Larsen and Toubro Case Study Essay

Hierarchical Development (OD) is an arranged long haul exertion drove and bolstered through the top administration to improve an organization’s capacity and to tackle its own issues by constantly cooperating and on dealing with the way of life utilizing conduct abilities. Along these lines, there are some sure perspectives worth talking about which are-OD is an arranged exertion. It requires a ton of exertion, tolerance, and confidence and is tedious. Also, OD typically utilizes pariahs. These ‘facilitators’ as they are called are process pros and are associated with profundity in this procedure. The pioneers of OD in India were Larsen and Toubro India (L&T). OD at L&T began by bringing in 2 famous educators Dr Udai Pareek and Dr TV Rao to examine the examination procedure at the organization. The current evaluation framework had numerous deficiencies and should have been amended. The troublesome errand began by the teachers talking with certain managers and subordinates from various offices (utilizing Diagnosis or Action Research) and they got an exceptionally fascinating input. A portion of the parts of the criticism were †youngsters needed to realize how well they were doing at work, yet weren’t told; individuals needed to recognize what the development openings in the organization were; the examination structure was excessively extensive; a few managers had such a large number of subordinates to assess, and so on. In the wake of getting the criticism from the representatives the teachers gave a report to the top administration about the genuine issue. The evaluation framework needed to serve one as well as numerous reasons to be specific it should assist individuals with understanding their qualities and shortcomings, their own advancement at work, how they can perform better, and how they could develop in the organization. So the examination procedure needed to address the issues of evaluation, potential, advising, vocation improvement and preparing across the board! The top administration in the wake of auditing the report gave the thumbs up and they did two principle things which were the most significant which were bifurcating the Personnel office into work force office and HRD division. This bifurcation was the primary indication of ‘structural’ change. Also, a group of 6 ranking directors was framed which would be liable for actualizing the progressions required. The story proceeds with when the 6 team and the teachers concluded that the evaluation procedure needed to include the line supervisors by and by, the exhibition objectives must be set together by chief and junior and the examinations should likewise include criticism and guiding to individuals. In this way, they arranged a Performance Appraisal Manual by including the departmental heads and other ranking directors to dissect what sort of destinations could be set and afterward included such rules in the manual. To address the issue of criticism and directing, the group recognized around 29 senior line directors and some ranking staff with a style for open talking. These chose individuals were gotten through a workshop on the most proficient method to be acceptable ‘Givers’ and ‘Receivers’ of criticism and afterward led a similar workshop for different representatives at HQ and provincial workplaces. Subsequently, the main workshop was a ‘Train the trainer’ workshop which was fell to different representatives. In the wake of investing in such a large amount of energy now the administration at L&T needed to know whether the procedure was working for them or not. So again the teachers talked with certain seniors and youngsters about how the examinations were going on. This opportunity various perspectives came into the image †the objective setting was viewed as tedious, examination was turning into a numbers game, and was having a tendency to get ceremonial. The HRD division was approached to direct a review (Participant Action Research). The review likewise tossed new light about the new examination process. The supervisors currently involved their youngsters in the objective setting and there was ‘healthy resolution’ of troubles and there was a ‘high level of trust’ between the seniors and youngsters which prompted ‘increased joint comprehension about the job’. In the wake of getting such an input, they again attempted to improve the evaluation structure by including the meanings of the traits recorded in the examination structure. Furthermore, they held supplemental classes in input aptitudes for both ‘givers’ and ‘receivers’ of criticism. The facilitators felt that the examination framework has balanced out when 80 to 85% of the evaluation structures were returned inside about a month and a half of the deadline. Additionally the HRD division began breaking down all the examination structures. The information from the examination was utilized for posting high and low entertainers for a specific period; for settling departmental formative plans and for setting up the rundown of division savvy representatives and the instructional classes they required. The previously mentioned process took L&T 8 years to finish and balance out themselves. Consequently, I can reason that OD is a drawn out procedure which requires a ton of tolerance, support from the top administration and a dream to a brilliant future.

The War on Drugs Essay Example for Free

The War on Drugs Essay Regardless of a lot of government financing and organizations cooperating the war on drugs is the most counterproductive measure the United States has propelled on the grounds that its principle center was to stop tranquilize dealing and crime, however it has sat idle yet increment imprisonment and a lot of spending by the U. S. One of the principal charges acquainted with the United States was the National Prohibition Act in 1920 and furthermore the eighteenth Amendment. This bill denied the assembling, transportation, and offer of liquor on a national stage for consistently utilization. The best way to take a few to get back some composure of liquor at the time was to acquire a medicine from the specialist for clinical purposes. This was simply one more way the legislature can duty and control the utilization of liquor utilization at that point. In 1933 the denial demonstration was canceled. On account of the expansion of other medication substance maltreatment outside the maltreatment of liquor with the endorsement of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Department of the Treasury the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was presented and the selection of the Uniform State Narcotics Drug Act was set up and made. First the war on drugs has been a long and costly battle the United States has put resources into, to incorporate assets, and labor. President Johnson was the main president to center unlawful medication use. He be accepted portion of the wrongdoing submitted in the U. S. was in tranquilize connection and develop by 90 percent throughout the following decade. The Johnson Administration was the genuine start on the War of Drugs. President Johnson made the Reorganization Plan of 1968 which combined the Bureau of Narcotics and the Bureau of Drug Abuse to shape the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs inside the Department of Justice. The conviction during this time about medication use was summed up by columnist Max Lerner in his praised work America as a Civilization: As an a valid example we may take the well established reality of the pervasiveness of reefer and dope fixation in Negro regions. This is basically clarified regarding neediness, ghetto living, and broken families, yet it is anything but difficult to show the absence of illicit drug use among other ethnic gatherings where similar conditions apply. (Inciardi The War on Drugs IV, 248) The utilization of term War on Drug was first utilized by President Richard Nixon in 1971. President Nixon was additionally needing to proceed with the counter war point of reference set by Johnson. The beginning of the U. S. to neutralize the war, was to execute the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. At the point when President Nixon and Admistration announced the end the war on drugs it was masculine expressed for laws and acts that was produced using before prohibitation act and laws not for the new period of medications to clear the United States . The genuine term war on drugs was authored when in 1971 Congress of the United States discharged a report that there was a developing pattern among the United States serve individuals from Vietnam that were dependent on heroin and other control substances. The Bureau of Narcotics was supplant with the Drug Enforcement Administration in 1973. As ahead of schedule as 1982, with the exceptional epic of medication utilize clearing the country the United States expanded guide and greater inclusion, entrusting the assistance of the CIA and military indirection endeavors national and universal levels. Nixons sedate power offices practice unlawful acts to set capture to meet expectations of people in general, this put a broadly held of the captured made was of African-American individual. The accompanying two presidents Ford and Carter, kept the custom of proceeding to react with projects of their antecedents. In 1982, Ronald Regan became President with an extreme predisposition inside the War on Drugs got another rejuvenation. In a discourse conveyed not long after getting to work, Reagan declared, â€Å"We’re bringing down the acquiescence banner that has flown over such huge numbers of medication endeavors; we’re running up a fight banner. Inside his initial five years of being president he fortified medication authorization. He made compulsory condemning, relinquishment of money and land. In 1986 Reagan had the option to pass the Anti-Drug Abuse Act through Congress. This enactment cost the citizens an extra $1. 7 million to support, built up 29 compulsory least sentences for sedate offenses. Reagans previous Vice-President George H. W. Hedge was the following in the oval office. He had indistinguishable political perspectives and foundation from past presidents. Strengthening opiates guideline when the First National Drug Control Strategy was given by the Office of National Drug Control in 1989 and doing nothing to decrease condemning inconsistencies and racial inclination extending from the Reagan organization. The accompanying three presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama proceeded with the pattern and keeping up the guarantee to beat the pandemic of medications that won't go on without serious consequences and over come during getting to work. There are more than one million individuals consistently in the United States detained because of medication law infringement. With the expansion of the adolescent association of medication infringement, this has had an everlasting impact of them to incorporate perpetual expulsion of training openings, the capacity to cast a ballot, getting work become unmistakably increasingly troublesome in light of infringement of their childhood. Studies show that the War on Drugs has caused a lasting underclass of individuals who to have hardly any instructive or openings for work, regularly because of being rebuffed for tranquilize offenses which thus have come about because of endeavors to acquire a living disregarding having no training or openings for work. The medication was is said to have squandered billions of squandered expense dollars and misallocated spending. The administration has spent more cash on the medication war then it was spent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan consolidated. Because of the over whelming record of individuals being embodied it has put a money related channel and a puts a stain on the lawful and law requirement assets. Because of preclusion in the United States, criminal association have discovered different methods for transportation, developing and circulation causing a lost of numerous lives. Medication cartels are the main associations that increase benefit from denial which is recovered for sneaking, viciousness and debasement in government systems. The cutting edge on battling the war of medications is coming. The inquiry is to pose are selves to spend are citizen cash on counteraction or treatment. The US subsidized an exploration study that indicated that the entirety of the Governments impacts to stop tranquilize dealing coming into the United States all practically zero impact. From the RAND Corporation the investigation, Sealing the Borders: The Effects of Increased Military Participation in Drug Interdiction, was set up by seven scientists, mathematicians and financial experts at the National Defense Research Institute, a part of the RAND, and was discharged in 1988. (R. Reuter 1988) There have been comparative ends led by seven on associations. The RAND company has likewise incorporated that spending cash for sedate authorization ought to be spent on treatment other then counteraction. In 2008 a statement was reported to adjust a medication arrangement to the counteraction, research, instruction and treatment. Numerous individuals are agreeable to treatment and anticipation rather than discipline sue to the high measures of financing for law authorization and court cost of the citizens. Taking everything into account, the measure the United States have actualized to battle medications, carrying and sedate maltreatment have been, best case scenario fruitless, and even under the least favorable conditions counterproducvtive. On the off chance that the United States really wants to control medicate misuse, new ground breaking techniques such treatment and restoration would need to be executed.

How To Promote Your Academic Achievements

How To Promote Your Academic AchievementsWriting about your academic interests for the purpose of self-promotion is certainly one of the strategies that many of us have used in our jobs. This kind of promotion can be carried out by using social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter in order to get the ball rolling.There are many people who are happy to expose their academic achievements when they do not need to use this strategy in their business. However, social networking is more effective than promoting your business. You are able to directly reach the target audience that you want to create an interest in.There are many ways in which you can effectively promote your academic achievements. The following are some ways that will allow you to leverage your academic interests to benefit from the increase in your visibility.The first way in which you can advertise your academic achievements is to present a specific task related to your academic interests. This can be a ccomplished through journal articles, books, or even books in general. You need to be careful when choosing which of these resources to use, however. Be sure to choose a resource that will be suitable for your academic interests.Another way to promote your academic achievements is to use a special website that allows you to post or create your own web pages about your academic interests. This can be done through a social networking site such as Facebook or MySpace and can help to establish a professional brand for your academic endeavors.Many people enjoy using a website like Facebook to express themselves and share interesting stories. This can be a great way for your academic exploits to be showcased. Try to post either stories about a recent field of study or about your academic pursuits as a whole.In addition to these two types of methods, you can also use other resources such as forums, blogs, newsletters, eBooks, blogs, testimonials, etc. to promote your academic achievements. The benefit of social media in this regard is that it allows you to do more than just publicize your academic interests. It also gives you the ability to interact with people on a personal level.

Human Resource Management Influence Organizational Outcomes

How does Human Resource Management influence Organizational Outcomes? A Meta-Analytic investigation of Mediating Based on the Best-Practice model, a meta-analysis was conducted in order to examine the impacts of the three dimensions of Human Resource Systems which includes enhancement of skill, motivation and opportunity on both proximal and distal outcomes of an organization. The results indicate that skill-enhancing practices were more positively related to human capital and less positively related to employee motivation than motivation-enhancing practices and opportunity-enhancing practices. Moreover, the three dimensions of HR systems were related to financial outcomes both directly and indirectly by influencing human capital and employee motivation as well as voluntary turnover and operational outcomes in sequence(Jiang et al., 2012, p. 1270). This meta-analysis assessed and provided an extension to the theoretical model liking HRM with organizational outcomes. The results proved that all the three dimensions were positively inter-linked to each other also mediating the voluntary turnover and thus a better operational and financial outcome. This research is thus supportive evidence to the Flextronics strategy of best-practice. 2. Employee-Organization Exchange Relationships, HRM Practices, and Quit Rates of Good and Poor Performers Considering the positive operational and financial outcomes of the best-practice model and success of Flextronics adaptation of theShow MoreRelatedProcedural Justice And Job Satisfaction Of Nursing Employees1523 Words   |  7 Pages outcome. According to the write-up, â€Å"procedural justice and job satisfaction of nursing employees are positively and significantly related to their innovative behavior† (Xerri, 2014, p.4), and â€Å"interactional justice directly affects job satisfaction and indirectly affects innovative behavior through job satisfaction† (Xerri, 2014, p.4). In other words, an organization that engages in practical apprehensions reaps perfected job satisfaction, which in turn has a bearing on workplace attitudes. ToRead MoreInfluence Of Organizational Culture On Corporate Performance746 Words   |  3 Pagessupport the proposition that organizational culture is found to be a filter through which leadership influences various performance outcomes. Human Resource Management Organizational culture affects corporate performance. Corporate culture is a deeply embedded form of social control that influences employee decisions and behavior. Culture is persistent and operates unintentionally. It is an automatic pilot directing employees in ways that are consistent with organizational expectations. CorporateRead MoreTraining Needs Assessment, Evaluation, Success, And Organizational Strategy And Effectiveness1035 Words   |  5 Pages1. Anderson, J.E. (2000). Training needs assessment, evaluation, success, and organizational strategy and effectiveness: An exploration of the relationships. (Doctoral dissertation, Utah State University. Logan, UT). 2. Appelbaum, S.H., Ayre, H. Shapiro, B.T. (2002). Career management in information technology: A case study. Career Development International, 7(3), 142-158. 3. Arokiasamy, L., Ismail, M., Ahmad, A. Othman, J. (2011). Predictors of academics’ career advancement at Malaysian privateRead MoreLeadership Styles And The Job Satisfaction Essay932 Words   |  4 Pagesa central role. Leadership is a management function, which is mostly directed towards people and social interaction, as well as the process of influencing people so that they will achieve the goals of the organization.Leader is leading the human resource function, collaborating with other functions and providing leadership to them, setting and enhancing the standards for strategic thinking (Armstrong (2006). Leadership effectiveness many different types of outcomes havebeen used, including the performanceRead MoreOrganizational Structure Of The Atha Corporation Essay1694 Words   |  7 PagesOrganizational Structure Human Resources Functional Area As the Atha Corporation grows changes will need to occur to the structure of each functional area. Within H.R. we added two more Human Resource Generalists. These generalists will simply be used for management to delegate more tasks and take on the goals planned. One new generalist will focus on culture, incentives, welfare and safety, and employee counseling. The other will focus on recruiting, building space planning, performance managementRead MoreHuman Resource Management ( Hrm ) Concepts1429 Words   |  6 PagesHuman resource management (HRM) concepts are strongly tied to management effectiveness as well as an organizations overall success. In this report the author will examine the importance of a strong human resource department and how that influences the day-to-day running of the business. â€Å"Increasingly, what makes organizations effectiveness is how they organize staff and manage their human capital. It’s important for organizations to have the right amount o f financial capital and hard assets, butRead MoreThe Argument Of Mats, By Managing Culture1243 Words   |  5 PagesINTRODUCTION This paper seeks to support the argument of Mats Alvesson that by managing culture, it is possible to facilitate positive outcomes beneficial to stakeholders in an organization. It also suggests that employers and employees can have mutually beneficial relationship and achieve organizational performance. To analyse and evaluate the argument, it is important to define and understand the concept of ’culture’ and ‘control’. 2.0 DEFINITION OF CULTURE According to Schien (2010), cultureRead MoreCareer Advancement At Malaysian Private Universities Essay987 Words   |  4 Pages12 December 2015]. 5. Bambacas, M. (2010). Organizational handling of careers influences managers’ organizational commitment. Journal of Management Development, 29(9), 807-827. 6. Barnett, B.R. Bradley, L. (2007). The impact of organisational support for career development on career satisfaction. Career Development International, 12(7), 617-636. 7. Baruch, Y. (2004b). Transforming careers — from linear to multidirectional career paths: Organizational and individual perspective. Career DevelopmentRead MoreImpact of Acquisition on Employees Performance: A case Study of RBS818 Words   |  4 PagesAfter acquisition of any firm/ organization management need to motivate their employees and make them feel satisfied about their jobs, if the employees feel satisfied they perform their duties efficiently and when acquired firm’s employee performed best it directly affect the acquired firm’s performance. Motivation is very necessary in any field when an employee get motivated they perform their duty with the best of their knowledge and try to work hard. According to different researcher there areRead MoreOrganizational Behavior System in Jgtdsl, Bangladesh1499 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: - Organizational Behavior (OB) is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. It does this by taking a system approach. That is, it interprets people-organization relationships in terms of the whole person, whole group, whole organization, and whole social system. Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives Elements of Organizational Behavior:- The

What Is a Mudang in Korean History

A mudang is a shaman, usually female, in Korean traditional indigenous religion. Pronunciation: moo-(T)ANGAlso Known As: sessumu, kangshinmu, myongdu, shimbang, tangolExamples: Modern-day mudang in South Korea often maintain blogs and advertise their services on web-sites. A mudang would perform ceremonies called gut in local villages, to cure illness, bring good luck or a bountiful harvest, banish evil spirits or demons, and ask favors of the gods. After a death, the mudang could also help the soul of the departed find the path to heaven. Mudang communicate with ancestral spirits, nature spirits, and other supernatural forces. Becoming a Mudang There are two varieties of mudang: kangshinmu, who become shamans through training and then spiritual possession by a god, and seseummu, who receive their power through heredity. In both cases, the mudang is initiated after a process called shinbyeong, or spirit sickness. Shinbyeong often includes a sudden loss of appetite, physical weakness, hallucinations, and communication with the spirits or gods. The only cure for shinbyeong is the initiation rite, or gangshinje, in which the mudang accepts into her body the spirit that will bring her shamanist powers. Muism The belief system associated with mudang is called Muism, and it shares striking similarities with the shamanist practices of Mongolian and Siberian peoples. Although mudang were powerful and generally practiced helpful medicine or magic, the shamans were confined to the chonmin or slave caste, along with beggars and gisaeng (Korean geisha). Historically, Muism was at its peak during the Silla and Goryeo eras; the highly Confucian Joseon Dynasty was less enthusiastic about mudang (unsurprisingly, given Confuciuss negative view of women holding any kind of power). Beginning in the 19th century, foreign Christian missionaries in Korea strongly discouraged the practice of Muism. By the mid-20th century, the mass conversion of Koreans to Christianity, and the disapproval of the missionaries  drove mudang and their practices underground. Recently, however, mudang are re-emerging as a cultural force in both North and South Korea.

Us Population Essay example - 1104 Words

Characteristics of the U.S. population in 2025 The United States is the third most populated country in the world. This country holds about 4.5% of the world’s population. The U.S. population is currently estimated to have 308.7 million persons. This number is more than double of the population from 1950. Besides the fact of the population has doubled its size, the population has also become qualitatively different from the one from 1950. As noted by the Population Reference Bureau, â€Å"The U.S. is getting bigger, older, and more diverse.† The growth of the population is the result of the trends over time in the relationship of increased births, decreased deaths, and increased net immigration.†¦show more content†¦Population, by Age Group: 1950-2050 Besides the total size of the population, one of the most significant demographic characteristics of a population is the age and sex structure. The immigration has had a major influence on both the size and the age structure of the U.S. population. The U.S. population has experienced remarkable growth since 1950. The number of women slightly outnumbered the men. U.S. Population, by Sex, 1950-2050, in Millions In general, countries experiencing high fertility and rapid population growth, have a â€Å"young† population structure and the important policy considerations are if there are enough schools and, sufficient jobs and housing to accommodate this population. Countries with â€Å"old† population structures face the problems of structuring and developing retirement and health systems to serve this older population and also they have a considerable reduction the number of the working force. The decline of the work force is one of the most dramatic economic tendencies of the past four decades in the United States. The individual’s decision of whether to stay in the workforce or to retire is based on the collaboration of a number of factors including the following: eligibility for Social Security benefits, availability of and benefits under an employer-financed pension plan, workShow MoreRelatedThe Population Of The Us1721 Words   |  7 PagesLiterature Review Analysis of the population of the US brings forward that it constitutes twenty-five percent of the total population who are under the benchmark of eighteen years and are classified as juveniles. This group of individuals has enlarged over the last three decades and is expected to exhibit an increasing pattern for another decade too. Demographic experts assert that juveniles can be divided into further sub-groups and with an increase in their overall population, number of children and youthRead MoreVulnerable Populations: The Uninsured in the US2052 Words   |  8 PagesVulnerable Populations The Uninsured in the U.S.: Vulnerable populations is a term that creates an image of distinct and narrow-minded minority though the vulnerability of every individual to illness, disease, and injury has made health insurance necessary and probable for a huge portion of the American population. Vulnerable populations in the United States includes parents and children of immigrants, race/ethnic minorities, the disabled poor, the elderly, foster children, families ineligibleRead MoreGlobal Low-Cost Airline Market To 2018802 Words   |  4 PagesIATA expects the profit of airlines in North America to increase from US$7.0 billion in 2013 to US$9.2 billion in 2014. Boeing’s Current Market Outlook 2014 report stated that North America holds a 27% share and Latin America held a 33% share of the total seat capacity of LCCs in 2013. One of the key reasons for high growth rate of LCCs in the Asia-Pacific region is the emergence of a rapidly expanding middle-class population and greater levels of disposable income. Another factor is the establishmentRead MoreOver Population in the Prison System Costs Billions, and That Affect Us All!1299 Words   |  6 Pages Over population in the prison system costs billions, and that affect us all! Tjy Helms Composition 1 ENG1001 BH Week 5 Professor Henry 05/6/2011 I say why should we the people pay to house, feed, and provide medical care for people who have never had a history of violent behavior? The issue becomes compounded when we cram thousands of people into a space designed for hundreds. Look at the number of people who are doing hard time, for non-violent crimes. These are the people who are costingRead MoreSouthwest Airlines /Competition Paper Introduction: Air transport is a global industry and as such1500 Words   |  6 Pagesa few new programs must be set up. For instance, customer-ranking action must be grown. The steps mentioned earlier must be carefully thought about and applied to various aspects of current businesses also. US Airways Group, Inc. owns a group of air carrier and airline service subsidiaries. US Airways is an air carrier engaged in transporting passengers, property and mail. It also owns Alleghany Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, PSA Airlines, MidAtlantic Airways, USAirways Leasing and Sales, MSC and AALRead MoreMi litary Use Commercial Airlines For Leisure Travel1351 Words   |  6 Pagesairfare prices are continually rising, a huge financial burden is placed on international students or college students seeking air transportation. One of the key areas United Airlines needs to focus on is making air travel affordable to the younger population or millennials. The average international ticket is over $1,000 and the average United States domestic ticket is over $400 (McCartney, 2014). That is an extremely expensive service for a 20-year-old person paying tuition for college. PositioningRead MoreAirline Sustainable Competitive Advantage1439 Words   |  6 Pagesprogrammes/Alliances †¢ Short term influence on customer behaviour †¢ Airline hub model †¢ Fuel costs †¢ Technology enhancements †¢ Safety record †¢ Cooperate culture in relation to wages, loyalty and productivity †¢ Load factors †¢ Expansion with class of population When an airline does not have a sustainable competitive advantage, it does not have any properties of differences from there competitor and turns to a dangerous price war. The sustainable competitive advantage (changes) needs to be representativeRead MoreUs Airline Industry Analysis1507 Words   |  7 Pagesglobal PLF was 79.1% which is a result of a continued steady improvement in efficiency for the past five years (2008 = 75.0%)2. The industry has grown steadily in RPK at a CAGR of 4.7% over the past 20 years6 and 5.1% over the past five years9. As population, air travel per capita and globalization continues, the industry is forecasted to double in RPK over the next 15 years 6,8. Total revenue growth for the past 10 years has been steady at 7.6%, outpacing general GDP, while net profits are highlyRead MoreThe Business Philosophy And Labor1321 Words   |  6 Pagesuser, a seat mile in case of a commercial airline. American Airlines has been around since 1930 and its growth mo del has largely been to combine with smaller airlines from the start. The airline has a total of 9 hubs, all situated in cities across the US. Effects of the Economy American Airlines, the world’s major airline by traffic, reported a sharp jump in its earnings in 2015, making it the best year in the history of the airline. The airline observed a notableRead MoreUnited Airlines949 Words   |  4 Pages and United was one of them. In a Hail-Mary attempt to cut costs and avoid additional losses, United cut 950 pilot jobs, and over 1600 salaried positions. This move only added to the discontent felt for United within the airline labor and union population. Although considered to be part of the overall overhead costs by some in management, the departure of these employees also took several intangible resources (Hitt, Ireland Hoskissin, 2011). Countless dollars have been spent training these employees

The Prelude Essay Example For Students

The Prelude Essay This poem compared to Spring is slower and quieter, solemn and quite lethargic. Autumn uses long extended sentences, long vowels and many enjambments while Spring uses shorter, quicker phrases, short vowels and many alliterations, which means that the Spring poem is a lot more lively to read. The Autumn poem is also considerably longer than Spring so that it gives more detail to every aspect of Autumn. The Skating Poem by William Wordsworth was part of a large book of poetry called The Prelude. This poem is written as though it is meant as a Boys Poem because Wordsworth wrote this as if he was still a child. The poem starts off in a very positive, exciting and noisy way, however by the second stanza, the atmosphere changes to the complete opposite. Wordsworth begins the poem with him as a boy in the frosty season, when the sun was set (Line 1 / 2). He tells us that he is looking at his cottage and that all the windows are frosted up and that he doesnt want to go in, I heeded not the summons (Line 4). He continues to talk about how excited and happy he is and he says that he feels Proud and exulting, like an untired horse (Line 8). Wordsworth uses an onomatopoeic word to describe what he was doing, We hissd along the polished iced (Line 10). This phrase, with its use of assonance, helps us imagine the sound and the images that he saw when he was there. He talks about feeling like he does when he goes hunting. In Wordsworths time, hunting was very prevalent so using this image, he can think of excitement and the feeling of not knowing what is going to happen next. Throughout the poem he uses similes to help describe the wintry images to us and to allow us to see what he saw when he was a child, such as every ice crag / Tinkled like iron (Line 17). There are many enjambments throughout the poem which, as in Hopkins Spring, makes the poem continuous and fast paced, and this allows the reader understand the excitement that he felt when he was a child. The second stanza is slower than the first as the atmosphere changes from him being happy and excited, to being quiet and lonely. The images are darker and full of shadows. From being the most important thing in the first stanza, he is suddenly very small and insignificant in the second. He is kneeling on the ice and the cliffs seem to be whirling round him as he is dizzy, and he talks about watching the night get darker and the ice get quieter until he is the only one left, writing I stood and watchd / Till all was tranquil as a dreamless sleep. (Line 37/38). This poem I think is a mixture of both Spring and Autumn poems in the way it uses structure, atmosphere and imagery. Wordsworths poem begins in a happy, positive and exciting way just like Spring, using short phrases, short vowels and exciting words, however in the second stanza it gets slower and quieter, and uses long sentences and long vowels in a similar way to Autumn. My favourite poem out of the three I have chosen is Spring by G. M Hopkins. This is because it is a very fast moving and happy poem which describes all the best bits about Spring and gives a feeling of excitement and optimism as the season promises to move into a hot and bright summer from a cold, dark winter. I like how Hopkins talks about the innocence of Spring and how he compares it to the garden of Eden and also how he talks about the beauty of the season, using interesting alliteration and happy, cheerful images of new life.

McKenzie Shea Essays - Witchcraft, Religion, Culture,

McKenzie Shea April 10, 2013 English 9 3rd Hour The Mystery of the Salem Witch Trials In 1692 the puritan town of Salem, located in present day Danvers, Massachusetts, was the place were two hundred people were accused of witchcraft and twenty were executed in the Salem witch trials. The Salem witch trials began with a group of young girls who started to exhibit strange behaviors such as, shouting out in church ,having fits, making strange sounds, feeling like they were being pinched or pocked, and experiencing hallucinations (Annika L. pg. 1) . the girls were later told by a doctor that there strange behavior was the result of bewitchment. Then in February,two of the young girls that had supposedly been bewitched ,began to name off some women that they believed were the withes that had done that to them. Some of these witches included a slave from the Caribbean named Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osburn. These accusations were the start of the Salem witch trials. There are many theories to what made the young girls act the way that they had other than being victims of bewitchment. There are many things that could have played a role into this behavior such as, mental illness, physical illness, greed, or the puritan way of life. One such thing that could have played a role in the young girl's behavior was mental illness. The group of young girls was thought to have developed a violent case of hysteria. Hysteria causes strange uncontrollable symptoms which might have come across as bewitchment. Some of these symptoms include uncontrollable outbursts of emotion, irrationality, laughter, or weeping. This could explain the girl's strange actions and accusations. It is also thought that the girls of the Salem Witch Trials could have been developed or have been born with a physical illness. It was common back then to get ergot poisoning which is caused by fungus that grows on rye and other grains that would have been grown in Salem. Ergot poisoning can get passed down from mother to child or can be caused by eating the fungus covered grains. Like hysteria, ergot poisoning causes symptoms similar to t the girl's behaviors. Symptoms of ergot poisoning can cause convulsive fits, muscle spasms, nausea, and hallucinations. In Salem during this time ,they had a list on how to tell if someone is bewitched one of the signs was that the victim would see visions of the alleged witch, this could easily be explained if the girls in fact had ergot poising. Another theory that is thought to have caused the abnormal behavior was that it was done out of greed. Thus would have given the girls a motive to accuse all those people of witchcraft. Some say that the parents of the group of girls were extremely greedy and the only reason that they accused so many of witchcraft was so they could take over more land. The girls also accused the poor .This could have been so no one would notice that they were trying to take over lager amounts of land. One of the most believable theory of the Salem Witch Trials that would explain why the girls act in such strange ways was that it was caused by the pressures of the puritan lifestyle. Puritans live a strict and harsh lifestyle; daily life consisted mainly of work. Children were rarely allowed to play games or with toys because puritans believed that it was a sinful distraction. Puritan life was the hardest on girls. They were not allowed to show any emotions and could only act a certain way and if they did not they were severely punished. Many girls in Salem would fake illness to get attention and be rewarded. This extremely strict life style could be the reason for the girls of the Salem Witch Trials to act the way they had. Many historians have tried to find a reasonable explanation for these peculiar actions. But many people still like to believe that the Salem Witch Trials were the result of real witches. There of stories in Salem of young girls that would follow women around, and to some one of that day and age who seen that it would expect something supernatural was going on. The theory of the Salem witches has yet to be dis-proven .Although story's very on what really caused the Salem witch trials ,there are mainly logical explanations to what really cause the strange behavior. There could have been many things that could have played into the girls

Formation and Types of Irregular Galaxies

Formation and Types of Irregular Galaxies The word galaxy brings to mind images of the  Milky Way  or perhaps  the Andromeda galaxy, with their spiral arms and central bulges. These  spiral galaxies  are what people commonly imagine all galaxies look like. Yet, there are many types of galaxies in the universe and theyre not all spirals. To be sure, we live in a spiral galaxy, but there are also elliptical (rounded without spiral arms) and lenticulars (sort of cigar-shaped). Theres another set of galaxies that are rather shapeless, dont necessarily have spiral arms, but do have a lot of sites where stars are forming. These odd, blobby ones are called irregular galaxies.  Sometimes they get lumped in with the so-called peculiar galaxies due to their unusual shapes or other characteristics. Hubble Space Telescopes deepest view of the cosmos. There are hundreds of galaxies of all shapes and sizes in this image. NASA/ESA/STScI As many as a quarter of known galaxies are irregular.  With no spiral arms or central bulge, they dont seem to visually share much in common with either spiral or elliptical galaxies. However, they have some characteristics in common with spirals, at least. For one thing, many have sites of active star formation. Some may even have black holes at their hearts. Formation of Irregular Galaxies So, how do irregulars form? It seems that they are typically formed through gravitational interactions and mergers of other galaxies. Most,  if not all of them began life as some other galaxy type. Then through interactions with each other, they became distorted and lost some, if not all of their shape and features. Hubble Space Telescope looked at a pair of colliding galaxies that are tangling as they interact. The shock of the collision has produced blue streamers that look like clouds. They are actually giant starburst regions, where clusters of hot, massive young stars are being born. In the future, this may end up being an irregular galaxy for a time. NASA/ESA/STScI Some may have been created simply by passing near another galaxy. The gravitational pull of the other galaxy would tug on it and warp its shape. This will happen particularly if they pass near larger galaxies. This is likely what happened to the Magellanic Clouds, the smaller companions to the Milky Way. It appears that they were once small barred spirals. Because of their close proximity to our galaxy, they were distorted by gravitational interactions into their current unusual shapes. The Large Magellanic Cloud (middle left) and Small Magellanic Cloud (upper center) over Paranal Observatory in Chile. European Southern Observatory Other irregular galaxies seem to have been created through mergers of galaxies. In a few billion years the Milky Way will merge with Andromeda galaxy. During the initial time of the collision, the newly formed galaxy (which is nicknamed Milkdromeda) may look to be irregular as the gravity of each galaxy pulls on the other and stretches them like taffy. Then, after billions of years, they may eventually form an elliptical galaxy. This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows the massive elliptical galaxy Messier 60 (also called M60, or NGC 4649). M60 is 120 million light-years across and contains an estimated 400 billion stars. Highlighted in the inset is the dwarf galaxy M60-UDC1 which orbits the giant elliptical.M60-UCD1 is a tiny galaxy with a diameter of 300 light-years - just 1/500th of the diameter of the Milky Way! Despite its size it is pretty crowded, containing some 140 million stars.The dwarf galaxy may actually be the stripped remnant of a larger galaxy that was torn apart during a close encounter with Messier 60. Circumstantial evidence for this comes from the recent discovery of a monster black hole, which is not visible in this image, at the centre of the dwarf. The black hole makes up 15 percent of the mass of the entire galaxy, making it much too big to have formed inside a dwarf galaxy. NASA/ESA/STScI Some researchers suspect that large irregular galaxies are an intermediate step between the merger of similarly sized spiral galaxies and their eventual final forms as elliptical galaxies. The most likely scenario is that two spirals either mingle together or simply pass very near each other, resulting in changes to both partners in the galactic dance.   There is also a small  population of irregulars that dont fit into other categories. These are called dwarf irregular galaxies. They also look a lot like some galaxies as they existed early in the history of the universe, without a definite shape and looking more like a shred of a galaxy. Does this mean that the irregulars that are observed today are more like early galaxies? Or is there some other evolutionary path that they take? The jury is still out on those questions as astronomers continue to study them and compare younger to the ones they see that existed many billions of years ago. Types of Irregular Galaxies Irregular galaxies come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. This is not surprising considering  they may have started out as either spiral or elliptical galaxies  and simply distorted through the merger of two or more galaxies, or perhaps by nearby gravitational distortion from another galaxy. However, irregular galaxies can still all into a number of sub-types. The distinctions are usually associated with their shape and features, or lack thereof, and by their size. Irregular galaxies, particularly the dwarfs, are still not well understood. As weve already discussed, their formation is at the heart of the issue, particularly as we compare old (distant) irregular galaxies to newer (nearer) ones. Irregular Sub-types Irregular I Galaxies (Irr I): The first sub-type of irregular galaxies are known as Irr-I galaxies (Irr I for short) and are characterized by having some structure, but not enough to classify it as a spiral or elliptical galaxies (or any other type). Some catalogs break this sub-type down even further into those that exhibit either spiral features (Sm) - or barred spiral features (SBm) - and those that have structure, but not structure associated with spiral galaxies such as a central bulge or arm features. These are therefore identified as Im irregular galaxies.   Irregular II Galaxies (Irr II): The second type of irregular galaxy does not have any feature what so ever. When they were formed through gravitational interaction, the tidal forces were strong enough to eliminate all identified structure of what galaxy type it may have been previously. Dwarf Irregular Galaxies: The final type of irregular galaxy is the dwarf irregular galaxy mentioned above. As the name suggests, these galaxies are smaller versions of the two sub-types listed above. Some of them contain structure (dIrrs I), while others have no trace of such features (dIrrs II). There is no official cut-off, size-wise, for what constitutes a normal irregular galaxy and what is a dwarf. However, the dwarf galaxies tend to have low metallicity (that means that they are mostly hydrogen, with low amounts of heavier elements). They may also form  in a different way than normal-sized irregular galaxies. However, some galaxies currently classified as dwarf Irregulars are simply small spiral galaxies that have been distorted by a much larger nearby galaxy. Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

How did Julius Caesar affect Rome Research Paper

How did Julius Caesar affect Rome - Research Paper Example This allowed Caeser to have an immense number of supporters during his leadership in Rome. From Inter-Connect Universe (2011), Caesar was involved in the renovation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. Caeser went ahead and transformed Italy into one province thereby linking all the provinces to one central province. However, the prize was no longer the opportunity to further advance one’s career through even more illustrious service to Rome ; it was, instead, the power to make Rome accept the terms on which one justified one’s power (Griffin M, 205). Through this problem, of social wars that was present several years back was addressed. Individuals who were non Romans were able to get full citizenship and become Romans. Only when once power became concentrated under one man did concern for Rome’s overall urban image begin to be addressed (Galinsky, 235). Caeser appointed new senators who became subservient to him. Caeser realized that the republican institutions no longer operated effectively, and that only strong and enlightened leadership could permanently end the civil warfare destroying Rome (Perry M. 86). This minimized the effects of getting political challenge in Rome. What happens to Rome and the Romans in Julius Caeser, is that in the very process by which they are brought close to an apprehension in modernity, any proximity that may be established with them may be established with them disappears in a burgeoning complexity (Melehy 225). By passing the law to allow him to install consuls and magistrates, he appointed magistrates who became his representative and not representing the Romans, and he was able to dictate to the entire Rome. Bamber (1) in his journal contended that Caesars triumph in Rome surpassed all the others. Despite the hostility of his enemies, Caeser remained

Media Coverage of War Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media Coverage of War - Research Proposal Example It is timely because it is based on the recent developments more precisely the Iraq war and it is argumentative because it has several perspectives of the same. The misperceptions of media reporting in Iraq war are immensely contested, and numerous studies have found that there were rampant instances of misreporting with the aim of winning support for the war (Blue Water Media 1). Cases have been reported of journalists being embedded with soldiers who intensified biased reporting. The proposed study endeavors to answer the established research question that will illuminate on the selected topic regarding media coverage of war with particular focus on the Iraq war. As a result, for purposes of the study the main research question has been developed that will guide the whole process of the suggested study. The main research question established is The proposed study will henceforth focus on the thorough evaluation of the above questions in guiding the process of research. The processes and activities of the suggested study will be based on the endeavor to reply to the above questions. The proposed study on media coverage of war will be organized in a systematic manner and will involve several activities. Initially, a general overview of the subject will be sought whereby existing information on the topic will be evaluated. A thorough background of the study will be sought which will be followed by the collection of data that will form the basic procedure of the study. Several sources will be applied in the process of conducting the suggested study. The sources to be used will be of two categories, primary and secondary sources. Primary sources will be crucial in developing the original flavor of the research. Primary sources represent original research, which relies on new methods of finding data. Secondary sources, on the other hand, will be pivotal in exploring existing data from completed research and surveys that will

The differences in competencies Essay Example for Free

The differences in competencies Essay Write a formal paper (750-1,000 words) discussing the differences in competencies(ability of an individual to do a job properly) between nurses prepared at the associate-degree level versus the baccalaureate-degree level in nursing. For additional help finding research on this topic, refer to the library tutorial located at in the Student Success Center. Identify a patient care situation in which you describe how nursing care or approaches to decision-making may differ based upon the educational preparation of the nurse (BSN versus a diploma or ADN degree). RUBRIC: Differences in competencies between nurses based on degree level are accurate and supported with detail, while demonstrating deeper understanding by incorporating prior learning. Use of patient care situation to describe differences in approach to nursing care based upon formal educational preparation in nursing is accurate and supported with detail, while demonstrating deeper understanding by incorporating prior learning. Identify a patient care situation in which you describe how nursing care or approaches to decision-making may differ based upon the educational preparation of the nurse I. Introduction (1 paragraph) A. Thesis: BSN is better than ADN. 1. Why? a. More choices of employment b. More critical thinking developed c. Better pay d. I can specialize in healthcare areas and teach on these subjects (ex. wound care, tele) II. Body (5 paragraphs): Argument: A. Positives and negatives of ADN nurse 1. Positives: a. Get a degree in shorter amount of time but still get paid an RNs wage b. Get ADN and work and be making money and still support family while attaining BSN c. Get experience on the unit before accomplishing BSN degree (not so new feeling) 2. Negatives: a. Cannot work in hospital administration b. Is not up to magnet status B. Positives and negatives of BSN nurse

Socrates versus Nelson Mandela Essays -- essays research papers

As an Athenian philosopher, Socrates spent his life in constant pursuit of insight. He loved engaging in conversations that helped him derive philosophical views on a number of different issues. The birth of ideas through critical reasoning can be credited back to his method of teaching, which is now known as the Socratic Method. Although widely respected today, many of his teachings were found controversial in Athenian times. Socrates was placed on trial and put to death soon after because of the disapproval of his ideas. Even with the anticipation of death linguring in his path, Socrates remained composed and curious. During his defense, he made it clear that death was nothing to fear, but rather an accepted inevitability of life. â€Å"Those of us who think that death is an evil are in error†(Plato, 39). Instead of viewing his sentence as a burden, Socrates regarded it as a potential opportunity. If death was the soul's journey to another place, the possibilities could be endless. He could obtain a considerable amount of knowledge by conversing with those who had already passed on. He could discuss virtue with victims who had also suffered death through injustice. Socrates would be able to reveal his philosophical views without having to fear for his life, which to him could be the greatest gift attainable. His uncertainty of death left him with one other view, if not a journey, then death was simply a state of nothingness. It would be an eternal resting period free of any and all d isturbances, like a peaceful sleep where even dreams were absent. As Socrates saw it, either alternative was just an advancement of the soul and nothing to be uneasy over. Socrates spent time carefully challenging the true meaning of... ...ad the right to learn, it was the soul’s most admirable gift, in which he could place no price on. Mandela deemed an education important as well. In fighting against the apartheid, he hoped that people of all colors and social classes could have equality in education. Mandela wrote, â€Å"Education is the great engine of personal development (Mandela, 166).† He believed it was the only cure for poverty and ignorance. â€Å"I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions,† this famous line quoted by Lillian Hellman depicts the outlook of Socrates and Nelson Mandela. Even after being accused of some form of treason and being subjected to the punishment of losing their lives, neither man chose to conform to the basis of their authority. They had already carefully conceived their notions, and were not ready to mold them to fit someone else’s standards.

Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER THREE HISTORIAN

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