Voluntary Active Euthanasia

Voluntary Active Euthanasia Carlene Lawrence Hodges University PHI 3601 OL3 November 19, 2012 Abstract This paper will discuss the benefits of the legalization of Voluntary Active Euthanasia (VAE). It will define the differences between Active Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide, as well as the difference between active and passive. We will look at VAE from a legal perspective, with discussion about specific court cases that have set precedence in this matter. We will also look at it from a moral point of view; from a perspective of Utilitarian and Subjectivist principles, to show that VAE should be considered morally correct.Voluntary Active Euthanasia This paper will discuss the benefits of Active Voluntary Euthanasia (VAE). Although it is sometimes referred to as mercy killings, it is one of the most controversial topics in our world today. Many believe the right to live is one of the most important human rights. The right to die should be equally as important. First, we mus t discuss the difference between active and passive euthanasia. Active is the process by which a person is given something, such as a prescribed medication, to end their life, while passive is allowing a person to die naturally, not being given anything to help sustain their life.Second, we must not confuse VAE with Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS), as the two are quite different. With VAE, it is the doctor who administers life ending medications, with the patient’s permission, while with PAS, the patient is the one who ultimately ends their own life. It can be argued that there is no moral difference between active and passive, since the consequences, intentions, and actions are primarily the same. If medical treatment is withheld, allowing them to die naturally, this will prolong their pain and suffering, as well as that of their loved ones left to bear witness.It will also lead to large medical bills, which the families will be left to deal with. In an era where the cultur e is to provide rescue medicine, it is hard to decide what to do when facing end of life decisions for your loved ones. According to the Hippocratic Oath, physicians must â€Å"use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment, but will not use it to injure or wrong them† (Friend, 2011). While the actual Oath has been rewritten many times over the years, to reflect cultural changes, it has the same essence. But, who decides what is considered as injuring or wronging them?One person may consider aiding in the death of another to be wrong, but the person dying may not. U. S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein (1194) wrote, â€Å"There is no more profoundly personal decision, no one which is closer to the heart of personal liberty, than the choice which a terminally ill person makes to end his or her suffering†. Assisted suicide and euthanasia have been worldly controversial for centuries. However, the first organizations created to support the legalizatio n of such were in 1935 and 1938, in Great Britain and the United States, respectively.Great strides have been made in the right direction though. Consider the case of Karen Ann Quinlan. In 1975, after mixing alcohol and drugs at a party, Karen become unconscious and slipped into a coma (Quinlan & Radimer, 2005). After months of watching their daughter suffer, being kept alive by machines, the family decided they knew their daughter would not want to live this way and requested she be taken off of the respirator. However, they quickly found out that their wish could not be carried out without a court order. They lost their first court battle in New Jersey Superior Court.They appealed this decision and ended up in New Jersey State Supreme Court, where by a unanimous decision, they won. Karen’s father, Joseph Quinlan, was names as Karen’s guardian, and was permitted to make all healthcare choices for her. Julia Quinlan, Karen’s mother, writes: The ruling gave patie nts and families the right to live each stage of life, including the last stage, with dignity and respect, and for medical institutions such as hospitals, hospices and nursing homes that would now be required to establish and maintain ethics committees.In addition, the Quinlan case led to the creation of the â€Å"living will,† sometimes called an â€Å"advanced directive,† which outlines the personal wishes of the individual in regard to â€Å"extraordinary means† to maintain life. (Quinlan 2005) In 1990, 40 states collectively passed laws allowing competent citizens the right to make living wills. These documents put the power back into the hands of the ill, by allowing their wishes and voices to be heard when they themselves are unable to speak.They instruct doctors to withhold life-supporting treatment and systems in the event a person becomes terminally ill. They can also instruct emergency doctors not to perform life resuscitating devices when a person has become injured or ill. It is the opinion of this writer and other proponents, like Compassion & Choices (http://www. compassionandchoices. org) that it become legal to include right to die choices like voluntary euthanasia. In ancient Rome and Greece, putting someone to death, or assisting in dying was acceptable in certain situations.For example, it was acceptable to put to death newborns with severe birth defects. It wasn’t until Christianity started developing in the West, that euthanasia was determined to be morally and ethically wrong. It was, and still is, seen as a â€Å"violation of God’s gift of life†. (Abdulkadir, Ansari, & Sambo, 2012, p 673). This is where the ethical debate inevitably ensues. Opponents mostly come from the medical profession as well as religious groups. They believe that medical providers should be more concerned with caring and healing then curing and the ultimate outcome.Legalizing active euthanasia could put too much power in th e hands of the medical professionals, allowing the ill to be easily swayed and opening up the option for many lawsuits from surviving family members who do not agree with the practice. Proponents reason that keeping someone alive with medications and medical instruments, when they would otherwise die is not sustaining a true life. Also, they believe that this is not a question of if someone is to die, but how much they suffer in the interim. The main concern of health providers should be to ease or eliminate pain and suffering.If we can accept that passive euthanasia (rejecting the use of life sustaining treatment) is ethically and morally correct, than we should also accept active euthanasia as well. Utilitarianism says that actions should be judges as morally acceptable or unacceptable based on increases and decreases in total happiness and/or misery (total meaning everyone involved, not just one individual (Barcalow, 2007). Using this as a guide, it can be determined that VAE wou ld essentially be reducing misery by allowing terminally ill, and sick to die nstead of suffering. Therefore, it would be morally acceptable. Let us look at VAE from a Subjectivism standpoint. Subjectivism claims that â€Å"whatever an individual believes to be right or wrong is right or wrong for that individual† (Barclow, 2007). Therefore, what may be morally correct for one person may not be for another. Under this principle, we should consider that if you believe VAE to be morally incorrect, that does not stand to reason all of society believes this as well. Let’s look at euthanasia another way.Merriam-Webster (2012) defines euthanasia as: â€Å"the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy†. In most states, where VAE is not legal, doctors are permitted to withhold medical treatment from a dying person, if that is their wish. While this is not considered actively administering life ending medication, it can still be considered actively allowing the person to die, if the treatment they are withholding would keep the person alive, even if only temporarily.When defending the case for active euthanasia, often the subject of our pets inevitably comes up. It is common practice when our pets become ill or injured, to put them out of their misery, we have them, as we say, ‘put to sleep’, or ‘put down’. You never hear of someone keeping their pet alive on life sustaining machines and medications. When asked why they chose to put down their pet, almost everyone answers with they couldn’t bear to see the animal suffer. So then why do feel the need to keep our humans alive? Currently there are four states in the U. S. hat have legalized active euthanasia; Oregon in 1994 by the Oregon Death and Dignity Act, , Texas in 1999 by the Texas Futile Care Law, Washington in 2008 by the Washin gton Death and Dignity Act and Montana in 2008 through a trial court ruling, Baxter vs. Montana. It is also legal in several European and eastern countries, such as Belgium, Columbia, and the Netherlands. It is legal in certain situations in Switzerland. In conclusion, using the Utilitarian and Subjectivism Moral Principles, should consider voluntary active euthanasia morally acceptable. References Abdulkadir, A. B. , Ansari, A. H. , & Sambo, A.O. (2012). The right to die via euthanasia: an expository study of the shari'ah and laws in selected jurisdictions. Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences, 673+ Barcalow, E. (2007). Moral philosophy: Theories and issues. (4th Ed. ed. ). Belmont: The Thomson Corporation. Daniel, P. S. (2011). Speaking of the value of life. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal,  21(2), 181-199,6. Euthanasia (a) in Merriam-webster online dictionary. (2012, March 09). Retrieved from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/euthanasia Friend, Mary Louanne,M. N. , R. N. (2011). Physician-assisted suicide: Death with dignity?Journal of Nursing Law,  14(3), 110-116. Doi Rothstein, B. R. (1994). Assisted suicide: Helping terminally ill. Knight-Ridder Newspapers, 12(10), 615. Mary, L. F. (2011). Physician-assisted suicide: Death with dignity? Journal of Nursing Law,  14(3), 110-116. doi/913146489 Quinlan, J. , ; Radimer, F. (2005). My joy, my sorrow. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press. Rachels, J. (1975) Active and passive euthanasia . The New England Journal of Medicine 292 78-80 Rachels, J. (2001) Killing and letting die. Encyclopedia of Ethics 2nd ed. 2 947-50 Steinbock, B. , ; Norcross, A. (1994). Killing and letting die. Fordham Univ Pr.

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is a general name for a wide variety of diseases, disorders and conditions that affect the heart and sometimes the blood vessels as well. Risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease include having hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. Other risk factors include being of African-American ancestry, male, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, having a lot of long-term stress, smoking and having a family history of a heart attack at an early age.Some different types of cardiovascular disease includes angina, heart attack, heart failure, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and cardiac arrhythmias. Other forms of cardiovascular disease include congenital heart defects, cardiomyopathy, infections of the heart, coronary artery disease, heart valve disorders, myocarditis, and pericarditis. Symptoms of cardiovascular disease vary depending on the specific type of cardiovascular disease. A classic symptom of cardiovascu lar disease is chest pain.However, with some forms of cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, there may be no symptoms in some people until life-threatening complications. Treatment of cardiovascular disease begins with prevention. Many forms of cardiovascular disease can be prevented or controlled effectively with prevention measures that include regular exercise, not smoking or drinking excessively, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, and eating a heart-healthy well-balanced diet. Risk factors, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension can be prevented or controlled through these lifestyle changes, regular medical care and/or medication.Heart disease can be improved — or even prevented — by making certain lifestyle changes. The following changes can help anyone who wants to improve his or her heart health: Stop smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease, especially atherosclerosis. Nicotine constricts blood vessels and force s your heart to work harder, and carbon monoxide reduces oxygen in your blood and damages the lining of your blood vessels. If you smoke, quitting is the best way to reduce your risk of heart disease and its complications.Control your blood pressure. Ask your doctor for a blood pressure measurement at least every two years. Check your cholesterol. Ask your doctor for a baseline cholesterol test when you're in your 20s and then at least every five years. Keep diabetes under control. If you have diabetes, tight blood sugar control can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Get moving. If you have heart disease, exercise helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and control diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure — all risk factors for heart disease.If you have a heart arrhythmia or heart defect, there may be some restrictions on the activities you can do, so be sure to talk to your doctor first. With your doctor's OK, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical ac tivity most days of the week. Even if you can't make time for one 30- to 60-minute exercise session, you can still benefit from breaking up your activity into several 10-minute sessions. Eat healthy foods. A heart-healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium — can help you control your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.Eating one or two servings of fish a week also is beneficial. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease. Weight loss is especially important for people who have large waist measurements — more than 40 inches (101. 6 centimeters, or cm) for men and more than 35 inches (88. 9 cm) for women — because people with this body shape are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease. Manage stress. Reduce stress as much as possible. Practice healthy techniques for managing stress, such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing. Practice good hygiene habits.Staying away from other people when they are sick and regularly washing your hands can not only prevent heart infections but also can help prevent viral or bacterial infections that can put stress on your heart if you already have heart disease. Also, brushing and flossing your teeth regularly can prevent germs in your mouth from making their way to plaques in your heart, which could worsen cardiovascular disease. Get a flu shot. If you have cardiovascular disease, you're at a greater risk of having a heart attack should you catch the flu. Getting a flu shot decreases this risk. Cardiovascular Disease Cardiovascular disease is a general name for a wide variety of diseases, disorders and conditions that affect the heart and sometimes the blood vessels as well. Risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease include having hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. Other risk factors include being of African-American ancestry, male, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, having a lot of long-term stress, smoking and having a family history of a heart attack at an early age.Some different types of cardiovascular disease includes angina, heart attack, heart failure, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and cardiac arrhythmias. Other forms of cardiovascular disease include congenital heart defects, cardiomyopathy, infections of the heart, coronary artery disease, heart valve disorders, myocarditis, and pericarditis. Symptoms of cardiovascular disease vary depending on the specific type of cardiovascular disease. A classic symptom of cardiovascu lar disease is chest pain.However, with some forms of cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, there may be no symptoms in some people until life-threatening complications. Treatment of cardiovascular disease begins with prevention. Many forms of cardiovascular disease can be prevented or controlled effectively with prevention measures that include regular exercise, not smoking or drinking excessively, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, and eating a heart-healthy well-balanced diet. Risk factors, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension can be prevented or controlled through these lifestyle changes, regular medical care and/or medication.Heart disease can be improved — or even prevented — by making certain lifestyle changes. The following changes can help anyone who wants to improve his or her heart health: Stop smoking. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease, especially atherosclerosis. Nicotine constricts blood vessels and force s your heart to work harder, and carbon monoxide reduces oxygen in your blood and damages the lining of your blood vessels. If you smoke, quitting is the best way to reduce your risk of heart disease and its complications.Control your blood pressure. Ask your doctor for a blood pressure measurement at least every two years. Check your cholesterol. Ask your doctor for a baseline cholesterol test when you're in your 20s and then at least every five years. Keep diabetes under control. If you have diabetes, tight blood sugar control can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Get moving. If you have heart disease, exercise helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and control diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure — all risk factors for heart disease.If you have a heart arrhythmia or heart defect, there may be some restrictions on the activities you can do, so be sure to talk to your doctor first. With your doctor's OK, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of physical ac tivity most days of the week. Even if you can't make time for one 30- to 60-minute exercise session, you can still benefit from breaking up your activity into several 10-minute sessions. Eat healthy foods. A heart-healthy diet based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains — and low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium — can help you control your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol.Eating one or two servings of fish a week also is beneficial. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease. Weight loss is especially important for people who have large waist measurements — more than 40 inches (101. 6 centimeters, or cm) for men and more than 35 inches (88. 9 cm) for women — because people with this body shape are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease. Manage stress. Reduce stress as much as possible. Practice healthy techniques for managing stress, such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing. Practice good hygiene habits.Staying away from other people when they are sick and regularly washing your hands can not only prevent heart infections but also can help prevent viral or bacterial infections that can put stress on your heart if you already have heart disease. Also, brushing and flossing your teeth regularly can prevent germs in your mouth from making their way to plaques in your heart, which could worsen cardiovascular disease. Get a flu shot. If you have cardiovascular disease, you're at a greater risk of having a heart attack should you catch the flu. Getting a flu shot decreases this risk.

A Review Article on Concept Mapping

A Review Article on Concept Mapping A concept is a perceived regularity in events or objects designated by a label. Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge in networks of concepts and linking statements about a problem or subject (Novak one for pathophysiology and one for care planning. It is sometimes easier to follow a care map if diagnoses, goals and interventions are placed in different shaped figures such as circles, octagons, and triangles. Concept mapping is used broadly in nursing education. Nursing faculty may employ them as a teaching strategy in the classroom and students may use them as a note taking or study tool. There are multiple structures used for concept mapping. They are an effective way to teach learners how to think about concepts and to see the big picture of how the many facts and variables in a situation fit together. Objectives Concept maps have been used in nursing education as a method for students to organize and analyze data. This review article examine s empirical studies on the use of concept maps as a metacognitive tool, as a tool improve students’ critical thinking abilities and as a teaching-learning method in nursing and discusses the effectiveness of using concept mapping in the nursing education. Its implications to research and implications for nursing education will also be discussed.

People Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

People Management - Essay Example The other role of human resources is orientation into an organization where after hiring; an employee is expected to familiarize him or herself with the organization and its functions and operations (Durai 2010, p.180). In this case, human resource management plays its role in orientation, where it acquaints its employees with aspects of the organizations so that the employee is comfortable in the organization and ready to work based on the information that is passed on to him or her during this process. Human resource managers provide information on the basics and other information that an employee collects and creates in the process of working in then organization, but most of it is the basics that are provided at orientation. The third important role of human resource managers is training and development, where it provides employees with skills and knowledge to perform their tasks and fulfil their duties responsibly and as per organizational objectives. In this role, human resourc e development provides training for new employees who lack in experience and provide training for employees with experience, but whose jobs are dynamic in that they are undergoing change (MacDonald, n.d). Line managers are similar to human resource managers in that they manage their own employees but with the only difference, which that implies that they have necessary skills to act as supervisors and solve problems that the employees might encounter (Sunny-tbadesha, 2010). Line managers have the responsibility of maintaining a working environment that can be said to be open concerning the absence of discriminative practices and harassment (Manchester Metropolitan University, n.d, p.5). Elements of Recruitment and Selection Process The key aspects if the recruitment process entails well documented steps that are only charged to human resource managers and they include human resource planning, job analysis, staffing, orientation, training and development, performance appraisal and ot hers. Some are more significant than others are and the first is job analysis, which entails mapping out the availability of a job opening and knowing, and comes up with job description. The importance of indicating clear job specification in any organization cannot be over emphasized as it is of critical value to all. Compiling of job descriptions lies squarely within the human resource manager, who is charged with the role of hiring personnel based on tasks to be carried out in the organization (Gitman et al., 2009, p.206). A clear-cut description highlights what the organization expects from each employee as it entails the details of personnel roles and duties. This saves time and resources that could have been otherwise lost in the confusion created by mixed roles and disorganization within the company. Therefore, effective job descriptions provide efficient communication channels within an organization since every employee is aware of their role. Similarly, the employees become aware of the company’s mission and vision, as well as explaining how each of them fits into the organization’s future. Moreover, clear job specifications help in weeding out unqualified applicants while ensuring the recruitment of qualified personnel (Deb, 2006,

Comunication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comunication - Essay Example It is also advisable for one to look people directly in the eye when communicating. Eye contacts in communication convey truth as well as honor. It is also good to ask questions before ending a conversation so as to clarify on some points that were not clear. Writing things down is also part of communication; writing helps one to remember a lot. Additionally, it is advisable for one to read whole messages or mails in order to avoid concluding things in the wrong way. Health care environment is associated with diverse communication between health care practitioners and patients as well as patients and nurses. As a result of this, effective communication is crucial. Team collaboration is also paramount to all activities that take place within a health-center. In most occasions, lack of communication results to medical errors; unfortunately, medical errors are a pervasive problem in many health care organizations (Finkelman, 2012). The errors are also the main causing agents for the deaths in healthcare organizations. Since medical education advocates error-free practices, it is crucial for health care professionals to be good in communication as well as to have good communication

Choose two anthropology questions in this six questions and answer Assignment

Choose two anthropology questions in this six questions and answer - Assignment Example As a rite of passage, hajj represents a change in faith as Muslims who attend this annual pilgrimage are considered to have attained great faith in their religious beliefs. Hajj is also a rite of passage because it is a ritual worship that members of the Islamic faith are expected to fulfill (Tagliacozzo 4). The concept of the â€Å"one-and-the-many† can be said to relate to the notions of whether Hinduism is a monotheistic or polytheistic religion. Based on this concept, one understands how the multiplicity of Gods is an issue of concern in the Hindu religion. Among the Hindus, there is a tendency to worship many Gods as opposed to worshiping a certain religious deity. The various deities in the Hindu religion are a representation of a single supreme being known as Brahman. Hindus do not worship many gods; rather, they have only one god and different deities (Morgan

Godfather I by Francis Ford Coppola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Godfather I by Francis Ford Coppola - Essay Example In the opening scene where a person is asking for justice, not from the law but from a compatriot, sets the tenor of the film. ‘Why did you go to the police? Why didn’t you come to me first?’(Vito Corleone) subtly illustrates the disillusions of an immigrant about the law and justice of the country and how he is forced to adopt other ‘means’ to get the same. Godfather is a film which revolves around an Italian-American family which operates a crime syndicate in New York in mid-forties. Vito Corleone, the patriarchal head of one of the five ’family’ involved in the crime syndicate, is the protagonist of the film. He often works beyond the realm of law because he has powerful contacts in the political arena and the judiciary. Despite exerting awesome influence and muscle power, he has a very strong sense of justice and commands great respect from people who do not hesitate to ask for his help when the law fails to do so! He becomes their ‘protector’ when the need arises so he is better known as ‘the godfather’. The only return for his good deed is their loyalty which he gets. His portrayal of a deeply religious family man reinforces people’s trust in him. His firm belief that family can alleviate a lot of pain and anguish is amply illustrated when he admonishes his godson Johnny Fontane, a sin ger, in his study as he says ‘..cause a man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man’. Indeed â€Å".The Godfather puts forward a positive picture of a family†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Glenn Man in genre and ideology) The introduction of the youngest son Michael during the wedding reception heralds amalgamation of American values and Italian culture. The educated younger son, who has just returned from the war, comes with his girlfriend. His statement that ‘my father made him an offer he couldn’t refuse’ went on to become one the most famous one-liner in the history of Hollywood films.

Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Business - Assignment Example The academic journal by Orlando Behling (1998) titled â€Å"Employee selection: will intelligence and consciousness do the job† has put concerted effort to settle this challenge. According to Behling (1998), there seems to be commonalities among the employers during the recruitment of employees which attempt to match the best employee to the jobs. The interest of all employers is to recruit the best that they can select, however the method that they use does not lead to the wish that they have. On that account, a number of the managers now questions the succinct matching approach that can give the best from the group of job seekers. In that line, the managers now have an idea that top performers are those that can be successful in almost, if not all jobs. This is one of the yard stick that can be used. In further attempt to unknot this conundrum, an examination that was made at Gatewood and Fields Human resource selection, had footsteps that could establish the best matching approach of the best performer with the job. According to the examination, an emphasis was made on the imperativeness of the industrial psychologist and the human resource managers in in matching the best performers and the employment (Behling, 1998). The article goes ahead to explain the other modalities that are on the use to enhance the matching of the best performer to the employment. The use of intelligence is hinged on the idea that the smart people finish first. Using this mantra, most of the employers having been using this matching technique to have the recruitment work done. The explanation of the word has been used in getting into the core reason why it has been used weather consciously or unconsciously. It defined as the human talent to solve problem. There are ten intelligence that human being are endowed with. They include deductive, inductive, memory, mechanical, numerical, perpetual reasoning, spatial, verbal and vocabulary. Using this

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Case study - Essay Example This may have been due to the personal relationships he had with them or a more secure way to protect his power. However continental AG did not appreciate this from Gruenberg, they became suspicious and feared he was not on there side, rather more, a traitor. This conflict if seen from continental’sside is a breach of ethical business conduct. Loyalty to ones organization and building trust for those you work for is one of the major stems of business ethics. To cover up and improve relations with Continental AG, Schaeffler offered new concepts and ideas on how they can, together, become more powerful and profitable. Schaeffler needed to satisfy the board of AG to further negotiate as this approval was necessary. Schaeffler made offers to support the continental AG in financial matters, Continental AG did keep negotiations very tight in the beginning and seemed very reluctant, but there sudden offer of shares came as a surprise to everyone. Continental had predicted the downfall of the automobile industry and it was in their interest to offer the shares to Schaeffler, it can be considered as a rather smart move. The new CEO K T Neumann unwisely made a statement which led to dropping in share prices; this announcement was solely made for the personal benefit of his own as he had already begun seeking a position elsewhere. This again can be seen as a breach of business ethics. From the above two examples we can see that people in this organization were merely seeking their own benefit and power. There is no sense of responsibility or morals when it comes to switching sides in business politics. Von Gruenberg, the chairman of the supervisory board, who was initially suspected of favoring the Schaeffler suddenly considers them to lead to a debt burden, this sudden change of attitude is termed as sabotage, as the Schaeffler were no t expecting it. There were various conflicts when it came to choosing

Prevention of teen pregnancy Essay Example for Free

Prevention of teen pregnancy Essay Explain the level of prevention with teen pregnancy (can choose your own level out of the three levels).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Teenage pregnancy has been a major problem not only in the developed world but also recently in the developing nations.   In the US and Canada, due to the increased awareness amongst teenagers, the prevalence of teenage pregnancies is decreasing.   However, in several developing nations, the incidence of teenage pregnancies is on the rise.   In the year 1999, it was found that about 97 teenagers out of every 1000 between the ages of 15 to 19 years were pregnant and about 80 % of them were not desired.    Before the age of 18 years, 80 % of the teenage girls have sex.   The age of menarche has also dropped to 12 to 13 years (Weiss, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Teenage pregnancies may not be intended for social reasons but due to other including medical and psychological.   The chances of the girl to have a miscarriage, abortion, stillborn baby, etc, are reasonable higher.   These girls are usually the ones who belong to the lower socioeconomic groups and the chances of living in poverty are realistically higher.   The financial burden on the woman would also increase, as she would now have to leave her studies and pick up some job in order to support her child.   Children born from a teen mother are frequently underweight and are at a high risk of developing health problems.   Due to a number of causes, it is always preferred that teenage pregnancies are prevented.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are three different levels of prevention when it comes to teenage pregnancies.   These include primary prevention, secondary prevention and tertiary prevention.   Primary prevention includes measures to prevent pregnancies through physical or other methods.   These include use of contraceptive pills, condoms, etc.   This helps to reduce minimize the risk of getting pregnant.   Secondary prevention includes checkups, scans, etc, to ensure that the girl does not get pregnant.   This is usually followed if primary prevention is not enabled.   Tertiary prevention of includes taking measures to prevent any further pregnancies after one has already occurred in the teenage girls.   The best level of prevention would be primary prevention (Connelly Inui, 2004).  Ã‚               How might this specific level of prevention be addressed in a community experiencing an increase in family violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several measures which need to be adopted for primary prevention of teenage pregnancies.   These include health education, sex education, school and college based programs, health services, use of condoms, use of contraceptives (birth control pills), etc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the teen pregnancy prevention program several people belonging to the community should be involved including the teenagers, parents, teachers, legislatures, administrators, professionals, media, medical professionals, School authorities, etc.   It is important that the entire community be involved in the program, as teenage pregnancy is a multi-faceted issue.   People are advised to develop responsible health attitudes, behavior and practices regarding teenage pregnancy.  Ã‚   The program should be much more than just offering health services and counselling services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The program should take place at several places including schools, colleges, health centers, public health centers, community discussions, etc.   The targets of such programs should be more realistic and achievable.   Both the boy and girl should actively take part in such programs.   At all stages, it is very important that the family and the parents are involved.   Besides, resources and materials such as condoms, birth control pills, education material, counselling services, etc, should be provided.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the teenage pregnancy prevention program, multiple agencies should be involved.   In the planning and implementation of the program, teenagers themselves should be involved.   The parents should educate and create awareness in their children about sex and pregnancy during the childhood stage itself.   Hence, involvement of the parents is also required.   Mobile services would also help to create awareness in rural and far-flung areas.   The trust should be in creating increased levels of confidence, self-esteem and decision-making amongst teenagers.   Teenagers should also be educated about drug abuse and alcohol abuse.   Drug abuse can affect judgment, which can lead to irresponsible sex behavior. Explain why a comprehensive health program should address all three levels of prevention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Teenage pregnancy programs need to address all the levels of prevention, as focusing on one single level of prevention and ignoring others would create bias and negative attitudes of the community to those girls who have already become pregnant.   As the rates of teenage pregnancy are reasonable high and a significant number of girls become pregnant during the teenage period, there are high chances that they would lead a miserable life.   This may make it all that more difficult to enable the process of primary prevention.   Several facilities such as health education, medical services for the mother and the child, housing, financial support, nursing homes, counselling, etc, need to be provided.   It is important that teenagers who become pregnant be given all the care and love during the pregnancy period and not be driven out of the house.   Pregnant girls should also be given counselling services as they would not know much of the manner in which their healthcare needs have to be met.   They should be specifically warned about drug abuse and smoking during this period. The focus should be on ensuring that the mother and child are healthy and do not suffer.   During the pregnancy period, the young father should be supportive of the girl.   The young mother should also be educated about the manner in which abuse and neglect need to be tackled. References: Connelly, M. T. Inui, T. S. (2004). â€Å"Principles of Disease Prevention.† In: Braunwald, E., Fauci, A. S., Kasper, D. L., Hauser, S. L., Longo, D. L. and Jameson, J.L. (Eds) Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, New York: McGraw-Hill. Huberman, B. (2005). â€Å"National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (NTPPM) Planning Guidebook.† Retrieved on December 9, 2007, from Advocates of Youth Web site. Ontarios Maternal, Newborn and Early Child Development Resource Centre and the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (2007). â€Å"Update report on Teen pregnancy prevention.† Retrieved on December 9, 2007, from OMNECD Web site: SHPPS (2006). â€Å"Pregnancy Prevention.† Retrieved on December 9, 2007, from SHPPS Web site. Weiss, D. (2006). â€Å"Reducing Teenage Pregnancy.† Retrieved on December 9, 2007, from Planned Parenthood Web site: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-issues/teen-pregnancy-sex-education/teenage-pregnancy-6240.htm

Factors that lead to employee motivation

Factors that lead to employee motivation Employees are considered as one of the most valuable asset of an organization and they contribute to various activities of an organization. There is a need in every organizational to motivate their employees in order to render organizational commitment of the employees and if an employee is committed toward to an organization than there will be strong desire in an employee to work toward s the goals of an organization and to remain in the organization which will in turn lead to success of the organization. The purpose of this research is to examine and evaluate the factors which motivate the employees. One reason for choosing this topic is that it is an important fact that employees spend a lot of time at work for almost 40 years of their lives therefore it is important that employees should be satisfied with their job and the working environment. Apart from this topic being so interesting and important, there are different theories than can be used to look at motivation from different angles. Reasons for choosing Pepsi Pepsi co has a work oriented approach with highly skilled and knowledgeable employees. Pepsi is a world leader in producing beverages and other consumer product. PepsiCo in Pakistan produces financial rewards for its investors and provide growth opportunities to its employees. The aim of the management of PepsiCo is to build a work force that is motivated and associated with the objectives of the organization. At PepsiCo both financial and non financial practices are undertaken to motivate the employees. My research will focus on the non financial practices for motivation. Project Objectives and research questions: The objective of this research is to understand the factors that motivate employees. Employees not only focus on financial rewards but also non financial rewards and benefits which are responsible for motivation among employees. The objective of this report focuses on the impacts of non financial practices on employee motivation. A smaller part of this report will focus on the financial factors responsible for motivating employees. The main aim of this research is to identify and analyze the factors that motivate the employess using different theories of motivation. Both primary and secondary sources will be used to identify these factors. Primary research will give more detailed and in depth analysis. The main primary question will be: Are PepsiCo employees motivated? What factors lead to employee motivation? How can PepsiCo improve motivation of its employees? The answers to the above three questions will help in identifying and analyzing the areas of strengths and weakness in overall motivation process at PepsiCo. At the end recommendation will be given that how Pepsi can improve and work on their areas of weakness. Overall research approach: To begin with the research first of all I will analyze whether the employees at PepsiCo are motivated or not. I will use results obtained from primary research and secondary sources to do the overall analysis of motivation. Once I have found that employees at PepsiCo are motivated or not I will identify and analyze the factors that are responsible for motivating employees or responsible for their dissatisfaction. The factors that I will use will be based on the theories of motivation I will be using. There is at least one question in the primary research questionnaire for each factor. The questionnaire will ask the participating employees to put in order of importance the factors they consider are most important and will motivate them. The theories that I will be using are: Herzbergs motivation hygiene theory Vrooms expectancy theory From the information that I will obtain from primary and secondary research I will make recommendations to PepsiCo that on which factors they can improve on and which factors they should not focus on as they do not help in motivating employees. Finally in the conclusion I will discuss the overall effectiveness of the motivation process of employees at PepsiCo. Part 2: Sources and methods used for collecting information: The secondary sources that I am using for my research are websites, books and business magazines, whereas primary research will be conducted through a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed among different employees working at different positions at PepsiCo. The questionnaire has at least one question relating to the factor considered. The participating employees were asked to put in order of importance the factors that the considered are the most important for their motivation. This help me identifying that where PepsiCo is putting its emphasis and on what factors it is not putting much emphasis. Limitations of your information gathering Ethical issues and how they were resolved The main ethical issue concerned was of confidentiality as this report discusses private personal information as well as information about PepsiCo which gives PepsiCo completive advantage. To overcome the issue of confidentiality the surveys are kept anonymous and individual results will not be shown. I am a customer of PepsiCo and I am an admirer of it. However I ensure that my results are not biased in favor of PepsiCo. I made sure that I focused on the factual data for my results. Accounting and/or business techniques and their limitations Motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behaviour (Princeton, 2010). There are two types of motivation theories, process theories and content theories. According to content theory man has needs which tend to change over time. Man will be motivated when these needs are satisfied. Therefore the theory identifies factors that are needed to be satisfied in order to motivate an individual. Whereas process theories believe that motivation leads to actions which will satisfy an individuals need. Content theory believes thats if needs of an individual are satisfied then he is motivated whereas process theories believe motivation leads to actions that can satisfy needs. There are two types of process theories, expectancy theory and equity theory. According to expectancy theory an individual has to expect that their ability and skill will help them to complete a task which will lead to fulfillment of desired need. Therefore a job design is important. Equity theory analyzes the ratio between an individual input and the expected outcome. An individual input includes his effort, his ability, his training etc where as the expected outcome includes the pay he is getting, his status etc. An individual is de-motivated when he believes that his input to output ratio is not similar to his coworkers in the company. For example if one employees earns à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬200,000 of revenue for the company in a year and earns an income of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬30,000 whereas his coworker who has been at the company for 4 years longer than him earns an income of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40,000 even though he also earns à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬200,000 of revenue for the company. For my research project the motivation theories I have chosen is one process and one content theory, which are discussed below: Herzbergs Hygiene Motivation theory Frederick Herzberg (1966) was a student of accountants and engineers in Pennsylvania and he identified the two-factor theorem for job satisfaction. He noted that the opposite of satisfaction is not, no satisfaction but is dissatisfaction. Therefore the two factors he indentified ere hygiene factors and motivating factors. The hygiene factors are those which remove job dissatisfaction and motivating factors are those which cause job satisfaction. Hygiene factors are the needs which an employer must provide in order to stop an employees dissatisfaction. Some of the primary hygiene factors are : Company policy Supervision Working conditions Relationship with peers Salary Security These factors are all external and will satisfy human physiological needs. Physiological needs include such as food and shelter etc Whereas motivating factors will satisfy a persons psychological needs and are fundamental. The important motivating factors are: Achievement Recognition Work itself Responsibility Advancement and Growth Motivating factors will not be met until and unless hygiene factors are not met. However if both factors are successful then the employees will be loyal and will be more productive. Now looking at the limitations of the theory: The first limitation this theory has is that it does not see employees as individuals with different personalities. As all human beings have different needs and different wants therefore it is inappropriate to consider that same factors will motivate everybody. The second limitation with this theory is that it assumes that only motivated employees are productive however this may not hold true in some cases. Therefore it can be seen that theory does not consider an individuals ability and his skills. Also at time the managers blame that hygiene factors lead to employees dissatisfaction and they tend to ignore the motivating factors, which may be the main reason for an employees de-motivation. Vrooms Expectancy theory of motivation. Vroom presented the following equation for motivation: Motivation = Valence x Expectancy (Instrumentality) In this equation Valence means the depth of want and expectancy and instrumentality considered the employees perception about his chances of receiving bonus or reward. This theory is based on the employees ability to predict whether he will be able to complete the given task. This ability to predict can be low for tasks which are complex and in such cases the theory will be considered ineffective. Part 3 Results, analysis conclusions and recommendations Are employees at PepsiCo motivated? Interest in task According to the content theories, when an individual is attracted in what they are doing it motivates them to complete the task. According to Herzberg this is an essential factor and therefore is a need to develop this factor in the employees. Therefore it is important to understand that if the need for interest of the employees is satisfied than they will be motivated to work and perform the task successfully. Process theorists also agree that interest fac t is important for motivation bur however according to them, individuals are motivated because they believe that they will get the desired reward. According to Vroom if an individual is interested in their wok and are satisfied with their job then they will believe that they will succeed and they are motivated to work for their success. Hence Interest in task by the employee is an important factor and PepsiCo should give time to it. Graph exp As in the questionnaire question 1 and 2 are about the factor interest in task. The results shows that employees at PepsiCo believe that their work task gives them personal satisfaction as they have answered these questions as agree and strongly agree. None of the employees said that they were dissatisfied with their job, however it is seen from the survey that satisfaction level of some employees need to be improved therefore there is a room for improvement for PepsiCo. Also on the important list of the survey this factor varies from levels 1 to 9, which shows that how different employees view this factors importance. This shows that the result match with Vrooms theory because the employees feel that interest in task does not have a positive relation with skills and ability and the results does not correlate with Herbergs theory which believes that interest in task is a motivator. Recognition Recognition means that you are acknowledged by the other because of your good performance in a task. According to Herzberg recognition is an important intrinsic motivating factor because it gives an employee the feeling of self worth and an employee feels good about himself. If an employee feels good about him and is confident then he will be motivated as well. According to Vroom recognition makes an employee motivated to do the work again as he knows that it will lead to success. Process Theorist believe on larger rewards such as financial bonuses where as Herzbergs theory prefers smaller rewards and frequents recognitions for making one feel good about himself. Graph Working environment According to Herzberg working environment is a hygiene factor that is required to keep away dissatisfaction but it is not a motivator itself. According to Process theories a factor is only motivating if it helps individuals in achieving a specific goal. According to Vroom a working environment is a motivator as it is required to perform a task. This factors shows that how both theories have different conclusions about it. Graph n explanation 4. Relationship with peers According to Herzberg relationships are not needed by individuals as they are an external factor. Content theories don not encourage companies to spend their resources on building relationships among peers. According to Vroom the need for relationship among peers is important depends on whether it is an important factor in achieving success. According to the equity theory motivation depends how individuals sees themselves by comparing himself with the others in the same organization. Graph n explanation Relationship with senior The use of the theories for this factor is alike to the conclusion drawn in the above factor relationships with peers but process theorist would see this factor as a motivating factor because it is important to build relationship with seniors and gain their respect in order to get promotion. Graph n explanation Reasonable expectations from the organization Reasonable expectations mean that a just quantity of work is given by the manager. According to Herzberg this factor is a hygiene factor and not a motivator because unreasonable expectations from the manager will lead to dissatisfaction even if other motivating factors are also present. According to Vroom this is a motivating factor because if they expectations are reasonable the employee will believe that he will be able to succeed and hence will be motivated to perform the task. Graph n explanation Career advancement According to Herzberg career advancement is a motivating factor because it indicates personal growth and the employee who is given growth opportunities and promotions will be motivated to work. According to process theorists career advancement is a motivating factor as long as the individual feels that it is realistic and the expectations for promotion are high. According to Vroom career advancement is a motivating factor as this will lead to employees ability to succeed. Graph n explanation Company Pride Graph n explanation 9. Monetary rewards Graph n explanation 10. Job Security Graph n explanation Sample questionnaire Gender: Male Female Age Length of time working at the company: Less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-10 years More than10 years Department: The numbers indicate the following: 1 Strongly disagree 2 -disagree 3 Neutral 4 -agree 5 Strongly agree My work is interesting. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree Doing my job fine gives me personal satisfaction. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree My manager gives me recognition when I do an excellent job. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree The company has reasonable expectations from its employees. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I am satisfied with the working environment 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree There is a feeling of teamwork in the company. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree The people I work with improve my job satisfaction 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I respect my manager as a capable professional. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree My manager treats me with respect. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I have satisfactory opportunities for professional growth in this company. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I am satisfied with the level of training 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I am rewarded for the work I perform 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I would leave the company if I was offered better salary at another company 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I feel my job is secure 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I expect to leave the company within the next 12 months 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I am proud to work for the company. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree Overall, I am very satisfied with my job at the company. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree Put the following in order of importance to you regarding your satisfaction (number 1 most important, 9 Least important, next to each item) Interest in job Recognition Working conditions Relationship with peers Relationship with seniors Reasonable expectations from my manager Career progression Monetary rewards Job Security Other Please state

Can Science and Religion Co-exist? Essay -- Religion

Science and theology have diverged lines amongst several of the world’s phenomenon with the two greatest differences being human and world development. Although there are differences in the beliefs of these two groups, they are ultimately attempting to solve the same puzzles that consume the minds of members of both disciplines. In the end one might say, both disciplines are working to solve two different puzzles that may be really different, but ultimately are aspects of the same puzzle. Both the method and the aims of science and religion seem to be different. Science is considered to be more linked to the material aspect of all things, where religion is concerned with the spiritual. These are just two of the differences to be discussed in this paper, as I attempt to answer the question of â€Å"Can science and religion co-exist?† Science and religion both create feelings ranging from suspicion, distrust, and conflict to those of respect, tolerance, and conciliation. The feelings created are often dependent on an individual’s level of involvement with the corresponding discipline of study. Extremist in either discipline would be most likely to develop the negative feelings listed above, while those with knowledge of both studies would lean towards the feelings associated with respect and tolerance. Another group of individuals who would typically respect and tolerate the beliefs of both studies are those nestled in the roots of the rabbit’s fur (Gaarder, 2007). These would be those who are content living their daily lives not looking to solve the unknown questions of the world’s development. The contradiction amongst science and religion is found between those who look to find the missing pieces of the puzzle through means of myt... ... co-exist peacefully through conciliation is preferred, and for the most part is the norm. Works Cited Sickler, B. (2009). Conflicts Between Science and Religion, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 2/27/12 from http://www.iep.utm.edu/sci-rel. Shaikh, A.B. (2011). Science and Religion at the Crossroads: Conflict or Conciliation? Journal for Interdisciplinary Research on Religion and Science, No. 9, July 2011. Dennett, D.C. (2011). Science and Religion: Are They Compatible? Oxford University Press. Deem, R. (2006). Does the Bible Say God Created the Universe in Six 24-Hour Days? Retrieved 2/26/12 from http://www.godandscience.org/youngearth/sixdays.html. Gaarder, J. (2007). Sophies World. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC. Palmer, D. (2010). Looking at Philosophy: The Unbearable Heaviness of Philosophy Made Lighter, 5th ed.. McGraw-Hill.

Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe Essay -- Doctor Faustus Christop

Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe Elizabeth I came to the throne of England during a time of intense religious turmoil and political uncertainty. By the end of her reign, England stood as the first officially Protestant nation in Europe; however, tensions between Protestants and the repressed Catholic minority continued to plague the nation. Much of the literature produced during the time of her reign reflected sensitivities to religion and resulting political intrigues. In his play Doctor Faustus, Christopher Marlowe places the title character in a power struggle similar in form to those conflicts dominating Elizabethan life. Yet rather than a battle among courtiers for royal favor, the battle in Doctor Faustus pits god against the devil in a struggle for the possession of a man’s soul. Reflecting the cultural and religious context of the sixteenth century, Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus comments on prideful ambition, which leads to a loss of salvation for human pawns in the cosmic power-struggle for s ouls. In a conflict similar to that existing between English Protestants and Catholics, Faustus must choose between God and the Devil, risking his eternal life in anticipating which will be the winning side. When Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church and established the monarch as the head of a new English Protestant Church, he made religion largely dependent on politics. In reference to Marlowe’s treatment of religion in Dr. Faustus, John Cox writes, â€Å"Marlowe’s implicit reduction of the Reformation to a struggle for power is an acute response to the secularization introduced by the Tudors. . . . Protestants made religion a matter of crown policy, and thus comparatively a matter of mere power† (114). When Ma... ...he struggle for power between God and Lucifer reflects the religiously-based political struggles under the reign of Elizabeth I. The horrors of the struggle for a man’s soul in which the need for power outweigh the gifts of God’s grace reflect on the consequences of a secularized state in which religious devotion is largely reduced to a matter of political supremacy. Works Cited Bowman, Glen. â€Å"Elizabethan Catholics and Romans 13: A Chapter in the History of Political Polemic.† Journal of Church and State 47.3 (2005): 531-44. Cox, John D. â€Å"The devils of ‘Doctor Faustus.’† The Devil and the Sacred in English Drama, 1350-1642. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2000. 107-126. Marlowe, Christopher. â€Å"Doctor Faustus.† Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1B. Edited by M.H. Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton and Co. 2000. 991-1023.

The Controversy of Interracial Marriages Essay -- Interracial Marriage

The Controversy of Interracial Marriages In today's society there is a lot of controversies over interracial marriages and dating. Interracial couples may have recently become very popular. An interracial marriage is defined as the marriage or unity of two heterosexual people, each of different races. In today's world it is happening more and more despite that many people do in fact disapprove of it and it does have an effect on the children and other family members.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a starting point, let us make it clear that there are no references in scripture that forbid interracial marriages, although some people take scriptures out of context to prove otherwise. While in the past, people were more likely to stick with their own kind; society has seen a significant growth in interracial relationships. By integrating with different cultures and nationalities, we are doing away with hate, racism, and prejudice. The most common type of interracial marriage is where a black male marries a white female. According to the book in 1990, 46 percent of marriages were interracial. It is a fact that most interracial married people live far away from their families. Two people from two different backgrounds will likely experience a significant number of challenges and communication barriers. With different cultures come different customs. With different customs come misunderstandings. With misunderstandings come pain and grief.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Interracial relationships provide individuals...

Corporate Culture

Corporate culture has been said to be the toughest component of a business to change. Do you agree or disagree with this statement and why? I do believe In this statement and believe that It Is actually true. The company's culture Is something that consists of the values, norms, and the goals of the organization. When all of these things are put together, they form the culture of that company. Any company that is being unethical can obtain all of these goals. However, they must surely stand to fall in the future. Unethical behavior will always come to the light in given time.If a company selects to run In an organized, ethical way – then the company will surely not need to change their culture but to build on It and Increase positivist in It. A company that hasn't been running so smoothly and In the ethical way will have a hard time in changing its ways. When we think of culture – we think of a large term with a large meaning. For example, if the United States wanted to change something culturally, then we would have a very hard time in doing so. First because our ultra is NOT to do what someone else says to do but what we, in general, say to do.It can be the same with a business. Even though It may be easy for the company to see the rewards of changing the culture of the business, actually Implementing and following that change will be difficult. Define the five types of power according to French and Raven's theory. Provide examples of each. According to this theory, there are 5 types of power: Coercive, Reward, Legitimate, Referent, and Expert. Coercive power is something, or an action, that someone in power will take in order to make hangs go their way. Threats and punishment are common tools of coercion. Implying or threatening that someone will be fired, demoted, denied privileges, or given undesirable assignments (French and Ravens Five Forms of Power, Reward power is something that someone will do in order to â€Å"praise† an employe e; obviously only a person who has access and the ability to reward people. † Raises, promotions, desirable assignments, training opportunities, and even simple compliments (French and Raven's Five Forms of Power, n. D)†.Legitimate power is a â€Å"type of power that can be unpredictable and unstable. If you lose the title or position, legitimate power can Instantly disappear – since others were Influenced by the position, not by you. Also, your scope of power Is limited to situations that others believe you have a right to control. If the fire chief tells people to stay away from a burning building, they'll probably listen. But if he tries to make people stay away from a street fight, people may well ignore him (French and Raven's Five Forms of Power, n. . )†. Referent power â€Å"Is sometimes thought of as charisma, charm, admiration, or appeal. Referent power comes from one person Liking and respecting another, and strongly Identifying with that person In some way. Celebrities have referent power, which is why they can influence everything from what people buy to whom they elect to office. In a workplace, a person with charm often makes everyone feel good, so he or she tends to have a lot of influence (French and Raven's Five Forms of Power, n. D. )†.Lastly, expert power is† when you have knowledge and skills that enable you to understand a situation, suggest solutions, use solid Judgment, and generally outperform others, people will probably listen to you. When you subject matter expert, your ideas will have more value, and others will look to you for leadership in that area (French and Raven's Five Forms of Power, n. D. )†. Reference French and Raven's Five Forms of Power: Understanding Where Power Comes From in the Workplace. (n. D. ). Retrieved September 6, 2014, from http://www. Middleton. Com/ pages/article/Newell_56. HTML

Examine How Shakespeare Presents the Character of Friar Lawrence ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Examine how Shakespeare presents the character of Friar Lawrence ‘Romeo and Juliet’ In ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Shakespeare presents Friar Lawrence in many ways, such as, a holy man, a fatherly figure but also as a coward. Friar Lawrence is a key instrument of fate within the play; he has good intentions but ends up helping fate to create tragedy. In the first scene the audience see Friar Lawrence in; he is presented as being extremely knowledgeable.The audience see him gathering plants and herbs and demonstrates his knowledge by saying ‘For this being smelt, with that part cheers each part cheers each part being tasted, stays all senses with the heart. ’ This line portrays the idea that each cure for an illness can also be deadly if taken in the wrong way. This demonstrates his knowledge of plants, herbs and medicine. As well as this the Nurse enters one scene and praises Friar Lawrence for his ‘good council’ by saying ‘O, what lea rning is! ’ This emphasises the Friar’s knowledge and shows that other characters view him as intelligent.Secondly Shakespeare presents Friar Lawrence as not only being a holy man but as being aware of the world or ‘worldly wise. ’ This is proven at many points throughout the play such as when Romeo comes to Friar Lawrence’s cell and the Friar can tell that Romeo hasn’t been to sleep because he has been with a girl. This is illustrated in the line ‘Our Romeo hath not been to bed tonight. ’ As well as this Friar Lawrence comments on how quickly Romeo falls in love with one girl to the next by saying ‘Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts but in their eyes. This demonstrates that Friar Lawrence is aware that not all love is true. Furthermore, Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet so hastily to ensure that they do not have sex before marriage. This is proven in the lines ‘We shall make sho rt work for by leaves, you shall not stay alone, till holy church incorporate two in one. ’ This again emphasises how ‘worldly wise’ Friar Lawrence is as he realises that young people do have sex before marriage and do not always worry about faith and what religion has to say about their actions.Throughout the play Shakespeare also presents Friar Lawrence as being a councillor and fatherly figure towards Romeo. This side is portrayed in many scenes and is proved in lines such as ‘That’s my good son’ where Friar Lawrence is addressing Romeo as if he is his son. This is also illustrated in the line ‘wisely and slow they stumble that run fast’. This shows that Friar Lawrence is seeing Romeo grow up and make mistakes so that he can learn from them; this is something a father would usually say about their own child.As well as this the first time Romeo greets Friar Lawrence Romeo uses the word ‘father’ which proves to the a udience that he perceives Friar Lawrence as a fatherly figure. Friar Lawrence appears to be someone that Romeo can go to, to seek advice and guidance rather than speaking to his father. This highlights that in upper class families the relationship between parents and children is maybe not as strong as it is in lower class families. As well as having all of these characteristics Shakespeare also presents Friar Lawrence as being a respected man among other characters.We see this in the final scene where the prince asks Friar Lawrence for his account of events, the line that proves this is ‘Then say at once what thou dost know in this’. This illustrates to the audience that the Prince respects and values Friar Lawrence’s view and opinion on events that have occurred. However even though Friar Lawrence is presented as having lots of positive characteristics he also possesses some negative ones, such as being slightly irresponsible. Examples of his irresponsibleness o ccur several times throughout the play, the first example being when he first agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet by saying ‘I’ll thy assist be’.This is an irresponsible thing to do because Friar Lawrence knows that he does not have either parents consent, he also knows that Romeo and Juliet only met the night before and therefore, may not be truly in love. Another example of Friar Lawrence being presented as irresponsible is when he agrees to perform a bigamous marriage between Juliet and Paris, he tells Juliet to ‘Give consent to marry Paris’. This shows he is irresponsible because bigamous marriages are illegal and he is a priest so is supposed to abide by the law.Furthermore, the plan Friar Lawrence comes up with to help Romeo and Juliet be together is not thought through fully and is generally irresponsible. This is proved in the lines ‘I’ll send a Friar with speed to Mantua, with my letters to thy lord’, this is not thought thr ough fully as how will the Friar that is sent know where Romeo is in Mantua and how will Friar Lawrence know that Romeo has received the letters in time. The whole plan that Friar Lawrence comes up with is irresponsible as he is giving a 13 or 14 year old girl a ‘remedy’ that will give her no pulse and make her appear dead, which could be potentially risky.Finally, at the end of the play we see Friar Lawrence being presented as behaving quite cowardly, which is a contrast to what we see throughout the play when he risks his reputation by helping Romeo and Juliet to secretly marry. We see evidence of this when the Prince and his guards turn up in the final scene of the play and Friar Lawrence says ‘Come go, good Juliet, I dare no longer stay’. This is cowardly behaviour because he is willing to come up with a plan but then does not want to face up to the consequences of it. Friar Lawrence is presented in many different ways throughout the play by Shakespeare .It is apparent that in Friar Lawrence’s beginning scenes his more positive characteristics are presented to the audience, such as how knowledgeable, worldly wise, fatherly and respected he is. Whereas towards the end of the play the audience begins to see how irresponsible and cowardly Friar Lawrence can be. Despite his small amount of negative characteristics it is evident to the audience that Friar Lawrence’s intentions are good but because fate had everything mapped out tragedy occurred and there was nothing any of the characters could do to stop it.

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 10 Book

HAND-ON-THIGH STORY-†¦ An occasion cited by Hari Seldon as the first turning point in his search for a method to develop psychohistory. Unfortunately, his published writings give no indication as to what that â€Å"story† was and speculations concerning it (there have been many) are futile. It remains one of the many intriguing mysteries concerning Seldon's career. Encyclopedia Galactica 45. Raindrop Forty-Three stared at Seldon, wild-eyed and breathing heavily. â€Å"I can't stay here,† she said. Seldon looked about. â€Å"No one is bothering us. Even the Brother from whom we got the dainties said nothing about us. He seemed to take us as a perfectly normal pair.† â€Å"That's because there is nothing unusual about us-when the light is dim, when you keep your voice low so the tribesman accent is less noticeable, and when I seem calm. But now-† Her voice was growing hoarse. â€Å"What of now?† â€Å"I am nervous and tense. I am†¦ in a perspiration.† â€Å"Who is to notice? Relax. Calm down.† â€Å"I can't relax here. I can't calm down while I may be noticed.† â€Å"Where are we to go, then?† â€Å"There are little sheds for resting. I have worked here. I know about them.† She was walking rapidly now and Seldon followed. Up a small ramp, which he would not have noticed in the twilight without her, there was a line of doors, well spread apart. â€Å"The one at the end,† she muttered. â€Å"If it's free.† It was unoccupied. A small glowing rectangle said NOT IN USE and the door was ajar. Raindrop Forty-Three looked about rapidly, motioned Seldon in, then stepped inside herself. She closed the door and, as she did so, a small ceiling light brightened the interior. Seldon said, â€Å"Is there any way the sign on the door can indicate this shed is in use?† â€Å"That happened automatically when the door closed and the light went on,† said the Sister. Seldon could feel air softly circulating with a small sighing sound, but where on Trantor was that ever-present sound and feel not apparent? The room was not large, but it had a cot with a firm, efficient mattress, and what were obviously clean sheets. There was a chair and table, a small refrigerator, and something that looked like an enclosed hot plate, probably a tiny food-heater. Raindrop Forty-Three sat down on the chair, sitting stiffly upright, visibly attempting to force herself into relaxation. Seldon, uncertain as to what he ought to do, remained standing till she gestured-a bit impatiently-for him to sit on the cot. He did so. Raindrop Forty-Three said softly, as though talking to herself, â€Å"If it is ever known that I have been here with a man-even if only a tribesman-I shall indeed be an outcast.† Seldon rose quickly. â€Å"Then let's not stay here.† â€Å"Sit down. I can't go out when I'm in this mood. You've been asking about religion. What are you after?† It seemed to Seldon that she had changed completely. Gone was the passivity, the subservience. There was none of the shyness, the backwardness in the presence of a male. She was glaring at him through narrowed eyes. â€Å"I told you. Knowledge. I'm a scholar. It is my profession and my desire to know, I want to understand people in particular, so I want to learn history. For many worlds, the ancient historical records-the truly ancient historical records-have decayed into myths and legends, often becoming part of a set of religious beliefs or of supernaturalism. But if Mycogen does not have a religion, then-â€Å" â€Å"I said we have history.† Seldon said, â€Å"Twice you've said you have history. How old?† â€Å"It goes back twenty thousand years.† â€Å"Truly? Let us speak frankly. Is it real history or is it something that has degenerated into legend?† â€Å"It is real history, of course.† Seldon was on the point of asking how she could tell, but thought better of it. Was there really a chance that history might reach back twenty thousand years and be authentic? He was not a historian himself, so he would have to check with Dors. But it seemed so likely to him that on every world the earliest histories were medleys of self-serving heroisms and minidramas that were meant as morality plays and were not to be taken literally. It was surely true of Helicon, yet you would find scarcely a Heliconian who would not swear by all the tales told and insist it was all true history. They would support, as such, even that perfectly ridiculous tale of the first exploration of Helicon and the encounters with large and dangerous flying reptiles-even though nothing like flying reptiles had been found to be native to any world explored and settled by human beings. He said instead, â€Å"How does this history begin?† There was a faraway look in the Sister's eyes, a look that did not focus on Seldon or on anything in the room. She said, â€Å"It begins with a world-our world. One world.† â€Å"One world?† (Seldon remembered that Hummin had spoken of legends of a single, original world of humanity.) â€Å"One world. There were others later, but ours was the first. One world, with space, with open air, with room for everyone, with fertile fields, with friendly homes, with warm people. For thousands of years we lived there and then we had to leave and skulk in one place or another until some of us found a corner of Trantor where we learned to grow food that brought us a little freedom. And here in Mycogen, we now have our own ways-and our own dreams.† â€Å"And your histories give the full details concerning the original world? The one world?† â€Å"Oh yes, it is all in a book and we all have it. Every one of us. We carry it at all times so that there is never a moment when any one of us cannot open it and read it and remember who we are and who we were and resolve that someday we will have our world back.† â€Å"Do you know where this world is and who lives on it now?† Raindrop Forty-Three hesitated, then shook her head fiercely. â€Å"We do not, but someday we will find it.† â€Å"And you have this book in your possession now?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"May I see that book?† Now a slow smile crossed the face of the Sister. She said, â€Å"So that's what you want. I knew you wanted something when you asked to be guided through the microfarms by me alone.† She seemed a little embarrassed. â€Å"I didn't think it was the Book.† â€Å"It is all I want,† said Seldon earnestly. â€Å"I really did not have my mind on anything else. If you brought me here because you thought-â€Å" She did not allow him to finish. â€Å"But here we are. Do you or don't you want the Book?† â€Å"Are you offering to let me see it?† â€Å"On one condition.† Seldon paused, weighing the possibility of serious trouble if he had overcome the Sister's inhibitions to a greater extent than he had ever intended. â€Å"What condition?† he said. Raindrop Forty-Three's tongue emerged lightly and licked quickly at her lips. Then she said with a distinct tremor in her voice, â€Å"That you remove your skincap.† 46. Hari Seldon stared blankly at Raindrop Forty-Three. There was a perceptible moment in which he did not know what she was talking about. He had forgotten he was wearing a skincap. Then he put his hand to his head and, for the first time, consciously felt the skincap he was wearing. It was smooth, but he felt the tiny resilience of the hair beneath. Not much. His hair, after all, was fine and without much body. He said, still feeling it, â€Å"Why?† She said, â€Å"Because I want you to. Because that's the condition if you want to see the Book.† He said, â€Å"Well, if you really want me to.† His hand probed for the edge, so that he could peel it off. But she said, â€Å"No, let me do it. I'll do it.† She was looking at him hungrily. Seldon dropped his hands to his lap. â€Å"Go ahead, then.† The Sister rose quickly and sat down next to him on the cot. Slowly, carefully, she detached the skincap from his head just in front of his ear. Again she licked her lips and she was panting as she loosened the skincap about his forehead and turned it up. Then it came away and was gone and Seldon's hair, released, seemed to stir a bit in glad freedom. He said, troubled, â€Å"Keeping my hair under the skincap has probably made my scalp sweat. If so, my hair will be rather damp.† He raised his hand, as though to check the matter, but she caught it and held it back. â€Å"I want to do that,† she said. â€Å"Its part of the condition.† Her fingers, slowly and hesitantly, touched his hair and then withdrew. She touched it again and, very gently, stroked it. â€Å"It's dry,† she said. â€Å"It feels†¦ good.† â€Å"Have you ever felt cephalic hair before?† â€Å"Only on children sometimes. This†¦ is different.† She was stroking again. â€Å"In what way?† Seldon, even amid his embarrassment, found it possible to be curious. â€Å"I can't say. Its just†¦ different.† After a while he said, â€Å"Have you had enough?† â€Å"No. Don't rush me. Can you make it lie anyway you want it to?† â€Å"Not really. It has a natural way of falling, but I need a comb for that and I don't have one with me.† â€Å"A comb?† â€Å"An object with prongs†¦ uh, like a fork†¦ but the prongs are more numerous and somewhat softer.† â€Å"Can you use your fingers?† She was running hers through his hair. He said, â€Å"After a fashion. It doesn't work very well.† â€Å"Its bristly behind.† â€Å"The hair is shorter there.† Raindrop Forty-Three seemed to recall something. â€Å"The eyebrows,† she said. â€Å"Isn't that what they're called?† She stripped off the shields, then ran her fingers through the gentle arc of hair, against the grain. â€Å"That's nice,† she said, then laughed in a high-pitched way that was almost like her younger sister's giggle. â€Å"They're cute.† Seldon said a little impatiently, â€Å"Is there anything else that's part of the condition?† In the rather dim light, Raindrop Forty-Three looked as though she might be considering an affirmative, but said nothing. Instead, she suddenly withdrew her hands and lifted them to her nose. Seldon wondered what she might be smelling. â€Å"How odd,† she said. â€Å"May I†¦ may I do it again another time?† Seldon said uneasily, â€Å"If you will let me have the Book long enough to study it, then perhaps.† Raindrop Forty-Three reached into her kirtle through a slit that Seldon had not noticed before and, from some hidden inner pocket, removed a book bound in some tough, flexible material. He took it, trying to control his excitement. While Seldon readjusted his skincap to cover his hair, Raindrop Forty-Three raised her hands to her nose again and then, gently and quickly, licked one finger. 47. â€Å"Felt your hair?† said Dors Venabili. She looked at Seldon's hair as though she was of a mind to feel it herself. Seldon moved away slightly. â€Å"Please don't. The woman made it seem like a perversion.† â€Å"I suppose it was-from her standpoint. Did you derive no pleasure from it yourself?† â€Å"Pleasure? It gave me gooseflesh. When she finally stopped, I was able to breathe again. I kept thinking: What other conditions will she make?† Dors laughed. â€Å"Were you afraid that she would force sex upon you? Or hopeful?† â€Å"I assure you I didn't dare think. I just wanted the Book.† They were in their room now and Dors turned on her field distorter to make sure they would not be overheard. The Mycogenian night was about to begin. Seldon had removed his skincap and kirtle and had bathed, paying particular attention to his hair, which he had foamed and rinsed twice. He was now sitting on his cot, wearing a light nightgown that had been hanging in the closet. Dors said, eyes dancing, â€Å"Did she know you have hair on your chest?† â€Å"I was hoping earnestly she wouldn't think of that.† â€Å"Poor Hari. It was all perfectly natural, you know. I would probably have had similar trouble if I was alone with a Brother. Worse, I'm sure, since he would believe-Mycogenian society being what it is-that as a woman I would be bound to obey his orders without delay or demur.† â€Å"No, Dors. You may think it was perfectly natural, but you didn't experience it. The poor woman was in a high state of sexual excitement. She engaged all her senses†¦ smelled her fingers, licked them. If she could have heard hair grow, she would have listened avidly.† â€Å"But that's what I mean by ‘natural.' Anything you make forbidden gains sexual attractiveness. Would you be particularly interested in women's breasts if you lived in a society in which they were displayed at all times?† â€Å"I think I might.† â€Å"Wouldn't you be more interested if they were always hidden, as in most societies they are?- Listen, let me tell you something that happened to me. I was at a lake resort back home on Cinna†¦ I presume you have resorts on Helicon, beaches, that sort of thing?† â€Å"Of course,† said Seldon, slightly annoyed. â€Å"What do you think Helicon is, a world of rocks and mountains, with only well water to drink?† â€Å"No offense, Hari. I just want to make sure you'll get the point of the story. On our beaches at Cinna, we're pretty lighthearted about what we wear†¦ or don't wear.† â€Å"Nude beaches?† â€Å"Not actually, though I suppose if someone removed all of his or her clothing it wouldn't be much remarked on. The custom is to wear a decent minimum, but I must admit that what we consider decent leaves very little to the imagination.† Seldon said, â€Å"We have somewhat higher standards of decency on Helicon.† â€Å"Yes, I could tell that by your careful treatment of me, but to each its own. In any case, I was sitting at the small beach by the lake and a young man approached to whom I had spoken earlier in the day. He was a decent fellow I found nothing particularly wrong with. He sat on the arm of my chair and placed his right hand on my left thigh, which was bare, of course, in order to steady himself. â€Å"After we had spoken for a minute and a half or so, he said, impishly. ‘Here I am. You know me hardly at all and yet it seems perfectly natural to me that I place my hand on your thigh. What's more, it seems perfectly natural to you, since you don't seem to mind that it remains there.' â€Å"It was only then that I actually noticed that his hand was on my thigh. Bare skin in public somehow loses some of its sexual quality. As I said, its the hiding from view that is crucial. â€Å"And the young man felt this too, for he went on to say, ‘Yet if I were to meet you under more formal conditions and you were wearing a gown, you wouldn't dream of letting me lift your gown and place my hand on your thigh on the precise spot it now occupies.' â€Å"I laughed and we continued to talk of this and that. Of course, the young man, now that my attention had been called to the position of his hand, felt it no longer appropriate to keep it there and removed it. â€Å"That night I dressed for dinner with more than usual care and appeared in clothing that was considerably more formal than was required or than other women in the dining room were wearing. I found the young man in question. He was sitting at one of the tables. I approached, greeted him, and said, ‘Here I am in a gown, but under it my left thigh is bare. I give you permission. Just lift the gown and place your hand on my left thigh where you had it earlier.' â€Å"He tried. I'll give him credit for that, but everyone was staring. I wouldn't have stopped him and I'm sure no one else would have stopped him either, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was no more public then than it had been earlier and the same people were present in both cases. It was clear that I had taken the initiative and that I had no objections, but he could not bring himself to violate the proprieties. The conditions, which had been hand-on-thigh in the afternoon, were not hand-on-thigh in the evening and that meant more than anything logic could say.† Seldon said, â€Å"I would have put my hand on your thigh.† â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Positive.† â€Å"Even though your standards of decency on the beach are higher than ours are?† â€Å"Yes.† Dors sat down on her own cot, then lay down with her hands behind her head. â€Å"So that you're not particularly disturbed that I'm wearing a nightgown with very little underneath it.† â€Å"I'm not particularly shocked. As for being disturbed, that depends on the definition of the word. I'm certainly aware of how you're dressed.† â€Å"Well, if we're going to be cooped up here for a period of time, we'll have to learn to ignore such things.† â€Å"Or take advantage of them,† said Seldon, grinning. â€Å"And I like your hair. After seeing you bald all day, I like your hair.† â€Å"Well, don't touch it. I haven't washed it yet.† She half-closed her eyes. â€Å"It's interesting. You've detached the informal and formal level of respectability. What you're saying is that Helicon is more respectable at the informal level than Cinna is and less respectable at the formal level. Is that right?† â€Å"Actually, I'm just talking about the young man who placed his hand on your thigh and myself. How representative we are as Cinnians and Heliconians, respectively, I can't say. I can easily imagine some perfectly proper individuals on both worlds-and some madcaps too.† â€Å"We're talking about social pressures. I'm not exactly a Galactic traveler, but I've had to involve myself in a great deal of social history. On the planet of Derowd, there was a time when premarital sex was absolutely free. Multiple sex was allowed for the unmarried and public sex was frowned upon only when traffic was blocked: And yet, after marriage, monogamy was absolute and unbroken. The theory was that by working off all one's fantasies first, one could settle down to the serious business of life.† â€Å"Did it work?† â€Å"About three hundred years ago that stopped, but some of my colleagues say it stopped through external pressure from other worlds who were losing too much tourist business to Derowd. There is such a thing as overall Galactic social pressure too.† â€Å"Or perhaps economic pressure, in this case.† â€Å"Perhaps. And being at the University, by the way, I get a chance to study social pressures, even without being a Galactic traveler. I meet people from scores of places inside and outside of Trantor and one of the pet amusements in the social science departments is the comparison of social pressures. â€Å"Here in Mycogen, for instance, I have the impression that sex is strictly controlled and is permitted under only the most stringent rules, all the more tightly enforced because it is never discussed. In the Streeling Sector, sex is never discussed either, but it isn't condemned. In the Jennat Sector, where I spent a week once doing research, sex is discussed endlessly, but only for the purpose of condemning it. I don't suppose there are any two sectors in Trantor-or any two worlds outside Trantor-in which attitudes toward sex are completely duplicated.† Seldon said, â€Å"You know what you make it sound like? It would appear-â€Å" Dors said, â€Å"I'll tell you how it appears. All this talk of sex makes one thing clear to me. I'm simply not going to let you out of my sight anymore.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Twice I let you go, the first time through my own misjudgment and the second because you bullied me into it. Both times it was clearly a mistake. You know what happened to you the first time.† Seldon said indignantly, â€Å"Yes, but nothing happened to me the second time.† â€Å"You nearly got into a lot of trouble. Suppose you had been caught indulging in sexual escapades with a Sister?† â€Å"It wasn't a sexual-â€Å" â€Å"You yourself said she was in a high state of sexual excitement.† â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"It was wrong. Please get it through your head, Hari. From now on, you go nowhere without me.† â€Å"Look,† said Seldon freezingly, â€Å"my object was to find out about Mycogenian history and as a result of the so-called sexual escapade with a Sister, I have a book-the Book.† â€Å"The Book! True, there's the Book. Let's see it.† Seldon produced it and Dors thoughtfully hefted it. She said, â€Å"It might not do us any good, Hari. This doesn't look as though it will fit any projector I've ever encountered. That means you'll have to get a Mycogenian projector and they'll want to know why you want it. They'll then find out you have this Book and they'll take it away from you.† Seldon smiled. â€Å"If your assumptions were correct, Dors, your conclusions would be inescapable, but it happens that this is not the kind of book you think it is. It's not meant to be projected. The material is printed on various pages and the pages are turned. Raindrop Forty-Three explained that much to me.† â€Å"A print-book!† It was hard to tell whether Dors was shocked or amused. â€Å"That's from the Stone Age.† â€Å"It's certainly pre-Empire,† said Seldon, â€Å"but not entirely so. Have you ever seen a print-book?† â€Å"Considering that I'm a historian? Of course, Hari.† â€Å"Ah, but like this one?† He handed over the Book and Dors, smiling, opened it-then turned to another page-then flipped the pages. â€Å"Its blank,† she said. â€Å"It appears to be blank. The Mycogenians are stubbornly primitivistic, but not entirely so. They will keep to the essence of the primitive, but have no objection to using modern technology to modify it for convenience's sake. Who knows?† â€Å"Maybe so, Hari, but I don't understand what you're saying.† â€Å"The pages aren't blank, they're covered with microprint. Here, give it back. If I press this little nubbin on the inner edge of the cover- Look!† The page to which the book lay open was suddenly covered with lines of print that rolled slowly upward. Seldon said, â€Å"You can adjust the rate of upward movement to match your reading speed by slightly twisting the nubbin one way or the other. When the lines of print reach their upward limit when you reach the bottom line, that is-they snap downward and turn off. You turn to the next page and continue.† â€Å"Where does the energy come from that does all this?† â€Å"It has an enclosed microfusion battery that lasts the life of the book.† â€Å"Then when it runs down-â€Å" â€Å"You discard the book, which you may be required to do even before it runs down, given wear and tear, and get another copy. You never replace the battery.† Dors took the Book a second time and looked at it from all sides. She said, â€Å"I must admit I never heard of a book like this.† â€Å"Nor I. The Galaxy, generally, has moved into visual technology so rapidly, it skipped over this possibility.† â€Å"This is visual.† â€Å"Yes, but not with the orthodox effects. This type of book has its advantages. It holds far more than an ordinary visual book does.† Dors said, â€Å"Where's the turn-on?-Ah, let me see if I can work it.† She had opened to a page at random and set the lines of print marching upward. Then she said, â€Å"I'm afraid this won't do you any good, Hari. It's pre-Galactic. I don't mean the book. I mean the print†¦ the language.† â€Å"Can you read it, Dors? As a historian-â€Å" â€Å"As a historian, I'm used to dealing with archaic language-but within limits. This is far too ancient for me. I can make out a few words here and there, but not enough to be useful.† â€Å"Good,† said Seldon. â€Å"If it's really ancient, it will be useful.† â€Å"Not if you can't read it.† â€Å"I can read it,† said Seldon. â€Å"It's bilingual. You don't suppose that Raindrop Forty-Three can read the ancient script, do you?† â€Å"If she's educated properly, why not?† â€Å"Because I suspect that women in Mycogen are not educated past household duties. Some of the more learned men can read this, but everyone else would need a translation to Galactic.† He pushed another nubbin. â€Å"And this supplies it.† The lines of print changed to Galactic Standard. â€Å"Delightful,† said Dors in admiration. â€Å"We could learn from these Mycogenians, but we don't.† â€Å"We haven't known about it.† â€Å"I can't believe that. I know about it now. And you know about it. There must be outsiders coming into Mycogen now and then, for commercial or political reasons, or there wouldn't be skincaps so ready for use. So every once in a while someone must have caught a glimpse of this sort of print-book and seen how it works, but it's probably dismissed as something curious but not worth further study, simply because it's Mycogenian.† â€Å"But is it worth study?† â€Å"Of course. Everything is. Or should be. Hummin would probably point to this lack of concern about these books as a sign of degeneration in the Empire.† He lifted the Book and said with a gush of excitement, â€Å"But I am curious and I will read this and it may push me in the direction of psychohistory.† â€Å"I hope so,† said Dors, â€Å"but if you take my advice, you'll sleep first and approach it fresh in the morning. You won't learn much if you nod over it.† Seldon hesitated, then said, â€Å"How maternal you are!† â€Å"I'm watching over you.† â€Å"But I have a mother alive on Helicon. I would rather you were my friend.† â€Å"As for that, I have been your friend since first I met you.† She smiled at him and Seldon hesitated as though he were not certain as to the appropriate rejoinder. Finally he said, â€Å"Then I'll take your advice-as a friend-and sleep before reading.† He made as though to put the Book on a small table between the two cots, hesitated, turned, and put it under his pillow. Dors Venabili laughed softly. â€Å"I think you're afraid I will wake during the night and read parts of the Book before you have a chance to. Is that it?† â€Å"Well,† said Seldon, trying not to look ashamed, â€Å"that may be it. Even friendship only goes so far and this is my book and it's my psychohistory.† â€Å"I agree,† said Dors, â€Å"and I promise you that we won't quarrel over that. By the way, you were about to say something earlier when I interrupted you. Remember?† Seldon thought briefly. â€Å"No.† In the dark, he thought only of the Book. He gave no thought to the hand-on-thigh story. In fact, he had already quite forgotten it, consciously at least. 48. Venabili woke up and could tell by her timeband that the night period was only half over. Not hearing Hari's snore, she could tell that his cot was empty. If he had not left the apartment, then he was in the bathroom. She tapped lightly on the door and said softly, â€Å"Hari?† He said, â€Å"Come in,† in an abstracted way and she did. The toilet lid was down and Seldon, seated upon it, held the Book open on his lap. He said, quite unnecessarily, â€Å"I'm reading.† â€Å"Yes, I see that. But why?† â€Å"I couldn't sleep. I'm sorry.† â€Å"But why read in here?† â€Å"If I had turned on the room light, I would have woken you up.† â€Å"Are you sure the Book can't be illuminated?† â€Å"Pretty sure. When Raindrop Forty-Three described its workings, she never mentioned illumination. Besides, I suppose that would use up so much energy that the battery wouldn't last the life of the Book.† He sounded dissatisfied. Dors said, â€Å"You can step out, then. I want to use this place, as long as I'm here.† When she emerged, she found him sitting cross-legged on his cot, still reading, with the room well lighted. She said, â€Å"You don't look happy. Does the Book disappoint you?† He looked up at her, blinking. â€Å"Yes, it does. I've sampled it here and there. It's all I've had time to do. The thing is a virtual encyclopedia and the index is almost entirely a listing of people and places that are of little use for my purposes. It has nothing to do with the Galactic Empire or the pre-Imperial Kingdoms either. It deals almost entirely with a single world and, as nearly as I can make out from what I have read, it is an endless dissertation on internal politics.† â€Å"Perhaps you underestimate its age. It may deal with a period when there was indeed only one world†¦ one inhabited world.† â€Å"Yes, I know,† said Seldon a little impatiently. â€Å"That's actually what I want-provided I can be sure its history, not legend. I wonder. I don't want to believe it just because I want to believe it.† Dors said, â€Å"Well, this matter of a single-world origin is much in the air these days. Human beings are a single species spread all over the Galaxy, so they must have originated somewhere. At least that's the popular view at present. You can't have independent origins producing the same species on different worlds.† â€Å"But I've never seen the inevitability of that argument,† said Seldon. â€Å"If human beings arose on a number of worlds as a number of different species, why couldn't they have interbred into some single intermediate species?† â€Å"Because species can't interbreed. That's what makes them species.† Seldon thought about it a moment, then dismissed it with a shrug. â€Å"Well, I'll leave it to the biologists.† â€Å"They're precisely the ones who are keenest on the Earth hypothesis.† â€Å"Earth? Is that what they call the supposed world of origin?† â€Å"That's a popular name for it, though there's no way of telling what it was called, assuming there was one. And no one has any clue to what its location might be.† â€Å"Earth!† said Seldon, curling his lips. â€Å"It sounds like a belch to me. In any case, if the book deals with the original world, I didn't come across it. How do you spell the word?† She told him and he checked the Book quickly. â€Å"There you are. The name is not listed in the index, either by that spelling or any reasonable alternative.† â€Å"Really?† â€Å"And they do mention other worlds in passing. Names aren't given and there seems no interest in those other worlds except insofar as they directly impinge on the local world they speak of†¦ at least as far as I can see from what I've read. In one place, they talked about ‘The Fifty.' I don't know what they meant. Fifty leaders? Fifty cities? It seemed to me to be fifty worlds.† â€Å"Did they give a name to their own world, this world that seems to preoccupy them entirely?† asked Dors. â€Å"If they don't call it Earth, what do they call it?† â€Å"As you'd expect, they call it ‘the world' or ‘the planet.' Sometimes they call it ‘the Oldest' or ‘the World of the Dawn,' which has a poetic significance, I presume, that isn't clear to me. I suppose one ought to read the Book entirely through and some matters will then grow to make more sense.† He looked down at the Book in his hand with some distaste. â€Å"It would take a very long time, though, and I'm not sure that I'd end up any the wiser.† Dors sighed. â€Å"I'm sorry, Hari. You sound so disappointed.† â€Å"That's because I am disappointed. It's my fault, though. I should not have allowed myself to expect too much.-At one point, come to think of it, they referred to their world as ‘Aurora.' â€Å" â€Å"Aurora?† said Dors, lifting her eyebrows. â€Å"It sounds like a proper name. It doesn't make any sense otherwise, as far as I can see. Does it mean anything to you, Dors?† â€Å"Aurora.† Dors thought about it with a slight frown on her face. â€Å"I can't say I've ever heard of a planet with that name in the course of the history of the Galactic Empire or during the period of its growth, for that matter, but I won't pretend to know the name of every one of the twenty-five million worlds. We could look it up in the University library-if we ever get back to Streeling. There's no use trying to find a library here in Mycogen. Somehow I have a feeling that all their knowledge is in the Book. If anything isn't there, they aren't interested.† Seldon yawned and said, â€Å"I think you're right. In any case, there's no use reading any more and I doubt that I can keep my eyes open any longer. Is it all right if I put out the light?† â€Å"I would welcome it, Hari. And let's sleep a little later in the morning.† Then, in the dark, Seldon said softly, â€Å"Of course, some of what they say is ridiculous. For instance, they refer to a life expectancy on their world of between three and four centuries.† â€Å"Centuries?† â€Å"Yes, they count their ages by decades rather than by years. It gives you a queer feeling, because so much of what they say is perfectly matter-of-fact that when they come out with something that odd, you almost find yourself trapped into believing it.† â€Å"If you feel yourself beginning to believe that, then you should realize that many legends of primitive origins assume extended life spans for early leaders. If they're pictured as unbelievably heroic, you see, it seems natural that they have life spans to suit.† â€Å"Is that so?† said Seldon, yawning again. â€Å"It is. And the cure for advanced gullibility is to go to sleep and consider matters again the next day.† And Seldon, pausing only long enough to think that an extended life span might well be a simple necessity for anyone trying to understand a Galaxy of people, slept. 49. The next morning, feeling relaxed and refreshed and eager to begin his study of the Book again, Hari asked Dors, â€Å"How old would you say the Raindrop sisters are?† â€Å"I don't know. Twenty†¦ twenty-two?† â€Å"Well, suppose they do live three or four centuries.† â€Å"Hari. That's ridiculous.† â€Å"I'm saying suppose. In mathematics, we say ‘suppose' all the time and see if we can end up with something patently untrue or self-contradictory. An extended life span would almost surely mean an extended period of development. They might seem in their early twenties and actually be in their sixties.† â€Å"You can try asking them how old they are.† â€Å"We can assume they'd lie.† â€Å"Look up their birth certificates.† Seldon smiled wryly. â€Å"I'll bet you anything you like-a roll in the hay, if you're willing-that they'll claim they don't keep records or that, if they do, they will insist those records are closed to tribespeople.† â€Å"No bet,† said Dors. â€Å"And if that's true, then it's useless trying to suppose anything about their age.† â€Å"Oh no. Think of it this way. If the Mycogenians are living extended life spans that are four or five times that of ordinary human beings, they can't very well give birth to very many children without expanding their population tremendously. You remember that Sunmaster said something about not having the population expand and bit off his remarks angrily at that time.† Dors said, â€Å"What are you getting at?† â€Å"When I was with Raindrop Forty-Three, I saw no children.† â€Å"On the microfarms?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Did you expect children there? I was with Raindrop Forty-Five in the shops and on the residential levels and I assure you I saw a number of children of all ages, including infants. Quite a few of them.† â€Å"Ah.† Seldon looked chagrined. â€Å"Then that would mean they can't be enjoying extended life spans.† Dors said, â€Å"By your line of argument, I should say definitely not. Did you really think they did?† â€Å"No, not really. But then you can't close your mind either and make assumptions without testing them one way or another.† â€Å"You can waste a lot of time that way too, if you stop to chew away at things that are ridiculous on the face of it.† â€Å"Some things that seem ridiculous on the face of it aren't. That's all. Which reminds me. You're the historian. In your work, have you ever come across objects or phenomena called ‘robots'?† â€Å"Ah! Now you're switching to another legend and a very popular one. There are any number of worlds that imagine the existence of machines in human form in prehistoric times. These are called ‘robots.' â€Å"The tales of robots probably originate from one master legend, for the general theme is the same. Robots were devised, then grew in numbers and abilities to the status of the almost superhuman. They threatened humanity and were destroyed. In every case, the destruction took place before the actual reliable historic records available to us today existed. The usual feeling is that the story is a symbolic picture of the risks and dangers of exploring the Galaxy, when human beings expanded outward from the world or worlds that were their original homes. There must always have been the fear of encountering other-and superior-intelligences.† â€Å"Perhaps they did at least once and that gave rise to the legend.† â€Å"Except that on no human-occupied world has there been any record or trace of any prehuman or nonhuman intelligence.† â€Å"But why ‘robots'? Does the word have meaning?† â€Å"Not that I know of, but it's the equivalent of the familiar ‘automata.' â€Å" â€Å"Automata! Well, why don't they say so?† â€Å"Because people do use archaic terms for flavor when they tell an ancient legend. Why do you ask all this, by the way?† â€Å"Because in this ancient Mycogenian book, they talk of robots. And very favorably, by the way.-Listen, Dors, aren't you going out with Raindrop Forty-Five again this afternoon?† â€Å"Supposedly-if she shows up.† â€Å"Would you ask her some questions and try to get the answers out of her?† â€Å"I can try. What are the questions?† â€Å"I would like to find out, as tactfully as possible, if there is some structure in Mycogen that is particularly significant, that is tied in with the past, that has a sort of mythic value, that can-â€Å" Dors interrupted, trying not to smile. â€Å"I think that what you are trying to ask is whether Mycogen has a temple.† And, inevitably, Seldon looked blank and said, â€Å"What's a temple?† â€Å"Another archaic term of uncertain origin. It means all the things you asked about-significance, past, myth. Very well, I'll ask. It's the sort of thing, however, that they might find difficult to speak of. To tribespeople, certainly.† â€Å"Nevertheless, do try.†