari,† said Dors, but she could not keep the indignation out of her voice. She turned on her heel and left. Seldon watched her go. Dors had aged gracefully, so gracefully that at times she seemed not to have aged at all. Though she was two years younger than Seldon, her appearance had not changed nearly as much as his had in the twenty-eight years they had been together. Naturally. Her hair was frosted with gray, but the youthful luster beneath the gray still shone through. Her complexion had grown more sallow; her voice was a bit huskier, and, of course, she wore clothes that were suitable for middle age. However, her movements were as agile and as quick as ever. It was as if nothing could be allowed to interfere with her ability to protect Hari in case of an emergency. Hari sighed. This business of being protected-more or less against his will, at all times-was sometimes a heavy burden. 8 Manella came to see Seldon almost immediately afterward. â€Å"Pardon me, Hari, but what has Dors been saying?† Seldon looked up again. Nothing but interruptions. â€Å"It wasn't anything important. Wanda's dream.† Manella's lips pursed. â€Å"I knew it. Wanda said Dors was asking her questions about it. Why doesn't she leave the girl alone? You would think that having a bad dream was some sort of felony.† â€Å"As a matter of fact,† said Seldon soothingly, â€Å"it's just a matter of something Wanda remembered as part of the dream. I don't know if Wanda told you, but apparently in her dream she heard something about ‘lemonade death.' â€Å" â€Å"Hmm!† Manella was silent for a moment. Then she said, â€Å"That doesn't really matter so much. Wanda is crazy about lemonade and she's expecting lots of it at the party. I promised she'd have some with Mycogenian drops in it and she's looking forward to it.† â€Å"So that if she heard something that sounded anything like lemonade, it would be translated into lemonade in her mind.† â€Å"Yes. Why not?† â€Å"Except that, in that case, what do you suppose it was that was actually said? She must have heard something in order to misinterpret it.† â€Å"I don't think that's necessarily so. But why are we attaching so much importance to a little girl's dream? Please, I don't want anyone talking to her about it anymore. It's too upsetting.† â€Å"I agree. I'll see to it that Dors drops the subject-at least with Wanda.† â€Å"All right. I don't care if she is Wanda's grandmother, Hari. I'm her mother, after all, and my wishes come first.† â€Å"Absolutely,† said Seldon soothingly and looked after Manella as she left. That was another burden-the unending competition between those two women. 9 Tamwile Elar was thirty-six years old and had joined Seldon's Psychohistory Project as Senior Mathematician four years earlier. He was a tall man, with a habitual twinkle in his eye and with more than a touch of self-assurance as well. His hair was brown and had a loose wave in it, the more noticeable because he wore it rather long. He had an abrupt way of laughing, but there was no fault to be found with his mathematical ability. Elar had been recruited from the West Mandanov University and Seldon always had to smile when he remembered how suspicious Yugo Amaryl had been of him at first. But then, Amaryl was suspicious of everyone. Deep in his heart (Seldon felt sure), Amaryl felt that psychohistory ought to have remained his and Hari's private province. But even Amaryl was now willing to admit that Elar's membership in the group had eased his own situation tremendously. Yugo said, â€Å"His techniques for avoiding chaos are unique and fascinating. No one else in the Project could have worked it out the way he did. Certainly nothing of this sort ever occurred to me. It didn't occur to you, either, Hari.† â€Å"Well,† said Seldon grumpily, â€Å"I'm getting old.† â€Å"If only,† said Amaryl, â€Å"he didn't laugh so loud.† â€Å"People can't help the way they laugh.† Yet the truth was that Seldon found himself having a little trouble accepting Elar. It was rather humiliating that he himself had come nowhere near the â€Å"achaotic equations,† as they were now called. It didn't bother Seldon that he had never thought of the principle behind the Electro-Clarifier-that was not really his field. The achaotic equations, however, he should, indeed, have thought of-or at least gotten close to. He tried reasoning with himself. Seldon had worked out the entire basis for psychohistory and the achaotic equations grew naturally out of that basis. Could Elar have done Seldon's work three decades earlier? Seldon was convinced that Elar couldn't have. And was it so remarkable that Elar had thought up the principle of achaotism once the basis was in place? All this was very sensible and very true, yet Seldon still found himself uneasy when facing Elar. Just slightly edgy. Weary age facing flamboyant youth. Yet Elar never gave him obvious cause for feeling the difference in years. He never failed to show Seldon full respect or in any way to imply that the older man had passed his prime. Of course, Elar was interested in the forthcoming festivities and had even, as Seldon had discovered, been the first to suggest that Seldon's birthday be celebrated. (Was this a nasty emphasis on Seldon's age? Seldon dismissed the possibility. If he believed that, it would mean he was picking up some of Dors's tricks of suspicion. Elar strode toward him and said, â€Å"Maestro-† And Seldon winced, as always. He much preferred to have the senior members of the Project call him Hari, but it seemed such a small point to make a fuss over. â€Å"Maestro,† said Elar. â€Å"The word is out that you've been called in for a conference with General Tennar.† â€Å"Yes. He's the new head of the military junta and I suppose he wants to see me to ask what psychohistory is all about. They've been asking me that since the days of Cleon and Demerzel.† (The new head! The junta was like a kaleidoscope, with some of its members periodically falling from grace and others rising from nowhere.) â€Å"But it's my understanding he wants it now-right in the middle of the birthday celebration.† â€Å"That doesn't matter. You can all celebrate without me.† â€Å"No, we can't, Maestro. I hope you don't mind, but some of us got together and put in a call to the Palace and put the appointment off for a week.† â€Å"What?† said Seldon annoyed. â€Å"Surely that was presumptuous of you-and risky, besides.† â€Å"It worked out well. They've put it off and you'll need that time.† â€Å"Why would I need a week?† Elar hesitated. â€Å"May I speak frankly, Maestro?† â€Å"Of course you can. When have I ever asked that anyone speak to me m any way but frankly?† Elar flushed slightly, his fair skin reddening, but his voice remained steady. â€Å"It's not easy to say this, Maestro. You're a genius at mathematics. No one on the Project has any doubt of that. No one in the Empire-they knew you and understood mathematics-would have any doubt about it. However, it is not given to anybody to be a universal genius.† â€Å"I know that as well as you do, Elar.† â€Å"I know you do. Specifically, though, you lack the ability to handle ordinary people-shall we say, stupid people. You lack a certain deviousness, a certain ability to sidestep, and if you are dealing with someone who is both powerful in government and somewhat stupid, you can easily endanger the Project and, for that matter, your own life, simply because you are too frank.† â€Å"What is this? Am I suddenly a child? I've been dealing with politicians for a long time. I was First Minister for ten years, as perhaps you may remember.† â€Å"Forgive me, Maestro, but you were not an extraordinarily effective one. You dealt with First Minister Demerzel, who was very intelligent, by all accounts, and with the Emperor Cleon, who was very friendly. Now you will encounter military people who are neither intelligent nor friendly-another matter entirely.† â€Å"I've even dealt with military people and survived.† â€Å"Not with General Dugal Tennar. He's another sort of thing altogether. I know him.† â€Å"You know him? You have met him?† â€Å"I don't know him personally, but he's from Mandanov, which, as you know, is my sector, and he was a power there before he joined the junta and rose through its ranks.† â€Å"And what do you know about him?† â€Å"Ignorant, superstitious, violent. He is not someone you can handle easily-or safely. You can use the week to work out methods for dealing with him.† Seldon bit his lower lip. There was something to what Elar said and Seldon recognized the fact that, while he had plans of his own, it would still be difficult to try to manipulate a stupid, self-important, short-tempered person with overwhelming force at his disposal. He said uneasily, â€Å"I'll manage somehow. The whole matter of a military junta is, in any case, an unstable situation in the Trantor of today. It has already lasted longer than might have seemed likely.† â€Å"Have we been testing that? I was not aware that we were making stability decisions on the junta.† â€Å"Just a few calculations by Amaryl, making use of your achaotic equations.† He paused. â€Å"By the way, I've come across some references to them as the Elar Equations.† â€Å"Not by me, Maestro.† â€Å"I hope you don't mind, but I don't want that. Psychohistoric elements are to be described functionally and not personally. As soon as personalities intervene, bad feelings arise.† â€Å"I understand and quite agree, Maestro.† â€Å"In fact,† said Seldon with a touch of guilt, â€Å"I have always felt it wrong that we speak of the basic Seldon Equations of Psychohistory. The trouble is that's been in use for so many years, it's not practical to try to change it.† â€Å"If you'll excuse my saying so, Maestro, you're an exceptional case. No one, I think, would quarrel with your receiving full credit for inventing the science of psychohistory. But, if I may, I wish to get back to your meeting with General Tennar.† â€Å"Well, what else is there to say?† â€Å"I can't help but wonder if it might be better if you did not see him, did not speak to him, did not deal with him.† â€Å"How am I to avoid that if he calls me in for a conference?† â€Å"Perhaps you can plead illness and send someone in your place.† â€Å"Whom?† Elar was silent for a moment, but his silence was eloquent. Seldon said, â€Å"You, I take it.† â€Å"Might that not be the thing to do? I am a fellow sectoral citizen of the General, which may carry some weight. You are a busy man, getting on in years, and it would be easy to believe that you are not entirely well. And if I see him, rather than yourself-please excuse me, Maestro-I can wiggle and maneuver more easily than you can.† â€Å"Lie, you mean.† â€Å"If necessary.† â€Å"You'll be taking a huge chance.† â€Å"Not too huge. I doubt that he will order my execution. If he becomes annoyed with me, as he well might, then I can plead-or you can plead on my behalf-youth and inexperience. In any case, if I get into trouble, that will be far less dangerous than if you were to do so. I'm thinking of the Project, which can do without me a great deal more easily than it can without you.† Seldon said with a frown, â€Å"I'm not going to hide behind you, Elar. If the man wants to see me, he will see me. I refuse to shiver and shake and ask you to take chances for me. What do you think I am?† â€Å"A frank and honest man-when the need is for a devious one.† â€Å"I will manage to be devious-if I must. Please don't underestimate me, Elar.† Elar shrugged hopelessly. â€Å"Very well. I can only argue with you up to a certain point.† â€Å"In fact, Elar, I wish you had not postponed the meeting. I would rather skip my birthday and see the General than the reverse. This birthday celebration was not my idea.† His voice died away in a grumble. Elar said, â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"Well,† said Seldon with resignation, â€Å"we'll see what happens.† He turned and left. Sometimes he wished ardently that he could run what was called a â€Å"tight ship,† making sure that everything went as he wished it to, leaving little or no room for maneuvering among his subordinates. To do that, however, would take enormous time, enormous effort, would deprive him of any chance of working on psychohistory himself-and, besides, he simply lacked the temperament for it. He sighed. He would have to speak to Amaryl.