Writing and Main Point

Here are four examples of how to start your essay with a strong main point: My dream is to become a civil engineer. Ever since I was a child with a Logo set, I have enjoyed building things. Engineering would let me express my love for creating things, and allow me to apply my science and math skills. In the future, I would like to become a teacher. Teaching seems like the perfect match for me because I enjoy working with children and teaching them new skills. Also, my own teachers have played an important role in my life and I hope to do the same for other students in the future. I want to become a chef Just like Sam Choc.To me, cooking is very creative and although it can look easy from the outside, it is often very dif cult to do well. Plus, I love to eat! Although I'm not sure what Job I will have, I do know that it will be in the FL led of medicine. I have learned a lot about nursing from my aunt, who has inspired me to consider a career in medicine. What will be one or two main points of YOUR essay? STEP 3: construct your Story The heart of your essay will be the stories and details you use to support your main point. Good examples also bring your main point to life and make your essay memorable.Notice how the essay is built up, in the example: Focus of essay: My dream Job is to be a crime scene investigator. This Job would combine my love of science with the challenge of solving a real life mystery. Details: I have always enjoyed science. This year I am taking Chemistry and have learned how various chemicals react and how you can test for the presence of different chemicals. Reading detective novels is a favorite pastime. It's a challenge to FL guru out â€Å"who did it. † Real life detective work would be much more exciting . I watch CSS every week. It's amazing how the simplest clue can lead to the arrest of a criminal.Just one tiny FL beer from the assailant's Jacket can lead to his capture. Law enforcement helps to keep the community safe. CSS detectives make sure that criminals do not get away with their crimes. STEP 4: End strong End your essay by shining a new light on the main point you started with, or leave the reader with something interesting to think about. Here are three examples: Medicine is a very honorable profession, since it seeks to help those who need it the most. I am looking forward to becoming a pre-med major in college and taking the first step toward becoming a doctor.Seeing people enjoy my cooking is one of the best feelings in the world. Becoming a chef is one way I can spread this Joy to many more. Hopefully someday I will even have my own restaurant named after me! Being a police officer, like my father, has always seemed like a dream. Going to college will not only make this dream possible, but it will also help me to reach my lifelong goal. STEP 5: Hear it O Try to put down your draft for a day so you can look at it with a fresh eye. Read your essay out loud and ask yourself and helpers (teache rs, friends, relatives, essay coaches) the following questions: Ђ Does it start with a bang?Does the first sentence make you want to read more? Do you know from the beginning what the essay is going to be about? Were you able to follow the story? Did you get lost anywhere along the way? Did it follow a logical order, or skip back and forth in a confusing way? Were there questions that came up that didn't get answered? Were there any words that you heard too many times? (Try to avoid using the same word twice in the same sentence. ) Was it interesting? Were there parts that could be livened up? Was it too long? Which parts should you cut out? Ђ Is it too short?

Diversity Worksheet Essay

1. What is diversity? Why is diversity valued? Diversity is the human attributes that are different from your own and different from groups to which you belong. Diversity is broken into two categories: visible and invisible. Visible diversity includes attributes like age, race, ethinicity, gender, etc. and Invisible diversity are attributes like work experience, marital status, parental status, income, religious beliefs, etc. Diversity is valued because once you can recognize some or all of the diverseness in a person, you can then recognize how unique they are. (â€Å"What Is Diversity? It’S More Than Race Or Gender – University Of †¦Ã¢â‚¬ , 2002) 2. What is ethnocentrism? In what ways can ethnocentrism be detrimental to a society? Enthnocentrism is the belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group or culture. (dictionary.com, 2013) Ethnocentrism can be detrimental because judegment is being passed on another culture based on that on individual’s values or beliefs, thinking they are more superior or better without possibly having any knowledge of that culture and no desire to learn about it. 3. Define emigration and immigration. Emigration is to leave a country to settle in another. Immigration is oming into a new country as a permanent resident. These choices are not always vonluntary but can come from conflict or war. Involuntary migration is not as common anymore but much of the past migrations were involuntary. Emigration and immigration both contribute to minorities. (Schaefer, Chapter 1, 2012) 4. What are some of the ways groups of people are identified? Racial groups: a group that is socially set apart because of obvious physical differences. Ethnic groups: a group set apart from others because of its national origin or distinctive cultural patterns. Religious groups: a group that is associated with a religion other than the dominant faith. Gender groups: a group where males are the social majority (dominant) and females, although larger in population, are the social minority. Other groups: age, disability status, physical appearance, and sexual orientation. (Schaefer, Chapter 1, 2012) 5. Why do people label and group other people? People label and group others because they are either dominant or want to be the dominant. Being the dominant means having the power over others or things and since the United States is a democracy, majorit rules, so the majority has the power. The minority group then has lesser chances of ruling and life’s opportunites are limited. (Schaefer, Chapter 1, 2012) 6. Define culture. Is culture limited to racial and ethnic backgrounds? Explain. Culture is the behaviors and belief characterstics of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. (dictionary.com, 2013) This definition I found is vague in my opinion because culture can be included in genders, sexual orientations, nationalities, and more. Even with that the definition of culture is not limited to racial and ethnic backgrounds. Since culture is a behavior and/or belief I really think just about anyone in any kind of minority has these that are separate from others. References What is Diversity? It’s More than Race or Gender – University of †¦. (2002). Retrieved from http://www.med.umich.edu/diversity/pdffiles/file28.pdf‎ Ethnocentrism. (2013). In Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethnocentrism?s=t Schaefer, R. T. (2012). Racial and Ethnic Groups (13th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Culture. (2013). In Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/culture?s=t&ld=1136

U.S. immigration policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U.S. immigration policies - Essay Example Immigration policy in the United States reflects multiple goals. The laws were framed to accommodate the tourists, businessmen as temporary non-immigrants whose visits are confined to their particular purpose of visit.First, it serves to reunite families by admitting immigrants who already have family members living in the United States. Second, it seeks to admit workers with specific skills and to fill positions in occupations deemed to be experiencing labor shortages.Third, it attempts to provide a refuge for people who face the risk of political, racial, or religious persecution in their country of origin. Finally, it seeks to ensure diversity by providing admission to people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Several categories of permanent and temporary admission have been established to implement those wide-ranging goals.The US immigration was primarily established to regulate the unlawful entry of the illegal anti social elements. M ajor changes in the world economy have propelled the immigrations after the world wars. The U.S immigration has evolved from various stages from federal regulations allowing the reunification of the families who have been isolated from their family members, to entice skilled low cost employees to propel the economy with more alien power leaving the natives jobless. The laws were framed to accommodate the tourists, businessmen as temporary non-immigrants whose visits are confined to their particular purpose of visit. Globalization and technological change have radically altered the nation's industrial and occupational structures to the disadvantage of organized labor's historic membership strengths. The skilled work forces were provided with permanent residents status to gain on their low wage status. The globalization and technological advancement round the world has equally added significance in the immigration norms. The refugees and asylum seekers were allowed to enter the U.S and were granted with permanent status after a period of one year dumping large numbers of unemployable people into U.S which indirectly drive the companies to look out for foreign brains. Outsourcing has shifted the jobs of America to low investment base countries in Asia. Both refugees and asylum-seekers may file an application seeking lawful permanent resident status after one year in the United States. In 2004, about 71,000 LPR adjustments were granted to refugees and asylum-seekers, accounting for roughly 8 percent of all legal admissions to the United States. The asylum policy resulted in providing permanent residential status to illegal immigrants who were initially not allowed into America. The asylum policy has encouraged more number of people to take the path of the former illegal entrants thus creating a cumulative effect of more requests from illegal immigrants waiting for their turn. The commotion has created a major issue of inducing unskilled laborers The statistics suggest that the employers in the U.S were adopting unhealthy practices to bring in cheap labour to fill up the vacancies and build up their balance sheets. The more the availability of skilled low cost labor who can start with much lesser wages the more difficult for the native workers to get the wage hike and career advancement. The local unemployed lot has to compete with the skilled low cost laborer from other countries The local workers were left with no job as the positions are imported from skilled labour from developing countries. Immediate relatives of citizens have generally accounted for the largest share of permanent immigrant admissions. The family dependent immigrations are largely accepted in the U.S These unification may bring in more uncalculated educated population into U.S unknowingly. The reforms should address these issues to stop the ill affect on the jobs created. The increase in the number of low cost employees by employers will ultimately project a rude economic disaster"the unemployment". The companies should be monitored to make them search for resources in the native country and then venture into other countries for employees with specific skills. The number of

Issues in the Management of Human Resources Essay

Issues in the Management of Human Resources - Essay Example Towards this purpose, there can be several strategies that can be used and the best of those are highlighted in this report. The first strategy which can be recommended is to make work and project teams which are geared to the diversity of the client. Brown (2005) discussed this strategy as it was applied by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which was seeking a more diverse clientele and started with creating diverse teams for the sales force. The company quickly discovered out that attracting diverse clients requires diverse leadership and a diverse workforce as well. Simply targeting minorities in advertisements and billboards is not a guarantee for a diverse clientele since the human resources of the company at all levels must be made out of a diverse population (Torrington et. al., 2002). The president of MBA is reported to have said that diversity is not merely about connecting with a new customer market, it is a requirement for survival in the upcoming markets. Brown (2005) acknowledges that diversity programs and initiatives often fail because if used incorrectly, they can potentially waste time, money and other resources for the company. Therefore, if our company finds the client coming with a diverse team, the individuals which are selected to deal with the client should be selected with diversity in mind. DuPont is seen as a radiant model of a company which has managed to enlarge its customer base considerably by embracing diversity as a business tool. The company takes diversity as a business essential which is vital for the renewal of business and strategic competitiveness (Lockwood, 2005). This philosophy is made very clear by the variety of strategies used for creating and maintaining diversity at the company. DuPont emphasised its process of diversity with three elements, the first of which is accountability. Accountability for the leadership of a company has been mentioned by Yuki (2006) as a vital aspect of creating commitment to a

Answer the questions provided with 1-2 paragraph answers. It is about Essay

Answer the questions provided with 1-2 paragraph answers. It is about Edmund Berke and his book - Essay Example Do they all say the same thing? Burke is saying that order must be maintained in a civilized society. This is particularly true when concerning assets. He felt that giving people assets they had not worked for would cause confusion. Burke’s phrase ‘good order’ means law and order. This is not to say the Burke thought the French should accept tyranny, but he advocated going about resisting within the French law, not a revolution. (142-143) Burke stated ‘Nobility is a graceful ornament to the civil order. It is the Corinthian capital of polished society.’ Noblesse oblige means that royalty and nobility have certain social responsibilities toward one’s subjects. 7. What are the limitations placed upon (or the fences around) the British House of Commons? Why does it need to be fenced in like that? (38ff. and pages 164/165) And how is this different from the French National Assembly after the Third Estate declared itself as the whole of the Assembly and the other estates/strata accepted that fact? Before that what were the three orders/estates in French society? ‘After all, if the House of Commons were to have a wholly professional and faculty composition, what is the power of the House of Commons, circumscribed and shut in by the immoveable barriers of laws, usages, positive rules of doctrine and practice, counterpoised by the House of Lords, and every moment of its existence at the discretion of the crown to continue, prorogue, or dissolve us? The power of the House of Commons, direct or indirect, is indeed great; and long may it be able to preserve its greatness, and the spirit belonging to true greatness, at the full; and it will do so, as long as it can keep the breakers of law in India from becoming the makers of law for England. The power, however, of the House of Commons, when least diminished, is as a drop of water in the ocean, compared to that residing in a settled majority of your National Assembly. That

(Annotated Bibliography) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

(Annotated Bibliography) - Research Paper Example The design is done regularly and it needs step by step process. The design defines the specifications, plans, parameters, activities, processes and how and what to do within legal, social, environmental, safety and economic constraints in achieving an objective. An example is Wright brother’s aircraft, it did not fly well for the first time and they started again and they solved the significant problems of controlling the airplane rising motion. According to the author, the solution of a problem does not appear suddenly from nowhere (Khandani 2005). To get a comprehensive solution to a design, a methodology is required. The article informs the process of design by explaining five steps that are usually applied in design. These are defining the problem, collecting required information, generating multiple solutions, analyzing the selected solutions and testing and implementation of the solution. Bad designs sometimes occur, but until the machine is build and tested so as to kno w the problem and difficulties that might be faced. The article is unique from others because it argues that to get a solution, you must first try and a process needs to be followed in order to arrive at a solution. In comparison to other sources, the source provides information about mechanical engineering required design for the machines in order to be efficient. In contrast it explains that solving a design problem is normally an iterative process: As the solution to a design problem evolves, an engineer will end up continually refining the design. Rolf Faste. The Human Challenge in Engineering Design. TEMPUS Publications. Engng Ed. Vol. 17, Nos. 4 and 5, pp. 327- 331, 2001 Changes in the design technology over a period of time have transformed the nature of the products (Faste, 2001). The changes in design have enabled the globalization of free enterprise economics. The design of products and manufacturing has become international activities lately. Overtime, the products in the manufacturing industries have changed due to new design and manufacturing strategies. The design has changed the consumer products in US, for example automobiles, household appliances, TVs and telephones have changed tremendously. Currently, the design and manufacturing should contend with the utility that is complex and unfolds with time (Faste, 2001). This has solved the current problems because in the recent time, designers are designing behaviors and experiences for people, this shows that the work of the engineers has entangled in the recent times. The application of computer aided programs in design have compressed the development cycle to a situation where concurrent interdisciplinary design must be used (Faste, 2001). Design technology is evolving very fast such that traditional techniques are not in a position of anticipating what need to be done next. The involvement of computer aided programs has made the work of the architects and designers since there are software†™s that have been developed to make design easy. The total result of these changes is that engineering should be involved in the entire process of product design to its full extend. The article is unique from others because it explains three things that must be present for a product to be designed successfully; these are utility, usability, and meaning. The author argues that the change in the technology has significantly transformed the nature of the products. In contrast to other sources, the article provides information that manufacturing and

Advertising - Merging Visual Presentation with Sound Effects Research Paper

Advertising - Merging Visual Presentation with Sound Effects - Research Paper Example The poorly lit background that is graced with a shoe rack guarantees these types of vermin with an ideal hiding place. In the middle of this print advertisement is Spiderman’s arm sprawling across the floor. At the foreground of the piece is Baygon spray. Position Statement So picturesque is the piece of advert that it invokes the issue question on whether a visual argument can be as effective as a verbal one. However, without any controversy, it is true that visual arguments are equally effective as their verbal counterparts, if not more. Audience analysis The nature of the advertisement makes it obvious that the target audience is the general public. This is because the general public is susceptible to unwanted household insects and therefore serves as both the potential and prospective market for Baygon spray. Again, the audience is the general public is a matter that is well underscored by the fact that the message appeals to both sexes and all ages. Claim Seeing that this Baygon insect spray advertisement has conveyed complete meaning on its own; just as people say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so it is that visual arguments and modes of communication can surpass their audio counterparts. Reasons There are several factors that cogently support the claim of visual arguments surpassing audio means of communication. First, visual presentation only orchestrates the elements that are necessary for human interpretation. For instance, since the shoe rack is pitted against a poorly lit background while the Baygon spray is placed in the foreground, one can know that the problem is that of indoor insects.  

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research Paper Example Even with the government allocating relatively low funding to the national health care as part of measures to cut costs, Israel still managed to build a quality health care system ranked among the best in the world. Among the different medical areas, the country has performed exceptionally well in the diagnosis of chronic diseases thus preventing frequent hospitalizations unnecessarily. Such include cases like diabetes, which usually receive appropriate attention and early diagnosis significantly reducing the rate of complications as well as chances of hospitalization (Brinkley, 2007, p. 27). Government’s commitment and dedication to ensuring a healthy nation has been a key input to the success of the program. One other reason why proper execution of healthcare programs has yielded fruit is the fact that Israel benefited a lot from the influx of doctors and nurses from the former Soviet Union in the 1990’s though most are now aging and exiting from the profession. The c ountry’s health care is based on universal coverage, substantial federal government control and oversight and is a managed healthcare system. The country’s health care model requires citizens to be members of one of the four insurance plans. The plans are by law mandated to meet certain minimum service quality requirements and are not expected to reject clients simply because of certain preexisting conditions (Brinkley, 2007, p. 20). Even though the management of healthcare has been such a success, several areas of improvement have been suggested from various quarters. One such area is the expansion of the assessment of medical data by insurers from community health fund clinics to include monitoring improvements in care. Additionally, hospitals have also been urged to enhance the quality of treatment and accessibility of hospital data by healthcare professionals. There has not also been enough competition among providers of healthcare and also on quality among health care funds. Increased competition in these areas has been proposed as another avenue for better health care in the country. In terms of equity in care provision, there are a number of gaps based on ethnic groups and between the rich and the poor. To enhance accessibility to care and improve equity, additional efforts are inevitable. The Israel and the American Healthcare Systems The American healthcare system is majorly a public private partnership arrangement with a majority of Americans covered by their employers. There are more than 5000 hospitals in the United States majority operating as nonprofit private entities. A good number of Americans did not have health insurance but with the enactment of the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the number without insurance is projected to significantly reduce. Both the American and the Israel health systems employ both public and private sources of funding with a mix of government and non-governmental organizations. Both sys tems are among the few in the world that utilize extensive use of competing managed care organizations though faced with shortages in healthcare professionals particularly physicians and nurses (Brinkley, 2007, p. 23-24). One of the notable differences between Israel’s and America’s healthcare systems is the issues of financing and coverage as well as cost control in health

The Principle of Differentiated Responsibility and to What Extend It Essay

The Principle of Differentiated Responsibility and to What Extend It is Important for the Development of International Laws - Essay Example The countries in the world usually experience common environmental issues despite the fact that vital differences do exist in the responsibilities that they are charged with performing. The notion has increasingly been receiving recognition in the field of environmental international law (Morosin, p.109). The international laws regarding the environment usually cover treaty laws along with customary laws that aim at protecting the environment (Honkonnen, p.28). Treaty laws comprise of many treaties which are multilateral and can be interpreted using many different methods obtained from reading the simple texts they are contained in (United Nations Environment Programme, p.13). When controversies arise due to the different interpretations that exist, different interpretations can be applied in solving the questions at hand (Morosin, p.42). On the other hand, in customary laws, the wide consensus and conviction of most governments are required before they can be legally binding on the members. They immediately become operational upon being signed by the countries and they do not remain matters to be attended to when convenient (Bonilla &Burhenne-Guilmin, p.112). There are however major controversies that exist between which laws along with policies should be followed or implemented (Bortscheller, p.67). The organization for international labour appreciates that the fact that due to the different cultures, climate, industrial traditions and economic opportunities, uniformity in the global labour conditions is quite difficult to achieve (Morosin, p.86). The environmental declaration made in Rio states that in light of the different contributions by different countries towards the worldwide environmental degradation, the countries responsibilities are different in curbing the problem (United Nations Environment Programme, p.14). However, the developed countries in the world have already acknowledged their leading role in helping to clean up the environment (Kiss & S helton, p.76). This is because they are more advanced technologically and have adequate finances to steer their efforts towards eliminating the effects of their activities on the environment (Morosin, p.97). In addition, the climate change framework convention also stated that different countries within the globe should all participate in protecting their climatic systems based on equality (Bonilla &Burhenne-Guilmin, p.19). It also states that their activities should be performed in accordance with their diverse responsibilities along with capabilities (Bortscheller, p.112). Two major concerns are considered in the principles of differentiated responsibilities. The first concern of the principle is that the nations in the world should work together towards eliminating their common problems in protecting their environments at all levels (Morosin, p.177). Secondly, it concerns itself with the different responsibilities along with capabilities that different nations have in their activ ities of protecting their environment (Bonilla &Burhenne-Guilmin, p.68). The Stockholm along with the Rio declarations facilitate for the differences in finances and technology among the countries in the world that are participating in the environments protection along with cleanup (Kiss & Shelton, p.149).The declaration of Stockholm holds that the international community should consider the difference that exists in the standards of facilities between the

Twelve Angry Men Essay Example for Free

Twelve Angry Men Essay Twelve Angry Men depicts different types of leadership, communication, and group dynamics. The film revolves around the jurisdiction of a homicide trial with a jury that almost unanimously votes the defendant guilty, with only one opposing voter. This man, Juror #8, presents his decision through ideas of reasonable doubt that spiral into a majority vote of not-guilty. So, how does a group of twelve men completely shift their point of view from guilty to not-guilty? The power of effective leadership and communication. Juror #8 was able to effectively communicate with the men to think of other scenarios that prove the defendant not-guilty through democratic styled leadership. He did not necessarily think the defendant was not guilty. However, he was not positive the boy was guilty and did not want to make a decision without 100% confidence. Therefore, he communicated his view by encouraging the jury to examine the facts in a new light and opening a discussion amongst the jurors. The re-analyzation of the facts arose new questions about the verity of the facts, allowing some, and eventually all, of the jurors to question their original declaration of guilty. Lack of leadership and communication from the majority are also factors in the change of decision. The group of 11 men did not have a solid leader to hold together their original verdict. In the beginning, juror #1 was the apparent leader of the group. He stated the jury procedures and inquired each man’s vote. When opposition from juror #8 arose, he attempted to get the group to dismiss the idea. Eventually, he loses interest in caring and steps back as the leader. A disinterest by other jurors was also seen when some were playing games. It was also evident that some jurors only went with the majority based on hidden agendas such as wanting the trial to be over or personal opinions of people such as prejudices. In addition, Juror #3 is the prime opposer to the questions presented by juror #8. He is vocal about his confidence in his decision towards the defendant. However, his leadership style was of an autocratic nature, which worked to his disadvantage. People are more likely to follow a kind leader than someone who belittles and frightens. Therefore, Juror #8 had effective communication to win over the quiet jurors who were first too intimidated to question the majority. He dominated the discussion and lead with powerful points that left the jurors thinking. He created an open discussion. This lead to jurors asking valid questions on the verity of the facts presented. Turning points came when a witness’ testimony was questioned due to their poor vision proved through glasses marks on her nose, the angel of the man’s wound from the stab, presenting a knife that was claimed to be one of a kind, and the actual time it wold take for the witness to see what happened after they heard the scream. The film also shows how leadership thrives with the addition of followers. Without followers one cannot be declared a leader. If juror #8 stated and expressed reasons for his view and no others followed, the decision would have been in the majority’s favor and juror #8 would have just been a man with an opinion. Instead, he was able to first convince juror #9, which immediately gave his opinion credibility. Once juror #9 switched sides, it was evident that everyone else re-examined their opinion and started to formulate valid questions. Juror #9 was able to break the hold of group think, allowing others to actually voice their thoughts. This especially pertains to the quiet jurors who were originally too intimidated to question the majority. These jurors were now actually able to think for themselves and were open to communicate juror #8’s points of reasonable doubt. Twelve Angry Men is also an interesting depiction of group dynamics. In a group, decision-making can be hindered due to majority process. When a majority is present, it is easy for others to join in. This was displayed in the beginning of the film. There were a couple to quickly charge the defendant as guilty and others followed, although some appeared hesitant. They only made a decision once they saw the other opinions. This is a common problem in a group setting. It is too much effort to be the odd man out. Therefore, the quieter and more timid people conform to the majority for an easy solution. Juror #8 intelligently realized this group dynamic and intelligently focused his attention to the quiet members. He asked that another vote be taken by secret ballots. This is an effective way of voting that allowed for better communication, allowing the quieter jurors to submit their vote in private. This proved effective when the vote switched from 11-1 to 10-2. This lead to an open discussion amongst many in the group, drawing valuable ideas and opinions that they might not have offered otherwise. Juror #8 created a setting for group discussion where everyone started to work together as a team to determine the verdict of the case. As a team, the jury unanimously shifted their vote to not-guilty; an excellent demonstration on the power of effective communication and leadership.

Dolutegravir Drug for Virologic Suppression

Dolutegravir Drug for Virologic Suppression Graphical abstract: Dolutigravir, second generation integrase inhibitor: A new hope for HIV patients Geeta Yadav Mesra, Ranchi Abstract: Undeterred efforts have been made and will be made in future to make it possible for HIV-infected individuals to achieve the goals of virologic suppression and one more result of this rigrous exercise is dolutegravir drug. It is the recent integrase inhibitor approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment-naà ¯ve, treatment-experienced, HIV-infected adults who have previously taken HIV therapy and also for children ages 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kilograms (kg) who are treatment-naà ¯ve or treatment-experienced but have not previously taken other integrase strand transfer inhibitors. This article has reviewed all the aspects of drug including the structural and functional analyses, in vitro activity, pharmacokinetics, drug-drug interactions, MOA, metabolism, excretion, dosing/ adverse effects and resistance profile of dolutegravir. Dolutegravir is a potent and generally well tolerated antiretroviral agent that may play an impor tant role in the treatment of patients harboring resistance to other antiretrovirals.Some new combinations of drug with other antiretrovirals are also in pipeline which may hope to increase the immunologic response of the HIV patients. Key words:Dolutegravir,  antiretroviral,  integrase inhibitor,  HIV Introduction With the use of antiretrovirals with improved potency, tolerability, and resistance profiles, people with HIV are living longer and receiving longer-term care but even after so much advancement in therapy, they are struggling with an unknown fear of death [1, 2]. So, the need for new antiretroviral agents still continues to be substantial even after more than 20 years into the era of antiretroviral therapy, which have better tolerability, higher barriers to resistance, distinct resistance profiles, and fewer drug–drug interactions. These features of desiring drug have been inspiring the scientist all over the world to develop new agents that are not only focused on traditional targets but also on new novel therapeutic targets. The development of drugs targeting on critical steps in the life cycle of HIV-1 are drug classes that include HIV-1 reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (both nucleoside analogues and non-nucleoside inhibitors), HIV-1 protease inhibitors, and HIV-1 entry inh ibitors (fusion inhibitors and CCR5 antagonists). The newest class of drugs in HIV treatment is the integrase inhibitor (INI) class. Retroviral DNA Integration with the host DNA is an essential step in the life cycle of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [3], as shown in figure 1. This integration process is facilitated by the viral integrase (IN) enzyme which catalyzes the insertion of the viral DNA into the host genome in a multistep process. The process of HIV-1 integration occurs through 3 essential steps: formation of the preintegration viral DNA complex, 3’ processing and strand transfer [4]. HIV IN recognizes and binds specific sequences in the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the viral retrotranscribed DNA in the cytoplasm. After DNA binding, IN cleaves GT dinucleotides from the 3’ termini of the linear cDNA in a process called 3’ processing .The processed viral DNA, as part of the preintegration complex, is then translocated into the nucleus, where IN inserts the viral DNA into the host chromosome by a process called strand transfer [4-6]. Figure 1 Schematic representation of HIV integration Abbreviations: LTRs, long-term repeats; PIC, preintegration complex. Integrase inhibitors (INIs) represent a class of drugs for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals, blocking HIV genome transfer and integration into the host cell DNA [7]. In this category, first drug which got FDA approval was raltegravir (RAL) which have been found to be highly effective for the treatment of antiretroviral- naive and antiretroviral-experienced subjects and one more recent drug is elvitegravir (EVG) [8-12]. However, these first-generation INIs share common resistance pathways. During clinical studies of RAL, subjects with virologic failure and reduced RAL susceptibility typically are found to have virus with 1 of 3 signature mutational pathways (ie, N155H, Q148H/K/R, or Y143C/H/R) in the integrase gene [13]. So, continuing RAL treatment in these circumstances may lead to the addition of secondary mutations or pathways and N155H may evolve to Y143 or Q148 pathways [10]. In addition to this, EVG does not appear to have activity agains t RAL-resistant isolates and same case is with RAL [14-16]. Therefore, there is a need for an INI with a high barrier to resistance and activity in subjects with human immunodeficiency virus type. So, recent addition included in this category is Dolutegravir (DTG). This review article aims to covers all the aspects related to the dolutegravir which will help the scientists, academicians and common men to statisfy their knowledge pangs, like in vitro activity, pharmacokinetics, drug-drug interactions, MOA, metabolism, excretion, dosing/ adverse effects and resistance profile of dolutegravir as shown in figure 2, which exemplify methodology and evaluation of dolutegravir with the help of different information sources Dolutegravir (DTG) discovered by a Shionogi and GlaxoSmithKline research collaboration, is a second generation novel HIV-1 integrase strand transfer inhibitor having activity against INI resistant viruses. In addition to it, also have favorable pharmacokinetic properties [17, 18]. It is indicated for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 in adults and children aged 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kg. It is available as a small, yellow, 50-mg tablet. Moreover, it can be taken with or without food and at any time of the day. Structural and functional analyses of Dolutegravir (DTG) Dolutegravir (DTG, S/GSK1349572) effectively inhibits HIV-1 IN variants which are resistant to the first-generation INIs. The structural basis for the increased potency of DTG resistant INIs is that it occupies almost the same physical space within the IN active site and make contacts with the ÃŽ ²4-ÃŽ ±2 loop of the catalytic core domain. Dolutegravir molecule has been divided into three main structural parts like tricyclic metal-chelating core, difluorophenyl ring and linker group which play a significant role in its binding to the protein as shown in figure 3. Tricyclic metal-chelating core binds to the intasome active site with the three coplanar oxygen atoms coordinated to Mg2+ cations The extended linker region connecting the metal chelating core and the halobenzyl group of DTG allows it to enter farther deeper into the pocket vacated by the displaced viral DNA base and to make more intimate contacts with viral DNA [19]. Figure 3 Structural and functional analysis of Dolutegravir IN VITRO ACTIVITY Dolutegravir has shown potent in vitro activity against both wild-type HIV and many INI-resistant mutants. It has potential for a higher genetic barrier to resistance. Dolutegravir has shown potent in vitro activity against HIV-1, with mean EC50 values of 0.5 nM (0.21 ng/mL) to 2.1 nM (0.85 ng/mL), IC50 of 2.7 nM and an IC90 of 2.0 nM in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and MT-4 cells. It also shows activity against HIV-2 virus with EC50 of 0.09 nM to 0.61 nM in PBMC assays. Cellular toxicity is also in the micromolar range for a variety of cell types, indicating that the observed antiviral effect of S/GSK1349572 are not due to cytotoxicity. S/GSK1349572 shows potency against all integrase- resistant single mutants with an FC as high as 3.6-fold. In the presence of S/GSK1349572 no virus with high resistance to S/GSK1349572 was observed with 32 nM or higher concentrations of S/GSK1349572 in the culture medium. In vitro experimental studies reported that dolutegravir does not cause toxicity when used in combination, but had a synergistic effect with nevirapine, efavirenz, abacavir, stavudine, lopinavir, amprenavir, and enfuvirtide, as well as an additive effect when only used in combination with maraviroc. Efficacy of dolutegravir is also not affected on exposure to the adefovir and ribavirin [20]. Pharmacokinetics Dolutegravir has a favourable pharmacokinetic profile without requirement of boosters and its terminal half-life is approximately 13–15 h [21, 22]. AUC0–24h and Cmax values are slightly less than the dose in the range of 2–50mg following single and multiple doses. One noteable change is the nonlinearness in Cmax and AUC with the increase in dose, So, a twice-daily 50mg regimen has been evaluated in the phase 3 ARV-experienced clinical trial rather than a once-daily 100mg dose [22-24]. The geometric mean steady-state concentration at the end of the dosing interval (Ctau) for a 50 mg dose was reported to be 1.6 ÃŽ ¼g/mL, which was approximately 25-fold higher than the protein-adjusted IC90 (0.064 ÃŽ ¼g/mL). A monotherapy study of, 10 days of dolutegravir 50mg daily dose in integrase inhibitor naà ¯ve HIV-1-infected adults demonstrated a 2.48 mean log10 reduction in HIV-1 RNA. This reduction was sustained for 4 days after discontinuation of dolutegravir only becoz of plasma concentrations which remained above the protein adjusted IC90. Overall, variability in exposure was minimal: 50 mg dosing to steady-state conditions achieved a geometric mean Cmax of 3.34 mg/ml (16% coefficient of variation), an AUC0–24h of 43.4 mg_h/ml (20% coefficient of variation), a t1/2 of 12.0 h (22% coefficient of variation) and a C24h of 0.83 mg/ml (26% coefficient of variation) [22]. A pediatric granule formulation of dolutegravir is currently in development. Preliminary data investigation reported that granules mixed in purified water have increased exposure compared with the tablet formulation with a geometric least-squares mean ratio (90% CI) for AUC0-inf of 1.57 (1.45–1.69) [23]. Drug–drug interactions Dolutegravir pharmacokinetics has been evaluated in a single-dose crossover study for the effect of food and found that its absorption is modestly increased with food according to fat content [24]. Fat content affects the absorption of dolutegravir as noticed by the increased median Tmax from 2h to 3, 4, and 5h for low-fat, moderate-fat, and high-fat meals, respectively. Whereas dolutegravir AUC increased from 33 to 66% when administered with low-fat (300 kcal, 7% fat), moderate fat (600 kcal, 30% fat) and high fat food (870 kcal, 53% fat), respectively. [22, 24]. But these changes are not expected to affect safety or efficacy, So, dolutegravir can be dosed without regard to food. Dolutegravir causes drug-drug interactions with integrase inhibitors and some other drugs which is shown in Table 2. Table 2. Dolutegravir (DTG) drug interaction with integrase inhibitors and other category drugs S.No Interacting drug class Interacting drug Effect on dolutegravir 1 Antiretrovirals NRTIs Tenofovir No significant effect observed[25] 2 Antiretrovirals NNRTIs Efavirenz DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 57, 39, and 75% [26] Etravirine DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 70.6, 51.6, and 87.9%. [27] ETR/DRV/r administration results in 25, 11.8, and37.1% decreases in DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin ETR/LPV/r administration results in 11, 7, and 28% increases in DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin [27] 3 Antiretrovirals PIs Darunavir/r DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 22, 11, and 38% [28] Atazanavir DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin increased 91, 50, and 180% [29] Lopinavir/r No significant effect observed [28] Fosamprenavir DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 35, 24, and 49% [30] Tipranavir DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 59, 46, and 76% [26] 4 Antituberculosis drugs Rifampin DTG AUC and Cmin increased 33 and 22% with DTG 50mg b.i.d.+ rifampin 600mg q.d. compared with DTG 50mg daily [31] Rifabutin DTG AUC and Cmin decreased 5 and 30%, Cmax increased 15 % [32] 5 Acid-reducing agents- PPIs/H2 RA Omeprazole No significant effect observed [33] Antacids DTG AUC, Cmax, and Cmin decreased 73.6, 72.4, and 74.4% [33] DTG, Dolutegravir; ETR, Etravirine; EVG, Elvitegravir; LPV, Lopinavir; NNRTI, Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor; NRTI, Nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitor; PI, Protease Inhibitor; PPI, Proton pump inhibitor; r, Ritonavir; RAL, Raltegravir. Mechanism of Action Dolutegravir inhibits HIV integrase by binding to the integrase active site and blocking the strand transfer step of retroviral deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) integration which is essential for the HIV replication cycle as demonstrated in Figure 4. In this process, the integrase inhibitor chelate with the two Mg2+ ions in the integrase catalytic active site, unable the integrase enzyme to complete the strand transfer [21]. Inhibition of the integrase strand transfer reaction by DTG has been confirmed in studies with live virus, which demonstrated an accumulation of 2- long terminal repeat (2-LTR) circles in treated cells at DTG concentrations Figure 4. Mechanism of action of DTG Metabolism/Excretion Dolutegravir metabolism occurs through CYP3A4 (UGT1A1 glucuronidation) a major pathway while UGT1A3 and UGT1A9 are only minor pathways, which is catalysed by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1 enzyme. In vitro studies reported that it is not a cytochrome P450 (CYP) inducer and neither an inhibitor. However, dolutegravir is an OCT2 inhibitor [21, 36]. Dolutegravir is also a substrate of UGT1A3, UGT1A9, BCRP, and P-gp in vitro [37]. It is the predominant circulating compound in plasma and the renal elimination of unchanged drug is extremely low ( Figure 5. Metabolic pathway of dolutegravir Dose/Adverse effects Dolutegravir tablets are usually taken unboosted, orally and without regard to food [39]. Different dose combination studies with other drugs are reported to be performed to find the best combination with high resistance barrier as shown in table1. The most common adverse effects reported to be associated with dolutegravir Phase III SPRING-2 trial were nausea, headache, nasophryngitis, diarrhea and also a slight increase in creatinine level due to inhibition of creatinine secretion; however, dolutegravir had no effect on glomerular filtration rate [47, 48]. Some common drug -related adverse events were also notified during Phase III VIKING-3 trial in treatment-experienced subjects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache [49]. S.No Phase study Patients Dolutegravir vs other drug combinatons 1 Phase III SPRING-2 Study Treatment naà ¯ve Dolutegravir 50 mg once daily versus raltegravir 400 mg twice daily, each in combination with either tenofovir DF/emtricitabine (Truvada) or abacavir/lamivudine (Epzicom) 40 2 Phase III SINGLE Study Treatment naà ¯ve Dolutegravir 50 mg in combination with abacavir/lamivudine (Epzicom) once daily versus tenofovir DF/emtricitabine/ efavirenz (Atripla) once daily41 3 Phase III SAILING Study Treatment experienced, integrase inhibitor-naà ¯ve Dolutegravir 50 mg once daily versus raltegravir 400 mg twice daily, each in combination with background therapy42 4 Phase III VIKING-3 Study Treatment-experienced with previous or current failure on raltegravir or elvitegravir Open-label dolutegravir 50 mg twice daily with current failing background regimen for 7 days, then with an optimized background regimen43 5 Phase III VIKING-4 Study Treatment-experienced with virus resistant to raltegravir and/ or elvitegravir at screening Dolutegravir 50 mg twice daily versus placebo , each in combination with current failing background regimen for 7 days, then with open-label dolutegravir 50 mg twice daily in combination with an optimized background regimen for both arms44 6 Combination under study A fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablet (dolutegravir 50 mg abacavir 600 mg/lamivudine 300 mg) and a dolutegravir pediatric granule45,46 Resistance Dolutegravir (DTG) have been found to have a higher genetic barrier to resistance than raltegravir and elvitegravir [50]. Primary integrase resistance mutations associated with dolutegravir have not yet been identified. But viruses containing G140S, E138K, R148H, R263K, and G140S/Q148HRK mutations may show some level of resistance to dolutegravir. [50,39]. Raltegravir-resistant virus carrying a mutation at position Q148 had more reduced susceptibility to dolutegravir than isolates with other raltegravir mutations [51]. In vitro selection studies reported R263K mutation which commonly emerges in integrase in the presence of dolutegravir. R263K confers low-level resistance against dolutegravir and diminishes HIV DNA integration and viral fitness and no secondary mutation H51Y and E138K has been shown to compensate for the defects associated with the R263K primary resistance mutation against dolutegravir. All secondary mutations have a modest effect on resistance against this drug [52, 53]. Future of dolutegravir ViiV Healthcare has requested US regulatory for the approval of a new single-tablet regimen (STR) containing dolutegravir, abacavir and lamivudine. A European regulatory application has also been submitted, according to the company. This combination, taken as separate pills, worked well in the aforementioned trials. If approved, the new co-formulation will offer the first one-pill, once-daily regimen that does not contain tenofovir/emtricitabine and could be particularly beneficial for people with, or at risk for, kidney disease or osteoporosis. Results from the primary analysis, presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) also reported that 90% of people taking dolutegravir and 83% taking darunavir/ritonavir achieved undetectable viral load in a snapshot analysis, with dolutegravir meeting the criteria for statistical superiority. Based on these findings the researchers concluded that dolutegravir provide a potent and well-tolerated new option for first-line HIV treatment [54]. Conclusion HIV-1 integrase is a unique target for antiretroviral therapy. Dolutegravir, a once-daily HIV strand integrase inhibitor currently approved for HIV-1 infected patients, provides at least equivalent antiviral efficacy and better tolerability compared with approved antiretroviral drugs. Efforts are ongoing for the approval of new single-tablet regimen (STR) containing dolutegravir, abacavir and lamivudine and also it would minimize the number of pills required for effective and acceptable antiretroviral treatment. Because of its unique mechanism of action, demonstrated virologic activity, resistance profile and tolerability, it is a significant advancement in HIV-1 therapeutics which will help HIV patients in long run.

Roman Fever :: essays research papers

Last Word When it comes to the art of conversation men and women employ different strategies when carrying on same sex conversations. In the short story â€Å"Roman Fever† by Edith Wharton, the two main characters appear to be having a battle of wits. While on holiday in Rome two people become reacquainted with each other. Both parties have lost their spouse. The dialogue opens with one speaker making light conversation. This person is simply making nonchalant statements, possibly seeking a reply with a mutual agreement about the topic. Instead the second person replies back with an implied personal ending to the statement taking the control away from the first speaker. This causes the first speaker to reflect for a moment. Well executed, the second person has once again politely changed the subject to avoid a confrontation. In the company of each other, silence is a device they both use. One uses it for opportunistic reasons, the other to conceal. When the conversation starts again it seems as if the couple is carefully setting the stage for a mental battle of, who can out do who, the classiest. This is where the genders split as to how they deal with conflict. Usually two civilized gentlemen engaged in a conversation that involves intimacy tend to keep those personal emotions to themselves. If directly asked such a question the other gentleman would probably state that he chooses not to discuss it. If men do not want to talk about a subject that involves emotions they come right out and say, â€Å"I don’t want to talk about this and that’s final†. Respecting the other man’s statement, no further discussions involving that topic would take place. As far as a strategy for control of conversation, men are not inclined to be evasive with each other. They get right to the point without a lot of chit-chat in between. Men do not try to confuse one another with inferences or misleading statements, to them it would be illogical. With reference to the two women in â€Å"Roman Nights† Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley literally battle each other in the most feminine of ways, through words. Mrs. Slade admits to her friend that Delphin did not write the letter, she did. This emotionally crushes Mrs. Ansley. Now that the topic is finally out in the open the two women prepare for a game of wits. After the first round of surprises Mrs.

Time For Americans To Be A Family :: essays research papers

Time for Americans To Be A Family By D.C. Burch It seems to be a time for Americans to try and be a family again. Maybe a quarrelsome and restless family not entirely happy with each member all of the time, but a family nonetheless. OK, I admit it. I am confused and perplexed by the storm of political correctness sweeping throughout the nation, raising dust-devils and tempests; leaving destruction and chaos in its wake. The English language is being transmogrified to quell and satisfy members of the American society who feel they should somehow, be special; apart from our citizenry. Thus my confusion. I've been called a privileged white-boy by some, honky by others, and cracker by others still. All this because I grew up in a middle class family in Toledo, Ohio? I've never considered myself to be anything special, certainly never superior to anyone or anything by virtue of my ancestry, just your basic, run- of-the-mill guy who wants to do the right thing. From the time I was little boy, I have seen one particular group called colored, Negro, black, and now, African-American. I can't seem to find a consensus out there in any media, one moment the reference is to blacks, and the next to African-Americans, when they are referring to the same group of people. I'm not knocking what people want to call themselves, it's the mixed messages I'm getting and the inaccuracy of the terminology that frustrates me. Look around and you will see there is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Black Muslims, and African-Americans. All of these terms are used to refer to members of one group of people. Is it any wonder I'm confused? I have particular problems with the term African-American, a misnomer which would lead me to believe these people somehow hold dual citizenship with another country, or even worse, lead everyone to believe all those who use that term to describe themselves are of African origin and are exclusively black in color. As we all know, there are white Africans, too. Should they choose to come to the U.S., they too, would be eligible for the label African-American, which would further confuse the issue. Enter the U.S. Census Bureau. Rather than help clear up the mess, they perpetuate it by requesting racial information and make-up of families that does nothing more than perpetuate the lies we tell one another. At least with the Census Bureau, their are Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, Other, and Whites. I don't know about you folks but, I was born here in the U.

COP 3530, Discrete Data Structures and Algorithms, Summer 1999, Homework 5 :: UFL Florida Computer Programming Homework

Class Notes: Data Structures and Algorithms Summer-C Semester 1999 - M WRF 2nd Period CSE/E119, Section 7344 Homework #5 -- Due Wed 30 June 1999 : 09.30am Revised Date In class, we discussed the breadth-first and depth-first search (BFS and DFS) algorithms for graph traversal. Using your class notes and the text (Chapter 12) as a guide, answer the following questions. Note: Answers are in blue typeface. * Question 1. Write pseudocode (not Java code) for the BFS algorithm we discussed in class. Beside each step, write the number of external I/O, memory I/O, incrementation, comparison, and other types of operations employed. Then, construct a work budget for each type of operation, together with a Big-Oh estimate of complexity. Answer: Psudeocode for BFS is given for a graph having n vertices and m edges, as follows: procedure: Breadth-first-search(w) { initialize list L0 to contin vertex w # 2 mem I/O i = 0 # 1 mem I/O while not(isEmpty(Li)) do # n-1 comps { create Li+1 = empty list # 1 mem I/O for each vertex v in Li do # n iterations max. { for each edge e incident on v do # m iter's max.

Blood Promise Chapter Six

I bolted upright, every part of me awake and alert. There were no city lights to shine through the window, and it took me several seconds to make out anything in the darkened room. Sydney was curled up in her own bed, her face unusually at peace as she slept. Where was the Strigoi? Definitely not in our room. Was it in the house? Everyone had said the road to Dimitri's town was dangerous. Still, I would have thought Strigoi would be going after Moroi and dhampirs-though humans were a big part of their diet too. Thinking of the nice couple who'd welcomed us into their home, I felt something tight clench in my chest. No way would I let anything happen to them. Slipping quietly out of the bed, I grabbed a hold of my stake and crept from the room without disturbing Sydney. No one else was awake, and as soon as I was in the living room, the nausea went away. Okay. The Strigoi wasn't inside, which was a good thing. It was outdoors, apparently on the side of the house near my room. Still moving silently, I went out the house's front door and walked around the corner, as quiet as the night around me. The nausea grew stronger as I approached the barn, and I couldn't help but feel smug. I was going to surprise this Strigoi who'd thought it could sneak into a tiny human village for dinner. There. Right near the barn's entrance, I could see a long shadow moving. Gotcha, I thought. I readied the stake and started to spring forward-And then something struck me on the shoulder. I stumbled, astonished, and looked into the face of a Strigoi. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the shadow by the barn materialize into another Strigoi striding forward. Panic shot through me. There were two, and my secret detection system hadn't been able to tell the difference. Worse, they'd gotten the drop on me. A thought immediately flashed into my mind: What if one's Dimitri? It wasn't. At least, this close one wasn't. It was a woman. I had yet to get a feel for the second one. That one was approaching from my other side, moving fast. I had to deal with this immediate threat, though, and swiped at the woman with my stake, hoping to wound her, but she dodged so quickly, I hardly saw her move. She struck out toward me in an almost casual way. I wasn't fast enough to react and went flying toward the other Strigoi-a guy who was not Dimitri. I responded quickly, leaping up and kicking him. I held the stake out, creating distance between us, but it did little good when the woman came up from behind and grabbed me, jerking my body against hers. I gave a muffled cry and felt her hands on my throat. She was probably going to break my neck, I realized. It was a fast, easy technique for Strigoi that then let them drag off a victim for feeding. I struggled, jostling her hands slightly, but as the other Strigoi leaned over us, I knew it was useless. They'd surprised me. There were two of them. They were strong. Panic surged in me again, an overwhelming sense of fear and desperation. I was afraid every time I fought Strigoi, but this fear was reaching a breaking point. It was unfocused and out of control, and I suspected it was touched by a bit of the madness and darkness I'd absorbed from Lissa. The feelings exploded within me, and I wondered if they'd destroy me before the Strigoi did. I was in very real danger of dying here-of letting Sydney and the others get killed. The rage and distress of that thought were smothering. Then, suddenly, it was like the earth burst open. Translucent forms, glowing softly in the darkness, sprang up everywhere. Some looked like normal people. Others were horrible, their faces gaunt and skull-like. Ghosts. Spirits. They surrounded us, their presence making my hair stand on end and sending a splitting headache through my skull. The ghosts turned toward me. I'd had this happen before, on a plane, when apparitions had swarmed and threatened to consume me. I braced myself, trying desperately to summon up the strength to build barriers that would shut me off from the spirit world. It was a skill I'd had to learn, one I usually kept in place without any effort. The desperation and panic of this situation had cracked my control. In that horrible, blood-curdling moment, I again selfishly wished Mason hadn't found peace and left this world. I would have felt better if his ghost were here. Then I realized I wasn't their target. The ghosts were mobbing the two Strigoi. The spirits didn't have solid forms, but every place they touched and passed through me felt like ice. The female Strigoi immediately began waving her arms to fend the apparitions off, snarling in rage and something almost like fear. The ghosts didn't appear to be able to hurt the Strigoi, but they were apparently pretty annoying-and distracting. I staked the male Strigoi before he ever saw me coming. Immediately, the ghosts around him moved to the woman. She was good, I'd give her that. Despite struggling to fend the spirits off, she was still able to dodge my attacks fairly well. A lucky punch from her made stars burst before my eyes and sent me into the barn wall. I still had that ghost-induced splitting headache, and my head slamming into the barn didn't help. Staggering up, dizzy, I made my way back to her and continued my efforts to get a shot in at her heart. She managed to keep her chest out of my range-at least until one particularly terrifying ghost caught her off guard. Her momentary distraction gave me my chance, and I staked her, too. She fell to the ground-leaving me alone with the spirits. With the Strigoi, the ghosts had clearly wanted to attack them. With me, it was a lot like on the plane. They seemed fascinated by me, desperate to get my attention. Only, with dozens of phantoms swarming, it might as well have been an attack. Desperately, I tried again to summon my walls, to block the ghosts off from me as I'd done long ago. The effort was excruciating. Somehow, my out-of-control emotions had brought the spirits, and while I was calmer now, that control was harder to bring about. My head continued throbbing. Gritting my teeth, I focused every ounce of my strength into blocking out the ghosts. â€Å"Go away,† I hissed. â€Å"I don't need you anymore.† For a moment, it looked like my efforts were going to be useless. Then, slowly, one by one, the spirits began to fade. I felt the control I'd learned before gradually slip into place. Soon, there was nothing there but me, the darkness, and the barn-and Sydney. I noticed her just as I collapsed to the ground. She was running out of the house in her pajamas, face pale. Kneeling at my side, she helped me sit up, legitimate fear all over her. â€Å"Rose! Are you okay?† I felt like every scrap of energy in my brain and body had been sucked out. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. â€Å"No,† I told her. And then I passed out. I dreamed of Dimitri again, his arms around me and beautiful face leaning over me to care for me as he'd done so often when I was sick. Memories of things past came to me, the two of us laughing over some joke. Sometimes, in these dreams, he'd carry me away. Sometimes, we'd be riding in a car. Occasionally, his face would start to take on that fearsome Strigoi image that always tormented me. Then I'd quickly order my mind to brush such thoughts away. Dimitri had taken care of me so many times and had always been there when I needed him. It had gone both ways, though. Admittedly, he had not seemed to end up in the infirmary as much as me. That was just my luck. Even when he was injured, he wouldn't acknowledge it. And as I dreamed and hallucinated, images came to me of one of the few times I'd been able to take care of him. Just before the school had been attacked, Dimitri had been involved in a number of tests with me and my fellow novices to see how well we reacted to surprise assaults. Dimitri was so tough that he was almost impossible to beat, though he still got bruised up a number of times. I'd run into him in the gym once during these tests, surprised to see a cut on his cheek. It was hardly fatal, but there was a fair amount of blood showing. â€Å"Do you realize you're bleeding to death?† I'd exclaimed. It was kind of an exaggeration, but still. He touched his cheek absentmindedly and seemed to notice the injury for the first time. â€Å"I wouldn't quite go that far. It's nothing.† â€Å"It's nothing until you get an infection!† â€Å"You know that's not likely,† he said obstinately. That was true. Moroi-aside from contracting the occasional rare disease, as Victor had-hardly ever got sick. We dhampirs had inherited that from them, just as Sydney's tattoo gave her some protection. Nonetheless, I wasn't about to let Dimitri bleed all over. â€Å"Come on,† I said, pointing to the small bathroom in the gym. My voice had been fierce, and to my surprise, he'd actually obeyed. After wetting a washcloth, I gently cleaned his face. He continued protesting at first but finally fell quiet. The bathroom was small, and we were just a few inches from each other. I could smell his clean, intoxicating scent and studied every detail of his face and strong body. My heart raced in my chest, but we were supposed to be on good behavior, so I tried to appear cool and collected. He was eerily calm too, but when I brushed his hair back behind his ears to clean the rest of his face, he flinched. My fingertips touching his skin had sent shock waves through me, and he'd felt them too. He caught hold of my hand and pulled it away. â€Å"Enough,† he said, voice husky. â€Å"I'm fine.† â€Å"Are you sure?† I asked. He hadn't released my hand. We were so, so close. The small bathroom seemed ready to burst with the electricity building between us. I knew this couldn't last but hated to let go of him. God, it was hard being responsible sometimes. â€Å"Yes,† he said. His voice was soft, and I knew he wasn't mad at me. He was afraid, afraid of how little it would take to ignite a fire between us. As it was, I was warm all over, just from the feel of his hand. Touching him made me feel complete, like the person I was always meant to be. â€Å"Thank you, Roza.† He released my hand, and we left, both off to do our own things that day. But the feel of his skin and hair stayed with me for hours afterward†¦ I don't know why I dreamed that memory after being attacked near the barn. It seemed weird that I'd dream of taking care of Dimitri when I was the one who needed care. I guess it didn't really matter what the memory was, so long as it involved him. Dimitri always made me feel better, even in my dreams, giving me strength and resolve. But as I lay in that delirium and moved in and out of consciousness, his comforting face would occasionally take on those terrible red eyes and fangs. I'd whimper, fighting hard to push that sight away. Other times, he didn't look like Dimitri at all. He'd turn into a man I didn't know, an older Moroi with dark hair and cunning eyes, gold jewelry glinting on his neck and ears. I'd cry out for Dimitri again, and eventually, his face would return, safe and wonderful. At one point, though, the image shifted again, this time into a woman's. Clearly, she wasn't Dimitri, but there was something about her brown eyes that reminded me of him. She was older, in her forties maybe, and a dhampir. She laid a cool cloth across my forehead, and I realized I wasn't dreaming anymore. My body ached, and I was in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. No sign of the Strigoi. Had I dreamed them, too? â€Å"Don't try to move,† the woman said with the faintest trace of a Russian accent. â€Å"You took some bad hits.† My eyes widened as the events by the barn came back to me, the ghosts I'd summoned up. It hadn't been a dream. â€Å"Where's Sydney? Is she okay?† â€Å"She's fine. Don't worry.† Something in the woman's voice told me I could believe her. â€Å"Where am I?† â€Å"In Baia.† Baia, Baia. Somewhere, in the back of my head, that name was familiar. All of a sudden, it clicked. Long, long ago, Dimitri had said it. He'd only ever mentioned his town's name once and, even though I'd tried, I had never been able to remember it. Sydney would never tell me the name. But now we were here. Dimitri's home. â€Å"Who are you?† I asked. â€Å"Olena,† she said. â€Å"Olena Belikova.†

Moral psychology Essay

In the first lecture I have tried to explain you the concept of Business Ethics, its importance in the organization, and arguments against its implementation. Along with that we did a small activity so as to make everything clear. In this lecture I shall talk about morality and moral standards. Points to be covered in this lecture: Meaning and characteristics of morality Meaning and origin of moral standards MORALITY What do you actually mean by morality? Morality can be explained in all these ways: Morality can be defined as the standards that an individual or a group has about what is right and wrong, or good and evil. Moral quality or character; rightness or wrongness, as of an action; the character of being in accord with the principles or standards of right conduct. Not imposed from outside, but innate and can even be unconscious. We have a fundamental urge to connect. Ultimately, it’s our moral qualities that force us to live in harmony with the unconscious; doing so is the highest form of morality. Morality is individual; the morality of a group decreases as its size increases. Morality is an informal public system applying to all rational persons, governing behavior that affects others, and has the lessening of evil or harm as its goal. Morality is a complex of concepts and philosophical beliefs by which an individual determines whether his or her actions are right or wrong. Often, these concepts and beliefs are generalized and codified in a culture or group, and thus serve to regulate the behavior of its members. Conformity to such codification is called morality, and the group may depend on widespread conformity to such codes for its continued existence. A â€Å"moral† may refer to a particular principle, usually as informal and general summary of a moral principle, as applied in a given human situation. Characteristics Of Morality To say that morality is a public system incorporates the essential feature that everyone who is subject to moral judgment knows what kinds of actions it prohibits, requires, discourages, encourages, and allows. It also guarantees that it is never irrational to act morally. It would take considerably more space than is appropriate here to show that defining morality as a public system that applies to all rational persons also results in morality being a universal guide to behavior that all rational persons would put forward for governing the behavior of all moral agents. I should make clear that the claim that all rational persons would put forward this system only follows if limitations are put on the beliefs that rational persons can use and if they are attempting to reach agreement with similarly limited rational persons. To say that morality is an informal system means that it has no authoritative judges and decision procedures that provide unique answers to all moral questions. When it is important that disagreements be settled, societies use political and legal systems to supplement morality. These formal systems have the means to provide unique answers, but they do not provide a moral answer to the question. Example: An important example of such a moral question is whether, and if so under what conditions, to allow abortion. There is continuing disagreement about this moral question, even though the legal and political system in the United States has provided fairly clear guidelines about the conditions under which abortion is allowed. Despite this important and controversial issue, morality, like all informal public systems, presupposes overwhelming agreement on most moral questions. No one thinks it is morally justified to cheat, deceive, injure, or kill simply in order to gain sufficient money to take a fantastic vacation. In the vast majority of moral situations, given agreement on the facts, no one disagrees, but for this very reason, these situations are never discussed. Thus, the overwhelming agreement on most moral matters is often overlooked. The claim that morality governs behavior that affects others is somewhat controversial. Some have claimed that morality governs behavior that affects only the agent himself/herself. Examples of behavior that supposedly affects only oneself, often include taking recreational drugs, masturbation, and developing one’s talents. The final characteristic of morality — that it has the lessening of evil or harm as its goal — is also somewhat controversial. The Utilitarians talk about producing the greatest good as the goal of morality. However they include the lessening of harm as essential to producing the greatest good and almost all of their examples involve the avoiding or preventing of harm. The paradigm cases of moral precepts involve rules which prohibit causing harm directly or indirectly, such as rules prohibiting killing, causing pain, deceiving, and breaking promises. Even those precepts that require or encourage positive action, such as helping the needy, are almost always related to preventing or relieving harms. Moral Standards Moral standards include the norms we have about the kinds of actions we believe are morally right and wrong as well as the values we place on the kinds of objects we believe are morally good and morally bad. Moral norms can usually be expressed as general rules, ie. â€Å"Always tell the truth. † Moral values can usually be expressed as statements describing objects or features of objects, ie. â€Å" Honesty is good. † Origin Of Moral Standards During childhood moral standards are absorbed from family, friends and various societal institutions. Later in life experiences, learning and intellectual development help a person in forming these standards. Moral Standards Vs. Non-Moral Standards Moral standards deal with matters, which can seriously injure or seriously benefit human beings while it is not the case with non-moral standards. Examples of non-moral standards include the standards of etiquette by which we judge manners as good or bad, and the standards we call â€Å"law† by which we judge legal right and wrong. Moral standards are not formed or changed by the decision of particular authoritative bodies and the validity of these standards lies on the adequacy of the reasons that are taken to support and justify them. If a person has the moral obligation to do something, then the person is supposed to do that even if this conflicts with other non-moral values or self-interest. Moral standards does not evaluate standards on the basis of the interests of a particular individual or group, but one that goes beyond personal interests to a universal stand point in which everyone’s interests are impartially counted as equal. Moral standards are associated with special emotions and a special vocabulary. If a person tells a lie so as to fulfill a purpose and then afterwards he starts feeling guilty or ashamed of his behavior. Points to ponder: Till now we have discussed what is ethics, business ethics, morality and moral standards, but students you should always remember that what is right and moral for you may be wrong and immoral for me or to any other person sitting in the class. In a way we can say that Ethics is a very subjective matter. Ok, tell me one thing that how are you now going to react when you will see a person lying in a pool of blood on the road. Are you going to help him or will avoid him because of the fear of Delhi police? Hope now you will start using your conscience and will do what you feel is right and there will be no hiccups before taking any action. Overview: Morality can be defined as the standards that an individual or a group has about what is right and wrong, or good and evil. Moral standards include the norms we have about the kinds of actions we believe are morally right and wrong as well as the values we place on the kinds of objects we believe are morally good and morally bad. Activity Define morality. Discuss some characteristics of morality. http://www. slideshare. net/birubiru/morality-and-moral-standards Social norms are group-held beliefs about how members should behave in a given context Sociologists describe norms as informal understandings that govern society’s behaviors, while psychologists have adopted a more general definition, recognizing smaller group units, like a team or an office, may also endorse norms separate or in addition to cultural or societal expectations.

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER THREE HISTORIAN

HISTORIAN Janov Pelorat was white-haired and his face, in repose, looked rather empty. It was rarefy in anything but repose. He was of average height and weight and tended to move without haste and to speak with deliberation. He seemed considerably older than his fifty-two years. He had never left Terminus, something that was most unusual, especially for one of his profession. He himself wasn't sure whether his sedentary ways were because of – or in spite of – his obsession with history. The obsession had come upon him quite suddenly at the age of fifteen when, during some indisposition, he was given a book of early legends. In it, he found the repeated motif of a world that was alone and isolated – a world that was not even aware of its isolation, since it had never known anything else. His indisposition began to clear up at once. Within two days, he had read the book three times and was out of bed. The day after that he was at his computer terminal, checking for any records that the Terminus University Library might have on similar legends. It was precisely such legends that had occupied him ever since. The Terminus University Library had by no means been a great resource in this respect but, when he grew older, he discovered the joys of interlibrary loans. He had printouts in his possession which had been taken off hyper-radiational signals from as far away as Ifnia. He had become a professor of ancient history and was now beginning his first sabbatical – one for which he had applied with the idea of taking a trip through space (his first) to Trantor itself – thirty-seven years later. Pelorat was quite aware that it was most unusual for a person of Terminus to have never been in space. It had never been his intention to be notable in this particular way. It was just that whenever he might have gone into space, some new book, some new study, some new analysis came his way. He would delay his projected trip until he had wrung the new matter dry and had added, if possible, one more item of fact, or speculation, or imagination to the mountain he had collected. In the end, his only regret was that the particular trip to Trantor had never been made. Trantor had been the capital of the First Galactic Empire. It had been the seat of Emperors for twelve thousand years and, before that, the capital of one of the most important pre-Imperial kingdoms, which had, little by little, captured or otherwise absorbed the other kingdoms to establish the Empire. Trantor had been a world-girdling city, a metal-coated city. Pelorat had read of it in the works of Gaal Dornick, who had visited it in the time of Hari Seldon himself. Dornick's volume no longer circulated and the one Pelorat owned might have been sold for half the historian's annual salary. A suggestion that he might part with it would have horrified the historian. Of course, what Pelorat cared about, as far as Trantor was concerned, was the Galactic Library, which in Imperial times (when it was the Imperial Library) had been the largest in the Galaxy. Trantor was the capital of the largest and most populous Empire humanity had ever seen. It had been a single worldwide city with a population well in excess of forty billion, and its Library had been the gathered record of all the creative (and not-so-creative) work of humanity, the full summary of its knowledge. And it was all computerized in so complex a manner that it took experts to handle the computers. What was more, the Library had survived. To Pelorat, that was the amazing thing about it. When Trantor had fallen and been sacked, nearly two and a half centuries before, it had undergone appalling destruction, and the tales of human misery and death would not bear repeating – yet the Library had survived, protected (it was said) by the University students, who used ingeniously devised weapons. (Some thought the defense by the students might well have been thoroughly romanticized.) In any case, the Library had endured through the period of devastation. Ebling Mis had done his work in an intact Library in a ruined world when he had almost located the Second Foundation (according to the story which the people of the Foundation still believed, but which historians have always treated with reserve). The three generations of Darells – Bayta, Toran, and Arkady – had each, at one time or another, been on Trantor. However, Arkady had not visited the Library, and since her time the Library had not impinged on Galactic history. No Foundationer had been on Trantor in a hundred and twenty years, but there was no reason to believe the Library was not still there. That it had made no impingement was the surest evidence in favor of its being there. Its destruction would surely have made a noise. The Library was outmoded and archaic – it had been so even in Ebling Mis's time – but that was all to the good. Pelorat always rubbed his hands with excitement when he thought of an old and outmoded Library. The older and the more outmoded, the more likely it was to have what he needed. In his dreams, he would enter the Library and ask in breathless alarm, â€Å"Has the Library been modemized? Have you thrown out the old tapes and computerizations?† And always he imagined the answer from dusty and ancient librarians, â€Å"As it has been, Professor, so is it still.† And now his dream would come true. The Mayor herself had assured him of that. How she had known of his work, he wasn't quite sure. He had not succeeded in publishing many papers. Little of what he had done was solid enough to be acceptable for publication and what had appeared had left no mark. Still, they said Branno the Bronze knew all that went on in Terminus and had eyes at the end of every finger and toe. Pelorat could almost believe it, but if she knew of his work, why on Terminus didn't she see its importance and give him a little financial support before this? Somehow, he thought, with as much bitterness as he could generate, the Foundation had its eyes fixed firmly on the future. It was the Second Empire and their destiny that absorbed them. They had no time, no desire, to peer back into the past – and they were irritated by those who did. The more fools they, of course, but he could not single-handedly wipe out folly. And it might be better so. He could hug the great pursuit to his own chest and the day would come when he would be remembered as the great Pioneer of the Important. That meant, of course (and he was too intellectually honest to refuse to perceive it), that he, too, was absorbed in the future – a future in which he would be recognized, and in which he would be a hero on a par with Hari Seldon. In fact, he would be the greater, for how could the working out of a clearly visualized future a millennium long stand comparison with the working out of a lost past at least twenty-five millennia old. And this was the day; this was the day. The Mayor had said it would be the day after Seldon's image made its appearance. That was the only reason Pelorat had been interested in the Seldon Crisis that for months had occupied every mind on Terminus and indeed almost every mind in the Federation. It had seemed to him to make the most trifling difference as to whether the capital of the Foundation had remained here at Terminus, or had been shifted somewhere else. And now that the crisis had been resolved, he remained unsure as to which side of the matter Hari Seldon had championed, or if the matter under dispute had been mentioned at all. It was enough that Seldon had appeared and that now this was the day. It was a little after two in the afternoon that a ground-car slid to a halt in the driveway of his somewhat isolated house just outside Terminus proper. A rear door slid back. A guard in the uniform of the Mayoralty Security Corps stepped out, then a young man, then two more guards. Pelorat was impressed despite himself. The Mayor not only knew of his work but clearly considered it of the highest importance. The person who was to be his companion was given an honor guard, and he had been promised a first-class vessel which his companion would be able to pilot. Most flattering! Most – Pelorat's housekeeper opened the door. The young man entered and the two guards positioned themselves on either side of the entrance. Through the window, Pelorat saw that the third guard remained outside and that a second ground-car had now pulled up. Additional guards! Confusing! He turned to find the young man in his room and was surprised to find that he recognized him. He had seen him on holocasts. He said, â€Å"You're that Councilman. You're Trevize!† â€Å"Golan Trevize. That's right. You are Professor Janov Pelorat?† â€Å"Yes, yes,† said Pelorat. â€Å"Are you he who will – â€Å" â€Å"We are going to be fellow travelers,† said Trevize woodenly. â€Å"Or so I have been told.† â€Å"But you're not a historian.† â€Å"No, I'm not. As you said, I'm a Councilman, a politician.† â€Å"Yes, Yes, But what am I thinking about? I am a historian, therefore what need for another? You can pilot a spaceship.† â€Å"Yes, I'm pretty good at that.† â€Å"Well, that's what we need, then. Excellent! I'm afraid I'm not one of your practical thinkers, young man, so if it should happen that you are, we'll make a good team.† Trevize said, â€Å"I am not, at the moment, overwhelmed with the excellence of my own thinking, but it seems we have no choice but to try to make it a good team.† â€Å"Let's hope, then, that I can overcome my uncertainty about space. I've never been in space, you know, Councilman. I am a groundhog, if that's the term. Would you like a glass of tea, by the way? I'll have Moda prepare us something. It is my understanding that it will be some hours before we leave, after all. I am prepared right now, however. I have what is necessary for both of us. The Mayor has been most co-operative. Astonishing – her interest in the project.† Trevize said, â€Å"You've known about this, then? How long?† â€Å"The Mayor approached me† (here Pelorat frowned slightly and seemed to be making certain calculations) â€Å"two, or maybe three, weeks ago. I was delighted. And now that I have got it clear in my head that I need a pilot and not a second historian, I am also delighted that my companion will be you, my dear fellow.† â€Å"Two, maybe three, weeks ago,† repeated Trevize, sounding a little dazed. â€Å"She was prepared all this time, then. And I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He faded out. â€Å"Pardon me?† â€Å"Nothing, Professor. I have a bad habit of muttering to myself. It is something you will have to grow accustomed to, if our trip extends itself.† â€Å"It will. It will,† said Pelorat, bustling the other to the dining room table, where an elaborate tea was being; prepared by his housekeeper. â€Å"Quite open-ended. The Mayor said we were to take as long as we liked and that the Galaxy lay all before us and, indeed, that wherever we went we could call upon Foundation funds. She said, of course, that we would have to be reasonable. I promised that much.† He chuckled and rubbed his hands: â€Å"Sit down, my good fellow, sit down. This may be our last meal on Terminus for a very long time.† Trevize sat down. He said, â€Å"Do you have a family, Professor?† â€Å"I have a son. He's on the faculty at Santanni University. A chemist, I believe, or something like that. He took after his mother's side. She hasn't been with me for a long time, so you see I have no responsibilities, no active hostages to fortune. I trust you have none – help yourself to the sandwiches, my boy.† â€Å"No hostages at the moment. A few women. They come and go.† â€Å"Yes. Yes. Delightful when it works out. Even more delightful when you find it need not be taken seriously. – No children, I take it. â€Å"None.† â€Å"Good! You know, I'm in the most remarkable good humor. I was taken aback when you first came in. I admit it. But I find you quite exhilarating now. What I need is youth and enthusiasm and someone who can find his way about the Galaxy. We're on a search, you know. A remarkable search.† Pelorat's quiet face and quiet voice achieved an unusual animation without any particular change in either expression or intonation. â€Å"I wonder if you have been told about this. Trevize's eyes narrowed. â€Å"A remarkable search?† â€Å"Yes indeed. A pearl of great price is hidden among the tens of millions of inhabited worlds in the Galaxy and we have nothing but the faintest clues to guide us. just the same, it will be an incredible prize if we can find it. If you and I can carry it off, my boy – Trevize, I should say, for I don't mean to patronize – our names will ring down the ages to the end of time.† â€Å"The prize you speak of – this pearl of great price.† â€Å"I sound like Arkady Darell – the writer, you know – speaking of the Second Foundation, don't I? no wonder you look astonished.† Pelorat – leaned his head back as though he were going to break into loud laughter but he merely smiled. â€Å"Nothing so silly and unimportant, I assure you.† Trevize said, â€Å"If you are not speaking of the Second Foundation, Professor, what are you speaking of?† Pelorat was suddenly grave, even apologetic. â€Å"Ah, then the Mayor has not told you? – It is odd, you know. I've spent decades resenting the government and its inability to understand what I'm doing, and now Mayor Branno is being remarkably generous.† â€Å"Yes,† said Trevize, not trying to conceal an intonation of irony, â€Å"she is a woman of remarkable hidden philanthropy, but she has not told me what this is all about.† â€Å"You are not aware of my research, then?† â€Å"No. I'm sorry.† â€Å"No need to excuse yourself. Perfectly all right. I have not exactly made a splash. Then let me tell you. You and I are going to search for – and find, for I have an excellent possibility in mind – Earth.† Trevize did not sleep well that night. Over and over, he thrashed about the prison that the old woman had built around him. Nowhere could he find a way out. He was being driven into exile and he could do nothing about it. She had been calmly inexorable and did not even take the trouble to mask the unconstitutionality of it all. He had relied on his rights as a Councilman and as a citizen of the Federation, and she hadn't even paid them lip service. And now this Pelorat, this odd academic who seemed to be located in the world without being part of it, told him that the fearsome old woman had been making arrangements for this for weeks. He felt like the â€Å"boy† that she had called him. He was to be exiled with a historian who kept â€Å"dear fellowing† him and who seemed to be in a noiseless fit of joy over beginning a Galactic search for – Earth? What in the name of the Mule's grandmother was Earth? He had asked. Of course! He had asked upon the moment of its mention. He had said, â€Å"Pardon me, Professor. I am ignorant of your specialty and I trust you won't be annoyed if I ask for an explanation in simple terms. What is Earth?† Pelorat stared at him gravely while twenty seconds moved slowly past. He said, â€Å"It is a planet. The original planet. The one on which human beings first appeared, my dear fellow.† Trevize stared. â€Å"First appeared? From where?† â€Å"From nowhere. It's the planet on which humanity developed through evolutionary processes from lower animals.† Trevize thought about it, then shook his head. â€Å"I don't know what you mean.† An annoyed expression crossed Pelorat's face briefly. He cleared his throat and said, â€Å"There was a time when Terminus had no human beings upon it. It was settled by human beings from other worlds. You know that, I suppose?† â€Å"Yes, of course,† said Trevize impatiently. He was irritated at the other's sudden assumption of pedagogy. â€Å"Very well. This is true of all the other worlds. Anacreon, Santanni, Kalgan – all of them. They were all, at some time in the past, founded. People arrived there from other worlds. It's true even of Trantor. It may have been a great metropolis for twenty thousand years, but before that it wasn't.† â€Å"Why, what was it before that?† â€Å"Empty? At least of human beings.† â€Å"That's hard to believe.† â€Å"It's true. The old records show it.† â€Å"Where did the people come from who first settled Trantor?† â€Å"No one is certain. There are hundreds of planets which claim to have been populated in the dim mists of antiquity and whose people present fanciful tales about the nature of the first arrival of humanity. Historians tend to dismiss such things and to brood over the ‘Origin Question.'† â€Å"What is that? I've never heard of it.† â€Å"That doesn't surprise me. It's not a popular historical problem now, I admit, but there was a time during the decay of the Empire when it roused a certain interest among intellectuals. Salvor Hardin mentions it briefly in his memoirs. It's the question of the identity and location of the one Planet from which it all started. If ,we look backward in time, humanity flows inward from the most recently established worlds to older ones, to still older ones, until all concentrates on one – the original.† Trevize thought at once of the obvious flaw in the argument. â€Å"Might there not have been a large number of originals?† â€Å"Of course not. All human beings all over the Galaxy are of a single species. A single species cannot originate on more than one planet. Quite impossible.† â€Å"How do you know?† â€Å"In the first place.† Pelorat ticked off the first finger of his left hand with the first finger of his right, and then seemed to think better of what would undoubtedly have been a long and intricate exposition. He put both hands at his side and said with great earnestness, â€Å"My dear fellow, I give you my word of honor.† Trevize bowed formally and said, â€Å"I would not dream of doubting it, Professor Pelorat. Let us say, then, that there is one planet of origin, but might there not be hundreds who lay claim to the honor?† â€Å"There not only might be, there are. Yet every claim is without merit. Not one of those hundreds that aspire to the credit of priority shows any trace of a prehyperspatial society, let alone any trace of human evolution from prehuman organisms.† â€Å"Then are you saying that there is a planet of origin, but that, for some reason, it is not making the claim?† â€Å"You have hit it precisely.† â€Å"And you are going to search for it?† â€Å"We are. That is our mission. Mayor Branno has arranged it all. You will pilot our ship to Trantor.† â€Å"To Trantor? It's not the planet of origin. You said that much a while ago.† â€Å"Of course Trantor isn't. Earth is.† â€Å"Then why aren't you telling me to pilot the ship to Earth?† â€Å"I am not making myself clear. Earth is a legendary name. It is enshrined in ancient myths. It has no meaning we can be certain of, but it is convenient to use the word as a one-syllable synonym for ‘the planet of origin of the human species.' just which planet in real space is the one we are defining as ‘Earth' is not known.† â€Å"Will they know on Trantor?† â€Å"I hope to find information there, certainly. Trantor possesses the Galactic Library, the greatest in the system.† â€Å"Surely that Library has been searched by those people you said were interested in the ‘Origin Question' in the time of the First Empire.† Pelorat nodded thoughtfully, â€Å"Yes, but perhaps not well enough. I have learned a great deal about the ‘Origin Question' that perhaps the Imperials of five centuries back did not know. I might search the old records with greater understanding, you see. I have been thinking about this for a long time and I have an excellent possibility in mind.† â€Å"You have told Mayor Branno all this, I imagine, and she approves?† â€Å"Approves? My dear fellow, she was ecstatic. She told me that Trantor was surely the place to find out all I needed to know.† â€Å"No doubt,† muttered Trevize. That was part of what occupied him that night. Mayor Branno was sending him out to find out what he could about the Second Foundation. She was sending him with Pelorat so that he might mask his real aim with the pretended search for Earth – a search that could carry him anywhere in the Galaxy. It was a perfect cover, in fact, and he admired the Mayor's ingenuity. But Trantor? Where was the sense in that? Once they were on Trantor, Pelorat would find his way into the Galactic Library and would never emerge. With endless stacks of books, films, and recordings, with innumerable computerizations and symbolic representations, he would surely never want to leave. Besides that – Ebling Mis had once gone to Trantor, in the Mule's time. The story was that he had found the location of the Second Foundation there and had died before he could reveal it. But then, so had Arkady Darell, and she had succeeded in locating the Second Foundation. But the location she had found was on Terminus itself, and there the nest of Second Foundationers was wiped out. Wherever the Second Foundation was now would be elsewhere, so what more had Trantor to tell? If be were looking for the Second Foundation, it was best to go anywhere but Trantor. Besides that – What further plans Branno had, he did not know, but he was not in the mood to oblige her. Branno had been ecstatic, had she, about a trip to Trantor? Well, if Branno wanted Trantor, they were not going to Trantor! – Anywhere else. – But not Trantor! And worn out, with the night verging toward dawn, Trevize fell at last into a fitful slumber. Mayor Branno had had a good day on the one following the arrest of Trevize. She had been extolled far beyond her deserts and the incident was never mentioned. Nevertheless, she knew well that the Council would soon emerge from its paralysis and that questions would be raised. She would have to act quickly. So, putting a great many matters to one side, she pursued the matter of Trevize. At the time when Trevize and Pelorat were discussing Earth, Branno was facing Councilman Munn Li Compor in the Mayoralty Office. As he sat across the desk from her, perfectly at ease, she appraised him once again. He was smaller and slighter than Trevize and only two years older. Both were freshmen Councilmen, young and brash, and that must have been the only thing that held them together, for they were different in all other respects. Where Trevize seemed to radiate a glowering intensity, Compor shone with an almost serene self-confidence. Perhaps it was his blond hair and blue eyes, not at all common among Foundationers. They lent him an almost feminine delicacy that (Branno judged) made him less attractive to women than Trevize was. He was clearly vain of his looks, though, and made the most of them, wearing his hair rather long and making sure that it was carefully waved. He wore a faint blue shadowing under his eyebrows to accentuate the eye color. (Shadowing of various tints had become common among men these last ten years.) He was no womanizer. He lived sedately with his wife, but had not yet registered parental intent and was not known to have a clandestine second companion. That, too, was different from Trevize, who changed housemates as often as he changed the loudly colored sashes for which he was notorious. There was little about either young Councilman that Kodell's department had not uncovered, and Kodell himself sat quietly in one corner of the room, exuding a comfortable good cheer as always. Branno said, â€Å"Councilman Compor, you have done the Foundation good service, but unfortunately for yourself, it is not of the sort that can be praised in public or repaid in ordinary fashion.† Compor smiled. He had white and even teeth, and Branno idly wondered, for one flashing moment if all the inhabitants of the Sirius Sector looked like that. Compor's tale of stemming from that particular, rather peripheral, region went back to his maternal grandmother, who had also been blond-haired and blue-eyed and who had maintained that her mother was from the Sirius Sector. According to Kodell, however, there was no hard evidence in favor of that. Women being what they were, Kodell had said, she might well have claimed distant and exotic ancestry to add to her glamour and her already formidable attractiveness. â€Å"Is that how women are?† Branno had asked drily, and Kodell had smiled and muttered that he was referring to ordinary women, of course. Compor said, â€Å"It is not necessary that the people of the Foundation know of my service – only that you do.† â€Å"I know and I will not forget. What I also will not do is to let you assume that your obligations are now over. You have embarked on a complicated course and you must continue. We want more about Trevize.† â€Å"I have told you all I know concerning him.† â€Å"That may be what you would have me believe. That may even be what you truly believe yourself. Nevertheless, answer my questions. Do you know a gentleman named Janov Pelorat?† For just a moment Compor's forehead creased, then smoothed itself almost at once. He said carefully, â€Å"I might know him if I were to see him, but the name does not seem to cause any association within me.† â€Å"He is a scholar.† Compor's mouth rounded into a rather contemptuous but unsounded â€Å"Oh?† as though he were surprised that the Mayor would expect him to know scholars. Branno said, â€Å"Pelorat is an interesting person who, for reasons of his own, has the ambition of visiting Trantor. Councilman Trevize will accompany him. Now, since you have been a good friend of Trevize and . perhaps know his system of thinking, tell me. Do you think Trevize will consent to go to Trantor?† Compor said, â€Å"If you see to it that Trevize gets on the ship, and if the ship is piloted to Trantor, what can he do but go there? Surely you don't suggest he will mutiny and take over the ship.† â€Å"You don't understand. He and Pelorat will be alone on the ship and it will be Trevize at the controls.† â€Å"You are asking whether he would go voluntarily to Trantor?† â€Å"Yes, that is what I am asking.† â€Å"Madam Mayor, how can I possibly know what he will do?† â€Å"Councilman Compor, you have been close to Trevize. You know his belief in the existence of the Second Foundation. Has he never spoken to you of his theories as to where it might exist, where it might be found?† â€Å"Never, Madam Mayor.† â€Å"Do you think he will find it?† Compor chuckled. â€Å"I think the Second Foundation, whatever it was and however important it might have been, was wiped out in the time of Arkady Darell. I believe her story.† â€Å"Indeed? In that case, why did you betray your friend? If he were searching for something that does not exist, what harm could he have done by propounding his quaint theories?† Compor said, â€Å"It is not the truth alone that can harm. His theories may have been merely quaint, but they might have succeeded in unsettling the people of Terminus and, by introducing doubts and fears as to the Foundation's role in the great drama of Galactic history, have weakened its leadership of the Federation and its dreams of a Second Galactic Empire. Clearly you thought this yourself, or you would not have seized him on the floor of the Council, and you would not now be forcing him into exile without trial. Why have you done so, if I may ask, Mayor?† â€Å"Shall we say that I was cautious enough to wonder if there were some faint chance that he might be right, and that the expression of his views might be actively and directly dangerous?† Compor said nothing. Branno said, â€Å"I agree with you, but I am forced by the responsibilities of my position to consider the possibility. Let me ask you again if you have any indication as to where he might think the Second Foundation exists, and where he might go.† â€Å"I have none.† â€Å"He has never given you any hints in that direction?† â€Å"No, of course not.† â€Å"Never? Don't dismiss the thought easily. Think! Never?† â€Å"Never,† said Compor firmly. â€Å"No hints? no joking remarks? no doodles? no thoughtful abstractions at moments that achieve significance as you look back on them?† â€Å"None. I tell you, Madam Mayor, his dreams of the Second Foundation are the most nebulous starshine. You know it, and you but waste your time and your emotions in your concern over it.† â€Å"You are not by some chance suddenly changing sides again and protecting the friend you delivered into my hands?† â€Å"No,† said Compor. â€Å"I turned him over to you for what seemed to me to be good and patriotic reasons. I have no reason to regret the action, or to change my attitude.† â€Å"Then you can give me no hint as to where he might go once he has a ship at his disposal?† â€Å"As I have already said†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"And yet, Councilman,† and here the lines of the Mayor's face so folded as to make her seem wistful, â€Å"I would like to know where he goes.† â€Å"In that case, I think you ought to place a hyper-relay on his ship.† â€Å"I have thought of that, Councilman. He is, however, a suspicious man and I suspect he will find it – however cleverly it might be placed. Of course, it might be placed in such a way that he cannot remove it without crippling the ship, and he might therefore be forced to leave it in place†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"An excellent notion.† â€Å"Except that,† said Branno, â€Å"he would then be inhibited. He might not go where he would go if he felt himself free and untrammeled. The knowledge I would gain would be useless to me.† â€Å"In that case, it appears you cannot find out where he will go.† â€Å"I might, for I intend to be very primitive. A person who expects the completely sophisticated and who guards against it is quite apt never to think of the primitive. – I'm thinking of having Trevize followed.† â€Å"Followed?† â€Å"Exactly. By, another pilot in another spaceship. See how astonished you are at the thought? He would be equally astonished. He might not think of scouring space for an accompanying mass and, in any case, we will see to it that his ship is not equipped with our latest mass-detection devices.† Compor said, â€Å"Madam Mayor, I speak with all possible respect, but I must point out that you lack experience in space flight. To have one ship followed by another is never done – because it won't work. Trevize will escape with the first hyperspatial jump. Even if he doesn't know he is being followed, that first jump will be his path to freedom. If he doesn't have a hyper-relay on board ship, he can't be traced.† â€Å"I admit my lack of experience. Unlike you and Trevize, I have had no naval training. Nevertheless, I am told by my advisers – who have had such training – that if a ship is observed immediately prior to a jump, its direction, speed, and acceleration make it possible to guess what the jump might be – in a general way. Given a good computer and an excellent sense of judgment, a follower might duplicate the jump closely enough to pick up the trail at the other end – especially if the follower has a good mass-detector.† â€Å"That might happen once,† said Compor energetically, â€Å"even twice if the follower is very lucky, but that's it. You can't rely on such things.† â€Å"Perhaps we can. – Councilman Compor, you have hyper-raced in your time. You see, I know a great deal about you. You are an excellent pilot and have done amazing things when it comes to following a competitor through a jump.† Compor's eyes widened. He almost squirmed in his chair. â€Å"I was in college then. I am older now.† â€Å"Not too old. Not yet thirty-five. Consequently you are going to follow Trevize, Councilman. Where he goes, you will follow, and you will report back to me. You will leave soon after Trevize does, and he will be leaving in a few hours. If you refuse the task, Councilman, you will be imprisoned for treason. If you take the ship that we will provide for you, and if you fail to follow, you need not bother coming back. You will be shot out of space if you try.† Compor rose sharply to his feet. â€Å"! have a life to live. I have work to do. I have a wife. I cannot leave it all.† â€Å"You will have to. Those of us who choose to serve the Foundation must be prepared at ail times to serve it in a prolonged and uncomfortable fashion, if that should become necessary.† â€Å"My wife must go with me, of course.† â€Å"Do you take me for an idiot? She stays here, of course.† â€Å"As a hostage?† â€Å"If you like the word. I prefer to say that you will be taking yourself into danger and my kind heart wants her to stay here where she will not be in danger. – There is no room for discussion. You are as much under arrest as Trevize is, and I am sure you understand I must act quickly – before the euphoria enveloping Terminus wears off. I fear my star will soon be in the descendant.† Kodell said, â€Å"You were not easy on him, Madam Mayor.† The Mayor said with a sniff, â€Å"Why should I have been? He betrayed a friend.† â€Å"That was useful to us.† â€Å"Yes, as it happened. His next betrayal, however, might not be.† â€Å"Why should there be another?† â€Å"Come, Liono,† said Branno impatiently, â€Å"don't play games with me. Anyone who displays a capacity for double-dealing must forever be suspected of being capable of displaying it again.† â€Å"He may use the capability to combine with Trevize once again. Together, they may†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You don't believe that. With all his folly and naivete, Trevize goes straight for his goal. He does not understand betrayal and he will never, under any circumstances, trust Compor a second time.† Kodell said, â€Å"Pardon me, Mayor, but let me make sure I follow your thinking. How far, then, can you trust Compor? How do you know he will follow Trevize and report honestly? Do you count on his fears for the welfare of his wife as a restraint? His longing to return to her?† â€Å"Both are factors, but I don't entirely rely on that. On Compor's ship there will be a hyper-relay. Trevize would suspect pursuit and would search for one. However Compor – being the pursuer – will, I assume, not suspect pursuit and will not search for one. – Of course, if he does, and if he finds it, then we must depend on the attractions of his wife.† Kodell laughed. â€Å"To think I once had to give you lessons. And the purpose of the pursuit?† â€Å"A double layer of protection. If Trevize is caught, it may be that Compor will carry on and give us the information that Trevize will not be able to.† â€Å"One more question. What if, by some chance, Trevize finds the Second Foundation, and we learn of it through him, or through Compor, or if we gain reason to suspect its existence – despite the deaths of both?† â€Å"I'm hoping the Second Foundation does exist, Liono,† she said. â€Å"In any case, the Seldon Plan is not going to serve us much longer. The great Hari Seldon devised it in the dying days of the Empire, when technological advance had virtually stopped. Seldon was a product of his times, too, and however brilliant this semimythical science of psychohistory must have been, it could not rise out of its roots. It surely would not allow for raid technological advance. The Foundation has been achieving that, especially in this last century. We have mass-detection devices of a kind undreamed of earlier, computers that can respond to thought, and – most of all – mental shielding. The Second Foundation cannot control us for much longer, if they can do so now. I want, in my final years in power, to be the one to start Terminus on a new path.† â€Å"And if there is, in fact, no Second Foundation?† â€Å"Then we start on a new path at once.† The troubled sleep that had finally come to Trevize did not last long. A touch on his shoulder was repeated a second time. Trevize started up, bleary and utterly failing to understand why he should be in a strange bed. â€Å"What – What – ?† Pelorat said to him apologetically, â€Å"I'm sorry, Councilman Trevize. You are my guest and I owe you rest, but the Mayor is here.† He was standing at the side of the bed in flannel pajamas and shivering slightly. Trevize's senses leaped to a weary wakefulness and he remembered. The Mayor was in Pelorat's living room, looking as composed as always. Kodell was with her, rubbing lightly at his white mustache. Trevize adjusted his sash to the proper snugness and wondered how long the two of them – Branno and Kodell – were ever apart. Trevize said mockingly, † Has the Council recovered yet? Are its members concerned over the absence of one of them?† The Mayor said, â€Å"There are signs of life, yes, but not enough to do you any good. There is no question but that I still have the power to force you to leave. You will be taken to Ultimate Spaceport†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Not Terminus Spaceport, Madam Mayor? Am I to be deprived of a proper farewell from weeping thousands?† â€Å"I see you have recovered your penchant for teenage silliness, Councilman, and I am pleased. It stills what might otherwise be a certain rising twinge of conscience. At Ultimate Spaceport, you and Professor Pelorat will leave quietly.† â€Å"And never return?† â€Å"And perhaps never return. Of course,† and here she smiled briefly, â€Å"if you discover something of so great an importance and usefulness that even I will be glad to have you back with your information, you will return. You may even be treated with honor.† Trevize nodded casually, â€Å"That may happen.† â€Å"Almost anything may happen. – In any case, you will be comfortable. You are being assigned a recently completed pocket-cruiser, the Far Star, named for Hober Mallow's cruiser. One person can handle it, though it will hold as many as three with reasonable comfort.† Trevize was jolted out of his carefully assumed mood of light irony. â€Å"Fully armed?† â€Å"Unarmed but otherwise fully equipped. Wherever you go, you will be citizens of the Foundation and there will always be a consul to whom you can turn, so you will not require arms. You will be able to draw on funds at need. – Not unlimited funds, I might add.† â€Å"You are generous.† â€Å"I know that, Councilman. But, Councilman, understand me. You are helping Professor Pelorat search for Earth. Whatever you think you are searching for, you are searching for Earth. All whom you meet must understand that. And always remember that the Far Star is not armed.† â€Å"I am searching for Earth;† said Trevize. â€Å"I understand that perfectly.† â€Å"Then you will go now.† â€Å"Pardon me, but surely there is more to all of this than we have discussed. I have piloted ships in my time, but I have had no experience with a late-model pocket-cruiser. What if I cannot pilot it?† â€Å"I am told that the Far Star is thoroughly computerized. – And before you ask, you don't have to know how to handle a late-model ship's computer. It will itself tell you anything you need to know. Is there anything else you need?† Trevize looked down at himself ruefully. â€Å"A change of clothing.† â€Å"You will find them on board ship. Including those girdles you wear, or sashes, whichever they are called. The professor is also supplied with what he needs. Everything reasonable is already aboard, although I hasten to add that this does not include female companions.† â€Å"Too bad,† said Trevize. â€Å"It would be pleasant, but then, I have no likely candidate at the moment, as it happens. Still, I presume the Galaxy is populous and that once away from here I may do as I Please.† â€Å"With regard to companions? Suit yourself.† She rose heavily. â€Å"I will not take you to the spaceport,† she said, â€Å"but there are those who will, and you must make no effort to do anything you are not told to do. I believe they will kill you if you make an effort to escape. The fact that I will not be with them will remove any inhibition.† Trevize said, â€Å"I will make no unauthorized effort, Madam Mayor, but one thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes?† Trevize searched his mind rapidly and finally said with a smile that he very much hoped looked unforced, â€Å"The time may come, Madam Mayor, when you will ask me for an effort. I will then do as I choose, but I will remember the past two days.† Mayor Branno sighed. â€Å"Spare me the melodrama. If the time comes, it will come, but for now – I am asking for nothing.†