Pros and cons Co-education Essay

Pros: 1. The mixing of both the two sexes in co-educational environment eradicates the inherent shyness in each student. On the other hand, by studying and working in a mixed-gender school, students will be given facilities for expressing and sharing their own ideas or opinions in the presence of the opposite sex. Therefore, it provides students a great incentive to overcome their shyness and enhance their confidence. 2. It is manifest that in the future students have to live in a mixed-sex world and hence they should be well- prepared to easily integrate into the real life. A co-educational environment is reflective of today’s society since it offers students a valuable opportunity to get exposed to a broad exchange of diverse ideas, opinions, values and lifestyles; to get accustomed to working and sharing with their peer of the opposite sex. As a result, students in co-educational schools are more likely to adapt themselves into any new surroundings and get ahead. 3. In the past, education open to women was really restricted due to moral and religious grounds as well as the society’s conception of sex-role and gender-appropriate forms of work. However, with the worldwide advance of the society, there has been an overwhelming shift in women’s roles providing them with greater opportunity for involvement in life beyond the domestic sphere. Consequently, the practice of co-education has made the growth of women’s rights and the expansion of the modern education system to serve all the segments of the population. 4. So girls and boys in the class tend to compete in a healthy manner with each other. It is also seen that the girls fare better than boys in most of the cases. This is because both the sexes are enhanced by the presence of the other. In the olden times it was believed that girls were incompetent to compete with the boys but this is not true. Cons: 1. When studying together in a school, male and female students are likely to suffer from some bad distraction. For instance, some teenage students may be fascinated by their peer of the opposite sex and spend much time attracting them instead of their studying. Many school girls can be bothered by the teasing and even the flirting of the boys. If such distraction is not kept in control, then the students will be certainly lured away from their study. 2. While the world is witnessing dramatic improvements in co-education, there is a public question and concern about the connection among co-education and sexual freedom; a rise in unmarried, particularly teenage-pregnancy; and the growth of sex harassment and sexually transmitted diseases in mixed-sex schools where boys and girls students spend much time together and the safe boundary between two sexes can be broken at any time.

Musical Characteristics of the Renaissance

Medieval music focused on complexity in harmony, rhythm, text and orchestration. There was no instrument support and polyphony and notation were in the developing stages. Music was both secular and sacred, although secular music hardly thrived due to the late development of notation. Western music went hand in hand with Roman Church. The monks of the church composed the first notes for music. Thus most of the written music emerged from within the Church. Pope Gregory I took the initiative to standardize the earliest music.   This is known as Gregory chants. Kyrie is an example for this. The music is sung by many voices in unison without any instrument. This is also called a cappella and is monophonic. Polyphony began to take form between the 11th and 13th century. The earliest polyphony is known as organum. The Doulz Viaire Gracieus is a polyphonic song of the vocal genre and a fixed form by the French composer Guillaume de Machaut. It is known as a rondeau and is written for three voices – a tenor, a triplem set against the trenor and a cantus. Only the cantus has text and the other two have been instrumentally performed. Musical Characteristics of the Renaissance Renaissance music focused mainly on modality which began to decline towards the end of this period. A large number of motets, madrigale spirituale and the laude took form during this period. Secular music for one or many voices was widely distributed. Music was composed in individual parts. There were hardly any scores and barlines were not used at all.   Several styles were composed. The styles depended on the surroundings and geographic locations. The rising humanism spirit portrayed a growth in secular and instrumental composition. Most of the songs revolved around women, love and wine. Sweet nymph, come to thy lover by Thomas Morely is an English secular madrigal that does not make use of any instrument. It was published in Canzonets to Two Voices in 1595. Giovanni Gabrieli was a composer of high renaissance music and his work is characterized by contrasts of space, high and low voices and dynamics. He is well known for polychoral compositions and played a vital role in instrumental music. One of his greatest compositions using instruments is Canzona Duodecimi Toni. Conclusion Music theory and notation owes its birth to Middle Ages. New styles were continuously invented. The music of the Middle Ages has great influence on the development of the modern Western music. The changes during Renaissance have also influenced music to a great extent. References O’ Brien, J. P. (1995). The listening experience: Elements, forms, and styles in music (2nd ed.). New York: Schirmer. Wikepedia. Renaissance Music. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_music Think Quest. Learning with the power of Technology. Retrieved from http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC041099/middleages.html Braindex. Medieval Music. Retrieved from http://braindex.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Medieval_music   

Canadian Women and the Second World War Essay

The changing roles of women throughout history has been drastic, and none more so than the period during and after World War II. The irrevocable changes that occurred once the war started and women went to work were unprecedented. In the end, the changing role of Canada’s women during the War was the beginning of a chain reaction of events that have forever changed the Canadian workplace and also that of men’s archaic views on the capabilities of women in general. Many look back to the period during the war in which women were encouraged to get out of the kitchen and go to work, and wonder how a five year period could be so instrumental in forever changing the norms of society? Two authors, who attempt to sift through a mountain of information and provide a clear picture in response to this question, are Jeff Keshen and Ruth Roach Pierson. Both authors paint a slightly different picture from the piles of papers, minutes, war diaries and publications that covered that pivotal period during World War II where so many Canadians women found their voice and their freedom from domesticity. Canadian Women and the Second World War Ruth Roach Pierson’s essay is written with purely the perspective of women in mind, and the article itself is geared towards a female audience. The writer briefly describes the conditions of Canada at the onset of the war and the societal views of the role of women. Although there are no quoted references sited for this essay, there was a vast amount of alternative reading where I am sure one could draw numerous conclusions. Even with the lack of references, I did find this essay the most compelling especially, given the current climate of women in the work force. Ruth Roach Pierson describes in great detail the plight women faced during the war, when they were encouraged by the government and the needs of their families to get out and help support their families financially while all of the men were away at war. She goes on to describe the working conditions and child care situations for working women which were less than adequate. As a member of the Canadian Forces and a woman, the most interesting part of the article for me was the descriptions of how women became a uniformed part of the military and how all three branches of service came to assimilate women into active duty and the roles they were allowed to serve in. Throughout the essay, we were told about the deplorable conditions, the lack of equality the women faced in the workplace, and the stereotypes that were attached to women that proved very difficult and almost impossible to overcome. At most concern was the inequality found between men and women’s pay, benefits and allowances throughout the World War II era and beyond. The lack of equal pay for equal work caused great contention for women and still does to this day (although it is not quite as blatant in the civilian workforce today). The argument of the writer is that the roles taken on by women during the war forever changed the roles of women in society. I agree with her argument. Had it not been for the war, and the call to work and the military, things would be very different in our society for women, even today. The war was the instrument to get Canadian women to work, and once there, women found their voices to fight the inequality with respect to working conditions and pay, and paved the way for the next generation of women to continue to work and fight for an equal playing field with their male counterparts . Revisiting Canada’s Civilian Women during World War II Jeff Keshen’s essay is without a doubt written from a man’s perspective without much sympathy to the plight civilian women experienced during the World War II era. This article is very well written and cites over 100 references, making for a very factual account of the times. This article was geared more towards what contributions were made by civilian women versus the article by Ruth Roach Pierson which put most of the focus on women’s roles within the military. Jeff Keshen’s article explains how the media plays a of the time played a pivotal role in doing two things specifically, one was to get the women out to work, support their families and contribute to the war cause. The second countered the last by telling women were over and over told how important their role in the home was. Throughout this article the writer makes numerous references towards how the government of Canada attempted to do the right thing towards female workers during the war, but it also shows how the government’s heart wasn’t into it, thus just making offers to female workers just to appease their complaints for the time being until the war was over. The government was terrible on providing financial support to women whose husbands were away at war, offering only meager amounts of their pay each month, thus forcing more women into the workforce. The article goes on to further explain how during the war, women felt empowered by their circumstances and how once the war was over that women continued to fight towards equality and many refused to ‘go back to the kitchen’ after the war and further challenged the norms by continuing to work. In conclusion, the most compelling argument found during both articles was the willingness of women to move forward and support their families, no matter the cost or the inequalities found between their male counterparts. I have always heard said that ‘women are the backbone of society’. Now, this may not be entirely true in the year 2011 with the shared roles of women and men in families, but it certainly can be said for the years during World War II. Women were faced with the challenge of having their spouses and breadwinners away from home, and they were also faced with the uncertainty of their safe return home to their families. When you couple this with the call from their government and society to join the work force to help the war effort and take over the roles of the men in society while they were away. Eagerly the women answered that call, and stepped up to take over the roles the men used to hold before the war. Not only were they working full-time jobs, but they were still in charge of their households and raising their children and taking over and completing the roles of husband and fathers for an extremely long period of time.

International business management----- E-business Essay

International business management----- E-business - Essay Example The organizations must re-evaluate their business strategy to incorporate business plans so that the potential of the internet, which is fast emerging as a most power tool of communication, can be exploited for business purposes. The popularity of internet has been one of the most promising instruments of advancing one’s business base. As per the article â€Å"E-commerce is an economic solvent. It dissolves old business models and changes the cost structure, and rearranges links among buyers, sellers, and everyone in between. The impact of e-commerce is happening in phases† (Kalakota, Robinson, 2002). Internet, used as a potent communication tool, would provide a vast scope of income generation avenues through increased opportunities. The internet presence of the business through interactive module of the website would facilitate and encourage usage of ecommerce for a win-win situation and help exploit the vast potential of the internet to benefit business through the huge database of customers that internet provides at the click of a mouse. Case study of Tesco is an excellent example of using ecommerce to gain the popularity and trust of the people and the prospective customers. We would be using the case study to evaluate and analyze the methodologies and approach to ecommerce activities to develop and increase customer database. Tesco realized the vast potential of internet early and has been the first business enterprise to introduce e-commerce activity in UK. The interactive communication between the client and the business house has been utilized to develop a professional relationship between the two, that not only provides opportunity to improve and improvise the quality as per customer’s requirement and demand while at the same time, customer gets the best deal because of the competitive nature of internet, as a medium of business promotion

The Reproductive Health Bill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Reproductive Health Bill - Essay Example The bill has been unanimously approved by the House Committee on Population and Family Relations last January 31, 2011. It is now awaiting approval on third reading in Congress after which it will be submitted to the Senate for approval and eventually submitted to the Office of the President for signature (Montenegro, par.2). This process however is not an easy route. Various contending factions have their own vocal supporters from prominent groups and personalities in the fields of the academe, government, civil society and the religious. It is worth noting that the powerful Catholic Church, representing Catholics who comprise around 80 percent of the Philippine population (Santos, par. 4), is in the forefront of the campaign against the bill. The RH Bill seeks to guarantee universal access to family planning methods. The bill also aims to provide universal access to information on contraception and maternal care, and promote age-appropriate sexual education to youths in elementary and high schools (Palmer, par. 5). The bill seeks to protect the health and lives of mothers who die from unnecessary causes in childbirth, prevent unintentional pregnancies and thereby prevent abortions. For the bill’s proponents, one of the primary reasons why they wrote the bill is the interconnection between rapid population growth and poverty, with much of the growth in population occurring among the poor. In a 2004 study, the Asian Development Bank cited the country’s large population as one of the core drivers of the country’s poverty (Palmer, par. 2). Ernesto Pernia, an economics professor points out that with fewer children and wider birth intervals the poor will be able to devote more of their very limited resources to each child’s education and health which in turn will increase their chances of climbing out of poverty (Palmer, par. 7). It is worth mentioning that not all religious groups are against the RH Bill. The Philippine Council of Evang elical Churches supports the RH Bill because it is pro-life, pro-development and pro-poor. Addressing the concerns of the Catholic Church that the bill promotes a â€Å"culture of death† by allowing artificial contraceptive methods, its leader Bishop Efraim Tendero had this to say: "Life begins at fertilization. Therefore if there is no fertilization, there is no life yet. The use of artificial contraception is not taking away life because life has not yet started." (Santos, par.5 & 7). Another influential religious group, the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), believes that the RH bill will help decrease many of society’s worsening ills which could be attributed to the increase in population. The group’s stand is with the RH bill, married couples can avoid unwanted pregnancies (Santos, par. 7-8). Another group, the Interfaith Partnership for the Promotion of Responsible Parenthood considers the RH bill as necessary to prevent the deaths of mothers and babies (Santos, par. 11). Leading the groups against the RH Bill is the Catholic Church. The Church supports Natural Family Planning, which includes abstinence and fertility beads among women. But it strongly prohibits the use of artificial means, such as birth control pills and condoms because it prevents human life (Palmer, par. 11-12). The Church argues that by making contraceptives universally accessible and promoting sex education in schools, it will promote promiscuity (Palmer, par. 13). But proponents argue that that is exactly why the proposed sex education of the youth includes values formation. The Church believes there is no relation between population size and poverty. They argue that instead of spending P6 billion in implementing the bill, it should instead be used

Gender Discrimination in Hotel Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Gender Discrimination in Hotel Industry - Essay Example A hotel provides a carefree atmosphere for its customers. It is a very sociable industry; its employees have a very high exposure to the customers. Looking at its contribution to the economy we can say that it is one of the most fast growing and biggest industries of the world.. Almost 10% of the gross national product is due to this hotel industry. In 2005, it gave revenue of almost 27 billion. After 2000 there was an increase of almost 4.5% in the hotel sector. In 2004, it gave almost 11.5 billion revenue. This huge increase shows that it is one of the fastest growing industries. In 2002, there were almost 280 000 employees in almost 40 000 establishments. London is the hub of hotel establishments in United Kingdom (Data Monitor, n.p, 2005; Hotel Research, n.p. 2006). In recent years we can notice that the hotel sector has been growing very fast. The main reasons for this are mergers and acquisitions. Sheraton Park Tower Hotel, Marriott London Park Lane, The London Hilton on Park Lane, Intercontinental etc are all five star hotels in the UK. Though we can see that there are many big names in this sector of the hospitality industry, but there is almost nothing being done in case of human resource management. Employment opportunities in the hospitality profession abound all over the world. In the majority of West European countries women predominate in the hotel staff but unfortunately, only a small number of women are in management positions. Though it might provide employment to many individuals but certainly does not provide equal opportunities to the women. A research was done by Purcell which revealed that women in the five star hotel sector of United Kingdom are horizontally segregated into particular jobs while being vertically segregated (Purcell, 18, 1996). Many researches have investigated the problem of equality rights and gender prejudices in the workplace. Many claim that because of the established dominance of males in the vast number of areas of public life, women are often placed in a disadvantaged position from the very beginning; Recruitment is considered to be one of the major issues in equal opportunities for women. However, statistical data shows a considerable increase in the percentage of women who are engaged in some kind of professional work. This increase has been in the lower level of the hierarchy, but as we go up we will notice lesser and lesser number of females. The Five star hotel sector of the hotel industry has conventional employment model. It has a linear path of progression (Boaxall & Purcell, 47-70, 2003). The top four positions in a five star hotel are General Manager (GM), Financial Director, Director of Sales and marketing (DSM) and Food and Beverages Manager (FBM). The general manager has the top most positions and other positions are mere steps of getting to the top. Other positions like house keeping and human resource are usually confined to women. These positions are less attractive to men as they usually have lesser pay. So, women are confined to these low paying jobs. It has also been investigated whether the level of education has any effect on this discrimination. It was found that female hospitality graduates were at least three

Comparison of training and development programs implemented in Research Proposal

Comparison of training and development programs implemented in National Oil Corporation & Arabian Gulf Oil Company for the fresh graduate nationals - Research Proposal Example The research is intended to be a qualitative one that will answer the research question based on focused group interviews with the respondents. The answers obtained from the primary research will be compared and contrasted with the previous research work of other researchers to improve the validity of the results. This research will be helpful for both the oil and gas companies of Libya by allowing them to understand the effectiveness of the training programs in terms of improving performance of the employees. Broadly speaking all the companies of the energy sector in Libya can benefit from this research. Human resource challenge remains one of the most pertinent challenges faced by developing countries and hinders their progress and growth relative to developed countries. Researchers have pointed out that the industrial sector of the developing countries is characterized by lower levels of productivity and efficiency compared to the developing countries. The works of Agnaia (1996) had revealed that developing countries are in extreme need of training and development programs of management. Training and development programs help in improving the skills and knowledge of employees and enhance their productivity levels. This paper deals with two major oil corporations of Libya. The National Oil Corporation is a part of oil and gas industry and is an oil company of Libya. The oil industry of Libya is dominated by this company and even along with its small subsidiaries accounts for almost 70% of the total oil production of the company. The company recruits qualified and bright candidates to form a part of their executive cadre (Inkpen and Moffett, 2011). The Arabian Gulf Oil Company is another company in the oil and gas industry which have their operations in Benghazi, Libya. The company mainly deals with natural gas and crude oil. The operations they include are production, exploration and refining. It is a subsidiary of the

Software testing issues Related to project Failure or Success Essay

Software testing issues Related to project Failure or Success - Essay Example Such is the case that if the defects are transferred all the way to the final acceptance testing phase of the project life cycle, the greater risk of time consumption and costing increases. Consequently, small effort advanced towards quality assurance will help reduce expenses to a greater degree with regard to detecting and rectifying the defects. To better understand the effectiveness of the processes of agile software; it is important to gather facts on defects identified in the previous projects and also examine how the same defects can be eliminated following process improvements and application of newer methodologies. This paper presents comprehensive view on the defect prevention techniques and practices that can be followed in agile software development. In handling this topic the paper will look into related work and further discusses the need for defect deterrence. Additionally, the work will address handle issues of improvement workflow along with the illustration of various stages, the root cause analysis and determination of precautionary action. Agile software defect simply refers to â€Å"Imperfections in agile software development process that would cause agile software to fail to meet the desired expectations†. During the long and complex process of agile software development, lot of defects frequently occurs. One misleading notion is that defects crop into the process at the start of the cycle and is eliminated all through the remaining development phases. The truth is that defects form part of the development process from the very beginning to the end, a factor that makes its prevention an essential part in the agile software process quality improvement. Defect prevention (DP) refers to quality improvement process whose aim is to discover regular causes of defects and prevent their reoccurrence through alteration of the relevant process (es).

Discussion Board 6-1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Discussion Board 6-1 - Assignment Example According to Kail and Cavanaugh (2013), adolescents face serious hormonal fluctuations that may results to depression, stress, joy or antisocial behaviors. In case that such changes result to depression or stress, the affected person may be have negative socio-emotions that may cause them develop withdrawal attitudes. Such occurrences have the impact of widening the gap between an individual adolescent and the family members. In some cases, an adolescent may have the tendency to discriminate between the family members with they relate closely. The given adolescent may have negative view of the distant or disliked family members and infer lies or make false accusations. This can result to disagreements, disharmony and conflict between the family members that the given adolescent enjoys close relationship and those they have distant relationships. A good manifestation of impact of negative socio-emotional changes of adolescents on family system involved one of my friends whose condition resulted to disagreements between the parents. As an adolescent boy who lived mostly with the mother as the father worked far from home but paid regular visits to the family, the mother handled the boy softly. The boy became hot tempered and preferred violence and aggression in solving his problems. Later, the father transferred to a work place near home so that he lived with the family. On realizing the behavior of the boy, the father began disciplining the friend so that he might change and know how to manage his problems effectively. Discipline involved punishments and talks, which the mother interpreted as inappropriate (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2013). Conflict caused by difference in views of the parents concerning the boy’s condition led to divorce and the adolescent moved to live with the mother. In another instance, an adolescent girl who was also the only child from a neighboring family

Neo-Conservatism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Neo-Conservatism - Essay Example This new policy was also, in some ways, ineffective – as unions failed, blue-collar workers felt let down by the system and turned to neo-conservatism. The lack of contradictory political ideologies also played its part, giving dissatisfied Democrats the terrible choice of sticking with a disappointing party or turning to the right. As the century wore on, event after traumatic event shook the American culture, fatally dismantling people's faith in the current leftist governments. The Vietnamese war, the Watergate scandal, and the Iranian hostage crisis (amongst others) generated a pervasive sense of cynicism and alienation (WBA 695) which made neo-conservatism strangely more attractive. The culmination of such events combined with the inefficacy of the Democratic government to become a deathly blow to leftist politics. Many American people, particularly the working class and poor who had previously identified with the Democratic party, felt let down by a system which appeared to not care about them. This led to a massive drop in the amount of people going to the polls, meaning even before the results were in that a significant change in contemporary politics was almost guaranteed.

Mexican Politics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mexican Politics - Research Paper Example This country’s 2006 election was chaotic and led to months of disputing the outcomes of the elections, where riots were held all over the capital streets. There have been some deep-seated political problems that Mexico has been trying to shed off, although at a much slower pace due to its entrenched customs (Carruthers, 1996). The politics of this country are influenced by so many factors and the war against narcotics that was started by PAN government led by Filipe Calderon in 2006 when it took over leadership of the government. The narcotics war has led to serious concerns over the future of Mexican political stability and has put bear many unanswered questions. The militarization of the narcotics war has led to some political pundits arguing that Mexico could soon be classified under failed states. This label seems very disturbing and paints the country as being on the verge of collapse, which might not be the case. However, there are numerous challenges that the political platform of Mexico faces when issues of social order and political stability are considered. The political future of this Mexican state is of importance to its Northern counterparts (Manaut, 2004). A factor that has always posed challenges to those who get into analyzing the politics of Mexico is the fact that Mexican society is complex in nature and its massive geographic size, as well as demographic figures, is quite phenomenal. It has over 32 states with an estimated 112 million people and has a metropolitan area that hosts over 21 million inhabitants (Merrill & Miro, 1996). This country has over 62 indigenous languages, although Spanish is the most dominant of them all. 60% of Mexicans are Mestizos, 30 % are Amerindians, while 10% are groups of European, Asian, and others. It has a federal form of government, a system that makes it possible for it to accommodate this demographic diversity and size. Mexican politics is quite an interesting field of study (Hal, 2010).   Analysis Mexico is a country that has very sharp definitions of regionalism and these regional variations have had a serious impact on the political landscape of this country. Many observers argue that this regionalism is to blame for the civil conflicts witnessed in the past and currently being seen, and also gives this as the best explanation for Mexico fitting well in the states where an assertion of authority by the central government is necessary. This was most evident during the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas in 1990. There was also the need to suppress Yucatan during the Caste War of the 19th century. As is the case with many federal governments, Mexican states that are away from the capital city have expressed issues with the service given by the federal government and feel they have not been well served. This has led to the central government’s ineffectiveness to administer these marginalized states and some basic facilities such as schools have failed, leading to high levels of discontent (Harvey, 1994). An interesting twist to the politics of Mexico is the claim of democratic governance since independence.  Ã‚  

Consulting assignment Essay Example for Free

Consulting assignment Essay What are the potential sources of the problem? The source of these problems seems to be coming from two areas in Interwest Healthcare. The first area is the miscommunication that the hospital administrators are having with upper management. The hospital administrators and upper management are not only having miscommunication issues but they also do not share the same role expectations with each other which is creating tension. â€Å"The hospital people accused Singh of being a bureaucrat who did not care about patient services. Singh accused the hospital staffs of not understanding the importance of accurate reporting† (Brickley, Smith Zimmerman 2009 p. 38). The second area is the system or process that is in place for recording and entering data. The current process is clearly not running at an efficient rate which is raising concerns for upper management. Even though hospital administrators do not see to eye to eye with upper management the concerns that they have are valid and can have a very negative impact on Interwest Healthcare if the issue is not resolved. What information would you want to analyze? The first information that would be analyzed is the process that is done to record and enter data for patients. It is important to gain as much information as possible regarding the data entry because that is the root of the whole issue between hospital administrators and upper management. Another area that would be analyzed is the workplace with emphasis on how time is managed and the importance employees put on data entry. It is important to gather and analyze as much information as possible on the source of the problem. By gaining and analyzing the information it would help Interwest Healthcare make progress on the data entry issue which will put them in a better position to succeed. What actions might you recommend to increase the accuracy of the data entry? The first point of action would be streamlining and simplifying the data entry process. By completing those it would not only increase the accuracy of the data entry but it would also decrease the burden on the hospital administrators. But before any changes to the data entry process are made it is important to communicate directly to the hospital administrators. It is important to have the hospital administrators on board with the changes that will be made with the data entry process. By gaining the hospital administrators consent with the changes this will allow a smoother transition for the data entry change and it could provide a positive change to the workplace. As for the changes to the data entry it would most likely be a simple computer process along with small piece of paperwork. It would be best to have some sort or paper record on file that would need to be alphabetized along with a simple computer program. The computer program would help ensure accuracy and would have the patient’s data record on file which will be easy to locate. There would be very little paper work for the process mainly because it takes up space and takes more time to record. The paper work that is part of the process would simply serve as a backup if the computers were down. The key to ensuring accuracy with the data entry is to make the process as simple as possible so it would minimize the errors. How does your view of behavior affect how you might address the consulting assignment? As a consulting assignment I see Interwest Healthcare as a company in distress due to the way the hospital administrators and upper management. The way the two groups have been behaving and treating each other it is a clear sign of stress and miscommunication. One of the first tasks is to mediate the two groups and try to have everyone on the same page. There is a clear disconnect on the expectations of each other’s roles but by bringing them together the roles and expectations can be made by both parties and progress can be accomplished. In order to make progress both parties will need to be able to compromise and be willing to understand each other’s concerns and priorities. Refreneces : Brickley, J.A., Smith, C.W. Zimmerman J.L. (2009). Managerial economics and organizational architecture (5th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Goods and Services Tax Analysis

Goods and Services Tax Analysis INTRODUCTION 1.1Research Background In recent months there are a lot of issues about many retailers especially the traditional retailer want to quit from their business. Their main reason is the launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). They are not really aware about GST that be announced in the Malaysia Budget 2014. The aware that we mean here are understanding of the GST. Most of the retailer alert that there will be GST launched in 1 April 2015. The involve supplies chain people like manufacture, wholesaler, and retailer were giving a lead time of 14 months to get ready. There are a lot of GST seminars are held in the 14 month. But it not really effective due to the level of education, from mouth to mouth it causes the information incomplete or become wrong information. GST was first announced in the 2005 Budget for implementation in 2007. However, in February 2006 the Malaysian Government announced that GST would be deferred as more time was needed to get feedback from the public. GST was tabled for first reading in 2009 for proposed implementation in 2011. The bill was supposed to be presented for second reading in 2010 but was withdrawn. However too many retailer did not aware of GST because they did not know how to use the system. The retailer get an order to register GST from Custom Malaysia but they not know the procedure to proceed the GST. The guide from the website did not help the retailer who does not know to use the technology. The retailer also cannot decide the value of income per year exceed RM500, 000 required to register or not because tax will be pay from the consumer. GST is a multi-stage consumption tax on goods and services whereby each point of supply in a production chain is potentially taxable up to the retail stage of distribution. At the same time suppliers are entitled to refunds of GST incurred on business inputs. The basic fundamental of GST Malaysia is its self-policing features which allow the retailer to claim their Input tax credit by way of automatic deduction in their accounting system. Still the VAT arrangement at the Centre and the State had lacks. The CENVAT does not consist of several central taxes such as extra charge, additional excise duty, etc. It also does not capture the value-additions in the distributive occupation below the manufacturing level. The State level VAT does not include some taxes such as luxury tax, entertainment tax, etc. Goods and Services Tax (GST) to replace the existing multiple tax structures of Centre and State taxes is not only desirable but imperative in the emerging economic environment. Increasingly, services are used or consumed in production and distribution of goods and vice versa. This involves taxation of goods and services in an integrated manner as the blurring of line of demarcation between goods and services has made separate taxation of goods and services untenable. Malaysia imposed the GST on April 1 and it is mandatory for businesses that have a turnover of more than RM500, 000 to register with the government. The government expects to collect RM23.2 billion a year from GST. Malaysia has the lowest GST rate in Southeast Asia at 6 per cent while the Philippines has the highest at 12 per cent. 1.2Problem Statement Implementation of GST in a country can be broadly considered from three major perspectives: 1. Government on the setting of GST policies and rulings as well as studies on associated impact on economy, political and other tax systems 2. Customs and Excise on the setting of specific guidelines for different type of businesses, setting of an appropriate Information Systems solutions to handle GST claims and reporting and setting of the appropriate documentations and forms. 3. Businesses on what businesses need to do to make sure that their business is GST compliant. This research paper focuses on GST implementation from business perspective, with particular reference to retailers, with specific aim to examine their awareness as to what need to be done in order to be GST compliant. Awareness contributes not only towards readiness but also potential support for the new tax system. Businesses are unlikely to accept or support a change in the tax system without being made aware of the implications it has on their businesses. According to Bhupinder Singh, the executive director of Ernst Young (Utusan Malaysia, 2005), low awareness of GST implementation especially among the retailers could create mess when it is first introduced. After the implement the Malaysian hard to accept new system of tax been introduced. Under GST regime, businesses bear no additional tax as long as they are registered for GST. Any tax paid on purchases may be claimed back against tax collected on sales. However, the process of collecting and recording tax, documenting it, offsetting it and keeping all records in order to comply with GST requirements for GST registered businesses could be a tedious and expensive process for small and medium sized businesses. GST implementation in April 2015 will not only give the direct effect on the cash flow of the retailer and businesses, it also needs every company to change their practice in the accounting system and business processes. Businesses must be prepared to have good accounting records and trained personnel and proper software to ensure success. From estimates there are at least 500,000 retailers in Malaysia that contribute significantly to Malaysian economy (MYOB, 2005). At present, not much is known about the impact GST will have on this sector. We feel that it is important that level of awareness is ascertained to gauge the impact GST may have on the retailers as the implementation time comes closer. 1.3Research Objectives This study will be focused on the factors that influencing the level of awareness of GST’s implementation impact among retailers: i.To study the relationship between knowledge and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. ii.To study the relationship between resources and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. iii.To study the relationship between attitudes and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. iv.To study the relationship between channels and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. 1.4Research Questions The research question will be developed for this study are: i.Is there a relationship between knowledge and the level of awareness of GST among retailers? ii.Is there a relationship between resources and the level of awareness of GST among retailers? iii.Is there a relationship between attitudes and the level of awareness of GST among retailers? iv.Is there a relationship between channels and the level of awareness of GST among retailers? 1.5Research Hypothesis Four hypotheses have been developed for this study based on dependent and independent variables as given below: Hypothesis 1 Ho:There is no significant relationship between knowledge and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. H1:There is a significant relationship between knowledge and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. Hypothesis 2 Ho:There is no significant relationship between resources and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. H1:There is a significant relationship between resources and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. Hypothesis 3 Ho:There is no significant relationship between attitudes and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. H1:There is a significant relationship between attitudes and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. Hypothesis 4 Ho:There is no significant relationship between channels and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. H1:There is a significant relationship between channels and the level of awareness of GST among retailers. 1.6Significance of the Study Since the study is about Good and Services Tax (GST) that will implement in April 2015. The retailers have heard about Good and Services Tax (GST) but the retailers not know, â€Å"How’s the procedure?† â€Å"What functions it is?† â€Å"These kinds of questions always faced by people especially who lived at rural area. Therefore, with this research it can help the retailer know what the advantages and disadvantage for Good and Services Tax. This research also can provide the clear view and direction to them when they want to doing in future to attract their customers. It also determine the effective of the government to implement GST in case to improve the economic and development of country. The significant of the study focus on many category which are for the researchers and the retailer: Researchers For doing this research, the researchers can get more sustain in the term of knowledge and skills. This study also helps the future researcher use as a guideline or reference to get information by understanding and duplicating the research to further study in identifying other critical factors. The Retailers Retailers who ran the business entity around Kota Bharu had gained the most benefits from this study. Based on the result of this study, the retailers were able to understand in details about effectiveness of Good and Services Tax and also how the retailer aware about this issues. Besides that the retailers able to make accurate decision about which type of product that will bear a tax and exclude tax. At the end of this research, the retailers can optimize their sales with the guide been provided by the government. The government also provide a course for the retailer to understand the basic of calculation taxed been charged. 2.0GST Implementation in Other Country Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a consumption tax established on the value-added concept. GST, also recognized as the value added tax (VAT) in several countries, is a multi-stage consumption tax on goods and services (http://gst.customs.gov.my, 2013). GST is imposed on goods and services at every manufacture and supply stages in the supply chain as well as importation of goods and services (http://www.treasury.gov.my, 2013). In Malaysia, GST will replace the present consumption tax comprising the sales tax and the service tax (SST). Implementation wise, GST shall be prosecuted and charged on the taxable supply of goods and services made in the course or furtherance of business in Malaysia by a taxable person and it is also can be charged based on the importation of goods and services (http://gst.customs.gov.my, 2013). GST is proven to be a better tax system and could spur economic growth as well as increase competitiveness in global market (http://www.treasury.gov.my, 2013). The proposed GST structure in India is similar to that of Canada. Some of the problems that they faced during implementation of GST are discussed here. GST is the form of indirect tax because the tax collection from the government is not directly obtained from the taxpayers. The consumers pay the taxes for the government through the sellers.Besides, experience of Australia has also been covered. Malaysian taxation system is generally divided into two direct taxes and indirect taxes. Four components i.e. customs duties, excise duty, sales tax and service tax are consists by Indirect taxes are administered by the Royal Malaysian Custom Department (RMCD). Direct taxes such as income tax, petroleum income tax, real property gains tax, and stamp duty. Taxation is a vital economic tool because it can be employed to regulate the economy, to revitalize economic growth through the granting of fiscal incentives as a principal aim of implementing tax policies and to provide funds for developmen t projects (JeyapalanKasipillai, 2005). Each of the countries has economic purposes due to the implementation of GST. For example, in New Zealand the usage of GST is unlikely being a useful stabilization tool for monetary policy (Iris Claus, B. S., 2008). The empirical study shows that using GST as a monetary policy tool in New Zealand case has shown that it leads to a larger adjustment in the policy instruments and fluctuations in the real economy and inflation. 2.1Resources 2.1.1Cost Start-up Start-up Compliance Costs Estimates the issue of how much businesses spent in preparing for a GST is problematical as various studies have made varying cost estimates. In estimating start-up compliance costs, uniformity in calculations is important to attain comparative reliability. According Pope (2000) the reliability of GST start-up cost estimates presented by different groups may be questionable because of their treatment of the joint cost problem and also a failure to differentiate between start-up and recurrent costs. Unfortunately, there are no reliable studies internationally on GST start-up compliance costs, although the literature has long recognized start-up costs and learning curve costs from a theoretical viewpoint (for a useful review see Pope 2000c). However, the methodology for estimating taxation recurrent compliance costs affords some useful insights; see, for example, Sandford et al (1989) Pope (2000a) Tran-Nam et al (2000). This literature confirms that overhead costs, such as office accommodation, lighting, heating, computer equipment, are difficult to allocate where they are jointly used in normal business activities and tax compliance work. This principle extends to GST compliance costs where a computer and its associated software is used, say, half for GST compliance work and half for management purposes. If the purchase or upgrade was made because of the GST, it could be argued that this purchase would not otherwise have been made, particularly in the case of small business. Related to the joint cost issue is the depreciation of computer hardware and software used for GST compliance. Strictly speaking, in principle, the compliance costs of a new computer system to operate a new tax should be spread over a period rather than be considered a cost solely at the time incurred (Sandford et al 1989). Unfortunately, this principle is difficult to adopt in practice. 2.2Attitudes First research from Shiva Raman S (June 2010) with title Migration to GST: Preparedness and level of Knowledge, Understanding, Application and Skills of Human Resources in the Government and the Industry which questionnaires were used to collect data from middle level tax officials, tax department staff, trade and industry, professionals and general public. Opinionnaires are used to amount the attitude and the acceptance of the respondents. It generally employs the skills by which the degree of the agreement to a matter can be traced. In this article, the attitude was found that given negative attitude of staff towards training. Attitude is a major concern cited by all most all the officials. Supporting the employees to achieve the objectives of GST is one of the most challenging tasks during the transition. Officials are more concerned about the attitude of grass root level staffs that are unknowing and unwilling towards training programs. Implementing Goods and Services Tax in Malaysia is the research from Lim Kim-Hwa (2013). It is impossible to make GST a liberal tax as long as we want to raise the same amount of revenue. GST is a returning tax. The implementation of an ill-thought out welfare system is likely to lead to inflation, abuse, wastage and possibly accentuate a dependency culture. Although cash handouts can be a quick fix and might be a politically perception move, this might not be conducive in driving economic growth led by innovation, knowledge and entrepreneurship. Although these measures are aimed at changing the profit-centred attitude and corrupt practices of the businesses, sustained implementation of these in an era of high inflation will result in the withdrawal of labor and capital from the production of these goods. This is because unprofitable businesses are unsustainable in the long run, and capital and labor might be rearranged to the production of other profitable goods which are not subjec t to price controls. Third research from Adesina Olugoke Oladipupo and Famous Prince Izedonmi (2013) with title Public Perception and Attitude towards Value Added Tax (VAT) in Nigeria. The analysis of results showed that most of the respondents have poor knowledge of VAT law in Nigeria, regardless of their level of literacy, and that there was no significant difference in the amount of knowledge of VAT law among the three groups of respondents used for the study. Obtainable of the total of 2700 taxpayers engaged in the study only 1467 taxpayers responded. Public attitude towards tax matters has often been negative. Taxation was to a large level considered as an instrument of domination manipulated by the ruling class over the subjects. 2.3Knowledge The knowledge base will involve, at its core, a repository of GST issues identified by agencies and the suggested resolution applicable to those issues. †¢ Reduction in the need for agencies to re-learn lessons already addressed by other agencies, providing efficiencies in compliance activities; †¢ A build-up of GST knowledge within the government sector to assist with compliance as well as ongoing management of the GST; †¢ increase the likelihood that GST compliance issues are addressed with consistency across agencies; The knowledge as a source of jobs and income, they have gained an important position in the economic development agenda. Hereby, clusterization policies have been conceived as a framework to induce the growth and to optimize resources used to support them. Creating clusters could help to overcome RD, production, and marketing obstacles, and allow them to compete with large companies in distant foreign markets. It increase the likelihood that agencies will consider the significant issues facing their business. Otherwise knowledge may suffer in business decisions and as whole the economy of the country in turn. The direct taxes are influencing income earners but indirect taxes are influencing every common citizen of the country and have great social impact. Cost accountants as experts in the Indirect taxes can take lead and disseminate the knowledge of taxation across the country. Understanding the forthcoming GST tax regime and Direct Tax Code; Cost accountants have very vital role to play which will facilitate the better tax administration. 3.1 Introduction This chapter will address the overall procedures and how the survey will be conducted. This chapter consists of research design, research framework, research hypothesis, research methods, subject and sample, research instrument, data analysis, and conclusion for this chapter. 3.2 Research Framework The figure 3.1 shows the level of knowledge of GST among retailer research framework in this study. The framework summarized the relationship between independent variables and dependent variable. There are four independent variables which is knowledge, attitudes, resources, and channel has been used. The dependent variable is the awareness of GST among retailer in Kota Bharu Kelantan. 3.3Research Design

Examining The Cultural Reason Behind Tattooing And Piercings Media Essay

Examining The Cultural Reason Behind Tattooing And Piercings Media Essay Why is it that more and more people are tattooing and/or piercing themselves? Is there a cultural reason behind this reality? Each time that we walk we see someone with a tattoo and or a piercing(s). The reality is that tattoos and/or piercing(s) have become increasingly popular not just in the United States but all over the world. I admit that I have a tattoo and three piercings. I also admit that I decided to get a tattoo as soon as I turned eighteen like most teenagers do. People have so many reasons as to why they have a tattoo or as to why they want to get a tattoo in the near future. Most of the time we receive images and messages through the media about tattoos and piercings and therefore they may influence us. Some people believe that tattoos are a form of expression and art while others think of tattoos as attractive or taboo. Through the media, adolescents see over 5,000 attractiveness messages per year. This means that most adolescents are being pressure by the media to lo ok unique and different by tattooing/piercing themselves. Not just the media influences a society into tattoos and/or piercing but the culture that they live in. Cultural influences play a huge role on how people act, dress, speak, and even on the way they think. Tattoos and piercing have created their own culture in which people have adapted and continued Despite the fact that some people consider tattoos and/or piercing taboo, people will still continue to tattoo and pierce themselves because it is a cultural practice done for centuries and therefore it will continue for centuries. Tattooing and piercing are two of the oldest practices in the world. They have ancient roots that start as early as 15,000 years ago. According to Jane Caplan, Physical evidence for the practice survives from the late fourth millennium BC in Europe and from about 2000BC in Egypt, and tattooing can be found virtually all parts of the world at the same time (1). Tattoos in many cultures like in the Maroni culture have used tattoos for centuries and considered it as sacred art. The Maroni culture like so many cultures all the world have many purposes as to why they decide to mark themselves forever. Many cultures believed that a tattoo was powerful enough to cure anyone from any illness. Some people also believed that tattooing themselves would help them express their personal and religious believes. Body piercing has been dated as early as 1500 B.C.E. Body piercings like tattoos is consider as a way to express ones one individuality. Similar to tattoos, a person can decided to get pier ce everywhere in the body. There is no rule as to where you can get a tattoo and/or body piercing or how big or small it can be. Tattoos and body piercing have been spread out all around the world and even to the most remote places and cultures. In the essay The Decorated Body by Frances Borel, Borel states, Human nakedness, according to the social custom, is unacceptable, unbearable, and dangerous. From the moment of birth, society takes charge, managing, dressing, forming, and deforming the child-sometimes even with a certain degree of violence. Aside from the most elementary caretaking concerns-the very diversity of which shows how subjective the motivation isan unfathomably deep and universal tendency pushes families, clans, and tribes to rapidly modify a persons physical appearance. (40) There is no rule as to where you can get a tattoo and/or body piercing or how big or small it can be. If we take a closer approach specifically to the culture of tattoos in the United States, we can see how culture has played a huge role in the popularity of tattoos and body piercings. Pretty can be defined in various way and it is defined differently in many cultures. In India, having a ring in your neck is considered beautiful. In China, having small feet done by a process of shrinking feet called foot binding is considered beautiful. In the United States, tattoos to some people are considered beautiful. Tattoos became to be known in the early 1700s. A man named Captain Cook went on a trip to the South Pacific Islands and found fascinating the fact that most people were marked with some distinctive designs. He later brought a young girl with him to the United States and Americans were astounded. Tattoos were at first had made because there was not a specific tool for making tattoos. A man named Martin Hilderbrandt became the first professional tattoo artist in the United States. Hilderbrandt like many tattoo artist had no tool for making efficient and faster tattoos. It was not until 1891 that the first electric needled was used. A man named Samuel OReilly create d and patented the first electric needled. He opened the first tattoo shop in New York City. After the first shop opened in New York City, many Americans decided to become tattoo artists themselves and even opened their own tattoo shops. The number of tattoo artists and shops increased rapidly in the United States. Some Americans believed that if they tattooed their entire body, they would express their individuality. Men and women decided to exhibit themselves and some went on traveling shows or went to work on the circus. Some couples would tattoo their whole body and display themselves on public. I personally would not decide to cover my entire body in tattoos and/or body piercings. Beside the fact that tattoos and body piercings are expensive, they are also painful. I decided to get a shooting star tattoo because beside the fact that I love stars I wanted to get a design that was unique. One of my close friends designed by tattoo and therefore it made my tattoo original and unique. I did not know why I decided to get a tattoo. However since tattoos and body piercings were so new in America, many did not accept them. While many Americans were fascinated with tattoos and body piercing, others viewed them a taboo. Some people did not have any taste with tattoos and/or body piercings. Tattoos become so popular in so little time that it was hard for people to accept them. Tattoos were not considered art or a way of individualism. Tattoos were not considered as a way of expression. Many believed that it was morally wrong to tattoo and/or body pierce the entire body. However tattoos and body piercings never went out of style and continued to be popular not just in the United States but all over the world. After World War Two (WWII), many Americans decided to get a tattoo(s) to show their courage and bravery in the war. Tattoos and body piercings become a style and a fashion. Tattoos and body piercings became a trend and it is still a trend even to this day. They are both widely accepted like they were in many different culture all around the world. Different forms of tattoo art have been practiced by many different cultures of the world, over the centuries.Tattooing is one of the oldest practices in the United States. Tattoos have become part of our everyday life and we cannot stop it. Andres Martin, author of the essay On Teenagers and Tattoos states, Tattoos and piercing have become a part of our everyday landscape (24). Tattoos and body piercings in America are everyday things. Tattoos are not very easily removed and at the same time the procedure is very expensive and painful. But do people decide to get tattoos and/or piercings? According to Jane Caplan, Tattooing is one of many forms of irreversible body alteration, including scarification, cicatrization, piercing and branding, and it is the probable the oldest and most widespread of these (1). Work Cited Borel, France. The Decorated Body. Aims of Argument Text and Reader. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill College, 2010. 40-42. Print. Caplan, Jane. Written on the Body: the Tattoo in European and American History. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton UP, 2000. Print. Martin, Andres. On Teenagers and Tattoos. Aims of Argument Text and Reader. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill College, 2010. 24-28. Print. Rubin, Arnold. Marks of Civilization: Artistic Transformations of the Human Body. Los Angeles, Calif.: Museum of Cultural History, University of California, 1988. Print.

The Entertainment Value of a Buffy the Vampire Episode :: Buffy Vampire Slayer Essays

In this essay I ultimately want to address the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Once More with Feeling" (season 6, episode 7). However, I do not want to look at this episode in isolation from the remainder of the Buffy franchise but rather argue that it exemplifies a certain entertainment strategy that courses through the Buffyverse. Now it seems to me that entertainment is either too often denigrated as a specific ideological formation that produces negative effects of audience passivity as against more overtly challenging texts, or, alternatively, entertainment is celebrated within a postmodern theoretical framework that views the multiplicity of pleasures afforded as inherently productive and even oppositional. Alternatively I want to concentrate on entertainment for entertainment's sake which is to say as a dialectical operation that in Fredric Jameson's terms intermingles wish fulfilment and repression by arousing radical fantasies in order to contain them (Jameson, 1990: 25). In order to analyse this mechanism I will concentrate less on consumers and ideology (that assumes unilateral transmission) and more on fans and affect (that inscribes a dialectical procedure into reception). What seems to me to be of specific interest therefore is the manner in which Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon and the other writers/directors working on Buffy for Twentieth Century Fox target affect and fans by constructing scenarios that feed into and exceed audience expectation. I will argue that his formula culminates in the episode "Once More With Feeling" that ventures beyond Jameson's dialectical formula in that it appears to wilfully play with wish fulfilment/invocation that both figuratively and literally run the risk of arousing utopian fantasies that cannot be contained. Before turning to the musical episode in particular I believe our exposition would benefit from a brief survey of critical approaches to the Buffyverse. The critical material on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in print at least (see here the Slayage online journal), is expanding but currently somewhat limited. However, as a general rule two tendencies emerge. The first is to treat some self-contained aspect of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as an ideological work. Such analyses concentrate upon the encoded more or less implicitly pre-determined messages that the text transmits. Certainly some ideological responses are definitely triggered by Buffy and I will briefly make reference to two critical examples. Brian Wall and Michael Zyrd adopt a Marxist master frame of analysis to determine the world historical content of Buffy.

Perception Of The Bourgeoisie in Steppenwolf Essay -- Hesse Steppenwol

Perception Of The Bourgeoisie in Steppenwolf      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hermann Hesse's Steppenwolf presents a paradoxical picture of the bourgeoisie. The main character, Harry Haller, acknowledges his bourgeois upbringing and frequently has a bourgeois view about various aspects of society; however, at the same time, he condemns the bourgeois lifestyle and all that it represents because of his perceived alienation from it.    The bourgeoisie itself is represented in many different lights in Steppenwolf. The first representation is through the character of Haller's landlady's nephew. The nephew is the most typical bourgeois in the novel, and thus the least explored representation because he easily fits into the reader's own perceptions with no need for further elaboration. He is the petit bourgeois who goes to his business every day, takes the same short lunch break, returns to work, goes home, and repeats the same unadventurous pattern day after day without ever questioning his role in society or the reason for his existence.    The "Treatise on the Steppenwolf" presents another portrait of Hesse's perception of the bourgeoisie and of Haller's relationship to it. Haller is "secretly and persistently attracted to the little bourgeois world" (50) in the same way he is to jazz music which "much as [he] detested it, had always had a secret charm for [him]."(37) Because "he took up his abode always among the middle classes", he had grown accustomed to viewing society "in a thoroughly bourgeois manner." (51) The treatise describes being "bourgeois" as seeking balance between two extremes "at the cost of that intensity of life and feeling which an extreme life affords." (51) In this sense, Haller himself is bourgeois because he constant... ...nderstands it and resolves to "be a better hand at the game" (218) it seems that he will one day join Pablo and Mozart who are waiting for him in this magical realm free of bourgeois conventions. To "teach [him] to laugh [was] the whole aim" (177) and it is the only true suicide of the Steppenwolf and the bourgeois self because "it's no good with a razor." (178) Only laughter can free the thousand facets of his soul.    Works Cited Boulby, Mark. Herman Hesse: His Mind and Art. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1967 Hesse, Hermann. Steppenwolf. Trans. Basil Creighton. Ed. Joseph Mileck and Horst Frenz. New York: Henry Holt and Company Ltd., 1990 Wegener, Franz. Herman Hesse's theory of National Socialism in "Der Steppenwolf". Trans. Laura Campbell, Werner Habel and Eva-Maria Stuckel. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/8444/steppenwolfeng.html (visited: 99/01/30)

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 6 Rescue

LEGGEN, JENARR-†¦ His contributions to meteorology, however, although considerable, pale before what has ever since been known as the Leggen Controversy. That his actions helped to place Hari Seldon in jeopardy is undisputable, but argument rages-and has always raged-as to whether those actions were the result of unintentional circumstance or part of a deliberate conspiracy. Passions have been raised on both sides and even the most elaborate studies have come to no definite conclusions. Nevertheless, the suspicions that were raised helped poison Leggen's career and private life in the years that followed†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica 25. It was not quite the end of daylight when Dors Venabili sought out Jenarr Leggen. He answered her rather anxious greeting with a grunt and a brief nod. â€Å"Well,† she said a trifle impatiently. â€Å"How was he?† Leggen, who was entering data into his computer, said, â€Å"How was who?† â€Å"My library student Hari. Dr. Hari Seldon. He went up with you. Was he any help to you?† Leggen removed his hands from the keys of his computer and swivelled about. â€Å"That Heliconian fellow? He was of no use at all. Showed no interest whatever. He kept looking at the scenery when there was no scenery to look at. A real oddball. Why did you want to send him up?† â€Å"It wasn't my idea. He wanted to. I can't understand it. He was very interested. Where is he now?† Leggen shrugged. â€Å"How would I know? Somewhere around.† â€Å"Where did he go after he came down with you? Did he say?† â€Å"He didn't come down with us. I told you he wasn't interested.† â€Å"Then when did he come down?† â€Å"I don't know. I wasn't watching him. I had an enormous amount of work to do. There must have been a windstorm and some sort of downpour about two days ago and neither was expected. Nothing our instruments showed offered a good explanation for it or for the fact that some sunshine we were expecting today didn't appear. Now I'm trying to make sense of it and you're bothering me.† â€Å"You mean you didn't see him go down?† â€Å"Look. He wasn't on my mind. The idiot wasn't correctly dressed and I could see that inside of half an hour he wasn't going to be able to take the cold. I gave him a sweater, but that wasn't going to help much for his legs and feet. So I left the elevator open for him and I told him how to use it and explained that it would take him down and then return automatically. It was all very simple and I'm sure he did get cold and he did go down and the elevator did come back and then eventually we all went down.† â€Å"But you don't know exactly when he went down?† â€Å"No, I don't. I told you. I was busy. He certainly wasn't up there when we left, though, and by that time twilight was coming on and it looked as though it might sleet. So he had to have gone down.† â€Å"Did anyone else see him go down?† â€Å"I don't know. Clowzia may have. She was with him for a while. Why don't you ask her?† Dors found Clowzia in her quarters, just emerging from a hot shower. â€Å"It was cold up there,† she said. Dors said, â€Å"Were you with Hari Seldon Upperside?† Clowzia said, eyebrows lifting, â€Å"Yes, for a while. He wanted to wander about and ask questions about the vegetation up there. He's a sharp fellow, Dors. Everything seemed to interest him, so I told him what I could till Leggen called me back. He was in one of his knock-your-head-off tempers. The weather wasn't working and he-â€Å" Dors interrupted. â€Å"Then you didn't see Hari go down in the elevator?† â€Å"I didn't see him at all after Leggen called me over.-But he has to be down here. He wasn't up there when we left.† â€Å"But I can't find him anywhere.† Clowzia looked perturbed. â€Å"Really?-But he's got to be somewhere down here.† â€Å"No, he doesn't have to be somewhere down here,† said Dors, her anxiety growing. â€Å"What if he's still up there?† â€Å"That's impossible. He wasn't. Naturally, we looked about for him before we left. Leggen had shown him how to go down. He wasn't properly dressed and it was rotten weather. Leggen told him if he got cold not to wait for us. He was getting cold. I know! So what else could he do but go down?† â€Å"But no one saw him go down.-Did anything go wrong with him up there?† â€Å"Nothing. Not while I was with him. He was perfectly fine except that he had to be cold, of course.† Dors, by now quite unsettled, said, â€Å"Since no one saw him go down, he might still be up there. Shouldn't we go up and look?† Clowzia said nervously, â€Å"I told you we looked around before we went down. It was still quite light and he was nowhere in sight.† â€Å"Let's look anyway.† â€Å"But I can't take you up there. I'm just an intern and I don't have the combination for the Upperside dome opening. You'll have to ask Dr. Leggen.† 26. Dors Venabili knew that Leggen would not willingly go Upperside now. He would have to be forced. First, she checked the library and the dining areas again. Then she called Seldon's room. Finally, she went up there and signaled at the door. When Seldon did not respond, she had the floor manager open it. He wasn't there. She questioned some of those who, over the last few weeks, had come to know him. No one had seen him. Well, then, she would make Leggen take her Upperside. By now, though, it was night. He would object strenuously and how long could she spend arguing if Hari Seldon was trapped up there on a freezing night with sleet turning to snow? A thought occurred to her and she rushed to the small University computer, which kept track of the doings of the students, faculty, and service staff. Her fingers flew over the keys and she soon had what she wanted. There were three of them in another part of the campus. She signed out for a small glidecart to take her over and found the domicile she was looking for. Surely, one of them would be available-or findable. Fortune was with her. The first door at which she signaled was answered by a query light. She punched in her identification number, which included her department affiliation. The door opened and a plump middle-aged man stared out at her. He had obviously been washing up before dinner. His dark blond hair was askew and he was not wearing any upper garment. He said, â€Å"Sorry. You catch me at a disadvantage. What can I do for you, Dr. Venabili?† She said a bit breathlessly, â€Å"You're Rogen Benastra, the Chief Seismologist, aren't you?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"This is an emergency. I must see the seismological records for Upperside for the last few hours.† Benastra stared at her. â€Å"Why? Nothing's happened. I'd know if it had. The seismograph would inform us.† â€Å"I'm not talking about a meteoric impact.† â€Å"Neither am I. We don't need a seismograph for that. I'm talking about gravel, pinpoint fractures. Nothing today.† â€Å"Not that either. Please. Take me to the seismograph and read it for me. This is life or death.† â€Å"I have a dinner appointment-â€Å" â€Å"I said life or death and I mean it.† Benastra said, â€Å"I don't see-† but he faded out under Dors's glare. He wiped his face, left quick word on his message relay, end struggled into a shirt. They half-ran (under Dors's pitiless urging) to the small squat Seismology Building. Dors, who knew nothing about seismology, said, â€Å"Down? We're going down?† â€Å"Below the inhabited levels. Of course. The seismograph has to be fixed to bedrock and be removed from the constant clamor and vibration of the city levels.† â€Å"But how can you tell what's happening Upperside from down here?† â€Å"The seismograph is wired to a set of pressure transducers located within the thickness of the dome. The impact of a speck of grit will send the indicator skittering off the screen. We can detect the flattening effect on the dome of a high wind. We can-â€Å" â€Å"Yes, yes,† said Dors impatiently. She was not here for a lecture on the virtues and refinements of the instruments. â€Å"Can you detect human footsteps?† â€Å"Human footsteps?† Benastra looked confused. â€Å"That's not likely Upperside.† â€Å"Of course it's likely. There were a group of meteorologists Upperside this afternoon.† â€Å"Oh. Well, footsteps would scarcely be noticeable.† â€Å"It would be noticeable if you looked hard enough and that's what I want you to do.† Benastra might have resented the firm note of command in her voice, but, if so, he said nothing. He touched a contact and the computer screen jumped to life. At the extreme right center, there was a fat spot of light, from which a thin horizontal line stretched to the left limit of the screen. There was a tiny wriggle to it, a random non-repetitive seder of little hiccups and these moved steadily leftward. It was almost hypnotic in its effect on Dors. Benastra said, â€Å"That's as quiet as it can possibly be. Anything you see is the result of changing air pressure above, raindrops maybe, the distant whirr of machinery. There's nothing up there.† â€Å"All right, but what about a few hours ago? Check on the records at fifteen hundred today, for instance. Surely, you have some recordings.† Benastra gave the computer its necessary instructions and for a second or two there was wild chaos on the screen. Then it settled down and again the horizontal line appeared. â€Å"I'll sensitize it to maximum,† muttered Benastra. There were now pronounced hiccups and as they staggered leftward they changed in pattern markedly. â€Å"What's that?† said Dors. â€Å"Tell me.† â€Å"Since you say there were people up there, Venabili, I would guess they were footsteps-the shifting of weight, the impact of shoes. I don't know that I would have guessed it if I hadn't known about the people up there. Its what we call a benign vibration, not associated with anything we know to be dangerous.† â€Å"Can you tell how many people are present?† â€Å"Certainly not by eye. You see, we're getting a resultant of all the impacts.† â€Å"You say ‘not by eye.' Can the resultant be analyzed into its components by the computer?† â€Å"I doubt it. These are minimal effects and you have to allow for the inevitable noise. The results would be untrustworthy.† â€Å"Well then. Move the time forward till the footstep indications stop. Can you make it fast-forward, so to speak?† â€Å"If I do-the kind of fast-forward you're speaking of-then it will all just blur into a straight line with a slight haze above and below. What I can do is move it forward in fifteen-minute stages and study it quickly before moving on.† â€Å"Good. Do that!† Both watched the screen until Benastra said, â€Å"There's nothing there now. See?† There was again a line with nothing but tiny uneven hiccups of noise. â€Å"When did the footsteps stop?† â€Å"Two hours ago. A trifle more.† â€Å"And when they stopped were there fewer than there were earlier?† Benastra looked mildly outraged. â€Å"I couldn't tell. I don't think the finest analysis could make a certain decision.† Dors pressed her lips together. Then she said, â€Å"Are you testing a transducer-is that what you called it-near the meteorological outlet?† â€Å"Yes, that's where the instruments are and that's where the meteorologists would have been.† Then, unbelievingly, â€Å"Do you want me to try others in the vicinity? One at a time?† â€Å"No. Stay on this one. But keep on going forward at fifteen-minute intervals. One person may have been left behind and may have made his way back to the instruments.† Benastra shook his head and muttered something under his breath. The screen shifted again and Dors said sharply, â€Å"What's that?† She was pointing. â€Å"I don't know. Noise.† â€Å"No. Its periodic. Could it be a single person's footsteps?† â€Å"Sure, but it could be a dozen other things too.† â€Å"It's coming along at about the time of footsteps, isn't it?† Then, after a while, she said, â€Å"Push it forward a little.† He did and when the screen settled down she said, â€Å"Aren't those unevennesses getting bigger?† â€Å"Possibly. We can measure them.† â€Å"We don't have to. You can see they're getting bigger. The footsteps are approaching the transducer. Go forward again. See when they stop.† After a while Benastra said, â€Å"They stopped twenty or twenty-five minutes ago.† Then cautiously, â€Å"Whatever they are.† â€Å"They're footsteps,† said Dors with mountain-moving conviction. â€Å"There's a man up there and while you and I have been fooling around here, he's collapsed and he's going to freeze and die. Now don't say, ‘Whatever they are!' Just call Meteorology and get me Jenarr Leggen. Life or death, I tell you. Say so!† Benastra, lips quivering, had passed the stage where he could possibly resist anything this strange and passionate woman demanded. It took no more than three minutes to get Leggen's hologram on the message platform. He had been pulled away from his dinner table. There was a napkin in his hand and a suspicious greasiness under his lower lip. His long face was set in a fearful scowl. † ‘Life or death?' What is this? Who are you?† Then his eye caught Dors, who had moved closer to Benastra so that her image would be seen on Jenarr's screen. He said, â€Å"You again. This is simple harassment.† Dors said, â€Å"It is not. I have consulted Rogen Benastra, who is Chief Seismologist at the University. After you and your party had left Upperside, the seismograph shows clear footsteps of one person still there. It's my student Hari Seldon, who went up there in your care and who is now, quite certainly, lying in a collapsed stupor and may not live long. â€Å"You will, therefore, take me up there right now with whatever equipment may be necessary. If you do not do so immediately, I shall proceed to University security-to the President himself, if necessary. One way or another I'll get up there and if anything has happened to Hari because you delay one minute, I will see to it that you are hauled in for negligence, incompetence-whatever I can make stick-and will have you lose all status and be thrown out of academic life. And if he's dead, of course, that's manslaughter by negligence. Or worse, since I've now warned you he's dying.† Jenarr, furious, turned to Benastra. â€Å"Did you detect-â€Å" But Dors cut in. â€Å"He told me what he detected and I've told you. I do not intend to allow you to bulldoze him into confusion. Are you coming? Now?† â€Å"Has it occurred to you that you may be mistaken?† said Jenarr, thin-lipped. â€Å"Do you know what I can do to you if this is a mischievous false alarm? Loss of status works both ways.† â€Å"Murder doesn't,† said Dors. â€Å"I'm ready to chance a trial for malicious mischief. Are you ready to chance a trial for murder?† Jenarr reddened, perhaps more at the necessity of giving in than at the threat. â€Å"I'll come, but I'll have no mercy on you, young woman, if your student eventually turns out to have been safe within the dome these past three hours.† 27. The three went up the elevator in an inimical silence. Leggen had eaten only part of his dinner and had left his wife at the dining area without adequate explanation. Benastra had eaten no dinner at all and had possibly disappointed some woman companion, also without adequate explanation. Dors Venabili had not eaten either and she seemed the most tense and unhappy of the three. She carried a thermal blanket and two photonic founts. When they reached the entrance to Upperside, Leggen, jaw muscles tightening, entered his identification number and the door opened. A cold wind rushed at them and Benastra grunted. None of the three was adequately dressed, but the two men had no intention of remaining up there long. Dors said tightly, â€Å"It's snowing.† Leggen said, â€Å"It's wet snow. The temperature's just about at the freezing point. It's not a killing frost.† â€Å"It depends on how long one remains in it, doesn't it?† said Dors. â€Å"And being soaked in melting snow won't help.† Leggen grunted. â€Å"Well, where is he?† He stared resentfully out into utter blackness, made even worse by the light from the entrance behind him. Dors said, â€Å"Here, Dr. Benastra, hold this blanket for me. And you, Dr. Leggen, close the door behind you without locking it.† â€Å"There's no automatic lock on it. Do you think we're foolish?† â€Å"Perhaps not, but you can lock it from the inside and leave anyone outside unable to get into the dome.† â€Å"If someone's outside, point him out. Show him to me,† said Leggen. â€Å"He could be anywhere.† Dors lifted her arms with a photonic fount circling each wrist. â€Å"We can't look everywhere,† mumbled Benastra miserably. The founts blazed into light, spraying in every direction. The snowflakes glittered like a vast mob of fireflies, making it even more difficult to see. â€Å"The footsteps were getting steadily louder,† said Dors. â€Å"He had to be approaching the transducer. Where would it be located?† â€Å"I haven't any idea,† snapped Leggen.-That's outside my field and my responsibility.† â€Å"Dr. Benastra?† Benastra's reply was hesitant. â€Å"I don't really know. To tell you the truth, I've never been up here before. It was installed before my time. The computer knows, but we never thought to ask it that.-I'm cold and I don't see what use I am up here.† â€Å"You'll have to stay up here for a while,† said Dors firmly. â€Å"Follow me. I'm going to circle the entrance in an outward spiral.† â€Å"We can't see much through the snow,† said Leggen. â€Å"I know that. If it wasn't snowing, we'd have seen him by now. I'm sure of it. As it is, it may take a few minutes. We can stand that.† She was by no means as confident as her words made it appear. She began to walk, swinging her arms, playing the light over as large a field as she could, straining her eyes for a dark blotch against the snow. And, as it happened, it was Benastra who first said, â€Å"What's that?† and pointed. Dors overlapped the two founts, making a bright cone of light in the indicated direction. She ran toward it, as did the other two. They had found him, huddled and wet, about ten meters from the door, five from the nearest meteorological device. Dors felt for his heartbeat, but it was not necessary for, responding to her touch, Seldon stirred and whimpered. â€Å"Give me the blanket, Dr. Benastra,† said Dors in a voice that was faint with relief. She flapped it open and spread it out in the snow. â€Å"Lift him onto it carefully and I'll wrap him. Then we'll carry him down.† In the elevator, vapors were rising from the wrapped Seldon as the blanket warmed to blood temperature. Dors said, â€Å"Once we have him in his room, Dr. Leggen, you get a doctor-a good one-and see that he comes at once. If Dr. Seldon gets through this without harm, I won't say anything, but only if he does. Remember-â€Å" â€Å"You needn't lecture me,† said Leggen coldly. â€Å"I regret this and I will do what I can, but my only fault was in allowing this man to come Upperside in the first place.† The blanket stirred and a low, weak voice made itself heard. Benastra started, for Seldon's head was cradled in the crook of his elbow. He said, â€Å"He's trying to say something.† Dors said, â€Å"I know. He said, ‘What's going on?' â€Å" She couldn't help but laugh just a little. It seemed such a normal thing to say. 28. The doctor was delighted. â€Å"I've never seen a case of exposure,† he explained. â€Å"One doesn't get exposed on Trantor.† â€Å"That may be,† said Dors coldly, â€Å"and I'm happy you have the chance to experience this novelty, but does it mean that you do not know how to treat Dr. Seldon?† The doctor, an elderly man with a bald head and a small gray mustache, bristled. â€Å"Of course, I do. Exposure cases on the Outer Worlds are common enough-an everyday affair-and I've read a great deal about them.† Treatment consisted in part of an antiviral serum and the use of a microwave wrapping. â€Å"This ought to take care of it,† the doctor said. â€Å"On the Outer Worlds, they make use of much more elaborate equipment in hospitals, but we don't have that, of course, on Trantor. This is a treatment for mild cases and I'm sure it will do the job.† Dors thought later, as Seldon was recovering without particular injury, that it was perhaps because he was an Outworlder that he had survived so well. Dark, cold, even snow were not utterly strange to him. A Trantorian probably would have died in a similar case, not so much from physical trauma as from psychic shock. She was not sure of this, of course, since she herself was not a Trantorian either. And, turning her mind away from these thoughts, she pulled up a chair near to Hari's bed and settled down to wait. 29. On the second morning Seldon stirred awake and looked up at Dors, who sat at his bedside, viewing a book-film and taking notes. In a voice that was almost normal, Seldon said, â€Å"Still here, Dors?† She put down the book-film. â€Å"I can't leave you alone, can I? And I don't trust anyone else.† â€Å"It seems to me that every time I wake up, I see you. Have you been here all the time?† â€Å"Sleeping or waking, yes.† â€Å"But your classes?† â€Å"I have an assistant who has taken over for a while.† Dors leaned over and grasped Hari's hand. Noticing his embarrassment (he was, after all, in bed), she removed it. â€Å"Hari, what happened? I was so frightened.† Seldon said, â€Å"I have a confession to make.† â€Å"What is it, Hari?† â€Å"I thought perhaps you were part of a conspiracy-â€Å" â€Å"A conspiracy?† she said vehemently. â€Å"I mean, to maneuver me Upperside where I'd be outside University jurisdiction and therefore subject to being picked up by Imperial forces.† â€Å"But Upperside isn't outside University jurisdiction. Sector jurisdiction on Trantor is from the planetary center to the sky.† â€Å"Ah, I didn't know that. But you didn't come with me because you said you had a busy schedule and, when I was getting paranoid, I thought you were deliberately abandoning me. Please forgive me. Obviously, it was you who got me down from there. Did anyone else care?† â€Å"They were busy men,† said Dors carefully. â€Å"They thought you had come down earlier. I mean, it was a legitimate thought.† â€Å"Clowzia thought so too?† â€Å"The young intern? Yes, she did.† â€Å"Well, it may still have been a conspiracy. Without you, I mean.† â€Å"No, Hari, it is my fault. I had absolutely no right to let you go Upperside alone. It was my job to protect you. I can't stop blaming myself for what happened, for you getting lost.† â€Å"Now, wait a minute,† said Seldon, suddenly irritated. â€Å"I didn't get lost. What do you think I am?† â€Å"I'd like to know what you call it. You were nowhere around when the others left and you didn't get back to the entrance-or to the neighborhood of the entrance anyway-till well after dark.† â€Å"But that's not what happened. I didn't get lost just because I wandered away and couldn't find my way back. I told you I was suspecting a conspiracy and I had cause to do so. I'm not totally paranoid.† â€Å"Well then, what did happen?† Seldon told her. He had no trouble remembering it in full detail; he had lived with it in nightmare for most of the preceding day. Dors listened with a frown. â€Å"But that's impossible. A jet-down? Are you sure?† â€Å"Of course I'm sure. Do you think I was hallucinating?† â€Å"But the Imperial forces could not have been searching for you. They could not have arrested you Upperside without creating the same ferocious rumpus they would have if they had sent in a police force to arrest you on campus.† â€Å"Then how do you explain it?† â€Å"I'm not sure,† said Dors, â€Å"but it's possible that the consequences of my failure to go Upperside with you might have been worse than they were and that Hummin will be seriously angry with me.† â€Å"Then let's not tell him,† said Seldon. â€Å"It ended well.† â€Å"We must tell him,† said Dors grimly. â€Å"This may not be the end.† 30. That evening Jenarr Leggen came to visit. It was after dinner and he looked from Dors to Seldon several times, as though wondering what to say. Neither offered to help him, but both waited patiently. He had not impressed either of them as being a master of small talk. Finally he said to Seldon, â€Å"I've come to see how you are.† â€Å"Perfectly well,† said Seldon, â€Å"except that I'm a little sleepy. Dr. Venabili tells me that the treatment will keep me tired for a few days, presumably so I'm sure of getting needed rest.† He smiled. â€Å"Frankly, I don't mind.† Leggen breathed in deeply, let it out, hesitated, and then, almost as though he was forcing the words out of himself, said, â€Å"I won't keep you long. I perfectly understand you need to rest. I do want to say, though, that I am sorry it all happened. I should not have assumed-so casually-that you had gone down by yourself. Since you were a tyro, I should have felt more responsible for you. After all, I had agreed to let you come up. I hope you can find it in your heart to†¦ forgive me. That's really all I wish to say.† Seldon yawned, putting his hand over his mouth. â€Å"Pardon me.-Since it seems to have turned out well, there need be no hard feelings. In some ways, it was not your fault. I should not have wandered away and, besides, what happened was-â€Å" Dors interrupted. â€Å"Now, Hari, please, no conversation. Just relax. Now, I want to talk to Dr. Leggen just a bit before he goes. In the first place, Dr. Leggen, I quite understand you are concerned about how repercussions from this affair will affect you. I told you there would be no follow-up if Dr. Seldon recovered without ill effects. That seems to be taking place, so you may relax-for now. I would like to ask you about something else and I hope that this time I will have your free cooperation.† â€Å"I will try, Dr. Venabili,† said Leggen stiffly. â€Å"Did anything unusual happen during your stay Upperside?† â€Å"You know it did. I lost Dr. Seldon, something for which I have just apologized.† â€Å"Obviously I'm not referring to that. Did anything else unusual happen?† â€Å"No, nothing. Nothing at all.† Dors looked at Seldon and Seldon frowned. It seemed to him that Dors was trying to check on his story and get an independent account. Did she think he was imagining the search vessel? He would have liked to object heatedly, but she had raised a quieting hand at him, as though she was preventing that very eventuality. He subsided, partly because of this and partly because he really wanted to sleep. He hoped that Leggen would not stay long. â€Å"Are you certain?† said Dors. â€Å"Were there no intrusions from outside?† â€Å"No, of course not. Oh-â€Å" â€Å"Yes, Dr. Leggen?† â€Å"There was a jet-down.† â€Å"Did that strike you as peculiar?† â€Å"No, of course not.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"This sounds very much as though I'm being cross-examined, Dr. Venabili. I don't much like it.† â€Å"I can appreciate that, Dr. Leggen, but these questions have something to do with Dr. Seldon's misadventure. It may be that this whole affair is more complicated than I had thought.† â€Å"In what way?† A new edge entered his voice. â€Å"Do you intend to raise new questions, requiring new apologies? In that case, I may find it necessary to withdraw.† â€Å"Not, perhaps, before you explain how it is you do not find a hovering jet-down a bit peculiar.† â€Å"Because, my dear woman, a number of meteorological stations on Trantor possess jet-downs for the direct study of clouds and the upper atmosphere. Our own meteorological station does not.† â€Å"Why not? It would be useful.† â€Å"Of course. But we're not competing and we're not keeping secrets. We will report on our findings; they will report on theirs. It makes sense, therefore, to have a scattering of differences and specializations. It would be foolish to duplicate efforts completely. The money and manpower we might spend on jet-downs can be spent on mesonic refractometers, while others will spend on the first and save on the latter. After all, there may be a great deal of competitiveness and ill feeling among the sectors, but science is one thing-only thing-that holds us together. You know that, I presume,† he added ironically. â€Å"I do, but isn't it rather coincidental that someone should be sending a jet-down right to your station on the very day you were going to use the station?† â€Å"No coincidence at all. We announced that we were going to make measurements on that day and, consequently, some other station thought, very properly, that they might make simultaneous nephelometric measurements-clouds, you know. The results, taken together, would make more sense and be more useful than either taken separately.† Seldon said suddenly in a rather blurred voice, â€Å"They were just measuring, then?† He yawned again. â€Å"Yes† said Leggen. â€Å"What else would they possibly be doing?† Dors blinked her eyes, as she sometimes did when she was trying to think rapidly. â€Å"That all makes sense. To which station did this particular jet-down belong?† Leggen shook his head. â€Å"Dr. Venabili, how can you possibly expect me to tell?† â€Å"I thought that each meteorological jet-down might possibly have its station's markings on it.† â€Å"Surely, but I wasn't looking up and studying it, you know. I had my own work to do and I let them do theirs. When they report, I'll know whose jet-down it was.† â€Å"What if they don't report?† â€Å"Then I would suppose their instruments failed. That happens sometimes.† His right fist was clenched. â€Å"Is that all, then?† â€Å"Wait a moment. Where do you suppose the jet-down might have come from?† â€Å"It might be any station with jet-downs. On a day's notice-and they got more than that-one of those vessels can reach us handily from anyplace on the planet.† â€Å"But who most likely?† â€Å"Hard to say: Hestelonia, Wye, Ziggoreth, North Damiano. I'd say one of these four was the most likely, but it might be any of forty others at least.† â€Å"Just one more question, then. Just one. Dr. Leggen, when you announced that your group would be Upperside, did you by any chance say that a mathematician, Dr. Hari Seldon, would be with you.† A look of apparently deep and honest surprise crossed Leggen's face, a look that quickly turned contemptuous. â€Å"Why should I list names? Of what interest would that be to anyone?† â€Å"Very well,† said Dors. â€Å"The truth of the matter, then, is that Dr. Seldon saw the jet-down and it disturbed him. I am not certain why and apparently his memory is a bit fuzzy on the matter. He more or less ran away from the jet-down, got himself lost, didn't think of trying to return-or didn't dare to-till it was well into twilight, and didn't quite make it back in the dark. You can't be blamed for that, so let's forget the whole incident on both sides. â€Å"Agreed,† said Leggen. â€Å"Good-bye!† He turned on his heel and left. When he was gone, Dors rose, pulled off Seldon's slippers gently, straightened him in his bed, and covered him. He was sleeping, of course. Then she sat down and thought. How much of what Leggen had said was true and what might possibly exist under the cover of his words? She did not know.