Responsible Gambling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Responsible Gambling - Assignment Example It is done in order to save the customers from the negative impacts of gambling or gaming. Apart from this, maximum extent of the industries or organizations operating in this industry try to implement land-based and online gambling services so as to enhance the reliability of the customers (Wenderoth, 2009, p. 21). Other than this, with the help of responsible gaming or gambling process, the customers get protection from vulnerable practices, protection against fraud and non-ethical behaviours of other consumers, maintenance of varied information’s utterly private, ensuring prompt payments, delivering a fair and ethical gaming experience, high-level of commitment is also observed to enhance customer satisfaction and demands to retain them. Such types of behaviours are extremely essential for the consumers of the industry of gaming or gambling as their age-bar differs from one another. The prime target audiences seen in the industry of gaming or gambling are mainly youths within an age limit of 18 to 28. In order to fulfil their excitement and fun, maximum extent of these youths of the wealthy families of China, Thai and Korea enter into this sector. The individuals getting attracted to gambling, desire to attain relief from varied types of mental distress and tension, so it is extremely essential to present humble behaviour with them. Otherwise, due to certain fraudulent conducts, he or she might get disturbed resulting in breakdown of their physical and mental health. Due to which, the reputation and image of the organization might get ruined resulting in switch-over of numerous other customers as well. Moreover, adults and parents, suffering from varied types of economic and social hardship, desire to engage themselves in gambling to get rid from such problems. Thus any type of worse behaviour might create an

Description of 5 microbial diseases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Description of 5 microbial diseases - Essay Example B. bifidum produces vitamins like B6, B9 and B12 – a deficiency of these vitamins may lead to anemia. Bifidobacterium longum : Most of this bacteria is found in the colon but it also inhabits the stomach. It contributes to our organism by helping maintain equilibrium of intestinal flora, preventing intestinal tumors, and increasing the availability of food nutrients. Lactobacillus rhamnosus: This bacteria is known for its ability to survive under harsh conditions in the digestive system and urinary tract. It can help the organism fight against inflammation and infections by increasing virus and â€Å"bad† bacteria resistance. It is believed that L. rhamnosus helps the prevention of allergies and intestinal hypersensitivity. Bacillus coagulans: This gram-positive bacteria helps improve the vaginal flora, reliefs abdominal pain and bloating in people who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and increases immune responses against viruses. Leprosy, also known as Hansens disease (HD), is a chronic intracellular bacterial infectious disease caused by a microorganism that mainly targets the skin and peripheral nerves. This disease has a sad past because people who had it were usually discriminated against and isolated from society. Today, however, it can be treated and cured. It is transmitted from one person to another. The contaminated germs can be expelled from one person through the mouth and inhaled by another individual, penetrating the nasal mucosa. The microorganism can also enter the body through open wounds in the skin. In this case, intimate and prolonged contact is necessary. That is why it is very important that family members of the individual diagnosed with leprosy be tested for the disease. The form that HD will be manifested will depend on the host immune response to the bacillus that causes the disease. Leprosy can be classified in five different forms from mild to severe: Indeterminate leprosy

Effectiveness Of Performance Related Pay In The Nhs Management Essay

Effectiveness Of Performance Related Pay In The Nhs Management Essay The following report evaluates how the aims of Performance Related Pay (PRP) schemes are underpinned by theory, focuses on how PRP theory relates to the aims and objectives of the NHS and considers how effective the current PRP policy is within the NHS with specific focus on whether the current scheme meets the needs of the current NHS organisation. The NHS has seen relative success where PRP schemes have been applied, with 51% of NHS managers recently commenting that PRP schemes in their trust had resulted in employees working harder. Although 61% of the staff involved with NHS trusts operating these schemes suggested the idea of rewarding performance was divisive and undermined the overall co-operation of its staff . The overall benefits of PRP include facilitating and implementing change in a structured manner, aligning the employees objectives with the wider goals of the organisation and introducing structured rewards in a fair fashion. Although the aims of the PRP scheme may be aligned to the business strategy, they will only succeed if the end goal is enough to motivate the individual. Within the NHS one would suggest there have to be additional concepts for performance management to focus on, such as content, departmental resource and career development for PRP schemes to be a success. When the introduction of PRP to any organisation is applied, it is supposed to encourage fairness and equality with rewards. However criticism of PRP within the NHS organisation suggests that it does not provide fairness and equality. Research has shown that the perception is that PRP benefits those in more fiscal or senior orientated roles than it does for those lower down the organisation. PRP schemes will be hard to introduce to NHS trusts where they do not already exist due to the nature of the structured role orientated pay scale and the inflexible nature of the NHS. This would be further compounded by the unionised nature of the NHS, with the unions likely to resist any move from collectivism to individualism in discussions about pay and contract conditions. Recommendations at the end of the report include consideration to the design of the scheme and how crucial this can be to the schemes future success: the need to manage PRP openly to prevent breakdown of relationships and thus prevent negative impacts on performance overall and the importance of clear management of objectives by individuals best placed to manage their teams. Evaluate how the aims of the Performance Related Payment scheme are underpinned by theory The initial concept of performance related pay (PRP) schemes were introduced as a way to reward employees for completing a specific goal. The sense of reward was expected to act as a motivator therefore the scheme was embraced with high expectations (Daniels, Macdonald, 2005:183). Assessment of organisational reward applications shows that performance is not the only way employees relate to being congratulated on doing a job well. However, it is suggested the benefit of using performance based reward systems has been in the applying of the statistical elements of the method, allowing for a clear and relatively objective means of performance measurement. (Shields, 2007:410/11). This suggests that organisations favour a method which provides a supportive conclusion with quantative evidence to back up decisions made that may favour one individual over another. Secondly the use of PRP schemes have been linked to wider business strategic plans which have sought to align the employees objectives with the wider goals of the organisation (Holbeche, 2009:219). However, performance based reward schemes have been criticised in recent years, despite becoming seen as the norm within organisational structures (Holbeche, 2009:219). Alternative applications can be rewarded through behavioural analysis in line with a set of parameters and goals. However, this method of reward has been argued as being subjective and open to abuse and interpretation (Shields, 2007:410/11). As such the use of performance management against tangible goals as a measure provides something concrete for the employee to be measured against which cannot be refuted (Shields, 2007:411). PRP schemes can however be heavily criticised when there is a belief the targets are not truly achievable (Lai, Tsui, 2009:116). Moreover there is a concern that where targets are consistently not achieved and are deemed inaccurate, the effects can be rapid demotivation with the workforce (Lai, Tsui, 2009:116). An additional aim of PRP can be the encouragement of equality and fairness, this is not that everyone should be paid the same but those that add value are rewarded appropriately in comparison to others that may not contribute to the same level. How does this theory fit into the organisations aims and objectives? The aims and objectives of the NHS centre on measureable statistics such as level of patient care, treatment times, waiting list turnover, number of patients seen and treated, level of discharged patients and sound fiscal management. These are rolled down from central government and managed by the individual NHS Trusts across the country. It is suggested that providing a tangible measure against which to be managed is a key element in the use of PRP within the NHS. The use of tangible goals means the objectives are clear and concise (Shields, 2007:410/11). Furthermore the NHS argues that the use of performance measures means there is an ownership placed onto the employee to perform to their expected level and for their manager to ensure they are learning and developing (Shields, 2007:410/11). The NHS has seen relative success where PRP schemes have been applied (Shields, 2007:411). Under these schemes the employees use individual goal setting applications, which instead of creating conflict; achieved motivation although in-depth assessment of the research found that the goal setting aspect of the measure was the most favoured element (it enabled a clear guide for the reward) the behavioural assessments were deemed subjective (Shields, 2007:411). However one might argue that whilst this may work within a public service sector environment there are contrasts within private industry. The directed use of strategic alignment can pitch departments against each other creating internalised conflict (Schienmann, 2009:142). Furthermore people can be encouraged to apply their focus in a directed way which means they stop looking at the wider picture. In doing this there is the potential to create a funnel and individuals end up working at cross purposes instead of working together (Schienmann, 2009:142). Furthermore contrasting these statistics is the idea that public sector employees see financial reward as a secondary motivator to work harder (OECD, 2005:74). This is supported by research into all public sector environments, which suggests that job content and career development are primary motivators to increase performance (OECD, 2005:74). This is supported with recent research into the NHS management structure. During questioning into applied PRP, 61% of the staff involved with NHS trusts operating these schemes suggested the idea of rewarding performance was divisive and undermined the overall co-operation of its staff (OECD, 2005:73). This was implied to be because there was a lack of team discipline and people worked as individuals. This behaviour was cited as unacceptable within an environment that made life and death choices based on teamwork (OECD, 2005:73). On the other hand the same research contradicts this idea; stating that when questioned 51% of NHS managers suggested that PRP schemes in their trust had resulted in employees working harder (OECD, 2005:74). As such one might argue that the use of performance related pay schemes only work when the individual is financially motivated, and this could be applied to all sectors, public and private. Therefore there is an argument to suggest that although the aims of the PRP scheme may be aligned to the business strategy they will only succeed if the end goal is enough to motivate the individual. Within the NHS one would suggest there have to be additional concepts for performance management to focus on such as content, departmental resource and career development. Although the theory of PRP may be applicable, the practice does not necessarily translate into a high performing team. Critically Evaluate the Effectiveness of this Scheme One might debate the effectiveness of the performance related pay schemes within the NHS depending on the expected outcome. It is assumed that the expectation within employee groups from the introduction of PRP is increased morale and improved performance which therefore increases operational output (Lai, Tsui, 2009:116). Yet it should also be considered that the scheme can be used as a method to employ goal setting policy within an establishment where this has not been done before. Research suggests that the introduction of PRP validates the implementation of goal setting within public sector environments regardless of motivational output (OECD, 2005:76).This could be considered a significant benefit of the application of PRP within a wider assessment of the scheme. Furthermore the implementation of PRP provides the opportunity to redefine established organisational performance norms (OECD, 2005:76) and allow the NHS the advantage of being able to implement change in a structured manner. However it can also be argued that change in itself carries the potential for overall internalised threat (Huston, Marquis, 2008:178). Research suggests that when not welcomed, change has the ability to inject conflict into the organisational structure (Huston, Marquis, 2008:178). This means the focus moves away from the primary strategic aim. Moreover, conflict can send negativity around the workplace, ensuring non-compliance, and removing any degree of support for any performance based schemes (Huston, Marquis, 2008:178). Unfortunately it would appear the scale for conflict is high within the NHS when PRP is discussed. If the trust is considered as a business organisation the application of PRP means that pay adjustments can be applied in a measured way which can therefore become a strength (OECD, 2005:76). However, this means the counter argument becomes a weakness from the employees perspective (OECD, 2005:76). As such one would argue that changing to a PRP scheme will reduce the involvement of the trade unions because the focus moves from collectivism to individualism as a discipline (Gall, 2003:13). This could be seen as a weakness because unlike privatised industry the NHS environment is cited as being more static with less flexibility between positions and employee expectations (Gall, 2003:13). It is suggested that the termination of the collectivism power would leave NHS staff negotiating for contracts in the same way private industry do. This leaves the employees open to increased discrimination between financial rewards at the same grade levels. This is seen with the introduction of flexible working hours for employees, which effectively abolishes the overtime model for staff, and the theory implies that staff would no longer be financially compensated for working additional hours over their standard agreed contract rate (OECD, 2005:76). On the other hand the introduction of flexible working is defended as necessary within modern society. As such this implies that the change in financial application by moving to PRP incentives should not be seen as a weakness but a strength or opportunity to open the job market up to new applicants. Moreover research suggests that the use of performance related pay within the NHS environment provides a recruitment incentive and improves staff retention in the long term (OECD, 2005:76). Conclude whether the scheme meets the needs of the organisation One might argue that the introduction of PRP to any organisation is applied to encourage fairness and equality with rewards (Redman, Wilkinson, 2009:160). However criticism of PRP within the NHS organisation suggests that it does not provide fairness and equality with its rewards (Abel, Esmail, 2006). Research suggests that although PRP is adopted, there are inherent weaknesses in the application of the initiative and previous discriminations against gender and ethnicity remain prevalent despite the results of performance based measures (Abel, Esmail, 2006). This is further supported with a government review of the NHS performance review process. This research found a large number of consultants who voiced their concerns over both racial and gender discrimination within the PRP, however they also suggested discrimination based on their medical specialism and the degree to which the individual contributed towards management decisions existed alongside traditional discriminations (Abel, Esmail, 2006). Thus one may suggest that the performance reviews favoured those who worked in more high profile specialisms, which could provide additional funding. On the flip side of this discussion however is the consideration that those lower in the organisational structure would welcome the opportunity for performance based pay rewards in order to grow their roles and develop their careers. However this research implies their performance is isolated in comparison to that which benefits the wider business model needs. In recent research conducted in this area it was concluded that incentive polices such as PRP have provided a positive knock on effect where quality and safety are concerned. This point is interesting as in an environment such as nursing, one would have assumed quality of care and safety are principle fundamentals of patient expectations. However performance is massively improved when the employee is offered additional reward for reaching targets in these fields (Kurtzman et al, 2011). The research however goes on to suggest that the use of incentive schemes place an increased burden and creates a blame culture for nurses without addressing the infra-structure needs that the NHS trusts require to meet the targets set for them, This shows that the adaptation of PRP can be seen as being a double edged sword within the NHS system (Kurtzman et al, 2011). Report Conclusion The research appears to suggest that the performance based incentive schemes meet the base needs of the NHS as they make the basic principles of nursing happen in accordance with expectations. However an incentive scheme such as PRP cannot overcome the lack of adequate environment, staffing levels and low salary level. As such this implies that performance based pay does not work as a motivator for the existing workforce. Neither would one conclude that it works as a recruitment incentive as was previously suggested. Instead the implication is that the use of performance based incentive schemes means that those with power can continue to reward those they single out for success, whilst the remainder of the workplace organisation are left to manage with inadequate environments in which to meet the targets they are given. One might determine an outcome borne from two potential directions. In one case if the NHS is seen as an organisational structure and not as a public service, the use of PRP may be seen as successful. As a scheme this allows management to reward those individuals who are benefiting the NHS. From within this it can be assumed the discrimination that occurs is justified. However on the other side if the NHS is viewed as a public service with its key members being the front line staff, one would have to conclude that PRP does not benefit the needs of the organisation. Nursing graduates are decreasing in numbers; the vocation is increasingly seen as a difficult environment with insufficient financial reward and high expectations (Chitty, 2005:36). Following these arguments one would have to conclude that the use of a PRP scheme would provide the NHS with specific benefits when linked into an open environment which supported fairness and equality. However the current organisational structure of the NHS is not conducive to producing the environment needed to make this ideology successful. Instead work is perhaps needed with the basic infrastructure of the NHS organisation before additional performance plans will be able to achieve the required outcome for the operation. Recommendations for the management of PRP within the NHS There are several recommendations to be made for the management of pay within the NHS. These are as follows; Design of the scheme When PRP schemes are adopted, the design of them is crucial to their success and application (Redman, Wilkinson, 2009:134). Not only is it necessary to consider what will work for the majority of the workforce, but it is also vital to link the work of the individual into the wider team dynamic (OECD, 2005:86). As such when incentive schemes are applied, the link between teamwork and the individual is necessary in order to ensure a performance measure that involves the wider strategic picture of the organisation (OECD, 2005:86). In the case of the NHS this would be rectified through adapting some of the schemes considered elitist and improving some of the base working conditions which affect a wider degree of the working population. One would assume this will improve morale and create a workforce that wants to achieve targets and attain performance rewards. Communication When introducing performance related ideology the implementation has to be anticipated and managed openly (OECD, 2005:86). When relationships break down internally the need for consolidated teamwork becomes harder, this affects all forms of performance (Redman, Wilkinson, 2009:134). Within the NHS business model this argument is applied especially when managing trade union relationships (OECD, 2005:86), especially because this sector is driven by collective bargaining Furthermore this is particularly relevant because the core competencies of the roles have to be the same within the medical profession. The hierarchy has to be clearly defined by actual role competencies which enable staggered payments. Therefore performance based payment becomes harder to manage because each level should work at the same rate. Moreover this suggests the link between performance based pay and goal setting is vital in ensuring that employees are enabled to achieve and maintain their goals within fair and attainable means (OCED, 2005:87). Measurable Objectives Within the NHS organisational model one would assume targets for performance will centre on measureable statistics such as treatment times, waiting list turnover, number of patients seen and treated, level of discharged patients. These provide clear and measureable targets for people to meet and the measure is quantitative therefore enabling a degree of concise clarity to the measure. However research shows that providing clear statistical measures within the NHS model results in internalised pressure which manifests through the lower ranks (Kurtzman et al, 2011). Therefore one would argue this supports the need to correct the basic infrastructure within the organisations, prior to implementing reward schemes for employees. Management of Objectives When applied, the goals provided must be clearly managed by team leaders within the confines of the department or ward. This means the head medical staff responsible for these staff members have to take on a level of responsibility for managing their team as well as coping with their medical expectations. One might argue this is especially difficult within the NHS model and compounds the issue of burden and blame as medical professionals find themselves having to become more like managers (Kurtzman et al, 2011). This is known to be a contentious argument for medical professionals who chose their roles as vocations (Kurtzman et al, 2011). Stimulate Change Research suggests that performance related incentives should be used as a way to stimulate and introduce change into organisational structures (Redman, Wilkinson, 2009:135). This can be achieved through challenging the status quo and looking at new ways to manage (OECD, 2005:89). It could therefore be supported that the introduction of performance related pay into NHS trust models is applicable. As an observer one may assume the NHS organisational model has not particularly been challenged in decades, thus this strategy enables a fresh way of adapting new methods.

Argument in Favor of Gun Control Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Exa

â€Å"Almost twelve kids lose their lives every single day because of guns† (Capps). Most recently, two young boys were shot as they were leaving a high school football game. Soon, another year anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting will arrive. In this incident, two students opened fire on their classmates in Columbine. I cannot imagine the horrors of my fellow students being killed by guns! Many other related acts of gun violence have brought up issues on gun control. Debates have risen between citizens on how the government should establish stronger gun control laws. Despite the National Rifle Association strong objections against these issues, gun control laws must be increased. Many citizens agree that gun control laws must be established, because of the recent acts of violence committed with guns. The gun control issues take a heated debate, because now kids are targets of gun violence. In the Columbine shooting, both students purchased their weapons at a gun show with the help of an eighteen-year-old friend (Sanko). If the gun show provider was forced by law to do a background check the two students wouldn’t have received the guns. As of right now background checks are only done on weapons that are purchased from federally licensed dealers. This is one reason for new gun control laws. The death of Kayla Rolland, on February 20, 2012, is a another reason for new gun control laws. Kayla was gunned down in her elementary school by a six year old classmate (Smolowe). The child obtained the gun with the help of his father. His father had left the gun on the living room table. As of right now guns are not required to have child safety locks. Moreover, kids can get guns without the help of a friend o... ...their own classmates. Lastly, the control of gun manufacturing will decrease the availability of guns on the streets New gun control laws are important to the children of today and tomorrow. The power lies behind the government and unfortunately the National Rifle Association. Works Cited Capps, Louis. â€Å"Capps Continues Fight for Common Sense Gun Control.† FDCH Press Releases. 3 Mar. 2014. Harrington-Lueker, Donna. â€Å"Blown Away by School Violence.† Education Digest. 58.3 (2013): 50, 4. Lazar, Daniel. â€Å"Your Constitution is Killing You.† Harper’s Magazine. 299.1793 (2011): 57,9. Reynolds, Rhonda. â€Å"Kids Who Kill.† Black Enterprise. (2013): 47,1. Sanko, John. â€Å"Gun-control Measure’s Wording for Vote Framed.† Denver Rocky Mountains News Capital Bureau. 4 April. 2012. Smolowe, Jill., et al. â€Å"Fallen Angel.† People. (2014): 66,2.

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER NINETEEN DECISION

DECISION Janov Pelorat said, with a small trace of petulance in his voice, â€Å"Really, Golan, no one seems to care for the fact that this is the first time in a moderately long life – not too long, I assure you, Bliss – in which I have been traveling through the Galaxy. Yet each time I come to a world, I am off it again and back in space before I can really have a chance to study it. It has happened twice now.† â€Å"Yes,† said Bliss, â€Å"but if you had not left the other one so quickly, you would not have met me until who knows when. Surely that justifies the first time.† â€Å"It does. Honestly, my – my dear, it does.† â€Å"And this time, Pel, you may be off the planet, but you have me – and I am Gaia, as much as any particle of it, as much as all of it.† â€Å"You are, and surely I want no other particle of it.† Trevize, who had been listening to the exchange with a frown, said, â€Å"This is disgusting. Why didn't Dom come with us? – Space, I'll never get used to this monosyllabization. Two hundred fifty syllables to a name and we use just one of them. – Why didn't he come, together with all two hundred fifty syllables? If all this is so important – if the very existence of Gaia depends on it – why didn't he come with us to direct us?† â€Å"I am here, Trev,† said Bliss, â€Å"and I am as much Gaia as he is.† Then, with a quick sideways and upward look from her dark eyes, â€Å"Does it annoy you, then, to have me call you ‘Trev'?† â€Å"Yes, it does. I have as much right to my ways as you to yours. My name is Trevize. Two syllables. Tre-vize.† â€Å"Gladly. I do not wish to anger you, Trevize.† â€Å"I am not angry. I am annoyed.† He rose suddenly, walked from one end of the room to the other, stepping over the outstretched legs of Pelorat (who drew them in quickly), and then back again. He stopped, turned, and faced Bliss. He pointed a finger at her. â€Å"Look! I am not my own master! I have been maneuvered from Terminus to Gaia – and even when I began to suspect that this was so, there seemed no way to break the grip. And then, when I get to Gaia, I am told that the whole purpose for my arrival was to save Gaia. Why? How? What is Gaia to me – or I to Gaia – that I should save it? Is there no other of the quintillion human beings in the Galaxy who could do the job?† â€Å"Please, Trevize,† said Bliss – and there was a sudden downcast air about her, all of the gamine affectation disappearing. â€Å"Do not be angry. You see, I use your name properly and I will be very serious. Dom asked you to be patient.† â€Å"By every planet in the Galaxy, habitable or not, I don't want to be patient. If I am so important, do I not deserve an explanation? To begin with, I ask again why Dom did not come with us? Is it not sufficiently important for him to be here on the Far Star with us?† â€Å"He is here, Trevize,† said Bliss. â€Å"While I am here, he is here, and everyone on Gaia is here, and every living thing, and every speck of the planet.† â€Å"You are satisfied that that is so, but it's not my way of thinking. I'm not a Gaian. We can't squeeze the whole planet on to my ship, we can only squeeze one person on to it. We have you, and Dom is part of you. Very well. Why couldn't we have taken Dom, and let you be part of him?† â€Å"For one thing,† said Bliss, â€Å"Pel – I mean, Pel-o-rat – asked that I be on the ship with you. I, not Dom.† â€Å"He was being gallant. Who would take that seriously?† â€Å"Oh, now, my dear fellow,† said Pelorat, rising to his feet with his face reddening, â€Å"I was quite serious. I don't want to be dismissed like that. I accept the fact that it doesn't matter which component of the Gaian whole is on board, and it is more pleasant for me to have Bliss here than Dom, and it should be for you as well. Come, Golan, you are behaving childishly.† â€Å"Am I? Am I?† said Trevize, frowning darkly. â€Å"All right, then, I am. Just the same,† again he pointed at Bliss, â€Å"whatever it is I am expected to do, I assure you that I won't do it if I am not treated like a human being. Two questions to begin with. What am I supposed to do? And why me?† Bliss was wide-eyed and backing away. She said, â€Å"Please, I can't tell you that now. All of Gaia can't tell you. You must come to the place without knowing anything to begin with. You must learn it all there. You must then do what you must do – but you must do it calmly and unemotionally. If you remain as you are, nothing will be of use and, one way or another, Gaia will come to an end. You must change this feeling of yours and I do not know how to change it.† â€Å"Would Dom know if he were here?† said Trevize remorselessly. â€Å"Dom is here,† said Bliss. â€Å"He/I/we do not know how to change you or calm you. We do not understand a human being who cannot sense his place in the scheme of things, who does not feel like part of a greater whole.† Trevize said, â€Å"That is not so. You could seize my ship at a distance of a million kilometers and more – and keep us calm while we were helpless. Well, calm me now. Don't pretend you are not capable of doing it.† â€Å"But we mustn't. Not now. If we changed you or adjusted you in any way now, then you would be no more valuable to us than any other person in the Galaxy and we could not use you. We can only use you because you are you – and you must remain you. If we touch you at this moment in any way, we are lost. Please. You must be calm of your own accord.† â€Å"Not a chance, miss, unless you tell me some of what I want to know.† Pelorat said, â€Å"Bliss, let me try. Please go into the other room.† Bliss left, backing slowly out. Pelorat closed the door behind her. Trevize said, â€Å"She can hear and see – sense everything. What difference does this make?† Pelorat said, â€Å"It makes a difference to me. I want to be alone with you, even if isolation is an illusion. – Golan, you're afraid.† â€Å"Don't be a fool.† â€Å"Of course you are. You don't know where you're going, what you'll be facing, what you'll be expected to do. You have a right to be afraid.† â€Å"But I'm not.† â€Å"Yes, you are. Perhaps you're not afraid of physical danger in the way that I am. I've been afraid of venturing out into space, afraid of each new world I see, afraid of every new thing I encounter. After all, I've lived half a century of a constricted, withdrawn and limited life, while you have been in the Navy and in politics, in the thick and hurly-burly at home and in space. Yet I've tried not to be afraid and you've helped me. In this time that we've been together, you've been patient with me, you've been kind to me and understanding, and because of you, I've managed to master my fears and behave well. Let me, then, return the favor and help you.† â€Å"I'm not afraid, I tell you.† â€Å"Of course you are. If nothing else, you're afraid of the responsibility you'll be facing. Apparently there's a whole world depending on you – and you will therefore have to live with the destruction of a whole world if you fail. Why should you have to face that possibility for a world that means nothing to you? ‘What right have they to place this load upon you? You're not only afraid of failure, as any person would be in your place, but you're furious that they should put you in the position where you have to be afraid.† â€Å"You're all wrong.† â€Å"I don't think so. Consequently let me take your place. I'll do it. Whatever it is they expect you to do, I volunteer as substitute. I assume that it's not something that requires great physical strength or vitality, since a simple mechanical device would outdo you in that respect. I assume it's not something that requires mentalics, for they have enough of that themselves. It's something that – well, I don't know, but if it requires neither brawn nor brain, then I have everything else as well as you – and I am ready to take the responsibility.† Trevize said sharply, â€Å"Why are you so willing to bear the load?† Pelorat looked down at the floor, as though fearing to meet the other's eyes. He said, â€Å"I have had a wife, Golan. I have known women. Yet they have never been very important to me. Interesting. Pleasant. Never very important. Yet, this one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Who? Bliss?† â€Å"She's different, somehow – to me.† â€Å"By Terminus, Janov, she knows every word you're saying.† â€Å"That makes no difference. She knows anyhow. – I want to please her. I will undertake this task, whatever it is; run any risk, take any responsibility, on the smallest chance that it will make her – think well of me.† â€Å"Janov, she's a child.† â€Å"She's not a child – and what you think of her makes no difference to me.† â€Å"Don't you understand what you must seem to her?† â€Å"An old man? What's the difference? She's part of a greater whole and I am not – and that alone builds an insuperable wall between us. Don't you think I know that? But I don't ask anything of her but that she†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Think well of you?† â€Å"Yes. Or whatever else she can make herself feel for me.† â€Å"And for that you will do my job? – But Janov, haven't you been listening. They don't want you; they want me for some space-ridden reason I can't understand.† â€Å"If they can't have you and if they must have someone, I will be better than nothing, surely.† Trevize shook his head. â€Å"I can't believe that this is happening. Old age is overtaking you and you have discovered youth. Janov, you're trying to be a hero, so that you can die for that body.† â€Å"Don't say that, Golan. This is not a fit subject for humor.† Trevize tried to laugh, but his eyes met Pelorat's grave face and he cleared his throat instead. He said, â€Å"You're right. I apologize. Call her in, Janov. Call her in.† Bliss entered, shrinking a little. She said in a small voice, â€Å"I'm sorry, Pel. You cannot substitute. It must be Trevize or no one.† Trevize said, â€Å"Very well. I'll be calm. Whatever it is, I'll try to do it. Anything to keep Janov from trying to play the romantic hero at his age.† â€Å"I know my age,† muttered Pelorat. Bliss approached him slowly, placed her hand on his shoulder. â€Å"Pel, I – I think well of you.† Pelorat looked away. â€Å"It's all right, Bliss. You needn't be kind.† â€Å"I'm not being kind, Pel. I think – very well of you.† Dimly, then more strongly, Sura Novi knew that she was Suranoviremblastiran and that when she was a child, she had been known as Su to her parents and Vito her friends. She had never really forgotten, of course, but the facts were, on occasion, buried deep within her. Never had it been buried as deeply or for as long as in this last month, for never had she been so close for so long to a mind so powerful. But now it was time. She did not will it herself. She had no need to. The vast remainder of her was pushing her portion of itself to the surface, for the sake of the global need. Accompanying that was a vague discomfort, a kind of itch that was rapidly overwhelmed by the comfort of selfness unmasked. Not in years had she been so close to the globe of Gaia. She remembered one of the life-forms she had loved on Gaia as a child. Having understood its feelings then as a dim part of her own, she recognized her own sharper ones now. She was a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Stor Gendibal stared sharply and penetratingly at Novi – and with such surprise that he came within a hair of loosening his grip upon Mayor Branno. That he did not do so was, perhaps, the result of a sudden support from without that steadied him and that, for the moment, he ignored. He said, â€Å"What do you Know of Councilman Trevize, Novi?† And then, in cold disturbance at the sudden and growing complexity of her mind, he cried out, â€Å"What are you?† He attempted to seize hold of her mind and found it impenetrable. At that moment, he recognized that his hold on Branno was supported by a grip stronger than his own. He repeated, â€Å"What are you?† There was a hint of the tragic on Novi's face. â€Å"Master,† she said, â€Å"Speaker Gendibal. My true name is Suranoviremblastiran and I am Gaia.† It was all she said in words, but Gendibal, in sudden fury, had intensified his own mental aura and with great skill, now that his blood was up, evaded the strengthening bar and held Branno on his own and more strongly than before, while he gripped Novi's mind in a tight and silent struggle. She held him off with equal skill, but she could not keep her mind closed to him – or perhaps she did not wish to. He spoke to her as he would to another Speaker. â€Å"You have played a part, deceived me, lured me here, and you are one of the species from which the Mule was derived.† â€Å"The Mule was an aberration, Speaker. I/we are not Mules. I/we are Gaia.† The whole essence of Gaia was described in what she complexly communicated, far more than it could have been in any number of words. â€Å"A whole planet alive,† said Gendibal. â€Å"And with a mentalic field greater as a whole than is yours as an individual. Please do not resist with such force. I fear the danger of harming you, something I do not wish to do.† â€Å"Even as a living planet, you are not stronger than the sum of my colleagues on Trantor. We, too, are, in a way, a planet alive.† â€Å"Only some thousands of people in mentalic co-operation, Speaker, and you cannot draw upon their support, for I have blocked it off. Test that and you will see.† â€Å"What is it you plan to do, Gaia?† â€Å"I would hope, Speaker, that you would call me Novi. What I do now I do as Gaia, but I am Novi also – and with reference to you, I am only Novi.† â€Å"What is it you plan to do, Gaia?† There was the trembling mentalic equivalent of a sigh and Novi said, â€Å"We will remain in triple stalemate. You will hold Mayor Branno through her shield, and I will help you do so, and we will not tire. You, I suppose, will maintain your grip on me, and I will maintain mine on you, and neither one of us will tire there either. And so it will stay.† â€Å"To what end?† â€Å"As I have told you. – We are waiting for Councilman Trevize of Terminus. It is he who will break the stalemate – as he chooses.† The computer on board the Far Star located the two ships and Golan Trevize displayed them together on the split screen. They were both Foundation vessels. One was precisely like the Far Star and was undoubtedly Compor's ship. The other was larger and far more powerful. He turned toward Bliss and said, â€Å"Well, do you know what's going on? Is there anything you can now tell me?† â€Å"Yes! Do not be alarmed! They will not harm you.† â€Å"Why is everyone convinced I'm sitting here all a – tremble with panic?† Trevize demanded petulantly. Pelorat said hastily, â€Å"Let her talk, Golan. Don't snap at her.† Trevize raised his arms in a gesture of impatient surrender. â€Å"I will not snap. Speak, lady.† Bliss said, â€Å"On the large ship is the ruler of your Foundation. With her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Trevize said in astonishment, â€Å"The ruler? You mean Old Lady Branno?† â€Å"Surely that is not her title,† said Bliss, her lips twitching a little in amusement. â€Å"But she is a woman, yes.† She paused a little, as though listening intently to the rest of the general organism of which she was part. â€Å"Her name is Harlabranno. It seems odd to have only four syllables when one is so important on her world, but I suppose non-Gaians have their own ways.† â€Å"I suppose,† said Trevize dryly. â€Å"You would call her Brann, I think. But what is she doing here? Why isn't she back on. I see. Gaia has maneuvered her here, too. Why?† Bliss did not answer that question. She said, â€Å"With her is Lionokodell, five syllables, though her underling. It seems a lack of respect. He is an important official of your world. With them are four others who control the ship's weapons. Do you want their names?† â€Å"No. I take it that on the other ship there is one man, Munn Li Compor, and that he represents the Second Foundation. You've brought both Foundations together, obviously. Why?† â€Å"Not exactly, Trev – I mean, Trevize†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh, go ahead and say Trev. I don't give a puff of comet gas.† â€Å"Not exactly, Trev. Compor has left that ship and has been replaced by two people. One is Storgendibal, an important official of the Second Foundation. He is called a Speaker.† â€Å"An important official? He's got mentalic power, I imagine.† â€Å"Oh yes. A great deal.† â€Å"Will you be able to handle that?† â€Å"Certainly. The second person, on the ship with him, is Gaia.† â€Å"One of your people?† â€Å"Yes. Her name is Suranoviremblastiran. It should be much longer, but she has been away from me/us/rest so long.† â€Å"Is she capable of holding a high official of the Second Foundation?† â€Å"It is not she, it is Gaia who holds him. She/I/we/all are capable of crushing him.† â€Å"Is that what she's going to do? She's going to crush him and Branno? What is this? Is Gaia going to destroy the Foundations and set up a Galactic Empire of its own? The Mule back again? A greater Mule†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No no, Trev. Do not become agitated. You must not. All three are in a stalemate. They are waiting.† â€Å"For what?† â€Å"For your decision.† â€Å"Here we go again. What decision? Why me?† â€Å"Please, Trev,† said Bliss. â€Å"It will soon be explained. I/we/she have said as much as I/we/she can for now.† Branno said wearily, â€Å"It is clear I have made a mistake, Liono, perhaps a fatal one.† â€Å"Is this something that ought to be admitted?† muttered Kodell through motionless lips. â€Å"They know what I think. It will do no further harm to say so. Nor do they know less about what you think if you do not move your lips. – I should have waited until the shield was further strengthened.† Kodell said, â€Å"How could you have known, Mayor? If we waited until assurance was doubly and triply and quadruply and endlessly sure, we would have waited forever. – To be sure, I wish we had not gone ourselves. It would have been well to have experimented with someone else – with your lightning rod, Trevize, perhaps.† Branno sighed. â€Å"I wanted to give them no warning, Liono. Still, there you put the finger on the nub of my mistake. I might have waited until the shield was reasonably impenetrable. Not ultimately impenetrable but reasonably so. I knew there was perceptible leakage now, but I could not bear to wait longer. To wipe out the leakage would have meant waiting past my term of office and I wanted it done in my time – and I wanted to be on the spot. So like a fool, I forced myself to believe the shield was adequate. I would listen to no caution – to your doubts, for instance.† â€Å"We may still win out if we are patient.† â€Å"Can you give the order to fire on the other ship?† â€Å"No, I cannot, Mayor. The thought is, somehow, not something I can endure.† â€Å"Nor I. And if you or I managed to give the order, I am certain that the men on board would not follow it, that they would not be able to.† â€Å"Not under present circumstances, Mayor, but circumstances might change. As a matter of fact, a new actor appears on the scene.† He pointed to the screen. The ship's computer had automatically split the screen as a new ship came within its ken. The second ship appeared on the right-hand side. â€Å"Can you magnify the image, Liono?† â€Å"No trouble. The Second Foundationer is skillful. We are free to do anything he is not troubled by.† â€Å"Well,† said Branno, studying the screen, â€Å"that's the Far Star, I'm sure. And I imagine Trevize and Pelorat are on board. Then, bitterly, â€Å"Unless they too have been replaced by Second Foundationers. My lightning rod has been very efficient indeed. – If only my shield had been stronger.† â€Å"Patience!† said Kodell. A voice rang out in the confines of the ship's control room and Branno could somehow tell it did not consist of sound waves. She heard it in her mind directly and a glance at Kodell was sufficient to tell her that he had heard it, too. It said, â€Å"Can you hear me, Mayor Branno? If you can, don't bother saying so. It will be enough if you think so.† Branno said calmly, â€Å"What are you?† â€Å"I am Gaia.† The three ships were each essentially at rest, relative to the other two. All three were turning very slowly about the planet Gaia, as a distant three-part satellite of the planet. All three were accompanying Gaia on its endless journey about its sun. Trevize sat, watching the screen, tired of guessing what his role might be – what he had been dragged across a thousand parsecs to do. The sound in his mind did not startle him. It was as though he had been waiting for it. It said, â€Å"Can you hear me, Golan Trevize? If you can, don't bother saying so. It will be enough if you think it.† Trevize looked about. Pelorat, clearly startled, was looking in various directions, as though trying to find the source. Bliss sat quietly, her hands held loosely in her lap. Trevize had no doubt, for a moment, that she was aware of the sound. He ignored the order to use thoughts and spoke with deliberate clarity of enunciation. â€Å"If I don't find out what this is about, I will do nothing I am asked to do.† And the voice said, â€Å"You are about to find out.† Novi said, â€Å"You will all hear me in your mind. You are all free to respond in thought. I will arrange it so that all of you can hear each other. And, as you are all aware, we are all close enough so that at the normal light – speed of the spatial mentalic field, there will be no inconvenient delays. To begin with, we are all here by arrangement.† â€Å"In what manner?† came Branno's voice. â€Å"Not by mental tampering,† said Novi. â€Å"Gaia has interfered with no one's mind. It is not our way. We merely took advantage of ambition. Mayor Branno wanted to establish a Second Empire at once; Speaker Gendibal wanted to be First Speaker. It was enough to encourage these desires and to ride the wind, selectively and with judgment.† â€Å"I know how I was brought here,† said Gendibal stiffly. And indeed he did. He knew why he had been so anxious to move out into space, so anxious to pursue Trevize, so sure he could handle it all. – It was all Novi. – Oh, Novi! â€Å"You were a particular case, Speaker Gendibal. Your ambition was powerful, but there were softnesses about you that offered a shortcut. You were a person who would be kind to someone whom you had been trained to think of as beneath you in every respect. I took advantage of this in you and turned it against you. I/we am/are deeply ashamed. The excuse is that the future of the Galaxy is in hazard.† Novi paused and her voice (though she was not speaking by way of vocal cords) grew more somber, her face more drawn. â€Å"This was the time. Gaia could wait no longer. For over a century, the people of Terminus had been developing a mentalic shield. Left to themselves another generation, it would have been impervious even to Gaia and they would have been free to use their physical weapons at will. The Galaxy would not have been able to resist them and a Second Galactic Empire, after the fashion of Terminus, would have been established at once, despite the Seldon Plan, despite the people of Trantor, and despite Gaia. Mayor Branno had to be somehow maneuvered into making her move while the shield was still imperfect. â€Å"Then there is Trantor. The Seldon Plan was working perfectly, for Gaia itself labored to keep it on track with precision. And for over a century, there had been quietist First Speakers, so that Trantor vegetated. Now, however, Stor Gendibal was rising quickly. He would certainly become First Speaker and under him Trantor would take on an activist role. It would surely concentrate on physical power and would recognize the danger of Terminus and take action against it. If he could act against Terminus before its shield was perfected, then the Seldon Plan would be worked out to its conclusion in a Second Galactic Empire – after the fashion of Trantor – despite the people of Terminus and despite Gaia. Consequently Gendibal had to be somehow maneuvered into making his move before he became First Speaker. â€Å"Fortunately, because Gaia has been working carefully for decades, we have brought both Foundations to the proper place at the proper time. I repeat all this primarily so that Councilman Golan Trevize of Terminus may understand.† Trevize cut in at once and again ignored the effort to converse by thought. He spoke words firmly, â€Å"I do not understand. What is wrong with either version of the Second Galactic Empire?† Novi said, â€Å"The Second Galactic Empire – worked out after the fashion of Terminus – will be a military Empire, established by strife, maintained by strife, and eventually destroyed by strife. It will be nothing but the First Galactic Empire reborn. That is the view of Gaia. â€Å"The Second Galactic Empire – worked out after the fashion of Trantor – will be a paternalistic Empire, established by calculation, maintained by calculation, and in perpetual living death by calculation. It will be a dead end. That is the view of Gaia.† Trevize said, â€Å"And what does Gaia have to offer as an alternative?† â€Å"Greater Gaia! Galaxia! Every inhabited planet as alive as Gaia. Every living planet combined into a still greater hyperspatial life. Every uninhabited planet participating. Every star. Every scrap of interstellar gas. Perhaps even the great central black hole. A living galaxy and one that can be made favorable for all life in ways that we yet cannot foresee. A way of life fundamentally different from all that has gone before and repeating none of the old mistakes.† â€Å"Originating new ones,† muttered Gendibal sarcastically. â€Å"We have had thousands of years of Gaia to work those out.† â€Å"But not on a Galactic scale.† Trevize, ignoring the short exchange and driving to his point, said, â€Å"And what is my role in all this?† The voice of Gaia-channeled through Novi's mind-thundered, â€Å"Choose! Which alternative is it to be?† There was a vast silence that followed and finally, in that silence, Trevize's voice – mental at last, for he was too taken aback to speak – sounded small and still defiant. â€Å"Why me?† Novi said, â€Å"Though we recognized the moment had come when either Terminus or Trantor would become too powerful to stop – or worse yet, when both might become so powerful that a deadly stalemate would develop that would devastate the Galaxy – we still could not move. For our purposes, we needed someone – a particular someone – with the talent for rightness. We found you, Councilman. – No, we cannot take the credit. The people of Trantor found you through the man named Compor, though even they did not know what they had. The act of finding you attracted our attention to you. Golan Trevize, you have the gift of knowing the right thing to do.† â€Å"I deny it,† said Trevize. â€Å"You are, every once in a while, sure. And we want you to be sure this time on behalf of the Galaxy. You do not wish the responsibility, perhaps. You may do your best not to have to choose. Nevertheless, you will realize that it is right to do so. You will be sure! And you will then choose. Once we found you, we knew the search was over and for years we have labored to encourage a course of action that would, without direct mentalic interference, so influence events that all three of you – Mayor Branno, Speaker Gendibal, and Councilman Trevize – would be in the neighborhood of Gaia at the same time. We have done it.† Trevize said, â€Å"At this point in space, under present circumstances, is it not true, Gaia – if that is what you want me to call you – that you can overpower both the Mayor and the Speaker? Is it not true that you can establish this living Galaxy you speak of without my doing anything? Why, then, do you not?† Novi said, â€Å"I do not know if I can explain this to your satisfaction. Gaia was formed thousands of years ago with the help of robots that once, for a brief time, served the human species and now serve them no more. They made it quite clear to us that we could survive only by a strict application of the Three Laws of Robotics as applied to life generally. The First Law, in those terms, is: ‘Gaia may not harm life or, through inaction, allow life to come to harm. ‘ We have followed this rule through all of our history and we can do no other. â€Å"The result is that we are now helpless. We cannot force our vision of the living Galaxy upon a quintillion human beings and countless other forms of life and perhaps do harm to vast numbers. Nor can we do nothing and watch the Galaxy half-destroy itself in a struggle that we might have prevented. We do not know whether action or inaction will cost the Galaxy less; nor, if we choose action, do we know whether supporting Terminus or Trantor will cost the Galaxy less. Let Councilman Trevize decide then – and whatever that decision is, Gaia will follow it.† Trevize said, â€Å"How do you expect me to make a decision? What do I do?† Novi said, â€Å"You have your computer. The people of Terminus did not know that when they made it, they made it better than they knew. The computer on board your ship incorporates some of Gaia. Place your hands on the terminals and think. You may think Mayor Branno's shield impervious, for instance. If you do, it is possible that she will at once use her weapons to disable or destroy the other two ships, establish physical rule over Gaia and, later on, Trantor.† â€Å"And you will do nothing to stop that?† said Trevize with astonishment. â€Å"Not a thing. If you are sure that domination by Terminus will do the Galaxy less harm than any other alternative, we will gladly help that domination along – even at the cost of our own destruction. â€Å"On the other hand, you may find Speaker Gendibal's mentalic field and you may then join your computer-magnified push to his. He will, in that case, surely break free of me and push me back. He may then adjust the Mayor's mind and, in combination with her ships, establish physical domination over Gaia and assure the continued supremacy of the Seldon Plan. Gaia will not move to stop that. â€Å"Or you may find my mentalic field and join that – and then the living Galaxy will be set in motion to reach its fulfillment, not in this generation or the next, but after centuries of labor during which the Seldon Plan will continue. The choice is yours.† Mayor Branno said, â€Å"Wait! Do not make a decision just yet. May I speak?† Novi said, â€Å"You may speak freely. So may Speaker Gendibal.† Branno said, â€Å"Councilman Trevize. The last time we met on Terminus, you said, ‘The time may come, Madam Mayor, when you will ask me for an effort, and I will then do as I choose, and I will remember the past two days. ‘ I don't know whether you foresaw this, or intuitively felt it would happen, or simply had what this woman who speaks of a living Galaxy calls a talent for rightness. In any case, you were right. I am asking you for an effort on behalf of the Federation. â€Å"You may, I suppose, feel that you would like to even the score with me for having arrested and exiled you. I ask you to remember that I did it for what I considered the good of the Foundation Federation. Even if I were wrong or even if I acted out of callous self-interest, remember that it was I who did it – and not the Federation. Do not now destroy the entire Federation out of a desire to balance what I alone have done to you. Remember that you are a Foundationer and a human being, that you do not want to be a cipher in the plans of the bloodless mathematicians of Trantor or less than a cipher in a Galactic mish-mash of life and nonlife. You want yourself, your descendants, your fellow-people to be independent organisms, possessing free will. Nothing else matters. â€Å"These others may tell you that our Empire will lead to bloodshed and misery – but it need not. It is our free-will choice whether this should be so or not. We may choose otherwise. And, in any case, it is better to go to defeat with free will than to live in meaningless security as a cog in a machine. Observe that you are now being asked to make a decision as a free-will human being. These things of Gaia are unable to make a decision because their machinery will not allow them to, so that they depend on you. And they will destroy themselves if you bid them to. Is this what you want for all the Galaxy?† Trevize said, â€Å"I do not know that I have free will, Mayor. My mind may have been subtly dealt with, so that I will give the answer that is desired.† Novi said, â€Å"Your mind is totally untouched. If we could bring ourselves to adjust you to suit our purposes, this whole meeting would be unnecessary. Were we that unprincipled, we could have proceeded with what we would find most pleasing to ourselves with no concern for the greater needs and good of humanity as a whole.† Gendibal said, â€Å"I believe it is my turn to speak. Councilman Trevize, do not be guided by narrow parochialism. The fact that you are Terminus-born should not lead you to believe that Terminus comes before the Galaxy. For five centuries now, the Galaxy has been operating in accordance with the Seldon Plan. In and out of the Foundation Federation, that operation has been proceeding. â€Å"You are, and have been, part of the Seldon Plan above and beyond your lesser role as Foundationer. Do not do anything to disrupt the Plan, either on behalf of a narrow concept of patriotism or out of a romantic longing for the new and untried. The Second Foundationers will in no way hamper the free will of humanity. We are guides, not despots. â€Å"And we offer a Second Galactic Empire fundamentally different from the First. Throughout human history, no decade in all the tens of thousands of years during which hyperspatial travel has existed has been completely free of bloodshed and violent death throughout the Galaxy, even in those periods when the Foundation itself was at peace. Choose Mayor Branno and that will continue endlessly into the future. The same dreary, deadly round. The Seldon Plan offers release from that at last – and not at the price of becoming one more atom in a Galaxy of atoms, being reduced to equality with grass, bacteria, and dust.† Novi said, â€Å"What Speaker Gendibal says of the First Foundation's Second Empire, I agree with. What he says of his own, I do not. The Speakers of Trantor are, after all, independent free-will human beings and are the same as they have always been. Are they free of destructive competition, of politics, of clawing upward at all costs? Are there no quarrels and even hatreds at the Speaker's Table – and will they always be guides you dare follow? Put Speaker Gendibal on his honor and ask him this.† â€Å"No need to put me on my honor,† said Gendibal. â€Å"I freely admit we have our hatreds, competitions, and betrayals at the Table. But once a decision is reached, it is obeyed by all. There has never been an exception to this.† Trevize said, â€Å"What if I will not make a choice?† â€Å"You must,† said Novi. â€Å"You will know that it is right to do so and you will therefore make a choice.† â€Å"What if I try to make a choice and cannot?† â€Å"You must.† Trevize said, â€Å"How much time do I have?† Novi said, â€Å"Until you are sure, however much time that takes.† Trevize sat silently. Though the others were silent too, it seemed to Trevize that he could hear the pulsing of his bloodstream. He could hear Mayor Branno's voice say firmly, â€Å"Free will!† Speaker Gendibal's voice said peremptorily, â€Å"Guidance and peace!† Novi's voice said wistfully, â€Å"Life.† Trevize turned and found Pelorat looking at him intently. He said, â€Å"Janov. Have you heard all this?† â€Å"Yes, I have, Golan.† â€Å"What do you think?† â€Å"The decision is not mine.† â€Å"I know that. But what do you think.† â€Å"I don't know. I am frightened by all three alternatives. And yet a peculiar thought comes to me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"When we first went out into space, you showed me the Galaxy. Do you remember?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"You speeded time and the Galaxy rotated visibly. And I said, as though anticipating this very time, ‘The Galaxy looks like a living thing, crawling through space. ‘ Do you think that, in a way, it is alive already?† And Trevize, remembering that moment, was suddenly sure. He remembered suddenly his feeling that Pelorat, too, would have a vital role to play. He turned in haste, anxious not to have time to think, to doubt, to grow uncertain. He placed his hands on the terminals and thought with an intensity he had never known before. He had made his decision – the decision on which the fate of the Galaxy hung.

My Favorite Dish Essay

My Favorite Dish Most of us have a certain type of favorite dish, but my favorite dish is seared steak with a garlic glaze. I love this dish because it reminds of that time my cousin told me about it and described it. Ever since he told me I always wanted it to try it. I couldn’t try the dish because he didn’t know the name of it and so I couldn’t try it out in some other restaurant or make it myself. The only way I had to try it was to go where he lives and he lives out of state, I had to wait a few months to taste it. That made me want to try it even more. 2 years ago my dad came home from work with very good news he told my family that we were going to spend Christmas with my family in Bellevue, Washington. When I heard the good news I was so happy I was going to try the dish my cousin was telling me about. I was just counting the days to go, I remember it was December 15 we packed out stuff and went to Washington. The first thing we did was go out to eat and it was in that Restaurant in Bellevue I don’t really remember the name of it I just wanted to try the dish. The restaurant was located between Bellevue and Seattle. In the restaurant we got the got the menu and my cousin pointed at the dish and it was called Seared steak with garlic glaze. I didn’t really want to try it because of the garlic but I waited so long for this dish I had to try it. I got my dish and it looked weird but smelled so good. The garlic along with the spices it had on the glaze smelled so good was making me want to jump for it right away. The steak was hot and cooked well done and was about  ½ inch thick had good color to it the glaze was brownish looking. The glaze was covered with garlic cloves I made a weird face when I saw it. I took my first bite and I am not a fan of garlic but I loved it was so good, I said to myself all this wait was worth it that garlic taste mixed with some spices they used made it taste so delicious never have I tasted something like it. After Christmas we came back to Los Angeles California I was just  remembering the taste of seared steak I wanted to try to and make my own. I searched online and found a recipe and it seemed pretty easy and didn’t use that many ingredients. I went to the local super market by my house and had most of the ingredients it required, the only thing I couldn’t find was rosemary I think they had it I just didn’t know where to find it. I went home and luckily there was rosemary in the house. I seared the steak so it can be really dry and I seasoned it with salt, pepper and steak seasoning so it can have a good crust and cooked it in a cast iron skillet. The steak smelled good already so was time to make the glaze the glaze was really simple just some garlic beef broth and rosemary. My dish was done it didn’t take a long time it took me about 25-30 minutes. My dish didn’t come out as it looked back in the restaurant I think because my stake was a little thin then  ½ inch. I tried it and it didn’t really taste the same like the one in the restaurant didn’t have that good garlic flavor maybe in the restaurant they added some extra spices or secret ingredient. I would make this dish again but this time I would like to experiment and add more spices to the glaze or maybe make it a little spicy probably next time when I go to Bellevue Washington I should ask the chef what are the ingredients in making this wonderful dish. Next time I am probably going to make it with pork chops I think it will be pretty good maybe even better. I like my visit to Washington and going to that restaurant next time I will remember the name of it. I had fun in making this dish and I will try to make it as good as the one in the restaurant or probably even better. I will never give up!

The Effect of Global Warming on the Napa Valley Essays

The Effect of Global Warming on the Napa Valley Essays The Effect of Global Warming on the Napa Valley Paper The Effect of Global Warming on the Napa Valley Paper Essay Topic: The Long Valley There is little doubt in the scientific community that this huge economy, based on grape growing, will be affected by this slow but steady climate change. However, how this region will be affected is a tater of debate. A hot year is normally associated with a boom year, offering a high yield of quality grapes for growers (1 ). However too much of a good thing can be bad. By the end of the century the increased temperature could have adverse effects on grape production and already growers in California see challenges in balancing the long growing season with the quality of the fruit being produced (3). Initial studies on the effects of increased temperatures have shown that warming improves the quality of the wine, said Gregory Jones, an Associate Professor of Geography at the American university of Southern Oregon (4). He went on to predict that if something is not done, continued warming would change the growing environment in the future. The result of this increased temperature may leave growers finding, what once was good for the grape could be disastrous. By examining past heat waves, such as the one that hit Europe in 2003, vintner are given some idea of what is in store for the future (4). Areas that were normally cooler saw an improvement in grape production while the normally warm regions saw a decline in production and quality (5). Areas most in danger by the warming limited are those that currently enjoy a long, warm growing season, such as the Nap Valley (5). According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (4), if nothing is done about global warming only the coastal regions Of California, cooled by the ocean breeze, will be good for cultivating vines by 2100. In a study done by University of California at Santa Cruz researcher (5), a detailed image of how the climate in California is likely to change over the next 50 to 100 years was predicted and mapped. Their study included anticipated temperature and precipitation changes for the Tate of the California. Their results go beyond the usual speculation concerning the potential effects of climate change on the state. They were able to take expected temperature changes from increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and, with the aid of a computer program, predict environmental changes throughout the state of California (appendix 1 The United Nations has studied this issue and have predicted that without an aggressive world wide action to cut greenhouse emissions the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will reach 800 parts per million (4) before the end f this century. The result will be an increased average temperature in California by 3 degrees centigrade. With much worse damage around the world through disease, drought and rising sea level. At that level of environmental change, the areas used for growing quality wine grapes will shrink by 35-80%, even taking into account the possibility of new areas being able to grow the grapes (4). A study by NASA (4) show, that areas the areas currently producing the finest most expensive wine would be reduced by approximately half while areas that are considered marginally suitable for reducing wine would be virtually eliminated. Scientists predict that climate change may shift production of the best wines from places like Nap Valley to vineyards in the Pacific Northwest and New England, locations that have traditionally been considered too cool for wine production (3). This would not only be devastating economically to the wine industry in Nap but also to the billion dollar tourist industry associated with grape growing and wine production in the Nap Valley. Not everyone agrees that global warming will be bad for wine production in Nap Valley. Some scientist predict that the warmer temperatures in the upper Nap Valley may shift south a little, not necessarily meaning hotter hoots, but making a bigger percentage of the valley warmer (2). In this climate model mountaintops will either stay the same or cool slightly due to increased fog. It may be that the state of California overall will be warmer by about 5 degrees Fahrenheit by 2055 to 2075, with 1 5 more days of temperatures over 90 degrees, but with marine influence and the predicted increase in fog, the California model wont necessarily be the Nap Valley reality (2). Dry. Snyder, from the university of California at Davis, summarized the results of a study on Nap Valley weather patterns between 191 7 and 2006 and came to the conclusion that from a growers standpoint, the weather has actually improved (6). It shows an increase in the average low temperatures for January and also an increase in average high temperatures at harvest time. But the study shows less risk of extreme rainfall or extreme high or low temperatures today than we had prior to 1 988 (6) The Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change, an international group Of undress of climatologists, has concluded that, even though crop production and yield benefit from increased CO concentration, the benefit realized will be short lived and the increased heat and eventual drought will be devastating to the wine and grape industries (4) My original hypothesis is correct and incorrect. In the short term global warming may be helpful to the wine industry of the Nap Valley. The increased temperature will have multiple outcomes; warmer weather will initially increase both quality and quantity of the grapes grown in the region. The improved weather patterns ill also be a boost to the tourist industry in the area. However, as the research shows that the long term outlook for the California wine industry may be devastating if the industry does not look to long term solutions. Facing this challenge, scientists and professionals from the wine industry are searching for ways to adapt to the changing climate. Some areas of scientific work are concentrating on how certain varieties of vines adapt to heat as well as counteracting the devastating effects of strong heat on the taste of the wine, which tends to be too sweet and to have excessive alcohol levels. Other areas of change being looked into are ways to grow grapes under trellis so that they are protected from the sun as well as the types of grapes being grown. Other possibilities are genetic altering as well as cross breeding Of vines between high quality producers and heat tolerate varieties. Water conservation is a huge issue when the climate heats up and increased irrigation is required. The final outcome of global warming on Nap Valley wine is unclear so if you enjoy a taste from the vine from time to time, now would be a good time to stock your wine cellar and enjoy it while you can. L[pick] I I [pick I [pick Appendix 1 expected changes in temperature, top photo; precipitation, middle photo; and snow accumulation, bottom photo, for California based on computer projections of the climate response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Average June temperatures are higher throughout the state. Total rainfall in March increases in northern California, with little change in the south. And the height of the snowplow at the end of March drops dramatically. Top photo; precipitation, middle photo; and snow accumulation, bottom photo, for California based on computer projections of the climate response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Average June temperatures are higher throughout the state. Total rainfall in March increases in northern California, with little change in the south.

The History of Black Muslims in America

The History of Black Muslims in America The long history of Black Muslims in America  goes far beyond the legacy of Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam. Understanding the  complete history  gives valuable insight into black American religious traditions and the development of Islamophobia. Enslaved Muslims in America Historians estimate that between 15 and 30 percent (as many as 600,000 to 1.2 million) of enslaved Africans brought to North America were Muslim. Many of these Muslims were literate, able to read and write in Arabic. In order to preserve the new development of race in which â€Å"Negroes† were classified as barbaric and uncivilized, some African Muslims (primarily those with lighter skin, slimmer features or looser hair textures) were categorized as â€Å"Moors,† creating a level of stratification amongst enslaved populations. White slaveholders often forced Christianity onto slave populations through forced assimilation, and Muslim slaves reacted to this in a variety of ways. Some became pseudo-converts to Christianity, utilizing what is known as taqiyah: the practice of denying one’s religion when faced with persecution. Within Islam, taqiyah is permissible when used to protect religious beliefs. Others, like Muhammad Bilali, author of the Bilali Document/The Ben Ali Diary, attempted to hold onto their Islamic roots without converting. In the early 1800s, Bilali started a community of African Muslims in Georgia called Sapelo Square. Others were not able to successfully circumnavigate forced conversion and instead brought aspects of Islam into their new religion. The Gullah-Geechee people, for example, developed a tradition known as a â€Å"Ring Shout,† which mimics the ritual counter-clockwise circling (tawaf) of the Kaaba in Mecca. Others continued practicing forms of sadaqah (charity), which is one of the five pillars of Islam. Descendants from Sapelo Square like Katie Brown, great grand-daughter of Salih Bilali, recall that some would make flat rice cakes called â€Å"saraka†. These rice cakes would be blessed using â€Å"Amiin,† the Arabic word for â€Å"Amen.† Other congregations took to praying in the east, with their backs facing the west because that was the way the devil sat. And, further still, they took to offering part of their prayers on rugs while on their knees. The Moorish Science Temple and Nation of Islam While the horrors of slavery and forced conversion were largely successful in silencing enslaved African Muslims, Islam continued to exist within the conscience of a people. Most notably, this historical memory led to the development of proto-Islamic institutions, which borrowed from and re-imagined Islamic tradition to answer specifically to the reality of black Americans. The first of these institutions was the Moorish Science Temple, founded in 1913. The second, and most well known, was the Nation of Islam (NOI), founded in 1930. There were Black Muslims practicing outside these institutions, like the Black American Ahmadiyya Muslims in the 1920s and the Dar al-Islam movement. However, proto-Islamic institutions, namely the NOI, gave way to the development of â€Å"Muslim† as a political identity rooted in black politics. Black Muslim Culture During the 1960s, Black Muslims were perceived as radical, as the NOI and figures such as Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali grew in prominence. The media focused on developing a narrative of fear, characterizing Black Muslims as dangerous outsiders in a country built on white, Christian ethics. Muhammad Ali captured the fear of the greater public perfectly when he said, â€Å"I am America. I am the part you wont recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me.† Black Muslim identity also developed outside of the political sphere. Black American Muslims have contributed to a variety of musical genres, including the blues and jazz. Songs such as â€Å"Levee Camp Holler† utilized singing styles reminiscent of the adhan, or the call to prayer. In â€Å"A Love Supreme†, jazz musician John Coltrane uses a prayer format which mimics the semantics of the opening chapter of the Quran. Black Muslim artistry has also played a role in hip-hop and rap. Groups like The Five-Percent Nation, an offshoot of the Nation of Islam, the Wu-Tang Clan, and A Tribe Called Quest all had multiple Muslim members. Islamophobia Historically, the FBI has claimed that Islam is the greatest enabler of black radicalism and it continues to follow that line of thought today. In August 2017, an FBI report cited a new terroristic threat, â€Å"Black Identity Extremists†, in which Islam was singled out as a radicalizing factor. Programs such as Countering Violent Extremism couple with xenophobia to promote entrapment and cultures of surveillance, following past FBI programs such as the Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPro). These programs target Black Muslims through the very specific nature of America’s anti-black Islamophobia.

Definition and Examples of Writ of Certiorari

Definition and Examples of Writ of Certiorari In the U.S. court system, a â€Å"writ of certiorari† is an order (writ) issued by a higher or â€Å"appellate† court to review decisions made by a lower court for any irregularities in legal process or procedures. Key Takeaways: Writ of Certiorari A writ of certiorari is a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to hear an appeal from a lower court.The word certiorari comes from a Latin word meaning â€Å"to be more fully informed.†The act of â€Å"granting certiorari† means the Supreme Court agrees to hear a case.Certiorari must be requested by submitting a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the Supreme Court.The Supreme Court grants only about 1.1% of the thousands of petitions for certiorari submitted each term.Denying a petition for certiorari has no effect on the lower court’s decision or the laws involved.Granting a petition for certiorari requires the affirmative votes of at least four Supreme Court justices. The word certiorari (sersh-oh-rare-ee) comes from a Latin word meaning â€Å"to be more fully informed† or â€Å"to be made certain in regard to.† The act of issuing a writ of certiorari, called â€Å"granting certiorari, often abbreviated as â€Å"granting cert,† compels the lower court to deliver all records of its proceedings in a case. Among a sea of largely obscure Latin legal terms, certiorari is of particular importance to Americans because the U.S. Supreme Court, due to its limited original jurisdiction, uses it to select most of the cases it hears.   The Supreme Court’s Writ of Certiorari Process Most cases heard by the U.S. Supreme Court begin as cases decided by a trial court, such as one of the 94 U.S. District Courts. Parties dissatisfied with the trial court’s decision have the right to appeal the case to a U.S. Court of Appeals. Anyone dissatisfied with the ruling of the Court of Appeals can then ask the Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals’ decision and procedures. Supreme Court review of a Court of Appeals’ decision is requested by filing a â€Å"Petition for Writ of Certiorari† with the Supreme Court. The Petition for Writ of Certiorari must include a list of all parties involved, the facts of the case, the legal questions to be reviewed, and reasons why the Supreme Court should grant the petition. By granting the petition and issuing a writ of certiorari, the Court agrees to hear the case. Forty copies of the printed petition in bound booklet form are delivered to the office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court and distributed to the justices. If the Court grants the petition, the case is scheduled for a hearing. The Supreme Court has the right to deny the Petition for Writ of Certiorari, thus refusing to hear the case. Rule 10 of the Rules of the Supreme Court specifically states: â€Å"Review on writ of certiorari is not a matter of right, but a judicial discretion. A petition for writ of certiorari will be granted only for compelling reasons.† While the full legal effect of the Supreme Court’s refusal to grant certiorari is often debated, it has no effect on the decision of the Court of Appeals. In addition, refusal to grant certiorari does not reflect the Supreme Court’s agreement or disagreement with the lower court’s decision. The Supreme Court’s refusal to grant certiorari creates no binding legal precedent, and the lower courts decision remains in effect, but only within that court’s geographical jurisdiction. Granting a Petition for Writ of Certiorari requires the positive vote of only four of the nine justices, rather than the five-vote majority required in actual case decisions. This is known as the â€Å"rule of four.† Brief Background of Certiorari Before 1891, the Supreme Court was required to hear and issue a decision on almost every case that was appealed to it by the local courts. As the United States grew, the federal judicial system was strained and the Supreme Court soon had an insurmountable backlog of cases. To address this, the Judiciary Act of 1869 first increased the number of Supreme Court Justices from seven to nine. Then, the Judiciary Act of 1891 shifted responsibility for most appeals to the newly created circuit courts of appeals. Since then, the Supreme Court only hears appealed cases at its discretion through the granting of a writ of certiorari. Reasons the Supreme Court Grants Petitions for Certiorari In deciding which petitions for certiorari it will grant, the Supreme Court strives to hear cases in which its ruling will affect the interpretation and application of the laws involved throughout the United States. In addition, the Court prefers to hear cases in which its ruling will provide definitive guidance for the lower courts. While there are no hard-and-fast rules, the Supreme Court tends to grant petitions for certiorari for: Cases that will resolve clear conflicts of law: Anytime a number of lower courts issue conflicting decisions involving the same federal law or interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, such as gun control and the Second Amendment, the Supreme Court may choose to hear and decide a related case in order to ensure that all 50 states operate under the same interpretation of the law.Cases that are important or unique: The Court will decide to hear unique or momentous cases such as U.S. v Nixon, dealing with the Watergate scandal, Roe v. Wade, dealing with abortion, or Bush v. Gore, involving the contested 2000 presidential election.Cases in which a lower court disregards the Supreme Court: When a lower court blatantly ignores a previous Supreme Court ruling, the Supreme Court may decide to hear a case in order to correct or simply override the lower court’s ruling.Cases that are simply interesting: Being human, the Supreme Court justices will sometimes choose to hear a case simply b ecause it involves a favorite area of law. When it comes to petitions for writ of certiorari, the Supreme Court gets many, but grants few. The vast majority of petitions are denied. For example, of the 8,241 petitions filed during its 2009 term, the Court granted only 91, or about 1.1 percent. On average, the Court hears from 80 to 150 cases each term. Recent Example of Certiorari Granted: Roe v. Wade In its landmark decision in the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that a woman’s right to have an abortion was protected by the Due Process of Law Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In deciding to grant certiorari in Roe v. Wade, faced a thorny legal issue. One of the Court’s rules for granting certiorari requires that the appellant, the person or persons appealing the case, have â€Å"standing† to do so- meaning that he or she would be directly affected by the Court’s decision. By the time the lengthy Roe v. Wade appeal finally reached the Supreme Court, the appellant, a Texas woman (â€Å"Jane Roe†) who had sued after having been denied the right to have an abortion under Texas law, had already given birth and surrendered the child for adoption. As a result, her legal standing in the case was uncertain. In granting certiorari, the Supreme Court reasoned that because of the lengthy appeals process, it would be impossible for any expectant mother to have standing, thus preventing the Court from ever ruling on abortion or reproductive rights issues. Feeling the law involved merited review, the Court granted the petition for certiorari. Recent Example of Certiorari Denied: Broom v. Ohio In 2009, Ohio corrections officials spent two hours trying- but failing- to execute Romell Broom by lethal injection. In March 2016, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the state could proceed with a do-over second attempt to execute Bloom. With no other higher court available, Broom and his lawyers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block any further execution attempts. In the Broom v. Ohio petition for certiorari, Broom’s lawyers based their request on the argument that a second execution would violate the assurance against cruel and unusual punishment in the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. On December 12, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court, refusing to hear the case, denied the petition for certiorari. In denying Bloom’s petition for certiorari, the Supreme Court stated its belief that any pain Bloom might have experienced during the failed execution attempt failed to amount to â€Å"constitute cruel and unusual punishment.† In taking this rather unexpected action, the justices reasoned that since thousands of people are subjected to multiple needle-sticks every day as part of medical procedures, this was neither cruel nor unusual. Sources Definition of certiorari in English. English Oxford Dictionaries. OnlineFederal Courts Role and Stricture. USCourts.gov. OnlineSupreme Court procedure. The SCOTUS Blog. OnlineThe Evarts Act: Creating the Modern Appellate Courts. USCourts.gov. OnlineSupreme Court Case Selections Act. Public Law 100-352, at 102 Stat. 662. June 27, 1988

Wal-Mart Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wal-Mart Article - Essay Example Much of Walmart success in Mexico can be attributed to NAFTA. NAFTA solved the logistics problems that Walmart faced by improving infrastructure. This enabled Walmart to transport the goods and open up more stores across Mexico with much ease than before. The reduced import tariffs also encouraged importation of goods from other countries and this enabled Walmart to reduce the prices of their goods thereby attracting more customers. Walmart success in the region is also a result of Walmart’s high bargaining power, which enables it to obtain goods at a fair deal thus offering its customers much lower prices than other retail stores. Walmart has been a threat to other retail stores in the region. As Walmart continues to reduce the prices of goods, other retail stores such as Comerci reduced the prices too to combat the completion. Comerci and other retail stores have also filed complain to Mexico’s federal competition commission to curb the unfair pricing. This kind of strategy can only be helpful to Comerci if price control bill is passed. With the stiff competition from Walmart, other retailers need to come up with other new strategies to enable them remain in the market. The need for other retailers to improve on their bargaining skills is also of great importance, as it will enable the retailers reduce prices as Walmart. Opening production plants for some good may also help combat the competition Walmart brought in Mexico since this will enable the retailers obtain goods at rather reduced

GOING GLOBAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

GOING GLOBAL - Essay Example We critically analyse their strategy and see how they are coping in the international arena. The paper ends with a discussion on two strategies: standardisation and adaptation. When companies decide to enter new markets they have to decide which one they will follow and once they have decided this, they develop a plan. All further decisions are based on this strategy. We have discussed many things concerning the bank, their strategy, their history and what are they looking for when they decide to locate in a new country. The details of costs have also been discussed in detail. Also, the strategy the bank follows whether it wants to standardise its products around the world or customise them according to the country. We also looked at the adaptation techniques that the bank uses when they enter a new market. Also we analyse what has worked for the bank; to standardise their product or to adapt it to countries requirements. Today the whole world is one big market. There are no boundaries and businesses can operate all around the world without having offices in any of the places. Most of this has been possible because of the internet, communication has become easier and faster. Each and every company uses a different strategy to expand into the global market. The onset of going global is gradual. One of the main reasons why companies have decided to expand into markets around the world is because they want to gain a competitive

Application and Impact of Financial Reporting Standard 5 Essay

Application and Impact of Financial Reporting Standard 5 - Essay Example The best advantage is that this FRS does not affect a majority of transactions; however, it has an effect on complex transactions whose substance is not very apparent. Objective: The aim of Financial Reporting Standard 5 is to make sure that the substance of the transactions of the business is reflected clearly in the financial statements. Moreover, it intends to cover the honest representation of the commercial impacts of the transactions on the profits, losses, liabilities as well as assets of the business so that the accounting statements do not just consider the legal form of a specific transaction but also its commercial form. A chief point in concluding on the substance of the transaction is to note whether the transaction has resulted in an increase or decrease in liabilities or assets of the business. The definition of assets and liabilities has been clarified in the FRS 5. Once the identification of a liability or asset is done, the inclusion needs to happen in the balance sheet subject to the condition that there is adequate evidence of the existence of the liability or the assets. Moreover, the monetary value of these should be measurable. The asset or liability respectively should be included only if the transaction does not significantly alter rights of the benefits to the entity or its exposure of risks. If the transaction does not do so, it is appropriate to make amendments in the monetary value of the asset/liability. The FRS takes into consideration several transactions and gives a detailed disclosure and measurement guideline regarding transactions with specific features including consignment stock, repurchase contracts, loan transfer, securitization, factoring, revenue recognition, and private finance initiatives. Presentation and Disclosure FRS 5 takes a view of the problems of financing off-balance sheet items. The problem of understatement is solved due to the presentation and disclosure guidelines of FRS 5. A specific type of presentation known as "linked presentation" is suggested for financial arrangements that are non-recourse in nature. Such a presentation shows the deductions of finance from the gross amount of the particular item that is financed. Sufficient disclosure is vital for the transaction for having a clear idea of the commercial effect of the same. The disclosure requires detailed explanation when the recognition of the asset or liability is different from that found under the related headings in a balance sheet. (FRS 5, Accounting Standard Board) Thus, FRS 5 has a clear and structured approach for reporting the substance of the transactions. FRS 5 has a noteworthy effect on the reporting of financial statements. However, it is clarified that it does not affect a vast majority of a transaction, but certainly has an impact on complex transactions. Here, we take into consideration the impact and application of FRS 5 on various transactions.

Research and evaluate one or two works of twentieth-century literary Paper

And evaluate one or two works of twentieth-century literary criticism that take a psychoanalytic approach to Shakespea - Research Paper Example Perhaps some of the most intriguing insights have come as a result of the psychoanalytical school of critical investigation. Sigmund Freud himself analyzed the play advancing a number of theoretical notions on Hamlet’s subconscious and Oedipal relation to his mother. This essay considers ‘The Oedipus-Complex as An Explanation of Hamlet's Mystery:?A Study in Motive’ a famous psychoanalytic interpretation of Hamlet advanced by theorist Ernest Jones and work by Sigmund Freud in analyzing Hamlet. One of Sigmund Freud’s primary theories and a central element of psychoanalysis is the understanding that man is affected by a repressive urge towards love for their mother. Referred to as the Oedipal Complex, Freud indicates that men are then motivated by an urge to murder their father and marry their mother, except this is generally repressed. Hamlet makes a brilliant representation of this theory in action, as Hamlet’s complex relation between his mother and her new-husband, also his step-father, Claudius constitutes a significant element of the play’s narrative structure. This interpretation is not lost on Jones, who argues that in large part Hamlet’s intensity of conflict with Claudius is rooted in these psychological urges. Jones writes, â€Å"Hamlet's second guilty wish had thus also been realized by his uncle, namely to procure the fulfilment of the first -- the possession of the mother -- by a personal deed, in fact by murder of the father† (Jones). In these regards, Claudius has actually usurped and realized Hamlet’s repressed childhood desire, namely the wish to murder his father and marry his mother. It’s believed that the conflict associated with their relationship is then a direct result of this unconscious psychological urges. While Jones argues that a great degree of Hamlet’s actions are motivated by these unconscious Oedipal desires, there remains a number of questions related to t his psychoanalytic examination. One of the predominant questions one wonders is that if Hamlet is so consumed by his desire to marry Gertrude, and Claudius has usurped his ability to accomplish this repressed desire, than why does Hamlet not simply murder Claudius. It’s clear that Hamlet is willing to go to these extremes, yet throughout the play he refrains from this action. In these regards, Jones argues that Freud believes Hamlet’s unwillingness to murder Claudius is related to an unconscious unwillingness. For Jones, if Hamlet were to kill Claudius it would be killing off this unconscious childhood fantasy, and in doing so, it would be in a sense removing an aspect of himself and internal constitution. Freud himself considered this issue and wrote, Hamlet is able to do anything -- except take vengeance on the man who did away with his father and took that father's place with his mother, the man who shows him the repressed wishes of his own childhood realized. Thus the loathing which should drive him on to revenge is replaced in him by self-reproaches, by scruples of conscience, which remind him that he himself is literally no better than the sinner whom he is to punish. Here I have translated into conscious terms what was bound to remain unconscious in Hamlet's mind.... In addition to demonstrating an overriding interpretation for Hamlet’s unwillingness to murder Claudius, this passage from Freud also contributes to interpreting Hamlet’s overall motivations throughout the pla