In Jane Eyre love and marriage are important in different ways Essay

It is not personal, but mental endowments they have given you: you are formed for labour, not for love†¦I claim you not for my pleasure, but for my Sovereign’s service.† In the light of St John’s proposal, discuss the importance in Jane Eyre of love and marriage. In Jane Eyre love and marriage are important in different ways. In some relationships the two aspects are disconnected and in one they are eventually united. St John views marriage as a practical arrangement. ‘It is not personal’ shows that St John views marriage as separate from his emotions and love. This supported when he addresses his claim on her ‘for [his] Sovereign’s service.’ He feels that marrying Jane is something he has to do, and he is marrying her for the purpose of duty. This links to Victorian morality because marriage was generally viewed as something that was done for a purpose such as marrying for status, money or duty. The society would have frowned upon wild marriages based on love without a valid reason. Apart from St John’s loveless marriage principles, there are elements in the novel where love outweighs marriage, but eventually equalises which is reflected in Rochester and Jane’s relationship. There is also a passionate at first marriage which then becomes incomplete and loveless and this is shown through Bertha and Rochester’s marriage. St John and Jane’s relationship is one which is more associated with friendship, and the fact that they are cousins, that Jane is in love with Rochester, and St John is in love with Rosamond Oliver means that there is never any romantic link between the two. There is no love and Jane identifies this. ‘We did not love each other as man and wife should†¦we ought not to marry’ Jane’s views are very individualistic as society would have not have approved of her ideas that marriage should be the product of true love and passion. Of course St John disagrees with this idea and in fact thinks the opposite so his ideas of love and marriage correspond with those of society. He tells Jane that ‘[she] is formed for labour, not for love’ which is important because it highlights the reason he is marrying her. ‘Labour’ shows that he thinks that Jane is someone who would be a good missionary’s wife and potential child bearer but it suggests a very mundane style of living which is not what Jane wants. In some ways it seems as if St John is using her because the marriage doesn’t benefit her in any way. The verb ‘formed’ suggests that it is Jane’s destiny and fate to be a missionary’s wife. St John’s potential marriage to Jane is a direct contrast to if he was to marry Rosamond Oliver. ‘I love Rosamond Oliver so wildly†¦she would not make me a good wife.’ He loves Rosamond Oliver and his feelings towards her are passionate; the connotations on the adverb ‘wildly’ suggest not only passionate intensity but also that marrying Rosamond would be a wild, reckless decision. However as much as he loves her, his definition of a good wife is not someone who he loves and cares about but someone who is appropriate for his duty. The use, therefore, of St John’s proposal to Jane is a way of showing that he viewed the role of marriage as more important than love. Jane and Rochester’s relationship has three stages to it, which eventually, culminates in marriage. The first stage is their early relationship, which is filled with love and passion, but is also constantly bordered by social status. Jane and Rochester are kindred spirits ‘I feel akin to him’ there is a deeper connection immediately between the two which provides the basis of their love. On top of this the passion between the two of them is immense. ‘Come to the fire.’ When Rochester says this, it is an indication that he wants Jane to be closer and attracted to him.’ He represents the ‘fire’ and the passion which Jane’s life until then had been lacking. Rochester’s status is only due to experience but they are intellectually equal. Mr Rochester is used to giving orders and Jane receiving them. An important point however is Rochester’s constant portrayal of leaning on Jane. This evens out the social superiority he has over her, because each time he leans on her, and their relationship develops, Jane grows in social status. The next stage of their relationship is when Rochester proclaims his love for Jane and proposes.’ I summon you as my wife.’ This proposal can be compared to St John’s because even though both of them have the commanding tone, Rochester wants Jane for himself, not for duty. The verb ‘summon’ could indicate that that Rochester believes that being his wife is Jane’s destiny. Even though Jane accepts, she has doubts. These are amplified when she finds out about Bertha Mason. ‘Jane fears the â€Å"vapoury veil† that Jane Rochester will wear for an unequal marriage and secretly desires to tear it up; Bertha does it for her’ She is not willing to surrender her dignity for the sake of passion. In some ways the discovery of Bertha Mason is a blessing in disguise. She follows her head and not her heart and this leads to her leaving Thornfield, and Rochester. The final stage of their relationship is when Jane and Rochester eventually get married. ‘Reader, I married him.’ Their initial love and passion is still there but Jane’s inheritance and Rochester’s loss of Thornfield and loss of sight is what makes them more socially equal, though it seems Jane is now superior. The difference between this and the first time they were meant to marry, is that Jane develops, emotionally, mentally and financially, so the marriage is now more inclined to work. Also with Bertha Mason no longer alive, Jane doesn’t feel guilty and doesn’t have to go against the religious acceptance she has developed. The personal pronoun ‘I’ shows that this time it’s her decision because she is ready to marry him. The marriage is now egalitarian. Jane does not lose her independent spirit but it can be argued that ‘Jane does submit to the authority of her husband.’ Jane and Rochester’s relationship shows the perfect union of love and marriage. Bertha and Rochester’s marriage is one which represents passion at the start, which disappears and is replaces by hatred. They get married based on the initial passion. ‘I thought I loved her.’ Rochester acknowledges that he got married too quickly without getting to know about Bertha, or her life and family. He blames this on the naivety of youth, the pressure of society and his family’s greed for money. Bertha and Rochester’s marriage is significant because it seems to be the paradox for what Jane and Rochester’s marriage may have been similar too, had Jane decided to marry Rochester before. This is why Jane questions if she was mad if Rochester would have treated her similarly which she may have been if she had married Rochester and sacrificed her integrity. This is also shown when Jane says ‘I experienced a strange feeling as the key grated in the lock.’ This brings back memories of being locked in the red room for Jane. The verb ‘grated’ suggests it was something Jane was used to; a familiar sound. It also suggests that Jane knows what it was like to be under such restriction; there was no means of escape, and it finally shows that it was something which annoyed and upset Jane, which evoked similar but stronger feelings for Bertha. Jane has experienced a small sample of what Bertha experiences. So therefore Jane and Bertha share similarities and therefore Bertha can be seen as Jane’s antagonist. Bertha and Rochester’s relationship is one which has no love, and one where marriage is portrayed as inconvenient. Their marriage is not what a marriage should be. It can be said that their relationship lacks both love and a true marriage. In conclusion, love and marriage is important in Jane Eyre. St. John and Jane’s relationship is one where there is no love but one where marriage is still seen as a possibility for a purpose. Jane and Rochester’s relationship is one where the love and passion override a successful marriage but eventually the two are united equally. Finally, Bertha and Rochester’s relationship is one where there is some passion at first but it quickly dies and all that it is left is a hateful , empty marriage which offers a contrast to Jane and Rochester’s relationship.

Organisational Change Management Essay

Organizational Change Management encompasses all activities aimed at helping an organization successfully accept and adopt new technologies and new ways to serve its customers. Effective change management enables the transformation of strategy, processes, technology, and people to enhance performance and ensure continuous improvement in an ever-changing environment. A comprehensive and structured approach to organizational change management is critical to the success of any project that will bring about significant change. Fig I. Adapted from State of Oklahoma CORE Project Change Management Plan In any large implementation, the Project Team can expect to experience resistance and reluctance to change. The Organizational Change Management will provide the various stakeholder groups information about the project’s purpose, scope, benefits, timeline and training opportunities as well as how the individual job environment will change due to the implementation of the applications. The messages we will provide via this plan will be customized, based on the specific needs of each group affected by the project. It is the intent of the project team that this Organizational Change Management effort will lessen the â€Å"Production Dip† that is inevitable in any varied and complex project. 2. Objective †¢ Discuss the Organizational Change Management team and explore ways Organizational Change Management can work with Apps Delivery †¢ Cover Organizational Change Management tools †¢ Explain Organizational Change Management metrics 3. Organizational Change Management Scope – Overview a. Stakeholder Management The impact of organizational change imposed by implementation of a project should always be taken into account. To promote a successful delivery, identify who will be affected by the business process and technology changes that the project will cause. 1* For each stakeholder, determine their degree of support for the project and their influence on the organization. Develop a plan for how to build greater support among those with the most influence. 2* Identify stakeholders’ current and target level of project awareness. Ensure that stakeholders have an accurate understanding of the goals and anticipated impact of the project. 3* Assess your organization to identify enablers and challenges to implementing the project 4* Enroll stakeholders to participate in initiatives and to advocate/facilitate change. b. Communication Good communication is the lifeblood of any project. It is essential that the Project Manager provide timely and high quality information about the project to all stakeholders. It is equally important to listen to the stakeholders. Actively solicit their feedback and then respond constructively. 5* Identify the stakeholder groups in your project (e.g., senior management; end-users; sponsor) 6* Develop a communication plan that specifies who will get what information at what time, in what format and through what means of delivery (See section on Communication below) 7* Monitor feedback and respond in a constructive manner Discuss and record lessons learned throughout the project. Use them to improve how the next project may be carried out. c. Training Many IT projects fail because the user community receiving the product of the project (or the IT group responsible for maintaining it) does not receive adequate or properly focused training. It is important to understand the training needs of each stakeholder group, develop targeted training activities, and deliver content with the appropriate method. A good training plan will serve as an effective road map for training activities. d. Stakeholder Objectives An Audience Assessment will help you to determine the best feedback channels for each identified stakeholder group. It is important to understand the major questions and concerns that these groups may have, so that adequate attention can be paid to correcting misunderstandings, filling in the gaps, undoing rumors, etc. If you understand what the potential barriers to acceptance are, you will be better prepared to take proactive action to eliminate them. On the basis of these data, the project team will take appropriate steps (e.g. meetings with stakeholder groups, set up an information web site, distribute a newsletter) to alleviate the concerns of our Stakeholders and ensure that additional difficulties with perceptions about the project do not arise. These actions are detailed in the project’s Communication Plan. 4. Communication Objectives Effective strategic communication is the key to successfully implementing large-scale organizational initiatives. Interview your major stakeholders and find out what information they need. Based on this information, establish a formal Communication Plan that spells out in detail who requires what information, how they will get it, who will provide it, and the means and timing of all regular communications including reports, meetings, postings on web sites, etc. Consider every means of communication at your disposal to get the work out about the potential benefits, timing and training opportunities associated with your project. Make the Communication Plan available to all stakeholders, and be open to modifications in it as your needs change. Communication is the glue that binds internal and external stakeholders to the vision, mission, goals and activities of the project. Effective communication engages the hearts and minds of all stakeholders by facilitating movement along the continuum presented below. Fig II. Taken from State of Oklahoma CORE Project Change Management Plan 5. Training Objectives As stated earlier, training may be a crucial component of your Organizational Change Management Plan. Especially where business process is changed or new skills are required, it is paramount that employees be fully prepared before they are expected to perform new duties. The following steps will help you establish a training program appropriate to your project: Review your organization’s policies and procedures and determine which of them may require modification. Work with the organization to help them adapt to the changes. Learn the impact your project will have on individual jobs and workflow. Where impact is substantial, ensure that focused training is available. In the tables that follow, record the groups relevant to your project, their specific training needs and information about the training materials and facilities that you will use. Establish an appropriate curriculum. It is possible that the same material should be presented in very different ways depending on the background and skill level of the audience (e.g. business staff may require a less technical presentation than IT staff). Find or develop well qualified trainers. Create a plan for the post-implementation training support that may be required as new employees come into the organization, or as existing employees change jobs.) The project is expected to require significant modifications in the organization’s workflow and policies. So that the employees will be properly prepared when the new system comes on line, the project team has conducted extensive analysis of training needs. Based on this, the team has produced a plan that should smooth the way to a successful implementation. Steps taken include the following: a. Perform and Analyze the Results of a Job/Workflow Impact Analysis This system implementation will result in changes to business workflow. These changes will have a significant impact on the skills required of some of the people who will use the new system. In order to ensure that adequate training is provided, the project team performed a gap analysis between skills available and skills required, as follows: 8* Identify those positions (i.e. jobs) affected by the new system 9* Used specific tasks to link positions to new workflows (i.e. linked tasks required in the workflows to tasks performed as part of individuals’ jobs). 10* Noted those tasks that have changed. 11* Listed the skills required to perform each task 12* Determined if existing employees already have the skills needed to perform the new or changed tasks 13* Have arranged for training where skill gaps exist 14* Mapped positions to components of the new system 15* Are taking steps to ensure that each individual receives training for the components they will use 16* Will modify recruiting profiles to reflect new skill sets b. Provide the Organization with Information Necessary to Prepare for Upcoming Changes 17* Reviewed the policies and procedures of each major group in the organization that will be impacted by the new system (e.g., divisions, departments, etc.). 18* Identifed those policies and procedures that will change as a result of the new system. 19* Provided a checklist of needed changes to each organizational unit. 20* Assist organizational units in development of plans to adapt to the changes. c. Develop Curriculum and Content It proved necessary to develop very focused training programs for the various stakeholder groups in this project. Therefore, the training team has tailored the curriculum (topics covered, reference and other training materials used) and the content (specific information to be delivered) for each group. The training will be provided in settings appropriate to the content and group responsibilities (e.g., Technical group in the computer room; office personnel in a training room). The training team has paid serious attention to methods of delivery, and as a result while most employees will receive classroom presentations, certain groups will receive hands on training. In addition, several Powerpoint-based presentations will be made available on the project web site as a means of distributing key information about the project to all stakeholders. The following list was used as a guide in development of this training program: 21* Staff will receive training on new business processes prior to technology training, in order to help understanding and acceptance. 22* Advance arrangements have been made for all facilities and equipment required for training. 23* The training team will hold overview sessions with employees to explain conceptual differences between existing system and the new system. 24* Focused hands-on training will be provided where it can be expected to have significant impact. 25* Given the extensive nature of this implementation, the training team has developed module-specific curriculum outlines with learning objectives, agendas, materials, instructors, etc. 26* Training materials will be made specific to each audience. 27* We will use the train-the-trainer method as a means of cutting cost and also ensuring that training can be made available in the future. 28* The training team plans to develop job aids (checklists, workflow summaries, etc.) for use after rollout. 29* The training team w ill conduct surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of training. The organization will use this information to improve the training program in future implementations. 6. Training Plan Strategy Identify different audiences who require training Conduct training needs assessment and skill gap analysis Document requirements for the training team –Training development Schedule Prepare managers and supervisors to coach their employees through the change Develop Transition plan Train Organization resources 7. Organizational Change Management: Approach and Resources For best results, the entire project team and all new users of the system should adopt the role of Change Agent for the project. Following are some of the tools identified for Organizational Change Management to be effective in a large and complex implementation project. Review these tools with the project team. Select those that will provide the most benefit to your project and summarize how you intend to use them.

A Closer Look to Higher Educational Learning in the United States Essay

A Closer Look to Higher Educational Learning in the United States - Essay Example Higher learning in its truest sense symbolizes the appreciation, interpretation, and understanding of knowledge beyond what is discernible and distinguishable by the human senses. Its forms vary in functions and have different effects in shaping the society we are budging and living right in. Also, besides those stated above, higher education allows the feeding off of utmost desire, imagination, and compassion toward the people’s psyche in order to conquer the realms of ignorance, lack of knowledge and unawareness regarding relevant issues which continuously affect present circumstances. As stated in an article by Peirce (1993) entitled What Does Society Need from Higher Education? educational learning has been considered as a primary resource which mainly supports other institutions, such as the government and the business sector, in various vital ways. Having said these facts, it could be assumed that higher form of learning addresses the necessity of providing a holistic ap proach in order to influence the mindset of the people, especially the working adult populace, and eventually exert efforts for the common good of the majority. But how could these be all possible, given that there are too many problems and conflicts involved in the formation of the correct curriculum so as to implement effective adult learning schemes and practices? If perfected, does finishing a degree program following any of these designed curricula would mean being truly educated in the end?... If perfected, does finishing a degree program following any of these designed curricula would mean being truly educated in the end? Do the universities and colleges which offer various programs and other basic courses really know what their exact functions are? Or, are they missing these functions entirely all these years? In all fairness, I believe that it is very essential to answer and tackle these questions before we could completely discuss and expound the intricate details concerning higher formal education among adult citizens. For they serve as bases of what education and being educated should be about. According to Ritt (2008), a college degree is considered by most people as a prerequisite towards a better living condition in the future. Generally, a college diploma promises and grants the bearer greener pasture, a secured career and an improved quality of existence. That is why, many dream of obtaining one; but, few have the means to get through. Meanwhile, in the same art icle wrote by Ritt (2008), U.S. only ranks tenth among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries when it comes to the percentage of young adults , aging from 25-34, having postsecondary credentials and education --- that is about 34 million people in summary having no college experience. This information is quite alarming in a way, since fast growing technologies and jobs in the market require at least postsecondary certifications. Moreover, it has been considered as apprehensive by most experts, since there have been cases of severe decrease in work productivity and professional discipline around the nation. The facts stated above constitute a big fraction of the pie which shows the meaning and the present situation of educated adult

Interview a leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interview a leader - Essay Example This whole idea of him providing an innovative style of freedom to his employees has resulted in a fine rapport between the employees and their superior heads as well as ranking the Admiral Group 4th in the top 40 companies of the United Kingdom (Frobes, 2011). Henry Engelhardt, is the most encouraging CEO in whom the employees have a great deal of conviction and faith, he meets all the newly hired staff, takes initiative in being available for live online chats and is usually found communicating with his staff at all levels when he is at the Cardiff headquarters. He also believes that an organization should not only give the employees a good working environment but should also give them a pack of activities to keep them fresh, that’s why he has set annual competitions for his staff. All in all Henry Engelhart is an innovative leader with a vibrant spirit to keep his employees motivated, he gives them a sense of free will while also keeping certain authorities to himself only. This new leadership style and charisma which he has attracted me towards taking his opinions on the new divergent leadership styles and the dynamism a leader needs in this new business world. The questions asked are in the appendix section of this paper. The interview responses made it clear to me that leadership is now all about adapting to new roles and ideas and is no longer a set of rigid traits and thinking capabilities, like it was many years ago. Most of the questions dealt with the acquisition of information regarding the many roles that Mr. Henry has played during his career, the conclusion to which, derived by the responses of him, determined that even staying in only one department for a couple of years requires many interpersonal and professional leadership roles to be entertained by a leader (Rothwell et al, 2001). There was more information possessed when Mr. Henry was asked about the leadership strengths that he has developed in the so far tenure of his career, and i t was surprising to know that his leadership strength came from the attainment of these different leadership roles. He explained them as an observational journey in the world of leadership, making him earn strength at each and every check post he crossed. He also added that the journey was not easy as there were many nerve wrecking times when he thought he would not be able to deliver as required but he managed to overcome all such obstacles through the use of an open mind. Open mind, he added, is the basic criteria to transform you into the many diversified roles of leadership required at different stages of one’s leadership career. Motivation of employees, as explained by him, is all a matter of making a need assessment of all employees at different organizational levels and stages as the need patterns are often the product of an unsatisfactory working environment which takes employees away from attaining job satisfaction. Employee needs are loosely satisfied at the bottom of organization and the satisfaction meter moves up as we travel upwards in the chain of command of an organization; this makes the upper management attain job satisfaction, leaving the labor class away from this fruitful accomplishment, leaving them unsatisfied. An unsatisfied workforce, he said, leads to slower growing organizations, this is where leadership roles need changes

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 10

Business Law - Essay Example e quoted by the Hard water Co was  £15,000 which was changed to  £10,000 in the terms and conditions defined in Door’s Software and it was signed by the Hard Water Co. Hence it should be accepted by the Hard Water Co. Similarly, the time frame mentioned in the terms and conditions of Hard Water Co was only 3 months which was modified to 5 months in the terms and conditions of Door’s Software and was also acknowledged and signed by the Hard Water Co and hence the final validity of the contract reflects 5 months as the main time frame. At the same time, the price variation clause put by the Hard Water Co was not mentioned in the terms and conditions of Door’s Software and hence it cannot be made liable for its application. As Hard Water Co agreed to the terms and conditions of Doors Software, the price variation cannot be given effect. Moreover, this doesn’t come under Unfair Contract Trade Act of 1977 (UCTA, 1977) and Sale of goods act (1979) and hence it cannot be challenged legally. (1) According to Part II of Sale of goods Act (1979), it was mentioned that any contract of sale of goods is a contract by which the seller transfers or agrees to transfer the property in goods to the buyer for a money consideration, called the price. It also stated that an agreement to sell becomes a sale when the time elapses or the conditions are fulfilled subject to which the property in the goods is to be transferred. Here in this conext, Doors Software didn’t violate the norms of the contract law and hence need not be liable for the price variation. Assuming that software products are goods and referring to the proper statutory instruments, explain whether the software provided by Doors’ Software to Islington District Council was of satisfactory quality. No. The software provided by the Door’s Software to Islington District Council was not of satisfactory quality. It was reflected in the form of disproportionate printing matter when printing instruction was

Why Facebook Acquired Whatsapp Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Why Facebook Acquired Whatsapp - Essay Example Facebook and WhatsApp are among the leading social media platforms in the modern world. The two social Media have a significant number of users that each pose a threat to another as far as the social media business is concerned. In comparison to other social Media that have been in existence before the invention of WhatsApp, Facebook was dominating the market with the highest number of users. With the coming of WhatsApp in the social media market, it intensified the completion to a point where Facebook opted to acquire it. Â  Apart from the excessive competition in the social media market brought about by Whatsapp application, there are many other ways to justify the acquisition of Whatsapp by Facebook. Just like in other forms of business, one business my either merge with another or fully acquire it depending on the business environment they both face. According to studies by Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt (2012 p, 133), one business may acquire another in order to increase its growth, gain market power, manage risks and reduce costs. In relation to such acquisition reasons, Facebook owners made the move to acquire Whatsapp in order to increase its growth in the social media market. Acquiring Whatsapp, which is a strong competitor, would also help Facebook manage the risk of elimination from business and cut costs of operation such as advertising. Management of such factors would subsequently lead to an increase in the market power by Facebook. Â  In studies conducted by Frankel (2011 p.22), he notes that, among the main reasons why one business may acquire another include customers and market share. One business may want to take over the customers of a competing business and successively take over the market share.

A close reading of a specific and familiar space Essay

A close reading of a specific and familiar space - Essay Example The field is; thus, arranged in a manner that spectators are far from one another and the playing field is fenced to prevent players from leaving the field to interact with funs. The rules of the game forbid players from any direct interaction with the funs as they may cause incitement. Just like the spectators, the players also are supposed to put on different uniforms to create a distinction between them and ensure they do not confuse their opponents. The game also need there to be three to four referees where one is in control of the game and must move with the players checking for faults or any indiscipline cases that players may commit (Herbert, 2000). The field has several gates for entry by the players as well as spectators. Once inside the field, the fans sit on some slanting benches that allow them for full view of the game and subsequent cheering of their players and teams. Players on The space between the fans side and the soccer field is surrounded by yet another area, but this is meant for athletics and has several parallel lines that allow athletes to run without being blocked by their counterparts (FIFA Circular, 2012). The soccer field is marked to show the edge and within the field there are other markings that players are supposed to know its uses. For example, the two sides has goals posts with markings for the goalkeepers area where players committing any game offense within this region are punished by use of red card for discontinuation or yellow card for warning. The spectators region is always roofed to ensure they are protected from direct sunlight of rain while the players’ area is left open to ensure natural weather conditions prevails for the game and ensure uniformity. This prevents some complains where players may say a given team was favored as the whole players are exposed to same conditions (Herbert, 2000). This space (field) is a representation

Should the Government Subsidize Higher Education Essay

Should the Government Subsidize Higher Education - Essay Example This paper approve that people who have higher education are able to distribute their time and resources more rationally, thus the effectiveness of their labor is increased. It is also that they are taught to use the variety of methods for solving this or that problem instead of concentrating on one method. Higher education gives its recipients the basic knowledge in different spheres of social and cultural science, thus presenting them a massive of additional information that is often helpful in their future job. It is also that government subsidizing of higher education gives opportunities to obtain financial and social status to those who wouldn't have managed to earn it otherwise. It's a proven fact that people with a degree earn more than those who don't have it, thus higher education is the only way to wealthy life for most of the American citizens. This esay makes a conclusion that the system of subsidizing of the higher education in the U.S should be changed for to open the access to education to those who are really unable to finance by themselves, instead of lowering the college expenditures for those who can already allow paying for it. The amount of merit-based aid should be decreased for to increase the expenditures for the need-based aid. It is also that the financial aid should be rather given in the form of grants instead of making students take the loans they later have great difficulties repaying.

Glacier Inn Essay Example for Free

Glacier Inn Essay Our strategy map for the Glacier Inn focuses on the four main dimensions of a business: a financial perspective, a customer perspective, an internal process perspective, and a learning and growth perspective. Each dimension plays a critical part in establishing a strong unified culture, and documents the primary objectives within the organization. For 2004, Glacier Inn has two main goals: to increase profitability and cash flow. The map outlined in Appendix A demonstrates how we will use these four dimensions to facilitate and implement different measures to achieve the desired strategies. With regards to the financial perspective, Glacier Inn can focus on a growth of revenue strategy and productivity strategy. In order to increase revenue, your main focus is to increase the capacity and quality of the hotel. We also believe there are other possible sources of revenue that could be implemented in order to further your capacity to generate income. Because Glacier Inn has such a short season and window of opportunity to make a profit, it is crucial that you make the most out of those winter months by enhancing your productivity and efficiency. The Glacier Inn is part of the service industry, and customer satisfaction plays an integral role in the success of your organization. Your vision statement is centered on delivering more than just place to spend the night; you are providing an experience, an experience of unmatched value and satisfaction. To achieve this, we believe that centering your organization around the culture of the First Nations people will be creating memories and providing adventures. Providing your customers with an unrivaled experience will include outdoor activities, traditional meals, quality service, native art work, individualized rooms, etc. Not only will these add value to the business and differentiate Glacier Inn from other Ice Hotels, but they can also serve as another source of revenue to aid in our revenue growth strategy. The internal process perspective is another important role in our strategy mapping. One of your main goals is to increase occupancy at the Glacier Inn, and we feel that it is important to focus the marketing efforts on the adventure campaign. Glacier Inn needs to showcase their unique business offerings inspired by nature, art, and culture. Due to the nature of the business, it is difficult for Glacier Inn to attract skilled and competent employees. With the development of an effective hiring and training process that also supports the culture that Glacier Inn is trying to create, they will be able to better serve their target market by attracting and retaining customers. Innovation is a key part of your internal process controls, and Glacier Inn wants to be working with ice experts for the development of different and unique ice themes. The final dimension of the Glacier Inn Strategy Map deals with a learning and growth perspective. In order to expand and advance within the entertainment industry, we want to mentor employee proficiency by working with and training the first nation’s people; by incorporating and encouraging culture both internally and externally; and by advancing with new technology through partnering with local colleges and universities in order to generate new innovations in ice making and preservation. All of these dimensions feedback and tie in with what Glacier Inn is trying to accomplish and what their vision is for the company. Issues Another issue that you have acknowledged is the restraint of hiring skilled and competent staff. The Glacier Inn is only open during the winter months, which makes it difficult to attract qualified and experienced employees. Glacier Inn is providing an experience of culture and excitement for their customers. Why not provide the same atmosphere for its employees. In the end, it’s not just about the money. Employees will be able to enjoy the same lifestyle and adventure that this environment has to offer. Glacier Inn can also invest in effective industry training programs to help and support the success of their hired personnel. We also want to address your concerns over changing the staff bonus plan. Currently, bonuses are being determined by profits alone. We agree that the implementation of the 2004 scorecard will provide a great method of measuring employee achievement. The balanced scorecard will provide feedback on whether the strategy is working to impact organizational performance. By measuring employees based subjectively on their scorecard execution, staff will be motivated and empowered to work in the best interests for themselves as well as the company. With employees being measured based on the strategy and implementation of Glacier Inn’s critical success factors, you can ensure that those goals become fundamental to their success as well. Employees are able to focus their attention on what matters most to the success of the organization. The Glacier Inn Hotel has another concern without the seasonal revenues. There is only a short window of opportunity to make profits, from January 4th to April 15th, and is primarily determined by the warming of the weather which can shorten this window. To off set the decrease in revenues in the summer, the hotel can offer customers a chance to stay in touch with nature. Two innovations will be needed to accomplish this, hiring of experienced outdoor staff and the building of year round facilities on the property. By offering summer outdoor actives such as fishing, hiking, and canoeing on guided tours the Glacier Inn can attract year round revenues. Also having facilities built on the property will allow customers places to stay in the summer as well as a warm place or customers to stay in the winter if they are not interested in sleeping in the cold rooms. Lastly, Glacier Inn hHotel lacks a specific measures, targets, and personal initiatives that are clear to the employes of the company. These need to be clearly defined to enhance the strategy and culture that needs to be wolves into the company. We have recommended a possible strategy map that can facilitate these initiatives. We have also chosen a proposition on how the Glacier Inn can continually add value and increase customer satisfaction. We included below a detailed plan of additional initiatives of adding customers value. Customer Value proposition Glacier Inn has competitors in more than just the hotel industry; it is competing with other forms of entertainment as well. The direct industry competitors of Glacier Inn Hotel are the hotel chains in the area, such as Super 8 Motel that offer a place to sleep and eat at a low price. However they do not offer an individualized customer experience. Glacier Inn also competes with other forms of entertainment in Northern Ontario. Places such as Moose Cree Outdoor Discoveries Adventures, which offers outdoor activities incorporated with the culture of the area. However, this experience is easily replicated. We believe that if Glacier Inn could combine the value of both of these industries into one unique location. The hotel must be unique. We have chosen product leadership as our way of adding value to customer offerings. Our recommendations for implementing this customer value from the hotel would be: Three Main Concepts For Product Leadership 1. Cree culture could be used to attract many customers foreign and domestic that are looking for a Canadian experience or wish to discover more about the first nations of Canada. Through cultural story telling, traditional foods, also traditional artwork and ices museum in the hotel lobby a broad audience can be drawn to the hotel. This will also allow the area to maintain its cultural identity and uniqueness while informing others. 2. The Glacier Inn could also offer outdoor winter activities such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and wilderness sight seeing. Acquiring equipment traditional foods (maple syrup). When guests arrive at the hotel, staff could ask two questions: What do you want to experience? What are you not looking for? So that customers do feel pushed or pressured into experiences that’s are out of their fitness level. 3. Lastly, we believe that the individualized rooms will be an excellent way to attract customers to stay in each room. By pre-planning and designing each rooms theme the hotel can attract more customer to stay in the rooms overnight rather than just visiting the hotel for the day. Also ice sculptures will add a unique finishing touch to each room and can be a way of individualizing each room.

Product Quality Essay Example for Free

Product Quality Essay List some important physical properties of the fabric. The properties of textile fabrics are important for the control of quality, as well as for end use determination. There are several physical properties of fabric which affecting the performance and aesthetic of fabric. The first one is fabric count, it influences thickness of the fabric. It is the number of ends or picks per inch for woven fabrics, or the number of wales or courses per inch for knit fabrics. Variation occurs because of the weaving or knitting process and from finishing processes. Usually the higher the fabric count, the better the quality and the higher the cost. The second is fabric unit weight. It is the mass per unit area. It is expressed in one three ways; ounces per square yard, ounces per linear yard, and linear yards per pound. It is significant in determining both end use and quality. Moreover, it is fabric width. It means the distance from one edge to the other. Measurement is made perpendicular to the fabric edge, usually including the selvage area. The width is expressed in inches and is usually an average number of measurements taken at evenly spaced interval along the fabric pieces. Next one is fabric shrinkage. It is the process in which a fabric becomes smaller than its original size, usually through the process of laundry. It is undesirable property to the apparels. So the material has to be either shrink resistant or shrink recoverable, such as anti-shrink finish is to keep the fabric smooth and free from undesirable shrinkage. The last one is fabric thickness. It is the distance between the upper and lower surfaces of the material. It is measure under a specific pressure. Warmth and bulk properties depend on the fabric thickness- to-weight ratio. It can also be used as a performance indication of abrasion resistance or shrinkage tests. Generally speaking, the thicker the fabric is, the more comfortable in wearing. 6. What is the commonly used fabric inspection system? Mainly, two industry methods used are the Ten point and Four point systems. The most commonly used is four-point system. A minimum of 10% inspection of fabrics is required. The four-point system derives its name from the basic grading rules that a maximum of four penalty points can be assessed for any single defect. Normally, we inspect 10% of the rolls we receive and evaluate them based on this system. This way, we can avoid fabric related quality problems before it is put into production The following table shows the point system. Size of Defect| Penalty Points| Length of defects in fabric (either length or width)| Defects up to 3 inches| 1| Defects gt; 3 inches lt; 6 inches| 2| Defects gt; 6 inches lt; 9 inches| 3| Defects gt; 9 inches| 4| Holes and openings(largest dimension)| 1 inch or less| 2| Over 1 inch| 4| After inspection, the inspector will add up the defects points and then use the following formula to determine the rate of points per 100 yards. There are some common fabric faults, such as bow, skew, hole, mispick etc. Fabric checker should know common defects found in fabrics and he must recognize defects on the fabric at the time of fabric inspection. For the acceptance criteria and calculation, 40 points per 100 yards is the acceptable defect rate. The ten point system for piece goods evaluation was approved by the Textile distributors institute and the National Federation of Textile, in 1955. It is designed to identify defects and to assign each defect a value based on severity of defect. The system assigns penalty points to each defect depending on its length and whether it is in the warp (ends) or weft (fill) direction. The following table shows the point system.

Migration And Refugee Process History Essay

Migration And Refugee Process History Essay Migration and refugee process is a process that had a negative effect on the whole world, before entering into the main point, which is an example that will show us how the migration and refugee process effect the whole world in reality (Afghanistan); we will need first to understand what does these two expressions means. Refugee is a word that could express an individual or a group of people that are/is owning a well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality and membership also the word refugee includes the people that are persecuted out of there own country because of a political decision, which means that they are unprotected by there country so they are always seeking to travel for another country for safety. Secondly is the word migration , migration is the act or process of people moving from one place to another with the intent of staying at the destination permanently or for a relatively long period of time  [1]  , there are two different types of migration, the first type is the international immigrant type, individuals or group of people can be considered as an international immigrant if she or he had enters the country to settle his or her usual place of residence for more than the same minimal time duration  [2]  , and the second type is the international emigrant which means that if he or she had leaves the country and transfers his or her usual residence outside the country for more than a minimal duration of time  [3]  . After giving a brief overview on the two expressions (Refugee, Migration), we will enter now into the main point of the research paper, this main point is a unique example that faces a lot of problems concerning the refugee and migration process (Afghanistan). Afghanistan is a landlocked country that is located in the heart of Asia. Actually the Afghani population is mostly divided into 7 large ethnic groups (Pushtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Kyrgyz, Hazara and Nurstan), the division of the population into 7 large ethnic groups builds a wall of conflicts in the state, and this wall of conflicts was one of the four major reasons that helped in increasing the afghani migration and refugee process though it had reached the largest refugee population for mostly 2 decades, the other 3 main reasons that helped in escalating the Refugee problem in Afghanistan can mainly be shaped in a form of word that is called the refugee crisis, Afghanistan refugee crisis is a word that is consisted out of three main reasons that helped in growing up the problem of refugees and migration in Afghanistan, this three main reasons are: The Soviet invasion 1979 The withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989 Taliban Restrictions The Migration and refugee process that was escalated in Afghanistan built on the four major reasons that was raised in the paper, had effected the afghani population, and the studies that was made in fact of drawing a picture to the Afghani people had assumed that 50% of the population is illiterate  [4]  and that this illiteracy effected there life expectancy a lot (life expectancy is 44 years), also this illiteracy had effected the Afghani population in there Economic, political and social field. In 1978 Afghanistan begin to develop there political system, and actually they had succeeded in forming the first democratic republic in Afghanistan, in 1979 after the establishment of the democratic republic, Afghanistan was invaded by the soviet union, this invasion had caused the first massive emigrant process in Afghanistan, the Afghani people began to flow to the neighbor states( Iran, Pakistan) in form of refugees, and citizens how couldnt leave the state begin to move for the safest cities inside the country, which also means that the invasion caused internally displacement inside the state, and the United Nations commissioner studies had assumed that: During the 1980s More than 6 million Afghani became refugees Between 1988 1991 3.5 million in Pakistan 2 million in Iran One Million of refugees is spread all over the world Actually this was the external displacement of the Afghani refugee, while on the other hand there was a large massive internal displacement which causes a lot of disturbance inside the country, and what proofs this sentence is that the United Nations commissioners had estimated that there was 2 million internally displacement and that Kabul city had grew from 600,000 to 2 million people.  [5]   The second Refugee crisis in Afghanistan was done in 1989, and the reason of appearing this crisis was built on the reason of the withdrawal of the soviet troops which cause another population movements. Probably, this time the population movements was divided into two types, the first type was the people who where considered Afghani refugees, and they were returning back to there country after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union, and the second type of the populations is the people who were sympathizers for the soviet, and they were seeking to be recognized as a refugees because the Soviet has no more role in Afghanistan and they could not stay in Afghanistan after the soviet withdrawal because they can be killed by the Afghani people , During the process in which this movements had took place, a civil war had appeared in Afghanistan. The reasons of this Civil war had stopped the process of the population movements and change it from the form of returning of the refugees, to the form where Afghani people are seeking to be once more considered as a refugees, and this negative change that had appeared was built on several facts concerning the main reason which is the civil war, this main facts are: Refugees doesnt feel secure enough to return back to there homes They were afraid to be persecuted by Muslim Unbelievable citing fears of attack on home and property citing fear of political persecution Arrest and forced conscription  [6]   The strange point is that rather than solving the refugee problems and accepting them back to there countries after the withdrawal of the soviet, the opposite had happened and things became more wore sable the refugee numbers had increased once more, and the internally movements had increased also once more, the UNHCR studies had assumed that after the return of 2-3 million Afghans in the early 1990s there studies had approved that by 2000 there were again nearly 5 million Afghans refugees and 800000 internally displaced persons  [7]  . The third Afghanis crisis that helped in increasing the migration and refugee process is the Taliban crisis. Taliban is a fundamentalist Islamic Militia that had been established in 1994, it is consisted out of young members (men boys), those members had leaved a really harsh life in Afghanistan, and using the word harsh is built on several reasons. The reason of using a strong word like harsh was mentioned because this young members of the Taliban Militia is been born and leaved in the refugee camps , which actually means that they had suffered a lot from the soviet invasion and from the ethnic conflicts that were found in Afghanistan during the 1980s and 1990s. Taliban members were trained in ultraconservative religious schools in Pakistan. In fact of the society that the Taliban members had been raised upon, they didnt try to solve the problems of refugees, while on the other hand they had suffered there whole life because of this problem (refugee Case). Actually the Taliban militia had helped in increasing the refugee and migration process in Afghanistan, and what proofs this words is that Taliban military was forcing the Afghani civilians to leave Kabul city by there restrictions, which means that they will increase the internally movements of the population inside the country, and actually build on this internally movements there would be a lot of civilians that will seek to be recognized as a refugees because of the hard economic life that they will face, Even though the Human rights international organization had tried to help the civilians who leaves under the authority of the Taliban Militia in Kabul, but they actually refuse to accept any help or food from this organizations, and what support this argument is t hat workers for internationally aid organizations that were trying to deliver food and medicine to the desperate Afghanis is been harassed , subjected to unreasonable restrictions and even in some time they are arrested by Taliban military. In conclusion as it was mentioned in the introduction of this research paper; that the migration and refugee process is a process that had a negative effect on the whole world, and that the migration and refugee process is a process that can mostly appear after a war or in a period where there is an internal ethnic, religious conflicts, or any other types of conflicts that effect the national and international levels of the world. Actually from my point of view, concerning the Afghani example of refugees, which is one of the most important examples because Afghanistan was considered as one of the most largest refugee population in the world for two decades, I can really observe that Afghanistan is a country that had suffered from the economical, political and social fields a lot, and that it will keep suffering from this fields because of the refugee and migration process that is still running there. In the Afghanis example of refugees I had learned that the refugee and migration process had an internal and external effect on the state. First, the internally population movements inside a country had a huge side effect on the Cities and also on the people who leave inside this cities, My argument was based and build upon several main reasons, The reason why I disagree with the internally movements is that this movements ends a lot of beneficial services that is presented by the city for its citizens as: Jobs hospitals care Traffics Food Schools And a lot of life needs that is needed by each citizen in his city, and when each point of these points is affected it will influence the state. On the other hand, from the external Sid effect, refugees affect a lot the neighbors states, because a refugee or asylum seeker I always seeking to leave in a place near his country so it is always the neighbor states, when I had mentioned that refugees effect the country externally actually I had meant the external relation with the states that can be Affected in reason of this immigration, Example: when Iran had mentioned that it would not accept any more Afghani refugees, Actually this decision can affect the relation between the two states and can build a dogma of hatred between the two populations because un accepting them means that the refugees will return back to there countries and they can be killed or assassinated there. Refugee and migration process is a defining characteristic of the international landscape.

Essay --

CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE MAIN INFLUENCES ON OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE AND THE CONTENTION THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE THE FREEDOM TO CHOICE Introduction: Occupational choice is the most important decision for one person with out any doubt which could be made in a person's life time. In about 1951 or more back, Ginzberg et al carried out a major study research regarding the occupational choice, which now in the 21st century is known as the originating theories on the topic. '' Waliam stated that It is very Important and Crucial at times to determine the standard of living, the income, the quality of ones life, self esteem, social relationship, the environment and also its crucial to determine whether the child of a particular family would enter which occupation field'' (Williams 1974:15) Stating above by Williams (1974), it is reflecting that how a person is satisfied within his/her working environment and it could be often previewed that the other aspects of that particular persons lives will follow on from this. This essay will firstly explain the occupational choice, then it will address its theories and how they are developed and contrasting opinions and further moving down it will explain the freedom of choice for the individuals and argue on it. Jackson(2001) said that people from higher class positions could use their non merits benefits to obtain their certain positions. Goldthrope said that pupil from less advantage class need to show more merits than pupil from more advantaged class in order to obtain the same position. Achieved roles are those roles which are achieved and gained for themself and are f... ... the best job for one person as it maybe not percieve to others. Wilson(2010) states the problem of race. The EHRC research report found that the black Caribbean boys and White people have achieved bad grades(EHRC 2010) where as Haw(1998) explained from her research that some were confused with Muslim pupls Treatment.(Ambercrombie and Warde 2003:474-5). The ninety percent of women in its role of The Royal Army force now offers them where as the Navy and the Army have about three quarters to both the females and males. Womens are mostly looking for Self fulfilment for their occupations. (Watson 2003:194).Timperley and Gregory (1971) had recently research that about three to four times females want to go into education or further studies after school where as males are different they want to find a job and go straight into the labour market or work.(Wilson 1974:193).

The Office Of Tomorrow :: Technology Predicting Business Office Essays

The Office of Tomorrow   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In an increasing number of companies, traditional office space is giving way to community areas and empty chairs as employees work from home, from their cars or from virtually anywhere. Advanced technologies and progressive HR strategies make these alternative offices possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Imagine it's 2 o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon. Inside the dining room of many nationwide offices, Joe Smith, manager of HR, is downing a sandwich and soda while wading through phone and E-mail messages. In front of him is a computer—equipped with a fax-modem—is plugged into a special port on the dining table. The contents of his briefcase are spread on the table. As he sifts through a stack of paperwork and types responses into the computer, he periodically picks up a cordless phone and places a call to a colleague or associate. As he talks, he sometimes wanders across the room.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be sure, this isn't your ordinary corporate environment. Smith doesn't have a permanent desk or workspace, nor his own telephone. When he enters the ad agency's building, he checks out a portable Macintosh computer and a cordless phone and heads off to whatever nook or cranny he chooses. It might be the company library, or a common area under a bright window. It could even be the dining room or Student Union, which houses punching bags, televisions and a pool table. Wherever he goes, a network forwards mail and phone pages to him and a computer routes calls, faxes and E-mail messages to his assigned extension. He simply logs onto the firm's computer system and accesses his security-protected files.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He is not tethered to a specific work area nor forced to function in any predefined way. Joe Smith spends mornings, and even sometimes an entire day, connected from home via sophisticated voicemail and E-mail systems, as well as a pager. His work is process and task-oriented. As long as he gets everything done, that's what counts. Ultimately, his productivity is greater and his job- satisfaction level is higher. And for somebody trying to get in touch with him, it's easy. Nobody can tell that Joe might be in his car or sitting at home reading a stack of resumes in his pajamas. The call gets forwarded to him wherever he's working.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You've just entered the vast frontier of the virtual office—a universe in which leading-edge technology and new concepts redefine work and job functions by enabling employees to work from virtually anywhere. The concept allows a growing number of companies to change their workplaces in ways never considered just a few years ago. They're scrapping assigned desks and

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER TWELVE AGENT

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