Monday, September 30, 2019

Madness in Love in William Shakespeare Essay

Madness in Love in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Twelfth Night† There are many definitions for love, but there are also many definitions for madness. Both words, when joined together, create an endless possibility of emotions and actions one can bare to hold for the sake of another. Madness can be described as â€Å"senseless folly†. When a person is in love with another, they tend to define their feelings of passionate affection for this other person. Shakespeare’s concept was to involve some of his characters with this feeling. In Twelfth Night, madness is created by the misconception and misunderstanding due to love. Mainly, it is said that Love is one of the most significant types of madness. It leads to causes like confusion and chaos in mind, mentality, and behavior. In the Twelfth Night, the Duke Orsino falls madly in love with Olivia. Orsino describes his love towards Olivia deeper than he could imagine, â€Å"So full of shapes is fancy, that it alone is high fantastical†. Orsino loses his focus on reality as he says â€Å"For such as I am all true lovers are. Unstaid and skittish in all motions else, save in the constant image of the creature, that is beloved. †(P. 34) The only thing that is real for him at the moment is anything that has to do with his â€Å"beloved creature†, the beautiful Olivia. We also see Olivia’s senseless acts come to play as she finds herself smitten after her first encounter with Cesario: †I do I know not what, and fear to find. Mine eye too great a flatterer of my mind. [†¦]What is decreed must be – and be this so! †(P. 24) Olivia finds herself unable to think properly because she is so distracted and flustered by the attractive looks of Cesario. Another interpretation could be that Olivia’s affection has been taken and used up by Cesario due to the loss of her brother and she refuses to share her love with anyone else. Later on in the play Malvolio’s madness changes from the state of being madly in love and committing crazy acts of devotion to the state of being in madness or chaos because of the misunderstanding of the situation. He thinks it was Olivia who wrote the trick note when it was really Maria, Toby, and Andrew who tried to trick him. They created a letter, pretending to be Olivia, telling Malvolio what will make her happy. The letter did not even state that it was Olivia, but because Malvolio was excited to gain her favor he jumped to the conclusion that it was her. Malvolio’s infatuation for Olivia was so great it clouded his ability to think properly. â€Å"Daylight and champion discovers not more! †, is Malvolio’s first comment as he finished reading. He was so desperate to please Olivia and gain her love, he jumps straight to the conclusion that she wrote the letter for him. The little acts of devotion Maria mentioned in the letter were so absurd Malvolio was willingly ready to fulfill all of them: â€Å"I do not now fool myself, to let imagination jade me, for every reason excites to this, that my lady love me. I will be strange, stout, in yellow stockings, and cross-gartered, even with the swiftness of putting on. †(P. 44) Malvolio enters into a state of madness and confusion because he feels no one else knows what he is talking about. Whether madness was created due to acting foolishly because of an infatuated feeling or acting with intense emotion over someone you really care about, all these situations were because of love. In the words of Friedrich Nietzsche, â€Å"there is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness†. Shakespeare’s characters Orsino, Olivia, and Malvolio, all had a cause for their madness, and it was because of their love for somebody else. Sometimes it is a feeling that comes over you that you think is love but it doesn’t have to mean that it is simultaneously true.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Compare and contrast the short stories “Mr. Loveday’s Little outing” by Evelyn Waugh, and “Raspberry Jam” by Angus Wilson

In this essay I will introduce, compare and contrast two short stories, written in rather similar ways but with some very important differences. The first of these stories is â€Å"Mr. Loveday's Little outing† by Evelyn Waugh, the second, â€Å"Raspberry Jam† by Angus Wilson. Upon initial inspection of the introductory paragraphs of these two short stories it becomes apparent that Raspberry Jam is far more complex than its counterpart, and is also considerably longer. It is introduced in a fashion not unlike that of a novel, with a lot of dialogue and insight into the primary character; Johnnie's thoughts and his family's perceptions of him. The scene is set in the opening sentence â€Å"‘How are your funny friends from Potter's Farm, Johnnie?' asked his aunt from London.† We are introduced to two characters, the central character and his aunt, who appears, through her discourse as being rather posh and self-important. The story then continues with narrative giving insight into Johnnie's take on things. We immediately notice the retrospective style of writing as Johnnie recounts past events regarding his family and particularly his two elder friends; Misses Swindales, of whom his close relatives do not approve. Through their conversation we come to understand that they regard the old women as somewhat strange, â€Å"mad† even; â€Å"you really must meet them. They're the most wonderful pair of freaks.† Subsequently, through Johnnie's uneasy reaction to this talk â€Å"Many of the things the others said made the little boy bite his lip† we understand that the story is about madness, and each character's own definition of â€Å"mad† with regards to the class structure of the time.Love Poem The second story, â€Å"Mr. Loveday's Little outing† opens in a rather different manner, the first phrase â€Å"You will not find your father greatly changed,' remarked Lady Moping, as the car turned into the gates of the County Asylum.†, introduces us to, yet another rather genteel woman, Lady Moping, who is engaged in conversation with her daughter, Angela. They are going to visit Lord Moping, Angela's father in the County Asylum and again, through the latter's wife's manner of speech we can see that she does not approve of her husband being in an Asylum. The narrative technique, here is a progressive one, and thus the story is kept much less complex, with fewer mental insights, and a much more superficial approach. Although the narrative techniques and simplicity of plot and characters is distinctively different across the two stories, the main characters themselves are parallel. In both â€Å"Raspberry Jam† and â€Å"Mr. Loveday†¦Ã¢â‚¬  there is a conflict in the class structure, in the first, this is apparent through Johnnie/his relatives and in the latter, through Angela/Lady Moping. A parallel can be drawn between Johnnie and Angela as two children who seem to be thoroughly uninterested in the class system and appear to be trying to break free from it in their own ways. Johnnie is a rebel, drawing disapproval from his parents as his father is â€Å"always complaining that the child is too much with women and has no friends his own age.† Angela, on the other hand, associates herself with inmates at the asylum â€Å"Angela left the asylum, oppressed by a sense of injustice. Her mother was unsympathetic †¦ ‘He attempted to hang himself in the orangery,' replied Lady Moping, ‘in front of the Chester-Martins.' The situation of each child is very like the other's, with the parents disapproving of their children's actions on the grounds of a violation of the class structure. The biggest similarity, across the two stories lies in the fact that each and every character in both of the stories thinks that someone is mad and the plot itself is about their different perceptions of ‘mad'. In â€Å"Raspberry Jam†, for example, Grace thinks that the Misses Swindales are mad, but they, on the other hand, perceive the world as being mad, and occasionally even, each other. Both stories are therefore spinning a web of confusion and madness within which all the characters are trapped and trying to make sense of. The biggest similarity between these two short stories, however, is certainly their conclusion. Each has a ‘dormant' character that reveals themselves towards the end, having deceived the reader and the other characters for the length of the book. In â€Å"Raspberry Jam† this is the Misses Swindales, whom everyone thinks to be mad, but do not appear to be until the end when, in the presence of Johnnie, they sadistically butcher a bullfinch. In â€Å"Mr. Loveday's Little Outing†, Mr. Loveday himself is the twist in the story, when, after appearing perfectly sane for twenty years, he murders a young woman on a bicycle, repeating his previous crime and making of himself a serial killer. Finally, â€Å"Mr. Loveday's Little Outing† is much more light-hearted than its counterpart; â€Å"Raspberry Jam† which is full of physiological black humour. The latter is therefore much ‘heavier' and more sinister with regards to both the events and the style of writing. Despite the fact that Evelyn Waugh's story deals with such grim matters as suicide, it is presented in a rather comical manner â€Å"Lord Moping habitually threatened suicide on the occasion of the garden party†. It must also not be forgotten that each of these stories is a small masterpiece, each following the same template but having been written in completely different styles. Neither is superior, it is purely a matter of preference of literary styles, be it progressive or retrospective, comical or grim, each style adds a different flavour to the plot and the way in which we, the reader interpret the events.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Financial Analysis - residual earnings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Financial Analysis - residual earnings - Essay Example Pinto (2010) explains that one of the drivers of residual earnings is book value growth. Residual earnings depend on the growth in the value of the invested assets in the business. When investment is made in a business, the invested resources then start to produce earnings. With a well growing business, the investments will produce more earnings which then lead to the increased book value of the capital beyond the expected returns (Wahlen, et al 2010). This then delivers the residual earnings. Return on common equity also is a driver of residual returns. The general returns that a business earns excess of the shareholders equity is what defines the residual earnings (Easton, 2009). When these returns therefore exceed the returns on capital that the business set to achieve, it delivers residual earnings. However, critical analysis shows that return on capital is the same as residual earnings. Diebold, F. X., Doherty, N. A., & Herring, R. 2012. The known, the unknown, and the unknowable in financial risk management: Measurement and theory advancing practice. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University

Friday, September 27, 2019

Questions Pertaining to Mega Mountain and Columbia Food Company Essay

Questions Pertaining to Mega Mountain and Columbia Food Company - Essay Example Acting on inside information, Franklin gained an illegal advantage over other stockholders and profited from their losses. His actions were in direct violation of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. In order to prove its case, the Securities and Exchange Commission will need to secure the testimony of the executive secretary who shared the takeover information with Franklin. However, this testimony alone will not be sufficient to prove the case. If, as the scenario points out, the SEC has filed suit against Franklin and others, someone must have known about Franklin's entry into the executive offices to obtain information about the object of Mega Mountain's takeover. Using the testimony of both the executive secretary, and an informant who brought Franklin's activities to light, the SEC will be able to prove its case against Franklin for violation of the 1934 Securities and Exchange Act. Liuzzo and Bonnice (2006) define easement as "a right or interest in land granted to a party to make beneficial use of the land owned by another" (p. 321). Once an easement has been recorded, it cannot be sold or otherwise transferred. The question to be determined here is whether an easement was mentioned in the earliest available deeds of the two properties.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

MA2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MA2 - Essay Example Apple Inc. is a company that manufactures electronics such as computers, mobile devices, as well as, developing software programs (Trautschold, Rene and Mazo 207). The iCloud is a system with features, which allow sharing of information, protection from device thefts, back up data services and more. The system was developed to curb the problem of theft and hacking in the cloud. The system has so far proved its efficiency due to the mechanical systems applied, but, the power of seeing has also contributed to its success. Michel Foucault, a French philosopher, argues in his book, Discipline and Punish, that, the effectiveness of surveillance systems does not rely on mechanisms used, but, rely on the fear and doubts of the subjects towards the authority and the systems (Foucault 34). In the case, of the iCloud system, therefore, one can argue that thieves and hackers tend to reduce their acts due to fear of invasion of privacy that would follow if they are caught up when performing those acts. In other words, mobile thieves will not go on grabbing people their iPads, iPhones and more because they fear to be caught up due to the existence of the iCloud systems. The purpose of this study is to explore the exact ways in which panoptic surveillance contribute to the effectiveness of the iCloud systems. Also, Foucault’s ideas will be developed in order to make them fit in many areas of applications, for example, in offices, classrooms etcetera. As stated earlier, iCloud serves three major purposes to the Apple consumers. First, consumers using the iCloud applications can send videos and snapshots to their friends and family from the remote locations. Additionally, they can send alerts based on the specific locations to their families in case of anything, for example, accidents, attacks or demonstrations. They can report when they arrive home or in their

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Social marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social marketing - Essay Example This report focuses mainly on ways and techniques for social marketing. Social marketing is a source of creating awareness regarding any essential issue in a society and works for social benefits by means of various campaigns which are usually non-profit seeking. It is a way to change behavior of individuals in a society and strive for their good. These issues could be health related or may be associated with behavioral changes needed by a society. Social marketing must not be puzzled or mingled with â€Å"societal marketing â€Å"or â€Å"social media marketing† as these are entirely separate marketing techniques.(Kotler, Roberto, Lee, 2002) Social marketing may include various significant campaigns like stop smoking, and it should be avoided in public places and where kids are present in a family places like restaurants. Awareness regarding syringes to be disposed immediately after the use, to avoid HIV transmission. Here it also involves educating people to observe the laboratory technician or hospital staff whether they dispose the syringe in front of you in the trash can or not. Another health issue is the use same shaving razor in saloons that may lead to catch jaundice or hepatitis infections and skin diseases. (Ewing, 2001) Hence the aim of social marketing is to use commercial techniques for the betterment of society and common people regardless of considering the financial profit. HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY: One of the healthcare industries is a pharmaceutical industry that manufactures drug substances including tablet, capsule, injections, syrups, suspensions, creams and ointments. The label of a drug is one of the most important protocols that should contain all relevant information including generic name of the drug, weight of the active ingredient, batch number, date of manufacture, expiry date , manufacturer’s name, dose, and other useful information which stands as a key factor in marketing of these medicinal agents. Another healthcare industry is a hospital where a patient is admitted for treatment and gets cured. These days many hospitals are occupied in social marketing related to human health like arranging free eye camps for treatment of cataract and free diabetes check up etc. Certain NGO’s and government healthcare departments are organizing various social marketing campaigns like prevention of drug addiction and counseling of such addict ed individuals. PRODUCTS FOR SOCIAL MARKETING: Social marketing products are non-tangible objects and are important for health, safety and environments benefits. There are many examples of social marketing products like, water conservation, keep the environment clean and green etc. (Vella, 2008) EXERCISE: Here we shall consider the example of â€Å"exercise† as a social marketing product. Exercise is considered as one of the most important aspect of human life style. It helps you staying fit and healthy. This act is very essential for prevention of various diseases like myocardial infarction, blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis etc. Even pregnant women are advised for mild exercises during the period of gestation to keep themselves active. Exercise boosts your stamina and helps in ailment of numerous diseases. A brisk walk is supposed to be the best exercise for age groups. Nowadays there is a trend of going to gym for aerobics and use of fitness machines. Therefore exercise as one of social marketing product where different companies are also engaged in bringing people towards health and fitness and changing their views, plays a vital role in prevention and cure of a number of health related issues. There are four Ps of marketing: product, place, price and promotion. (Kotler, 2003) Product: means the preferred attitude that the marketing company anticipates from the consumers. This is usually a non-tangible object but could be physical as well (e.g. weight reduction pill). Price: The price should be affordable, like offering special packages for gym, swimming pool, games such as tennis,

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Accounting Ethics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Accounting Ethics - Term Paper Example Modern business world is facing serious problems from different ethical issues in accounting segment. Any kind of ethical problem related to accounting ethics can be the very serious issue for organizations. Here in this study, the problem statement is impacts of different financial fraudulent reporting. It is a very sensitive problem for all size business organizations. Each and every business organization maintains some accounting systems into their business activities. If any fraudulent activity has been indulging into those systems, and then total accounting system will give the false statement. It is very much detrimental to both organization and stakeholders. It is being noticed that due to some personal or narrow benefits accountants or auditors often include fraudulent activities into their accounting process. It is a huge ethical problem from the side of accountants or auditors. Fraudulent financial reporting has negative impacts on organization’s financial health. Or ganizations manage accounting for understanding their financial performances (Charles, 2008). On the basis of that, they fix their future courses of actions. But manipulated accounting prevents them to take proper strategic decisions. It is quite obvious that different strategies will be failure if financial reports are manipulated. It has very serious impact on the future of an organization. Every organization generates some employments. So, fraudulent financial reporting can be very much harmful to employees also.

Monday, September 23, 2019

To what extent should the use of Capital Punishment be a matter for Essay

To what extent should the use of Capital Punishment be a matter for Political & Moral Choice rather than based simply on its Ethnicacy as a deterrent against cr - Essay Example Dramatic changes in the letter and the practice of criminal law inevitably indicate that cultural work is being done, that a paradigm shift is occurring in the understanding of crime, criminals, and police power. The main problem is that the debates about capital punishment and its effectiveness are based on ethical principles rather than political or moral rules. Many critics state that capital punishment should be analyzed and discussed in accordance with moral and political principles rather than a 'common sense', values and traditions. Traditionally, the public discussion of crime and punishment encompasses more than the penal code and debates about courts, judges, and juries. The modern criminal justice system emerged at the same time as the fields of psychiatry, criminology, sociology, anthropology, and psychology. These disciplines purported to apply scientific methods of inquiry to behavior, mental illness, and the social and psychological dimensions of crime. In general, moral arguments can be made both for and against capital punishment (Logan, 1999). Long a key element of the debate, moral arguments also have tended to remain fairly static over the years, and often have been used in conjunction with religious arguments. Two moral arguments have remained particularly important throughout the death penalty debate: retribution and the sanctity of life. Those favoring the death penalty often argue that society must express moral outrage at, and condenmation of, heinous crimes such as murder (Coyne & Entzeroth, 2006). The conscience of society should be educated in the view of such a penalty; if it were not, or when it is not, poor and cheap indeed is the estimate placed upon the sacredness of human life. Conversely, abolitionists often argue that rather than upholding the sanctity of life, the death penalty violates it. Both Henry Fielding and Charles Dickens used moral and political arguments to oppose capital punishment. These same issues have been the subject of even greater attention and controversy in the modern era, as scientific studies have attempted to determine whether capital punishment acts as a deterrent to murder and/or whether it has a "brutalizing" effect on society. In spite of the fact that Fielding supported execution for Bosavern Penlez, he rejected the idea of capital punishment as the only possible measure to prevent crimes (Fielding, 1980). Proponents of capital punishment typically consider deterrence to be one of its fundamental goals. The execution sermons of the early colonies were full of warnings against following in the footsteps of the condemned, and executions were public events designed to instill fear and reverence for the law in the people of the community (Colson 1997). Also, critics admit that such mental state as monomania is an elusive form of insanity manifested itself in a single narrow area. Monomaniacs could thus appear sane and normal most of the time but would become obsessive, wildly irrational, and even homicidal in regard to one particular subject (Coyne & Entzeroth 2006). The rational faculties of the moral imbecile could be entirely intact, but the moral faculties common to normal humans were totally lacking. In court, and in some state penal codes, these new categories sometimes led to an "irresistible impulse" test: For the monomaniacal murderer or the moral imbecile, a single act of explosive violence might expose a lifetime of apparent normalcy as a

Sunday, September 22, 2019

People, Organizations and Society Essay Example for Free

People, Organizations and Society Essay Most people are individually different from one another it varies from behavior, character, attitude, lifestyles and importantly the social status. We sometimes ask ourselves why are there many people who have bad traits and good traits and sometimes having diverse mood swings and frame of mind. Different theories coming from different psychiatrist and psychologist are the concrete foundation of behavioral factors. In order for us to understand the behavior of every human being, it is better to describe the two types of conditioning which involves learning process and behavior, the classical conditioning and operant conditioning. We will discuss the similarities and dissimilarities of these two types of conditioning and further relates these two to many dimensional examples of an individual’s behavior and also that of an animal pattern of behavior. Defining Classical and Operant Conditioning In order to explore the clarity of classical and operant conditioning, it is healthier to examine and define the subject from which they are strongly associated and originated which is learning. Classical and operant conditioning has several similarities on learning such as the process of extinction, unprompted recovery, stimulus conclusion, biasness and superior directive condition or secondary reinforcement. Also, it is similar because they both generate basic occurrence and phenomena which is acquisition which result in the inheritance of a behavior (SocialPC). Classical and operant conditioning are similar in some ways but they do varies in a few ways and are equally dependable method to explain and educate a person or an animal in a specific situation. Learning is any comparatively lasting transformation in behavior and manners generated by an experience (MegaEssays, 2007). These two conditioning are the two types of several theories on learning. Classical conditioning is an important type of learning which was uncovered by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist who emphasized this observable fact through his experiments on the digestive patterns in dogs (Heffner, 2004). It is a connection of one occurrence or happening with another that results in a pattern of behavior (MegaEssays, 2007). A classic example of this phenomenon is the research done by Pavlov on his dog in which he discovered a dog’s drive to produce saliva while responding to a certain stimuli, in which a reaction or spontaneous effect that was unconscious and unintentional. When he rang a bell and was offered a food to the dog, the dog recognized it and associated the food with the bell. In this case, the bell is the conditioned stimulus while food was an unconditioned stimulus. In addition, classical conditioning often linked with muscles and reflexes and instincts. It is a very important component of a training program in which we can comprehend and figure out conditioned and unconditioned stimulus or reinforcement, species exact behaviors, inducing dislike stimuli, and feelings (2007). It is significant in understanding in dealing with problems relating to fear. Another finding confirmed the thought that we build up reactions to certain stimuli that are not naturally occurring, for example when we touch a hot stove, our response is to remove our hands back from the hot stove but now some people who already experienced after getting burned tend to pull their hands back even when the stove is turned off. This lead to Pavlov’s conclusion that people tend to relate or connect one particular experience which caused a person to simplify their reaction to one stimuli into an impartial stimuli in which it is matched with. In short, a stove burner is often associated with an expression in pain like ouch and then stove is equal to burner hence, a stove is also equal to an expression like ouch (Heffner, 2004). A lot of people’s behavior these days is formed by the combination of stimuli according to Heffner. Some observations and experience like the smell of a perfume or a particular scent, a certain song and things has been paired with a specific person or group like families, friends, ex-lover, loved ones, or a particular event or happening. These connections controls and influence us to a certain extent and in fact we have been conditioned classically (Heffner, 2004). On the other hand, operant conditioning is a type of learning experience which involves on how an organism functions or operates in a particular environment, learning here takes place as a consequence of behavior. This was termed used by Skinner in explaining the results of the consequences of a particular behavior on the future incidents or happenings of that behavior (MaricopaCenter, 1999). There are four types of operant conditioning: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction. In order to explain it further, an example could better explore its meaning; a cat was placed inside a box which has a single exit and entrance. The box has only one button to be pressed to open the door, the cat strived to get out from the box since freedom here is reinforced. In its effort to escape, the area of the box was set off and the door opens which leads the cat to be released from the enclosed box. But this does not end the story, the experience of the cat once placed again in the box, the cat will immediately escape since the cat will immediately recall the experience last time and will once locate again the button to push. Learning from experience is the concept from the example, the cat learned from the experience through natural results and how to achieve or acquire the reinforcing freedom (Heffner, 2004). Let’s pick a broader and relevant experience in the past, several times the Philippines were colonized by different conquerors and explorers and this colonization was strongly connected with harassment, violence, sexual abuse of women, forced labor, poverty and many more. The initial reaction is to obey and follow because freedom here is not welcome. Food and water is scarce and people would rely on the given ration, in order to get that food, one must steal more food to accumulate one’s hunger. Once again, freedom is reinforced here. The people of this nation once weakened but tried to learn from their experience not to be placed in a box where freedom is impartial. They have to press a button like the cat to open the door for freedom and find the answer from that experience. It’s like every individual who naturally encountered past mistakes presumably that individual will recall that mistake when things similar to that situation happens again. Same situation for positive outcome is true where effects from that outcome you did last time will likely do that same again. Four types of operant conditioning (Heffner, 2004): Positive reinforcement: this happening is often associated to anything stimulus which strengthens the probability of a specific response which are expressed in praise or rewards. A good example is when a parent appreciated a child’s good work after they have done something positive like cleaning their own room. This will increase the possibility that the same reaction will be repeated. Negative reinforcement: this constitute on the elimination of a particular negative stimulus which is reinforcing in order to increase a response. An example of this is a nagging mother who always scolded her daughter or son to clean their house every week. After telling and complaining to their friends about the distressing words it counters and lastly performs the chore and eventually stopped the nagging. Punishment: this refers to adding together something induced dislike in order to lessen a behavior. Disciplining by way of spanking is the most common example of a specific misconduct. Punishment is disliked and will surely avoid it by behaving in a good manner. Extinction: When something is removed so as to lessen a behavior is called extinction. Example is when a child owns and addicted to a teddy bear which irritates a child’s asthma will likely to react initially but for the parents it is positive that the teddy bear be removed to decrease levels of negative outcome like grasping for air when sniffed a fabric or cotton from the teddy bear. Relevance and application to business sector: In the business sector these two types of learning method has a significant advantage and guarantee positive outcome in the future. Less emphasis on classical conditioning, the operant conditioning is more likely to apply in designing a training course or let’s say changing an employee from a specific behavior in the workplace. Since operant conditioning involves on how it operates in a certain environment and learning takes place as a result of the behavior, we will be more focused on the positive reinforcement which is a very good tool for improving an employee on its negative behavior in the workplace. However, there are times that positive reinforcement would not work so other method can be used such as negative reinforcement, punishment and extinction. Let’s take a common example of a negative manner seen in an employee like tardiness, sleeping, delayed reports, absenteeism, abuse of policies and many other unnecessary manners. In order to alleviate and ease the tension in the way it is practiced, the management can formulate a positive reinforcement like giving importance to the people who always come on time and are constantly prompt in coming to the office. This can be done through rewards and additional compensation and acknowledgement. While those employees who are intensively late all the time despite of warnings from the management should be more reprimanded and disciplined by giving them penalty. The concept of punishment is generated here to reduce tardiness and eventually employees will dislike the penalty or punishment and surely avoid the misconduct by coming on time and perform their duties in a timely manner. Negative reinforcement may or may not work as a method to prevent misconduct in a workplace since it dismays or disappoints an employee because it’s sometimes involves verbal reinforcement to decrease negative stimulus, this is more applicable to a parent-child relationship but for employees, it’s not lasting and holistic and possibly produce a unprincipled outcome.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Government-operated gambling Essay Example for Free

Government-operated gambling Essay Over the past few years, government operated gambling has grown into a massive business, there has been much controversy around the topic of weather or not Gambling should be regulated. In this essay I will explain my point of view on this topic and give examples that support my ideas. So, what should the state’s policy towards gambling? I believe that the state should not regulate gambling because of three main reasons. My first reason is people’s rights and freedoms. Second, Gambling has grown into a major industry over the pas few years; the centre for addiction and mental health stated in their Gambling Policy framework in 2011 â€Å"Government-operated gambling has steadily expanded in Ontario in the past two decades, revenues reaching $4. 7 billion in 2009. † (2). This shows that Gambling has grown to become a major industry in today’s economy and by doing so it has helped society in several different aspects, the growth of the gambling industry has lead to an increase in revenue for the government, thus resulting in more social benefits towards the public. Finally, The gambling industry has lead to many job opportunities in north America, offering a beacon of hope to those in need of jobs during a recession. In modern society, freedom is not only supported but also cherished, people should be given the freedom to live their lives as they please, weather they choose to live their lives in a healthy way or not that is up to them. However, they must be given the right to live as they please. In the United States, groups such as the KKK are protected under the first amendment, which protects their freedom of speech, no matter how ludicrous it may be, they have the right to say as they please. The same should be applied to life. People should have the choice to live their lives as they please without being watched over by the government. Since gambling does require participants to be of legal age, we know that the people gambling are adults. These grown ups should be able to have control over their own lives, its their responsibility to understand the chances they are taking when gambling. Some may argue that certain people can’t control their gambling problems and have gotten too addicted to gambling and that casinos take advantage of these people. These claims are supported by some statistics given in the centre for addiction and mental health, which states, â€Å"it is estimated that between 30% and 40% of Ontario’s gambling revenues come from the 3% of the population with gambling problems† (2). This statistic shows that the gambling industry does heavily depend of the people addicted to the game. I would respond by expressing two points. First, the people with gambling problems of which they cannot control are a minority, in Jonathan Wolff’s â€Å"Ethics and public policy A Philosophical inquiry†, the author states that â€Å"between 0.6 and 0. 8 of the UK adult population could be classified as problem gambles† (59). Furthermore, in the centre for addiction and mental health’s Gambling Policy framework in 2011 that â€Å"just over 3% of the province’s population experiences moderate to severe gambling problems. †(57). These numbers do not justify having to discipline an entire industry that would affect hundreds of thousands of people that work in it and making their living off jobs in that industry. Second, increasing government regulations on casinos and lotteries will not stop these problem gamblers from gambling. Jonathan Wolff states â€Å"in the late 1950s there were towns about 25 percent of the adult population gambled illegally on a regular basis. †(55). Taking this point into perspective, it could be inferred that if the government increases the regulations on legal casinos and lotteries that would make it harder for people with an addiction to gamble, these people will find other ways to feed their addiction. This is a severe problem because when these people begin to gamble illegally they will put their money into other illegal activities, which could include drugs, weapons or violence. In fact, many large gangs could use this opportunity to fund their illegal activities, which would lead to more trouble in society; another point to be made towards this issue would be that of money, not only would these gamblers be putting their lives at risk when gambling illegally and dealing with gangs, but they could also be keeping this money out of the government’s hand which could go government programs to help the less fortunate. This brings me to my next point and that is that gambling has become a major source of revenue for the government. Government regulated gambling has grown into a massive industry which generates a significant amount of revenue each year of which most ends up in the government as funding for many different organizations. in the paper named â€Å"Gambling: Its Pleasure and costs† by Lorne Tepperman it states that â€Å"The industry group’s report says 57 per cent of gambling revenue $8. 7 billion- supported government services and charities. † (9). Tepperman also states that gambling is the â€Å"most financially significant† (9) segment in entertainment and that it contributes â€Å"$15. 3 billion a year to the economy, according to the Canadian Gaming Association. † (9). Ronald Pavalko also states in his paper titled â€Å"gambling and public policy† â€Å"State revenues from casino taxes totaled nearly $3. 5 billion. † (336). The reality is that today, we are in a recession we can’t afford to decrease that revenue by implementing harsh restrictions on gambling. It is argued that even though gambling is a major source of revenue for the government, it is also a source of misery for people with gambling addictions. The centre for Addiction and Mental health states that â€Å"For these individuals, a range of harms may occur, resulting in heavy social, economic, and health costs such as crime, dysfunctional relationships, and bankruptcy. † (2). However, the solution to this problem is not adding restrictions to gambling but is actually using the money made from gambling towards a better cause. As I have previously stated, people addicted to gambling will not be cured from their addiction by regulating legal gambling because they will find other means to feed their addiction. I believe that the best solution to these people’s gambling problem would be using the revenue that they generate for the government in taxes could be used to create social programs for people with serious addictions to gambling that would help them quit. I believe this solution would be ideal because the minority of people with gambling addictions will be treated in a proper healthy way in order to get over their addiction, the left over revenue could still be used in other social programs and finally, the money and profit that the casinos and lotteries generate will still flow which would result in more jobs, another source of income to the economy and would prevent people from getting fired from their jobs if harsh restrictions were to be applied to gambling agencies. My final argument for this essay is that of employment. As previously stated, gambling generates a huge amount of revenue for the government, Gambling is a growing industry and with its growth it creates several opportunities for jobs for people in need. Gambling generates many jobs that help the economy grow in this time of need. Gambling generates jobs of all sorts, from the engineers and architects that build and design the casinos, to the people who sell lottery tickets, to those who actually work in casinos. All of these people generate their income because of the gambling industry. Tepperman states that in Canada gambling accounts for â€Å"267,000 full time jobs. † (6). Pavalko also states in his paper that in only eleven states a total of 370,207 people are employed in casinos, In a country with a current unemployment rate of 8%, the Gambling industry should be seen as a source for solutions to a much more serious problem than an addiction to gambling. Expanding the gambling industry will in return create more job opportunities and help decrease the unemployment rate dramatically. However, if the government begins to set harsher policies towards gambling and casinos are required to cut costs, the unemployment rate might increase which would create even more social issue, which could result in protests and riots from the workers who have lost their jobs due to the harsh policy towards gambling. Some might argue that Gambling still creates harm towards many people and even though it can create jobs it can also result in many people losing their jobs. I would respond by quoting Lorne Tepperman â€Å"A majority of adults gamble responsible; only a small minority of the population experiences gambling related harm. † (1). I believe that gambling will create more jobs that it will end and that that is just a minor side effect that could be easily cured by the revenue that gambling will generate for the government, this money could be put back into society and produce new projects that create new job opportunities and these jobs could be offered to those who had lost their previous jobs. In conclusion I would say that I do not believe that the government should regulate gambling because of the reasons that I have stated earlier in this essay. First, Gambling is a choice and freedom. It a civil right and the government should not be able to decide weather or not you are allowed to gamble or how much you are allowed to gamble. Second, Gambling has grown into a major industry and has become a major source of revenue to the government. Gambling has helped fund many government programs used to help the less fortunate, even though gambling does create certain people who are addicted to it, they are nowhere near as many as the people whom gambling helps. In this situation the pros drastically outweigh the cons and as previously stated, the revenue generated from gambling could go towards social programs made to help people with gambling addictions, that way these people will eventually cure themselves of their addiction and the hundreds of thousands of people whom depend on gambling a source of income would not be affected, which is what I believe is a win-win situation. This brings me to my final argument, employment. The gambling industry has created hundreds of thousands of job opportunities to many of those who need it, especially in a recession where millions struggle to find an income support for them and their families. I would say that the government should encourage gambling businesses to grow. However, as Christiane Pouline states in his paper titled â€Å"Gambling† that â€Å"Decisions on policy pertaining to gambling need to be based on a full accounting of the health, economic and social benefits and costs of gambling. † (1208). Which is why the policy towards gambling should be set to help both the gambler and the Casinos. That policy should state that a majority of the profit that is generated from Casinos should go towards social programs that will benefit society; these social programs should include programs made to help gambling addicts with their problems. James Doughney perfectly sums up this policy in his book titled â€Å"The poker machine state†. Doughney says, â€Å"Try to do good; but even when you cannot at least do not knowingly cause harm. † (1). Over the past several years, gambling has grown into the largest sector of the entertainment industry, creating the most amount of revenue to the government. Our society should be scared of this phenomenon and try to regulate it, we should actually take advantage of it and use it to help make the most the most of this opportunity by using the money made from gambling to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Soap Operas Are Regarded Media Essay

Soap Operas Are Regarded Media Essay Introduction Soap operas are often regarded as bad, poorly acted, not socially valued if not said have no aesthetic at all. Is it because most of the soap opera viewers are women? In traditional view, soap opera is perceived as less significant compare to other forms of television programme. However, this overview changed when soap opera reached high ratings and generated high revenues. It increases prominence of soap opera in television landscape and attract scholars to study this particular genre of television programme. The study of soap opera has not completed without studying its audiences. It is assumed that soap opera viewers are predominantly women. There are various theories of soap opera audience that emerge, such as uses and gratification (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Literature review The gendered audience theory discussed by Mary Ellen Brown in her book, Soap Opera and Womens Talk is the starting point of our discussion on women and soap opera. In the gendered audience theory, it is assumed that hegemonic values, in which tend to exclude non dominant perspectives, has to be deconstructed in order to study television audiences (Brown 1994, p.12). Brown (1994, p.13) assumes that the interaction between TV audiences and a text does not stop with the moment of consumption of the text. Rather, she explains that the process of meaning making exists in the tertiary text, a term used by John Fiske which refers to the conversations that people engage in about television watching, in which also used in the ethnographic research (Brown 1994, p.13). Brown asserts that soap opera gives women reactive pleasures, that is pleasures of being represented by the narrative that soap opera brought to the surface (Brown 1994, p.18). This pleasure has to do with the idea that soap opera has been facilitating women to talk with each other and expressing their ideas and feelings without being criticised (p.18). Soap opera depicts problems that women in real life are dealing with, it creates conversation between them around the text, which called the spoken text. This conversation is emerged as result of feeling unrepresented in the dominant discourse, in which women are considered as part of subordinate groups, where their positions are constructed within patriarchy system (p.23). Christine Scodari in her book, Serial Monogamy: soap opera, lifespan, and the gendered politics of fantasy discusses Stuart Halls (1980) decoding/ encoding model, in which divides the reader into preferred/ dominant, negotiated and oppositional. According to Lewis, this classic model is believed to leave a gap of readers who acknowledge the storys intent but disagrees with it (p.42). In order to fill in this gaps, Lewis creates a fourth designation, the resistive reading that is the process of questioning the idea of preferred reading by exploring the messages ambiguity they see fit (p.42). Scodari suggests to add the qualifier hegemonic or counter hegemonic into the discussion, as the emerging of interaction between soap opera fans creates collective positions of reading. She further explores this conception by discussing interaction between fans of Another World, a mid 1990s US soap opera. Scodari claims that the shows plot was becoming more similar with Days of Our Lives, that ten d to focus on catfight between the female characters, she calls this as DOOLification of soap opera (p.43). The plot tends to encourage confrontation between audiences that happens in private place such as home, or publicly in the online media. The fans reaction toward it was polarised between the preferred, hegemonic reading and the oppositional, counter hegemonic. The fans begin to name calling each other and attacking personal, in which Scodari refers this as tabloid talk (p.43). Jennifer Hayward, in her journal, Day after Tomorrow: Audience Interaction and Soap Opera Production discusses about soap opera audience have power over the show. This notion contradicts with the common perception that soap fans have been considered as passive victims, brainwashed by the shows narrative (p.97). Hayward analyse conversation between Oprah Winfrey and one of the addict soaps fans. Hayward finds that speculating what will happen to characters within the next episodes, which called the narrative game contributes to what we understood as soap pleasure (p.98). According to the conversation, Hayward assumes crucial function of soap opera as to provide communities an open lines of communication between viewers, a neutral field discussion for housewives isolated in their respective homes and nuclear families (p.99). She also adds other function of soap opera, which is to provide a forum for public to explore disruptive social issues as well as political matters. In relation to power of the audience, she contests the notion that soap opera audiences are passive victims. From her analysis of the fans letters and conversation with them, Hayward suggests that the audiences are showing active involvement with the process of fiction making (p.99). They send letters to the shows producer, convey their criticism and even giving suggestion on how the narrative should be. Hayward uses a case study of One Life to Live to show fans power. One of the characters of OLTL, left the show due to a contract dispute, the fans response by sending 45.000 letters and then it became the headlines across soap magazines. Hayward calls this activity as active fandom (p.101). Whetmore and Kielwasser on their journal, The Soap Opera Audience Speaks: A Preliminary Report discusses how the soap viewers perceive the viewing process (p.110). The complexity and multiple sub plots seem to be characteristic of soap opera, therefore it takes a while for newly viewers to be able to understand the whole narratives. The authors suggests that newly viewers of certain soap opera has to get over the hump, that is the process of understanding the historical ties that bind the characters together (p.110). This process is enabled through discussion with other more experienced viewers. Soap opera tends to withheld the solutions of problems encountered by the characters, ends each episode with questions in viewers minds. This is claimed to be one of the appeal of soap opera (Jen Hayward). This creates viewing dependency. According to Whetmore and Kielwasser, by this viewing consistency, viewers are developing different emotional payoffs. They classify these payoffs into thre e categories; immediate, short term and long term (p.111). Newly viewers usually developing immediate payoffs, because it do not require understanding of previous plot lines and are usually characterised by the completion of a single event (p.111). The example of immediate payoffs is romantic scene. Short term payoffs require viewing practice from the beginning of a single sub plot to its completion. It usually found in the mini climax of a single sub plot (p.111). Long term payoffs are mostly awaited by devoted and long time viewers. Often, it requires years of constant viewing. Barbara Stern and Cristel Russell in their journal, Vulnerable Women on Screen and at Home: Soap Opera Consumption contests positive functions of soap opera that have been described by Hayward. Stern and Russel assume that soap opera appealing for women because it provides emotional release, personal gratification, companionship and reality escapism (p.222). They claim that soap opera industry continue displaying vulnerable upper class women to put viewers in an inferior position that are constantly exposed to imaginary ways of living and improper role models. Persistent viewing practice is assumed to risk viewers an emotional harm (Jewel and Abate 2001). They claims that the soap industry repetitively convey gender stereotyping that put women in subordination (p.223). The negative effects of soap opera are claimed to give viewers parasocial attachment and vulnerability loop in social learning and behavioural modelling (p.223). Parasocial attachment is defined as viewer relationship with fictional characters in which perceived to be real people, thus able to influence viewers norms, desires and behaviours (Churchill and Moschis 1975). In long term period, this can lead to cultivation effects, that is images on television shapes viewers perception of social reality (Larson 1996, p.98). This is enabled by viewers attachment to characters they observe on a daily basis. The stronger this parasocially interaction, the more it is likely to become a source of behavioural modelling (Stern Russell 2005, p.223). In contrast with Haywards idea, Stern and Russell claim that social function of soap opera have been over expected, because it has negative implications to less educated and less affluent soap audiences. To clarify their idea, the authors discuss recent study of 900 long term soap viewers who mostly perceive that alcohol drinking looks attractive and is associated with success (Diener 1993). Behavioural modelling also become concerns especially for adolescent gi rl soap viewers. The author mention a study of teenage girl soap viewers responses to images of single mothers, found that the girls tend to trivialise the parental role of single mom as hip and enjoyable without having to work hard. Dorothy Hobson in her book, Soap Opera claims that those critics who perceive that soap opera viewers as vulnerable and likely to be fooled by the programmes have not done sufficient studies of the audience. Hobson supports what Brunsdon noted as active audiences. Those viewers consciously choose which aspects of the programmes that they interesting in and then interpret the text according to their own experiences (Hobson 2003, p.166). Soap operas are appealing to women audiences because the programmes portray problems as well as solutions that they can identify with. Viewers at home especially housewives are incorporating soap opera viewing as her daily routines and manage her domestic duties such as cooking and preparing for dinner in a way that enable them to watch prime time soap opera. In an interview she conducted to women viewers, Hobson finds that soap opera are interesting to them because of the unpredictable events that happen within the serial, unlike other genre such as n ews programmes that are most likely to show crimes (p.171). When something bad happens to soap opera characters, the dramatic effect that viewers feel is more likely as if it is happen to somebody they know. Draw from this findings, Hobson asserts that soap opera carries the message more effectively than the same discourses exposed in a news programme (p.172). Viewers also make judgement on how the characters should behave in certain circumstances, comparing with how they would react if those things happen to them in real life. Hobson asserts that watching soap opera is not a passive process, instead the pleasure of it comes from conversation with other people, sharing opinions and using it as a medium to discuss aspects of their own lives (p.175). According to interview conducted to working women in Britain, Hobson found that women are discussing soap opera within their workplace. This conversation of the narratives enables them to discuss personal matters without making anybody fe els being intruded and humiliated. Hobson calls this as bringing the private sphere into the public domain (p.179). Conversation about soap opera performs as a medium to discuss personal problems among these working women. Hobson calls this as creating a cultural space in the workplace (p.182). Conclusion

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe Essay -- Pit and the Pendu

In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum,† written 1843, and â€Å"using the anguish of imminent death as the means of causing the nerves to quiver† (Edgar Allan Poe, 2015), he takes the reader into the mind of a man who is tortured by various means by some unknown person or persons for reasons that are not given. The themes of death and time are portrayed strongly in this story and produce a sense of anxiety and uncertainty. â€Å"The first- person narration, in which the ‘I’ remains unnamed, causes the reader to identify with the protagonist† (Myers 1922). I feel that the narrator remains unnamed for the reason of not giving information that would further distract the reader from the details and emotions of the pit itself, and not to be biased in any way. Most of the story takes place inside a type of prison cell that the narrator, who is the only prisoner, was placed in after some kind of trial. Because the amou nt of consciousness that the narrator has comes and goes, his seemingly dreamlike state hinders his ability to make accurate judgements, comprehend his situation, and decide how to best get out of his ever-changing torturous environment. Through the narrator’s almost hopeless states of madness and his shimmering rays of hope and decision making, the reader feels compelled to understand how the narrator got into this pit and how he would ever be able to be free given that his tormentors are ever vigilant and always prepared to bring a new device to try to end the narrator’s life. When the â€Å"narrator discusses how the unconscious mind provides a glimpse into the gulf beyond,† this shows how Poe can try to explain how the imagination can work, and how it can interact with rational thought processes of... ... reader much to fill in thus helping to create great suspense and harboring many questions about the Inquisition and the darkness within the minds of man. Works Cited Bloom, Harold, ed. Bloom’s Major Short Story Writers. Broomall , PA : Chealsea House Publishers, 1999. Edgar Allan Poe. Wikipedia Web. 15 May 2015. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe Poe, Edgar Allan, â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum.† Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York . Random House, Inc. Sep. 1975. 246-57 Hoffman, Daniel. â€Å"Edgar Allan Poe: the artist of the beautiful.† The American Poetry Review v. 24. Nov./Dec. 1995. Web. 15 May 2015. http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/literary-criticism/9511301401/edgar-allan-poe-artist-beautiful Myers, Eunice. The Pit and the Pendulum. Ed. Frank N. Magill . Vol 4. Pasadena , CA : Salem Press, 1986. 6 vols.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Personal Narrative- Eventful Thanksgiving Essay -- Personal Narrative

Personal Narrative- Eventful Thanksgiving The crisp, cool, and cinnamon air filled the morning of Thanksgiving in 1987. Although I was only two years and eleven months old, I remember the scratchy, fuzzy, purple- footed pajamas that I was wearing that morning. After I woke up, I "helped" my mom make her famous orange- cranberry relish, got dressed in my cream sweater dotted with cherries and my navy pleated skirt, topped off with my favorite cream fuzz- warn tights, and before I knew it we were out the door to my grandmother's house. After an early dinner with my grandparents, mom, and dad, my grandfather and dad left to catch the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day football game, leaving the rest of us to find entertainment of our own. Upon their departure, my mom began gathering dis...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Racial discrimination in the Workplace Essay

Racial discrimination has long been a problem in social history. The discrimination of ethnic minorities has been a controversial issue, existent in society, and workplaces for many years. The implementation of ethnic monitoring and positive discrimination in employment has increased the number of ethnic employees and gone a long way to mend the bridge of inequality which has burdened society for a long time. Another method introduced to try and counter the racial inequality in employment is that of Affirmative Action. Affirmative action calls for minorities and women to be given special consideration in employment, education and contracting decisions, to increase their number in the workplace. Affirmative action is a controversial issue which has been debated by many. In this essay I am going to look at the advantages and disadvantages of affirmative action and what affect it has on society. I will also debate whether I think affirmative action is a fair method to implement in organisations, and also whether it can be considered to be fair from a philosophical perspective. Affirmative action was defined as an attempt to enlarge opportunity for everyone, it was designed to redress the imbalances caused by long-standing discrimination. Defenders of affirmative action argue that granting modest advantages to minorities and women is more than fair, given hundreds of years of discrimination that benefited whites and men. This implies that as blacks have previously suffered from detrimental racist discrimination and wrongdoings, including slavery and not having the right to vote, they now deserve extra benefits to compensate. This is known as â€Å"reverse racism†. It argues that as whites once set themselves apart from blacks and claimed privileges for themselves while denying them to others, now, on the basis of race, blacks are able to claim special status and reserving for themselves privileges they deny to others. The question then arises: Do two wrongs make a right? This is what affirmative action is condoning. It says that we are allowed to overlook  suitable white candidates if a black candidate is available. This means that even if the white candidate were a better choice and more qualified for the job, the black person would be hired because of the past injustices his race has suffered. People say affirmative action is acceptable because it cures past discrimination (Keyes 1996). However, discrimination was not acceptable when blacks were the ones discriminated against, therefore it’s not ok when whites are discriminated against (DeWit 1996). The answer is that two wrongs do not make a right – affirmative action does not make discrimination acceptable, just because it is now against whites instead of blacks. It has been said that job discrimination is grounded in prejudice and exclusion, whereas affirmative action is an effort to overcome prejudicial treatment through inclusion. The most effective way to cure society of exclusionary practices is to make special efforts at inclusion, this is what affirmative action does. We can explain the theory behind affirmative action with this example; the logic of affirmative action is no different than the logic of treating a nutritional deficiency with vitamin supplements. For a healthy person, high doses of vitamin supplements may be unnecessary or even harmful, but for a person whose system is out of balance, supplements are an efficient way to restore the body’s balance. The equal opportunities law was introduced into society due to the discrimination ethnic minorities had received in history. The policies were implemented to counter racial discrimination and bias. Thus, the equal opportunities law was not created to treat different races differently, its purpose was to treat all people as equals. Affirmative action, however, does not adhere to this principal as by dismissing perfectly capable white candidates for a role in order to employ a less qualified black person, we are not treating everyone as equals. (Hacker 1990). A major disadvantage of affirmative action in the workplace is the affect it has on the organisation and its employees. Affirmative action can be very detrimental to the organisation as hiring an under qualified worker puts  others at risk if he or she doesn’t have enough experience. It is also financially dangerous and a company should not pay inexperienced people to do work they’re not qualified for. Affirmative action will only work short term because if you hire a minority who is under qualified they will eventually lose their job. Another problem arises as organisations can only hire so many people, and this may result in too many under qualified people working for you and will eventually have to abandon affirmative action all together. Affirmative action means that employees who benefit from it bear the mark of not being the best pick, but only the best pick from a limited group (DeWit 1996) It would be better for an employees self-esteem if they knew they got a job because they were the best person for the job, not because they were black and under-represented. It is also possible that because of affirmative action, racism within an organisation will increase. If a company hires a black person who is not as good as another white candidate, employees will begin to resent him/her. If they gained their job based on their skin colour, rather than because they were the most qualified, they may become disliked and resented because of their skin colour. This could also lead to lack of respect for a black boss which would be detrimental to the organisation and the happiness of employees. One of the arguments for affirmative action is that blacks should be compensated for injustices done to their ancestors by white people. This idea contradicts the human right of individuality. It implies that if a white persons ancestor showed racist behaviour, they will be discriminated against because of this. The reality of this is completely unfair, why should one person be punished for something they had no control over, and similarly why should black people receive preferential treatment for behaviour they have not suffered from. That is to say, a black man will be treated in a better way than a white man, as his grandfather was the victim of slavery. The implementation of this is unrealistic and immoral,  especially as we should aim to promote equality among all. As discussed above this kind of preferential treatment will only cause resentment and ultimately the resentment of the black man, purely for being black. The real factor in affirmative action, is that are blacks getting their jobs because they are qualified and able, or because they are black? If the decisive factor is their skin colour and not their ability to work, then affirmative action is a flawed method. Businesses will only ever survive and be profitable if they employ the most suitable and qualified candidate for the job. For this to happen and for the organisation to ensure they have hired the best person for the job, recruitment methods must be colour-blind. This means the people in charge of recruitment should assess each application based on its merits and qualifications, not on the ethnic background of the applicant. Discrimination can only be rooted out by enforcing strictly anti-discrimination rules, without engaging in reverse discrimination which would alienate good white male candidates for employment and promotion who, after all, are not to be blamed by past injustices. From a philosophical point of view affirmative action does not comply with deontological theory, which states that it is our duty to do what is right whatever its consequences, and what is right consists in treating all human beings with respect and due consideration for their rights and liberties. This shows us that racial discrimination goes against these deontological beliefs. However, as deontology shows us that racism is wrong, as it does not treat all human beings with respect, does this mean affirmative action is the right way to go? In my opinion, affirmative action is not a solution to the deontological problem of racism. That is because affirmative action does not treat all human beings with respect and due consideration. Affirmative action disregards the consideration of the white men applying for the jobs, as its aim is to employ black people. From a utilitarian point of view, affirmative action has some key flaws. Utilitarianism says in effect that the rightness of an action (or practical  policy) consists in its tendency to produce the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people than any alternative. Affirmative action would therefore only work if the people within a company were for the idea. Taking a more likely situation, based on historical facts, there are more likely to be a greater number of white males in an organisation. If this is the case and one of them is overlooked for promotion because of a less qualified black man, as the company is employing affirmative action, this goes against utilitarianism ideologies of promoting the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. In conclusion, I do not agree with affirmative action, the unfair treatment of ethnic minorities has been a harsh reality on society for a long time and it needs to be addressed. However, the method of affirmative action, which goes out of its way to hire a black man, purely because he is black, leads us to the same racial inequality that was a problem when blacks were not hired, for being black. Although the idea of affirmative action was implemented to give black people better opportunities it is still a form of discrimination. When an employer hires someone because he or she is a minority, even if someone else if more qualified to do the job, it is discrimination. Just because it is reverse discrimination, when whites are discriminated against and minorities are being discriminated for, doesn’t make it right. â€Å"Affirmative action legalizes discrimination†. (Steele 1990) The efforts of affirmative action are no different from the policies that created the disadvantages in the first place, although the idea is trying to redress the balance of inequality, I feel it is causing more harm than good in the work place. It is undemocratic to give one class of citizen’s advantages at the expense of other citizens; the truly democratic way is to have a level playing field to which everyone has access and where everyone has a fair and equal chance to succeed purely on the basis of his or her merit. Hard work and merit, not race or religion or gender or birthright, should determine who prospers and who does not.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Second Foundation 7. Arcadia

DARELL, ARKADY novelist, born 11, 5, 362 F.E., died 1, 7, 443 F.E. Although primarily a writer of fiction, Arkady Darell is best known for her biography of her grandmother, Bayta Darell. Based on first-hand information, it has for centuries served as a primary source of information concerning the Mule and his times†¦ Like â€Å"Unkeyed Memories†, her novel â€Å"Time and Time and Over† is a stirring reflection of the brilliant Kalganian society of the early Interregnum, based, it is said, on a visit to Kalgan in her youth†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica Arcadia Darell declaimed firmly into the mouthpiece of her transcriber: â€Å"The Future of Seldon's Plan, by A. Darell† and then thought darkly that some day when she was a great writer, she would write all her masterpieces under the pseudonym of Arkady. Just Arkady. No last name at all. â€Å"A. Darell† would be just the sort of thing that she would have to put on all her themes for her class in Composition and Rhetoric – so tasteless. All the other kids had to do it, too, except for Olynthus Dam, because the class laughed so when he did it the first time, And â€Å"Arcadia† was a little girls name, wished on her because her great-grandmother had been called that; her parents just had no imagination at all. Now that she was two days past fourteen, you'd think they'd recognize the simple fact of adulthood and call her Arkady. Her lips tightened as she thought of her father looking up from his book-viewer just long enough to say, â€Å"But if you're going to pretend you're nineteen, Arcadia, what will you do when you're twenty-five and all the boys think you're thirty?† From where she sprawled across the arms and into the hollow of her own special armchair, she could see the mirror on her dresser. Her foot was a little in the way because her house slipper kept twirling about her big toe, so she pulled it in and sat up with an unnatural straightness to her neck that she felt sure, somehow, lengthened it a full two inches into slim regality. For a moment, she considered her face thoughtfully – too fat. She opened her jaws half an inch behind closed lips, and caught the resultant trace of unnatural gauntness at every angle. She licked her lips with a quick touch of tongue and let them pout a bit in moist softness. Then she let her eyelids droop in a weary, worldly way- Oh, golly if only her cheeks weren't that silly pink. She tried putting her fingers to the outer corners of her eye and tilting the lids a bit to get that mysterious exotic languor of the women of the inner star systems, but her hands were in the way and she couldn't see her face very well. Then she lifted her chin, caught herself at a half-profile, and with her eyes a little strained from looking out the comer and her neck muscles faintly aching, she said, in a voice one octave below its natural pitch, â€Å"Really, father, if you think it makes a particle of difference to me what some silly old boys think you just-â€Å" And then she remembered that she still had the transmitter open in her hand and said, drearily, â€Å"Oh, golly,† and shut it off. The faintly violet paper with the peach margin line on the left had upon it the following: â€Å"THE FUTURE OF SELDON'S PLAN† â€Å"Really, father, if you think it makes a particle of difference to me what some silly old boys think you just â€Å"Oh, golly.† She pulled the sheet out of the machine with annoyance and another clicked neatly into place. But her face smoothed out of its vexation, nevertheless, and her wide, little mouth stretched into a self-satisfied smile. She sniffed at the paper delicately. just right. Just that proper touch of elegance and charm. And the penmanship was just the last word. The machine had been delivered two days ago on her first adult birthday. She had said, â€Å"But father, everybody – just everybody in the class who has the slightest pretensions to being anybody has one. Nobody but some old drips would use hand machines-â€Å" The salesman had said, â€Å"There is no other model as compact on the one hand and as adaptable on the other. It will spell and punctuate correctly according to the sense of the sentence. Naturally, it is a great aid to education since it encourages the user to employ careful enunciation and breathing in order to make sure of the correct spelling, to say nothing of demanding a proper and elegant delivery for correct punctuation.† Even then her father had tried to get one geared for type-print as if she were some dried-up, old-maid teacher. But when it was delivered, it was the model she wanted – obtained perhaps with a little more wail and sniffle than quite went with the adulthood of fourteen – and copy was turned out in a charming and entirely feminine handwriting, with the most beautifully graceful capitals anyone ever saw. Even the phrase, â€Å"Oh, golly.† somehow breathed glamour when the Transcriber was done with it. But just the same she had to get it right, so she sat up straight in her chair, placed her first draft before her in businesslike fashion, and began again, crisply and clearly; her abdomen flat, her chest lifted, and her breathing carefully controlled. She intoned, with dramatic fervor: â€Å"The Future of Seldon's Plan. â€Å"The Foundation's past history is, I am sure, well-known to all of us who have had the good fortune to be educated in our planet's efficient and well-staffed school system. (There! That would start things off right with Miss Erlking, that mean old hag.) That past history is largely the past history of the great Plan of Hari Seldon. The two are one. But the question in the mind of most people today is whether this Plan will continue in all its great wisdom, or whether it will be fully destroyed, or, perhaps, has been so destroyed already. â€Å"To understand this, it may be best to pass quickly over some of the highlights of the Plan as it has been revealed to humanity thus far. (This part was easy because she had taken Modern History the semester before.) â€Å"In the days, nearly four centuries ago, when the First Galactic Empire was decaying into the paralysis that preceded final death, one man – the great Hari Seldon – foresaw the approaching end. Through the science of psychohistory, the intrissacies of whose mathematics has long since been forgotten, (She paused in a trifle of doubt. She was sure that â€Å"intricacies† was pronounced with soft c's but the spelling didn't look right. Oh, well, the machine couldn't very well be wrong-) he and the men who worked with him are able to foretell the course of the great social and economic currents sweeping the Galaxy at the time. It was possible for them to realize that, left to itself, the Empire would break up, and that thereafter there would be at least thirty thousand years of anarchic chaos prior to the establishment of a new Empire. â€Å"It was too late to prevent the great Fall, but it was still possible, at least, to cut short the intermediate period of chaos. The Plan was, therefore, evolved whereby only a single millennium would separate the Second Empire from the First. We are completing the fourth century of that millennium, and many generations of men have lived and died while the Plan has continued its inexorable workings. â€Å"Hari Seldon established two Foundations at the opposite ends of the Galaxy, in a manner and under such circumstances as would yield the best mathematical solution for his psychohistorical problem. In one of these, our Foundation, established here on Terminus, there was concentrated the physical science of the Empire, and through the possession of that science, the Foundation was able to withstand the attacks of the barbarous kingdoms which had broken away and become independent, out at the hinge of the Empire. â€Å"The Foundation, indeed, was able to conquer in its turn these short-lived kingdoms by means of the leadership of a series of wise and heroic men like Salvor Hardin and Hober Mallow who were able to interpret the Plan intelligently and to guide our land through its (She had written â€Å"intricacies† here also, but decided not to risk it a second time.) complications. All our planets still revere their memories although centuries have passed. â€Å"Eventually, the Foundation established a commercial system which controlled a large portion of the Siwennian and Anacreonian sectors of the Galaxy, and even defeated the remnants of the old Empire under its last great general, Bel Riose. It seemed that nothing could now stop the workings of Seldon's plan. Every crisis that Seldon had planned had come at its appropriate time and had been solved, and with each solution the Foundation had taken another giant stride toward Second Empire and peace. â€Å"And then, (Her breath came short at this point, and she hissed the word, between her teeth, but the Transmitter simply wrote them calmly and gracefully.) with the last remnants of the dead First Empire gone and with only ineffectual warlords ruling over the splinters and remnants of the decayed colossus, (She got that phrase out of a thriller on the video last week, but old Miss Erlking never listened to anything but symphonies and lectures, so she'd never know.) there came the Mule. â€Å"This strange man was not allowed for in the Plan. He was a mutant, whose birth could not have been predicted. He had strange and mysterious power of controlling and manipulating human emotions and in this manner could bend all men to his will. With breath-taking swiftness, he became a conqueror and Empire-builder, until, finally, he even defeated the Foundation itself. â€Å"Yet he never obtained universal dominion, since in his first overpowering lunge he was stopped by the wisdom and daring of a great woman (Now there was that old problem again. Father would insist that she never bring up the fact that she was the grandchild of Bayta Darell. Everyone knew it and Bayta was just about the greatest woman there ever was and she had stopped the Mule singlehanded.) in a manner the true story of which is known in its entirety to very few. (There! If she had to read it to the class, that last could he said in a dark voice, and someone would be sure to ask what the true story was, and then – well, and then she couldn't help tell the truth if they asked her, could she? In her mind, she was already wordlessly whizzing through a hurt and eloquent explanation to a stern and questioning paternal parent.) â€Å"After five years of restricted rule, another change took place, the reasons for which are not known, and the Mule abandoned all plans for further conquest. His last five years were those of an enlightened despot. â€Å"It is said by some that the change in the Mule was brought about by the intervention of the Second Foundation. However, no man has ever discovered the exact location of this other Foundation, nor knows its exact function, so that theory remains unproven. â€Å"A whole generation has passed since the death of the Mule. What of the future, then, now that he has come and gone? He interrupted Seldon's Plan and seemed to have burst it to fragments, yet as soon as he died, the Foundation rose again, like a nova from the dead ashes of a dying star. (She had made that up herself.) Once again, the planet Terminus houses the center of a commercial federation almost as great and as rich as before the conquest, and even more peaceful and democratic. â€Å"Is this planned? Is Seldon's great dream still alive, and will a Second Galactic Empire yet be formed six hundred years from now? I, myself, believe so, because (This was the important part. Miss Erlking always had those large, ugly red-pencil scrawls that went: ‘But this is only descriptive. What are your personal reactions? Think! Express yourself! Penetrate your own soul!' Penetrate your own soul. A lot she knew about souls, with her lemon face that never smiled in its life-) never at any time has the political situation been so favorable. The old Empire is completely dead and the period of the Mule's rule put an end to the era of warlords that preceded him. Most of the surrounding portions of the Galaxy are civilized and peaceful. â€Å"Moreover the internal health of the Foundation is better than ever before. The despotic times of the pre-Conquest hereditary mayors have given way to the democratic elections of early times. There are no longer dissident worlds of independent Traders; no longer the injustices and dislocations that accompanied accumulations of great wealth in the hands of a few. â€Å"There is no reason, therefore, to fear failure, unless it is true that the Second Foundation itself presents a danger. Those who think so have no evidence to back their claim, but merely vague fears and superstitions. I think that our confidence in ourselves, in our nation, and in Hari Seldon's great Plan should drive from our hearts and minds all uncertainties and (Hm-m-m. This was awfully corny, but something like this was expected at the end.) so I say-â€Å" That is as far as â€Å"The Future of Seldon's Plan† got, at that moment, because there was the gentlest little tap on the window, and when Arcadia shot up to a balance on one arm of the chair, she found herself confronted by a smiling face beyond the glass, its even symmetry of feature interestingly accentuated by the short, vertical fine of a finger before its lips. With the slight pause necessary to assume an attitude of bepuzzlement, Arcadia dismounted from the armchair, walked to the couch that fronted the wide window that held the apparition and, kneeling upon it, stared out thoughtfully. The smile upon the man's face faded quickly. While the fingers of one hand tightened whitely upon the sill, the other made a quick gesture. Arcadia obeyed calmly, and closed the latch that moved the lower third of the window smoothly into its socket in the wall, allowing the warm spring air to interfere with the conditioning within. â€Å"You can't get in,† she said, with comfortable smugness. â€Å"The windows are all screened, and keyed only to people who belong here. If you come in, all sorts of alarms will break loose.† A pause, then she added, â€Å"You look sort of silly balancing on that ledge underneath the window. If you're not careful, you'll fall and break your neck and a lot of valuable flowers.† â€Å"In that case,† said the man at the window, who had been thinking that very thing – with a slightly different arrangement of adjectives- â€Å"will you shut off the screen and let me in?† â€Å"No use in doing that'† said Arcadia. â€Å"You're probably thinking of a different house, because I'm not the kind of girl who lets strange men into their†¦ her bedroom this time of night.† Her eyes, as she said it, took on a heavy-lidded sultriness – or an unreasonable facsimile thereof. All traces of humor whatever had disappeared from the young stranger's face. He muttered, â€Å"This is Dr. Darell's house, isn't it?† â€Å"Why should I tell you?† â€Å"Oh, Galaxy- Good-by-â€Å" â€Å"If you jump off, young man, I will personally give the alarm.† (This was intended as a refined and sophisticated thrust of irony, since to Arcadia's enlightened eyes, the intruder was an obviously mature thirty, at least – quite elderly, in fact.) Quite a pause. Then, tightly, he said, â€Å"Well, now, look here, girlie, if you don't want me to stay, and don't want me to go, what do you want me to do?† â€Å"You can come in, I suppose. Dr. Darell does live here. I'll shut off the screen now.† Warily, after a searching look, the young man poked his hand through the window, then hunched himself up and through it. He brushed at his knees with an angry, slapping gesture, and lifted a reddened face at her. â€Å"You're quite sure that your character and reputation won't suffer when they find me here, are you?† â€Å"Not as much as yours would, because just as soon as I hear footsteps outside, I'll just shout and yell and say you forced your way in here.† â€Å"Yes?† he replied with heavy courtesy, â€Å"And how do you intend to explain the shut-off protective screen?† â€Å"Poof! That would be easy. There wasn't any there in the first place.† The man's eyes were wide with chagrin. â€Å"That was a bluff? How old are you, kid?† â€Å"I consider that a very impertinent question, young man. And I am not accustomed to being addressed as ‘kid.'† â€Å"I don't wonder. You're probably the Mule's grandmother in disguise. Do you mind if I leave now before you arrange a lynching party with myself as star performer?† â€Å"You had better not leave – because my father's expecting you.† The man's look became a wary one, again. An eyebrow shot up as he said, lightly, â€Å"Oh? Anyone with your father?' â€Å"No.† â€Å"Anyone called on him lately?' â€Å"Only tradespeople – and you.† â€Å"Anything unusual happen at all?† â€Å"Only you.† â€Å"Forget me, will you? No, don't forget me. Tell me, how did you know your father was expecting me?† â€Å"Oh, that was easy. Last week, he received a Personal Capsule, keyed to him personally, with a self-oxidizing message, you know. He threw the capsule shell into the Trash Disinto, and yesterday, he gave Poli – that's our maid, you see – a month's vacation so she could visit her sister in Terminus City, and this afternoon, he made up the bed in the spare room. So I knew he expected somebody that I wasn't supposed to know anything about. Usually, he tells me everything.† â€Å"Really! I'm surprised he has to. I should think you'd know everything before he tells you.† ‘I usually do.† Then she laughed. She was beginning to feel very much at ease. The visitor was elderly, but very distinguished-looking with curly brown hair and very blue eyes. Maybe she could meet somebody like that again, sometimes, when she was old herself. â€Å"And just how,† he asked, â€Å"did you know it was I he expected.† â€Å"Well, who else could it be? He was expecting somebody in so secrety a way, if you know what I mean – and then you come gumping around trying to sneak through windows, instead of walking through the front door, the way you would if you had any sense.† She remembered a favorite line, and used it promptly. â€Å"Men are so stupid!† â€Å"Pretty stuck on yourself, aren't you, kid? I mean, Miss. You could be wrong, you know. What if I told you that all this is a mystery to me and that as far as I know, your father is expecting someone else, not me.† â€Å"Oh, I don't think so. I didn't ask you to come in, until after I saw you drop your briefcase.† â€Å"My what?† â€Å"Your briefcase, young man. I'm not blind. You didn't drop it by accident, because you looked down first, so as to make sure it would land right. Then you must have realized it would land just under the hedges and wouldn't be seen, so you dropped it and didn't look down afterwards. Now since you came to the window instead of the front door, it must mean that you were a little afraid to trust yourself in the house before investigating the place. And after you had a little trouble with me, you took care of your briefcase before taking care of yourself, which means that you consider whatever your briefcase has in it to be more valuable than your own safety, and that means that as long as you're in here and the briefcase is out there and we know that it's out there, you're probably pretty helpless.† She paused for a much-needed breath, and the man said, grittily, â€Å"Except that I think I'll choke you just about medium dead and get out of here, with the briefcase.† â€Å"Except, young man, that I happen to have a baseball bat under my bed, which I can reach in two seconds from where I'm sitting, and I'm very strong for a girl.† Impasse. Finally, with a strained courtesy, the â€Å"young man† said, â€Å"Shall I introduce myself, since we're being so chummy. I'm Pelleas Anthor. And your name?† â€Å"I'm Arca- Arkady Darell. Pleased to meet you.† â€Å"And now Arkady, would you be a good little girl and call your father?† Arcadia bridled. â€Å"I'm not a little girl. I think you're very rude – especially when you're asking a favor.† Pelleas Anthor sighed. â€Å"Very well. Would you be a good, kind, dear, little old lady, just chock full of lavender, and call your father?† â€Å"That's not what I meant either, but I'll call him. Only not so I'll take my eyes off you, young man.† And she stamped on the floor. There came the sound of hurrying footsteps in the hall, and the door was flung open. â€Å"Arcadia-† There was a tiny explosion of exhaled air, and Dr. Darell said, â€Å"Who are you, sir?† Pelleas sprang to his feet in what was quite obviously relief. â€Å"Dr. Toran Darell? I am Pelleas Anthor. You've received word about me, I think. At least, your daughter says you have.† â€Å"My daughter says I have?† He bent a frowning glance at her which caromed harmlessly off the wide-eyed and impenetrable web of innocence with which she met the accusation. Dr. Darell said, finally: â€Å"I have been expecting you. Would you mind coming down with me, please?† And he stopped as his eye caught a flicker of motion, which Arcadia caught simultaneously. She scrambled toward her Transcriber, but it was quite useless, since her father was standing right next to it. He said, sweetly, â€Å"You've left it going all this time, Arcadia.† â€Å"Father,† she squeaked, in real anguish, â€Å"it is very ungentlemanly to read another person's private correspondence, especially when it's talking correspondence.† â€Å"Ah,† said her father, â€Å"but ‘talking correspondence' with a strange man in your bedroom! As a father, Arcadia, I must protect you against evil.† â€Å"Oh, golly – it was nothing like that.† Pelleas laughed suddenly, â€Å"Oh, but it was, Dr. Darell. The young lady was going to accuse me of all sorts of things, and I must insist that you read it, if only to clear my name.† â€Å"Oh-† Arcadia held back her tears with an effort. Her own father didn't even trust her. And that darned Transcriber- If that silly fool hadn't come gooping at the window, and making her forget to turn it off. And now her father would be making long, gentle speeches about what young ladies aren't supposed to do. There just wasn't anything they were supposed to do, it looked like, except choke and die, maybe. â€Å"Arcadia,† said her father, gently, â€Å"it strikes me that a young lady-â€Å" She knew it. She knew it. â€Å"-should not be quite so impertinent to men older than she is.† â€Å"Well, what did he want to come peeping around my window for? A young lady has a right to privacy- Now I'll have to do my whole darned composition over.† â€Å"It's not up to you to question his propriety in coming to your window. You should simply not have let him in. You should have called me instantly – especially if you thought I was expecting him.† She said, peevishly, â€Å"It's just as well if you didn't see him – stupid thing. Hell give the whole thing away if he keeps on going to windows, instead of doors.† â€Å"Arcadia, nobody wants your opinion on matters you know nothing of.† â€Å"I do, too. It's the Second Foundation, that's what it is.† There was a silence. Even Arcadia felt a little nervous stirring in her abdomen. Dr. Darell said, softly, â€Å"Where have you heard this?† â€Å"Nowheres, but what else is there to be so secret about? And you don't have to worry that I'll tell anyone.† â€Å"Mr. Anthor,† said Dr. Darell, â€Å"I must apologize for all this.† â€Å"Oh, that's all right,† came Anthor's rather hollow response. â€Å"It's not your fault if she's sold herself to the forces of darkness. But do you mind if I ask her a question before we go. Miss Arcadia-â€Å" â€Å"What do you want?† â€Å"Why do you think it is stupid to go to windows instead of to doors?† â€Å"Because you advertise what you're trying to hide, silly. If I have a secret, I don't put tape over my mouth and let everyone know I have a secret. I talk just as much as usual, only about something else. Didn't you ever read any of the sayings of Salvor Hardin? He was our first Mayor, you know.† â€Å"Yes, I know.† â€Å"Well, he used to say that only a lie*** that wasn't ashamed of itself could possibly succeed. He also said that nothing had to be true, but everything had to sound true. Well, when you come in through a window, it's a lie that's ashamed of itself and it doesn't sound true.† â€Å"Then what would you have done?† â€Å"If I had wanted to see my father on top secret business, I would have made his acquaintance openly and seen him about all sorts of strictly legitimate things. And then when everyone knew all about you and connected you with my father as a matter of course, you could be as top secret as you want and nobody would ever think of questioning it.† Anthor looked at the girl strangely, then at Dr. Darell. He said, â€Å"Let's go. I have a briefcase I want to pick up in the garden. Wait! Just one last question. Arcadia, you don't really have a baseball bat under your bed, do you?† â€Å"No! I don't.† â€Å"Hah. I didn't think so.† Dr. Darell stopped at the door. â€Å"Arcadia,† he said, â€Å"when you rewrite your composition on the Seldon Plan, don't be unnecessarily mysterious about your grandmother. There is no necessity to mention that part at all.† He and Pelleas descended the stairs in silence. Then the visitor asked in a strained voice, â€Å"Do you mind, sir? How old is she?† â€Å"Fourteen, day before yesterday.† â€Å"Fourteen? Great Galaxy- Tell me, has she ever said she expects to marry some day?† â€Å"No, she hasn't. Not to me.† Well, if she ever does, shoot him. The one she's going to marry, I mean.† He stared earnestly into the older man's eyes. â€Å"I'm serious. Life could hold no greater horror than living with what she'll be like when she's twenty. I don't mean to offend you, of course.† â€Å"You don't offend me. I think I know what you mean.† Upstairs, the object of their tender analyses faced the Transcriber with revolted weariness and said, dully: â€Å"Thefutureofseldonsplan.† The Transcriber with infinite aplomb, translated that into elegantly, complicated script capitals as: â€Å"The Future of Seldon's Plan.†

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Emergent Properties Essay

Emergent Properties Emergent properties are properties that come about when smaller components combine together to form a large unit that works together for a common purpose. The idea of emergent properties is based on the fact that the whole combined unit is more efficient than the sum of all of the units. These properties cannot be seen when the organisms are separated from one another, the organisms must be together for the properties to take effect. Emergent properties have come about for the fact that when combined, these organisms can perform much more complex and advanced tasks that the organisms would not be able to complete on their own. In nature we see many emergent properties arise from evolution. When birds branched off from reptiles during their evolution, they developed feathers instead of scales. These feathers do not enable flight on their own, however when combined to form a wing they become much more efficient. When these two wings come together to form a pair of wings the result is an extremely efficient form of transportation that is not only light but also water resistant. Another example of emergent properties would be evident in our brain. Which each brain cell does not possess much computing power, however when billions of them are combined together, the result is a very efficient computing unit that can provide us with such things as thoughts emotions and character. Each brain cell alone would not be able to do these things. Emergent properties exist all around us and we even display some of these properties. One example of emergent properties would be the collaboration of many human beings. Separated, our minds are powerful, but nearly limited. Once combined we can collaborate with each other and perform many tasks efficiently, such as running a county, for example. It is not a coincidence that dictatorships are notoriously unsuccessful. There are also many emergent properties that exist beyond living things. For example when you have a hurricane, essentially all you have is air and water at various different temperatures. The randomness of this collection of air produces a large air mass that has a specific circular motion which is very powerful and devastating to anything that comes into contact with it. The air itself and the water vapor would not be able to cause this force on their own. It is the random order that makes this hurricane so powerful and hard to predict. Another example of emergence away from biology is currency. Currency or money came about as people wanted to trade with one another, but had no medium to do so. Alone, a single person would not need money. It is only useful and evident as many people come together to form a group. Without this group the money would have no value because it’s value is determined by people who are willing to trade with it. In conclusion emergence is evident throughout nature and even past it. It is the way  complex systems  and patterns arise out of a  multiplicity  of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the understanding of communities and ecosystems where it be in living organisms or beyond biology.