Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 21

Five minutes after Seth left, I realized I'd made a mistake. Not about refusing him – that was the right thing to do. But I shouldn't have let him walk out like that. It was no way to end a fight. I was still angry after all these years that Andrew had died helping those people. I was still pained by his loss. To this day, I believed my stand in the garden had been correct, but nonetheless, I'd always regretted the separation that followed. Anger and pride had come between us, keeping us apart until it was almost too late. Even disagreeing with each other, we shouldn't have stayed away. We should have talked and tried to find some compromise. I refused to let this fight foster more bad communication and confusion between Seth and me. I wouldn't let it take away from the time we could have together. I had to fix things. Resolved, I grabbed my coat and purse and headed out the door after him. I half-walked, half-jogged down to the bookstore, where he'd left his car, but it was gone. I'd missed him. I stared at the empty parking lot for a few moments and then went inside. I'd finally bought Carter's stupid Secret Santa present and had left it in my office earlier. But when I went back inside and stuffed the gift in my purse, I found I didn't have the will to head back out. Instead, I sank into my chair and buried my face in my hands. How had things gotten so muddled with Seth and me? Had the shooting really given him such a new perspective on life? Would this have happened anyway? Yasmine's signature suddenly filled the room, and I looked up just in time to see her and Vincent materialize in front of me. Immediately, Seth left my mind. â€Å"Hey, Georgina,† Vincent said. â€Å"I got your mess – â€Å" â€Å"I know about Nyx,† I blurted out. Astonished silence hung in the air. I couldn't say for sure with nephilim, but I knew angels were rarely caught by surprise. Yasmine clearly had been. And, being an angel, she didn't try to deny anything about Nyx. She simply asked, â€Å"How?† â€Å"Because she's using me to do her dirty work.† Their looks of amazement grew. â€Å"Only†¦I'm not exactly sure how she's doing it.† The two of them glanced at each other, then back at me. â€Å"Start from the beginning,† said Yasmine. â€Å"That's usually the way to go.† And I did, first telling them about the dreams and the energy loss. After that, it was on to my weird knowledge of tragic events and the residual feelings of Nyx's activities. Finally, I explained how Erik and Dante had pieced it all together, linking what was happening to me with all of those unfortunate news stories. Yasmine sat down in a folding chair, tipping her head back as she thought. It was kind of like what Vincent had done in the hospital while ruminating. I wondered if it was one of those unconscious gestures couples sometimes picked up from each other. â€Å"Hmm†¦brilliant. That's how she's doing it without us finding her.† â€Å"I never would have even thought of that,† agreed Vincent, pacing. â€Å"Which, of course, is the point.† â€Å"You know what she's doing to me, then?† I asked eagerly. The not-knowing was killing me. â€Å"Yep,† said Yasmine. â€Å"But let's get the others first.† â€Å"The other – â€Å" The question faded from my lips as three figures materialized in the room: Carter, Joel, and Whitney. Angelic auras crackled around me. I couldn't help a little envy. It might take me days to hunt down higher immortals, but Yasmine could do it with a thought. Carter smiled when he saw me. Joel looked outraged. Whitney looked confused. â€Å"What's going on?† Joel demanded. He seemed as angry as the last time I'd seen him. It was a good thing he was immortal, or he probably would have died from high blood pressure ages ago. â€Å"Why have you brought us to this†¦this†¦place.† You would have thought he stood in an opium brothel, as opposed to a tiny office with badly painted walls. Yasmine leaned forward in the chair, hands clasped under her chin and elbows on her knees. Her dark eyes sparkled with excitement. â€Å"We've got her. We found her – or rather, Georgina found her.† Joel and Whitney appeared flabbergasted. Carter didn't. From the look on his face, I felt like he'd been expecting it. â€Å"I can't believe it took you this long to figure it out,† he joked. Whitney was not amused. â€Å"Explain this.† Yasmine did, and when she was finished, the others were as impressed as she and Vincent had been earlier. Even Joel looked a little less pissed off. â€Å"Ingenuous,† he murmured. â€Å"Every time she escapes, she always thinks up a new way to elude us.† I looked from face to face. My emotions were raw after the blowout with Seth, and I was really low on patience at the moment. â€Å"Will someone finally tell me how I fit into this?† Carter walked over to me. He wore a beat-up blue flannel shirt and a Mariners baseball cap that looked like it had been put through a wood chipper. He was still smiling. â€Å"You must know by now that Vincent's a psychic. He's attuned to our world and in some ways has a higher sensitivity to supernatural activity than some of us do. It happens with humans sometimes.† It was true. Angels weren't omnipotent and didn't possess all gifts. I nodded along, not letting on that I knew Vincent was actually a psychic nephilim. â€Å"Normally, he'd be able to find her trail pretty quickly. When she runs amuck feeding off mortal chaos, there's a kind of, I don't know†¦magical residue left where she's been. The energy she steals only sustains her; it isn't actually enough to obscure her. Someone like Vincent can†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vincent helped him out. â€Å"†¦sniff her out. I'm a paranormal hound.† Yasmine snickered. â€Å"He hasn't sensed anything so far,† Carter continued, â€Å"which is why we were having to do more mundane searches, like looking for telltale patterns in the news.† â€Å"So†¦she was hiding her trail.† I shrugged. â€Å"How do I fit in?† â€Å"She was using you to hide it. In a couple different ways. Kind of a fail-safe, really. In taking energy from you and human victims, she was able to double her stash. It made it easier to hide from us. When her power dipped, I think she was actually†¦hiding in you.† â€Å"Ew.† I suddenly felt violated. â€Å"How is that possible? Is she†¦is she there now?† I glanced down at my lower body, as though I might actually see something. He peered at me. â€Å"No, I don't think so. She's probably got enough energy to run loose for a while. As for how she does it†¦well, life and energy move in and out of you, and at some level, she's both of those things. You're a conduit for those forces.† â€Å"I wish people would stop calling me that. It makes me feel like a machine.† â€Å"Hardly. The merging she does with you is how you occasionally get a sense for what she's been doing. Some of the details of her mischief leak into you, though she goes to great pains to hide it – and herself.† â€Å"How?† â€Å"The dreams,† said Vincent. â€Å"She's distracting you with them. Happy, consuming dreams that you're starting to obsess on. Your subconscious is so enmeshed in them at night that you don't notice her leaching the energy while you sleep.† I leaned back in my chair, dumbfounded. I'd dealt with a lot of weird shit in my life – an exceptional amount of it occurring in the last few months, actually – but this was shooting to the top of the list. My skin crawled, and I had the surreal sense that my body was no longer my own. I was also kind of bothered by the fact that my dreams had been red herrings, meant to throw me off the path of what was going on. They were so sweet†¦so powerful. I treasured them, yet it seemed they were nothing but lies. Illusions created by a monster to hide her parasitic control of me. That knowledge cheapened the beauty of what I'd seen. I loved the little girl. I wanted to believe in her. I wanted her to be real. â€Å"Well,† said Joel brusquely, narrowed eyes fixed on me. â€Å"We've got to use the succubus to lure Nyx out.† He gestured to me. â€Å"Go. Go out and seduce some poor soul, so Nyx'll come back.† I flinched. Yasmine glared at him. â€Å"Can't you see she's upset? Show some compassion.† â€Å"Denizens of evil deserve none,† he muttered. Across the room, Whitney stood by the door. She'd spoken little, so her voice startled me. â€Å"All creatures deserve compassion.† I looked up and met her eyes. They were dark and bottomless, filled with power and emotion. I had the sensation of falling into that blackness, much like I experienced with Carter sometimes. I decided I didn't like hanging out with angels. They did a lot of soul searching – and usually it involved mine. More awkward silence fell. â€Å"Okay, okay,† I said. â€Å"We don't all have to spill our feelings and hold hands here. Tell me what you need me to do.† â€Å"You're going to be bait, Georgina,† said Carter. â€Å"I'm always bait,† I grumbled. â€Å"Why is that? Why do these things keep happening to me?† Not too long ago, I'd had to play bait for a date-raping demigod. I hadn't been any happier then than I was now. I expected a joke, but Carter's response was serious. â€Å"Because you're one of those unique individuals whom powers in the universe tend to gather around.† That was worse than being a conduit. I didn't want any of those things. I didn't want to be a target. I wanted my quiet life back where I worked in a bookstore and had a blissful, perfect relationship with my boyfriend. Okay, I'd never had such a relationship yet, but a girl can dream. Dream. Bad choice of words. â€Å"Unfortunately,† said Yasmine delicately, â€Å"Joel is right to a certain extent. We do need you to, um, replenish your energy in order to lure Nyx out.† Joel grimaced. I sighed. â€Å"I know this is important†¦I don't want her to hurt anyone else, but well, does it have to be tonight? Can we do it tomorrow? I just†¦I just don't feel up to it.† Not after Seth. Not after any of this. I was so, so mentally exhausted. Sex sounded nauseating, energy or no. Joel clenched his fists. â€Å"Don't feel up to it? This is no time for whims! Lives are at stake – â€Å" â€Å"Joel,† said Carter. It was one word, but it was hard and powerful. I'd never heard lax, sarcastic Carter speak in that sort of tone. He and Joel locked gazes. I couldn't assess higher immortals' power, but I knew Carter was pretty damned strong. Stronger than Jerome, even. â€Å"Leave her alone. Nyx only attacks when she steals more energy anyway. We should be okay for one night.† If I didn't know better, I'd say Joel was afraid of Carter. Joel looked very much like he wanted to say a lot more, but he backed down. â€Å"Fine,† he said through gritted teeth. I shot Carter a relieved glance. With the way I felt tonight, I probably would have had about as much luck trying to seduce someone as Tawny. Thinking of the other succubus, I wondered if I should mention my suspicions about Tawny being drained by Nyx too. In the end, I decided against it. That whole situation was still circumstantial. I let it go. Yasmine stood up and laid a hand on my shoulder. â€Å"Rest up. You look terrible. You need to be ready for tomorrow.† â€Å"Yikes. I can look like anything I want. When someone tells me I look terrible, it's pretty serious.† She smiled. â€Å"It's more than physical.† She vanished. Whitney and Joel did the same a few moments later. Only Carter remained with Vincent and me. â€Å"It's going to be okay,† Carter told me. â€Å"I don't know. There's a crazy chaos-eating monster flitting in and out of me,† I said. â€Å"You're going to try to frisk her out. Seems like there's a high likelihood things might end up pretty not okay.† â€Å"Ye of little faith.† He too disappeared. Vincent and I stood there for several moments. Finally, I sighed once more. â€Å"Fucking angels.† He touched my shoulder. â€Å"Let's go back home.† We ventured back into the cold and walked to my apartment, saying little. Vincent look tired and thoughtful, no doubt from all the Nyx stuff. As we approached my apartment, however, his expression began to change. At first, he simply looked puzzled. Then he grew surprised, then startled, then horrified, and finally, disgusted. We stopped on the building's steps. â€Å"What's wrong?† I asked. He pointed upward. â€Å"There's something†¦evil in there.† â€Å"Like†¦my apartment? Because, you know, I'm technically evil†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vincent shook his head. â€Å"No, no. It's a different kind of evil. You're evil by nature – no offense. This is something different. A created evil. It's black and wrong. Unnatural. You know of anyone else who lives in the building that plays for your side?† â€Å"No. Just me.† He grimaced. â€Å"Well, let's go in then and see where it's coming from. Ugh. To my senses, it's like†¦rotting garbage.† We went inside, and it didn't take him long to figure out where this different evil was coming from. My own apartment. â€Å"Told you I was the only evil thing in here,† I joked. But I was a little uneasy at his reaction. Vincent didn't respond and simply pushed past me, searching in a way that brought the earlier hound reference to mind. He disappeared into my bedroom and reemerged with Dante's arts and crafts project. â€Å"This,† declared Vincent, holding it at arm's length. â€Å"That?† I asked, astonished. â€Å"That's†¦nothing.† â€Å"Where did you get it?† â€Å"This guy I know made it. The one who was helping me. He's, I don't know†¦a pseudo psychic. Maybe a real psychic. Interprets dreams and claims to be a magician.† I stared at the wicker ball. â€Å"Are you saying he really is a magician?† â€Å"Oh, he's something all right. This thing is so filthy, I can't believe you can't feel it. Well, I can believe it†¦I mean, it's a different sort of magic than you're attuned to, but Jesus. It makes me feel like I just†¦I don't know, went swimming in a sewer.† â€Å"Well†¦I know he's supposed to be, like, bad†¦he and another friend have said as much. But†¦I don't know. I thought it was just hype.† â€Å"There's bad and there's bad,† Vincent said. â€Å"And this is bad. This thing's a repellent, right? Did he give it to you to keep Nyx away?† â€Å"Yeah†¦but he wasn't sure if it'd work†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh, it'd work. It'd keep about anything away. To make something like this†¦man, Georgina. It's incredible – the kind of power required. Very few humans are born with this kind of power. He certainly wasn't. This is stolen power.† â€Å"Everyone steals power,† I noted dryly. â€Å"Me, Nyx†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Vincent's eyes were hard. â€Å"You and she suck it from people. This was ripped out of someone. The way you'd rip someone's heart out of their chest.† â€Å"So, what†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stared. â€Å"Are you saying Dante killed someone to make this?† â€Å"To make this specifically? Perhaps. But someone would need to already possess great power – independent of what he might put in this – to even attempt making it. And to be someone with that kind of power in the first place, he had to have done something, at some point in his life, that was bad.† â€Å"Like†¦killing someone.† â€Å"More than that. A special killing – something sacrificial. You know the kind of power those can yield.† I did. I didn't have a choice in the succubus soul-stealing thing, but I tried to keep my hands clean of other atrocities. Still, you couldn't work for Hell and not know about the full range of evils out there and how to achieve them. â€Å"And,† continued Vincent, â€Å"you know that the greater the impact – the greater the meaning – of a sacrificial killing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Right. The greater the power.† Goosebumps rose on my neck as I started to see where Vincent was going with all this. â€Å"Whatever he did to get this kind of power wasn't just some random, clean killing. It had meaning for him. And it was horrible. He would have had to turn on himself – give up part of his humanity – to get this kind of power.† I stared at the wicker ball. I couldn't sense what Vincent could, but now I too was feeling disgusted and uneasy by its presence. And suddenly, Kayla's repulsion suddenly didn't seem so strange after all. I'd had the charm in my purse when I saw her. She'd said I was ‘bad' because I was probably covered in the charm's power. What had Dante done? What act could sarcastic, laconic Dante have done to achieve the kind of power both Vincent and Hugh had said would be needed to make this kind of charm? Whatever it was, it was the reason Erik hated him. I shivered. â€Å"Can you destroy it?† Vincent nodded. â€Å"You want me to?† A tiny part of me remembered that it had the ability to repel Nyx. But it wouldn't make her disappear, and we needed her to come back if we were going to stop her for good. Swallowing, I nodded. â€Å"Yeah, go ahead.† It took only a few seconds. Green light encased the wicker sphere, then Vincent's hand was empty. I'd felt no change in power or anything, but the nephilim looked relieved. I exhaled. â€Å"Well. There's nothing to stop her now, huh?† â€Å"Nope,† he said, rubbing his hands together. â€Å"Get ready.†

Don’t Bother to Knock

Don't Bother to Knock Different types of communication are used throughout the movie. I will limit myself to the analysis of types of communication between Jed and Nell. Nell is brought into the hotel room, and meets the parents of Bunny, the little girl she will be babysitting. The parents swirl out, leaving simple instructions. Once Bunny goes to bed, Nell is left alone in the apartment. When she is alone, all you see is the sadness; therefore, she sends a facial message.In the introduction to the parents, and in her dealings with her uncle, she tries to keep it together, and put on a social happy expression, using the hidden self, but once alone, the mask is off. Meanwhile, another story goes on between Jed, a pilot, who’s been dating Lynn; a lounge singer in the hotel. Jed is obviously a â€Å"friends with benefits† type situation. Lyn is not the type to put the pressure on him to commit. She finally has come to the decision that she can’t be with him anymore . Lyn says, â€Å"You lack what I need. You lack an understanding heart. Pissed, Jed goes to his room, and then catches a glimpse in the window across the way, of Nell, dressed up in a gown, dancing around by herself. Eventually, she notices him, and they begin a nonverbal communication which may leads to a metamessage. He figures out her room number from the floor plan on the back of the door, and calls her, moving from nonverbal communication to interpersonal communication. They sit and talk on the phone, staring at each other from window to window, the mystery of the connection; interpersonal attraction enters the game.Jed, a guy out for a good time, and lonely guy, only sees the body at first. He looks at Nell, and sees a very beautiful woman and he thinks: I have hit the jackpot. There’s also certain passivity in Nell, a certain willingness that makes you think she would be â€Å"easy†, but this may be an overattribution from Jed. Jed having self-esteem thinks th at it will be pretty easy to capture this woman for the night. To increase his accuracy, Jed decided to pay a visit to the young lady. Over the devastating course of their next couple of scenes, when he invites himself over to her room, he begins to realize that something is not right.They flirt, they drink, they kiss, and through their interactions, something opens up in Nell, she projects onto him all of her hopes and dreams, which is alarming, so early in the game, and calls to mind fatal attraction. She loves him immediately, she self-disclosures, (first time they meet) showing inadequate interpersonal skills, therefore lack of effective emotional communication. Instead of taking advantage of what he thinks he deserves anyway (after all, she invited him over, she’s in a negligee, she knows exactly what he wants! , Jed using his effective and active skills of listening, shows his â€Å"understanding heart†; he just knows that seducing this woman would be wrong, but stays with her and offers help. When Nell and Jed neck on the couch, the little girl whom Nell is tending surprises the spooning couple, this drives the psychotic Nell over the edge, forcing Jed to try to keep the baby-sitter from harming both herself and the child, and once again showing his ability to interpersonal conflict management.

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John Brown- Terrorist or Freedom Fighter - Essay Example Using one of the most famous accounts of such a confrontation in America, the author illustrates the impact of humanitarians’ calls for abolition linking John Brown’s Raid as a possible origin of the American Civil War. However, the noble intentions of the raid are usually taken out of context to associate its consequences with acts of terrorism. In spite of the dangerous approach adopted by John Brown and his associates in the Harpers Ferry episode, abolition campaign was like a time bomb that would have anyway exploded due to neglect and contempt of human rights issues. Flanked by this thesis statement, this essay will attempt to analyze the life of John Brown and the events at Harpers Ferry raid to pick a position on legality of his actions as reiterated in the accompanying conclusion. Inequality and slavery in the polarized American society concerned John Brown to the extent that he found an alternative to peaceful abolition campaign that had not delivered results. Besides his desire to have a successful campaign for a slave free country, he was angered by some abolition positions that did not advocate for equality to the marginalized slave community (Earle, 13). Terrible aggression had been observed against slaves who were also subjected to inhumane conditions, a matter that inspired John Brown to apply similar tactics on the perpetrators of the violence on slaves. Alternatively, there was an apparent division into two southern and northern factions along hard-line positions on the issue of slavery. John Brown was a northerner, the faction that largely advocated for peaceful resolution of the American humanitarian concerns. Despite the fact that religious input into the campaign quelled application of any hostility tactic, the emergence of certain abolition acti vists who were desperate for the continued suppression of slaves and minorities was on the rise. The hostile abolitionists had realized that however dangerous it appeared, hostility

People Resourcing and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

People Resourcing and Development - Essay Example ve and motivate employee performance and generally contribute to the overall output (performance) of an organization (Pilbeam&Corbridge2010, p.16).In as much as it is intended for the good of employee, manager, and overall organization, performance appraisal has become a controversial aspect of human resource functions. This is because most managers do not have clear guidelines of enacting it, and in most cases, managers have not described their ratings of the process as completely accurate or honest. In the light of this revelation, the following study text will discuss the practice of performance appraisal in an organization as being more of a curse than a blessing in improving and motivating employee performance. Performance appraisals cannot be done collectively like trainings but are conducted per individual. In short, every employee needs to have their own appraisals done by the manager. Today’s organizations on the other hand range from medium sized to large, meaning that there may be tens to hundreds or thousands of employees per organization, all under the same human resources department. This means that the manager doing the performance appraisals has to invest a lot of time into the activity (Aggarwal, Sundar, & Thakur 2013, p.617). In as much as the appraisals are done to boost the organizations, they can mean wasting a lot of precious production time especially on the part of the manager. Apart from writing the appraisals, the managers are required to meet with staff and supervisors to collect information regarding the employees. This fact portrays the curse part of performance appraisals in that managers are critical factors in organizations and if their time for important matters in diverted to lesser-deserving issues, it may result in dismalperformance due to misalignment of management duties. For instance, time for overseeing of organizational functions may reduce, therefore exposing the organization to functional problems. Managers, who are at

University of chichester Essay Example for Free

University of chichester Essay From 1976 to 1991, UK has witnessed major changes in its education system. Since early 90s, changes would include transformation in its structure, essential nature and even purpose. The driving force behind this is legislation and national funding policies which brought about sociological and epistemological change. (Skinner 2006) For instance, the British Council – the international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities of the United Kingdom – has been an important agent of this transformation as it promotes UK education in over 100 countries where it has an established presence. With the increase influx of international students, a study of this topic would inevitably help develop a more effective marketing scheme for UK as essential market intelligence can be derived from such study, helping higher education administrators improve their standards which is hoped to attract and even more number of international students. The long-term goal of this paper is to provide important information which could help establishing the UK as the premier international education provider. 2. 1 Background of the Study Approximately ? 5 billion annually is contributed by International students to the economy of the United Kingdom. (Department for Children, Schools, and Families 2006) In line with this, Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom launched a campaign to encourage more international students to study in UK. He also sought building partnerships between universities and colleges in the UK with those abroad. The campaign, the Prime Ministers International Education Initiative (PMI) is based on its phase 1 implemented between the 1999 and 2005 where a unified effort in the promotion of UK education overseas was undertaken. In this next phase, a wider international agenda is expected to be address and and increased funding from the Government, the British Council and the education sector is expected. (Department for Children, Schools, and Families 2007) In view of this, data gathered from this study can be used, among others, in achieving these goals set by the Prime Minister. Although the University of Chichester is just one of the universities in the region, principles derived from the findings in this study can be adopted to suit local conditions in other universities and colleges. In this way, it is hoped that findings from this study can help not only the education sector but also the economy of the nation as whole since having more international students translates to more funds for the economy as reported earlier in this section. 2. 2 Objectives This paper aims to provide insights on why students come to the University of Chichester. This is achieved by investigating the current performance of the university from the point of view of the studentry, reviewing its current approach to international education, and proposing recommendations to improve its education program for the international students with emphasis given to sustainability of success. This paper would focus on providing insights as to why students come to the University of Chichester. In order to to this qualitative and quantitative research methodologies would be used. The qualitative aspect of this research would focus mainly on the review of related literature but would also include findings from some of informal interviews conducted. The qualitative aspect, on the other hand, would deal with drawing out insights from currently enrolled international students at the University of Chichester. Both the results of the qualitative and quantitative methods would be considered together to validate each other so that reasonable conclusions can be made and feasible recommendations can be formulated. 2. 4 Limitations The literature review would primarily focus on the policy of the United Kingdom regarding encouraging international students to attend UK universities as well the environmental and internal context of the University of Chichester. A working definition of international education and international students would be developed and the entire paper would hinge only on these definitions. For instance, when in the later chapter, an international student is said to be interviewed, it is understood that this international student met all the qualifications described in the working definition of an international student. Also, the findings, conclusions and recommendations for this paper, although was aimed to be usable to other universities so that the goals of the second phase PMI may be achieved, are all in the context of the University of Chichester. Therefore, attempts to apply this to other universities necessitates contextualization.

Barriers of Care for Young Parents

Barriers of Care for Young Parents Young Parents’ Perceptions of Barriers to Antenatal and Postnatal Care Eileen Bates, Scott Atwood Pregnancy in the young adult population is lacking education, and supportive services. Young parents are faced with difficulties in returning to employment, and education or training. â€Å"In addition, young parents face an increased risk of social exclusion and postnatal depression† (Berrington et al, 2005). There was no research questions stated in this article. Currently, there is a scarce amount of literature on support for pregnancy in young adults. Ley’s (1982) cognitive model of adherence has three aspects: satisfaction, compliance, and communication; all three of which were applied to this study. For protection of the participants’ rights, the ethical approval for the adolescent parents over the age of sixteen to be recruited was obtained by Kingston University, London, United Kingdom. For the research design in this study, mixed-methods were used. There was a questionnaire, and there were two focus groups. The sample and setting for this study was done with adolescent parents whom lived in London near a PCT. A PCT is similar to a Health Department. The adolescent parents in this study were defined as: a young person, or their partner whom conceived under the age of twenty-two. As an incentive, the participants were given supermarket vouchers. This study was done with predominantly white British young parents. Their ages ranged from 15-25 years old at the participants’ age of conception. For data collection, the questionnaire contained five sections, with both open and closed-ended questions. The sections were as followed: a self-esteem measure, participant characteristics, future plans, antenatal needs and support, and postnatal needs and support. The procedure for the questionnaire was to pass out 58 questionnaires to divide the group into parents with high self-esteem, and low self-esteem. The focus groups were designed to add detail, and information provided in the questionnaire. The procedure for the focus group was to divide the participants into two groups; antenatal and postnatal parents. Of the 58 participants used for the questionnaire, ten participants were chosen for the focus groups; three mothers and two fathers were in the antenatal group, and five mothers were in the postnatal group. The questionnaires’ findings concluded that there was a trend among self-esteem, and the adolescent parents’ reaction to society’s treatment of them. â€Å"’I feel that society tends to make you feel like everyone is better than me, and that I am a disgrace’ (mother, age 18)† (Smith and Roberts, 2009). 37 of 58 participants attended antenatal support classes. Attendance positively correlated with self-esteem. More parents with high self-esteem attended the antenatal support classes than parents with low self-esteem. When asked the reason for not attending postnatal support classes, the main reason given was they did not know such classes were available. The antenatal focus group’s findings concluded that, â€Å"All the young parents indicated that they would like to attend postnatal classes, but felt they were not given sufficient information about these classes to attend† (Smith and Roberts, 2009). The postnatal focus group’s findings concluded that relatives and friends were portrayed as the most helpful resource of postnatal support. All the young mothers perceived society to have a negative view of adolescent parents. â€Å"’They think you’re just a dirty little slag basically’ (mother, age 19)† (Smith and Roberts, 2009). The study yields results that expand discussion on several different areas that may influence desire or ability to seek treatment. The one quality presented by test subjects universally was the desire to be a good parent (Smith Roberts, 2009). Outside of this, influencing variables were labeled as self-esteem, age, and gender. The results of the study conclude that varying levels of self-esteem influence attendance. Low self-esteem may be acting as a barrier to attendance while those with higher self-esteem seemed to be more likely to attend. The unknown aspect of self-esteem is that the study is unable to conclude if the increased levels of self-esteem were present prior to attendance or if attendance of support groups increased self-esteem (Smith Roberts, 2009). Secondly, age was an obstacle to attendance. Younger parents seemed to have a difficult time when mingling with older parents. Due to differences in financial situations, younger parents were discouraged when drawing comparisons between themselves and older parents and experienced feelings of insignificance (Runciman, 1966). Younger parents also reported less-than satisfactory experiences with health care professionals. These unsatisfactory experiences are thought to be related to the health teams lack of training, knowledge, and communication skills related to young parents (Smith Roberts, 2009). Lastly, gender had an effect on young parents seeking care. The issue was mostly related to the necessity of different education for each gender. Societal norms dictated roles for the mother and father which led to the father being left out of education regarding infant care (Warin, 1999). Smith and Roberts believe there is a need to include revisions to current teachings to better include young fathers. The main revisions recommended to achieve improvement in the delivery of care for the population of this study is varying education and support systems. By extending time constraints to over 19, this would allow new young mothers more time to become mothers. Education delivery must also be changed, according to the study, so information can be better received by young parents. Lastly, the way information about programs that are already available is delivered to the target population must be changed due to the degree of isolation of the subjects (Smith and Roberts, 2009). While the study is not perfect, it does open the door for improvement. The system of delivery must be made more targeted and precise. If education can be changed for healthcare professionals and the young parents, it may improve the outcomes of providing treatment to this under-treated population (Smith and Roberts, 2009). References Berrington A, Hernandez IC, Ingham R, Stevenson J (2005) Antecedents and outcomes of young fatherhood: Longitudinal evidence from the 1970 British birth cohort study. Final Report University of Southampton,Southampton Ley P (1982) Satisfaction, compliance and communication. British Journal of Clinical Psychology 21: 241–54 Runciman WG (1966) Relative deprivation and social justice: A study of attitudes to social inequality in 20th Century England Routledge, London Smith, D., Roberts, R. (2009). Young parents perceptions of barriers to antenatal and postnatal care.British Journal Of Midwifery,17(10), 620. Warin J, Solomon Y, Lewis C, Langford W (1999) Fathers, work and family life Family Policy Studies Centre, London

WSH Management System with Legal Compliance

WSH Management System with Legal Compliance Coordinate WSH Management System with Legal Compliance Background of My organization GREATLAND(S)ENGINEERING PTE,LTD. COMPANY PROFILE GREATLAND(S)ENGINEERING PTE, LTD work with main-con SK Engineering construction In the Company was prequalified by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore to undertake all major mass transit rail (MRT) system developments with undisclosed contract value. Within half a year, the Company has been awarded MRT contracts with total value exceeding 350Million Singapore Dollars by LTA. The company is also currently in the stage of participating in new and coming tenders for MRT projects East-West cable tunnel by LTA in Singapore. We boast a tradition of integrated project Company and technical expertise in the railway construction industry. Our unique blend of corporate culture, sound business strategies, experience, strong financial status and advance technology contributes to excellent results and the dynamism of the Company. Confidently offers the most cost-effective and efficient integral design and construction solutions to all our customers. Project name: East-West cable tunnel and project value 350 million dollars. Starting on December 2012 and complition on dec 2016. 1) Explain the WSH roles, responsibilities and authorities for any four (4) of employees that should be defined in the WSH Management System. (i) Project Manager/Senior Deputy Project Manager To Chair the Project Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) committee To lead, execute and implement the SHEMS (SHE Management System) To implement Company’s corporate safety programs and procedures To ensure the provision of safe and healthy working environment for all staff To ensure that all statutory requirement, codes of practice and company’s safety rules and regulations are complied with To oversee performance of sub-contractors and ensure that they comply with legal requirements and safety standards To review safety issues and recommendations for improvement on safety To develop and maintain close liaison and regular communication with relevant statutory authorities To conduct regular inspection and audit on the safety provisions on site To establish and maintain a positive safety climate on the project site To ensure the WSH Committee carries out investigations recommendations for any incident, accident, near miss or dangerous occurrence that such actions are recorded (ii) WSH Officer Assist in the implementation of the site’s workplace safety and health environmental programmes Assist in identifying and assessing any foreseeable risk arising from the workplace or work processes therein To recommend reasonably practicable measures to eliminate, minimize or control any foreseeable risk to any person who is at work in the workplace or may be affected by other work processes in the workplace Assist to implement the approved Safe Work Method Statement and Risk Assessment Exercise general supervision and inspection of the observance of the provisions of the WSH Act and any regulations made thereafter Advise site management on legal environment, health and safety requirement and company safety procedures To monitor performance of sub-contractors ensure their compliance with legal requirements safety standards To update management on new changes in legal requirements relating to workplace safety and health Organise safety programme and activities to promote safe conduct of workers To investigate all incidents/accidents or dangerous occurrences recommend means to prevent recurrences Report and liaise with the management, relevant authorities on inspection, audit and other safety, health and environment issues Serve as the secretary in the site WSH committee (iii) WSH Coordinator/WSH supervisors Conduct daily inspection and act on unsafe acts and conditions Train and monitor workers safe work practices Maintain and monitor safety records and checklist To assist in the investigation of accidents/incident/dangerous occurrences recommend remedial actions, if necessary To liaise with authorities subcontractors on WSH matters Assist in identifying any unsafe condition / unsafe act recommend / implement reasonable practicable measures to correct the situation Monitor the conduct of daily toolbox meetings and Job Safety Analysis briefings Act as assistant secretary of the site WSH committee (iv) Engineers To be in-charge of overall structural work and inspection To comply with all legal safety requirements and company safe work procedures To conduct regular inspection and audits on the safety provisions on site Supervise and ensure subcontractors comply with legal safety requirements and safety standards Ensure that the approved Safe Work Method Statement and Risk Assessment are implemented by subcontractors and all employees. To participate in safety talks, toolbox meetings and briefings To report any incidents, assist in investigation. Rectify unsafe conditions and correct unsafe act promptly on site. Attend safety meetings to contribute to a safe working environment 2) Identify at least three (3) stakeholders relevant to the chosen work and explain how the WSH roles, responsibility and authorities would be communicated to the stakeholders. 3) Describe three WSH management system in used in workplace and explain any five (5)elemaents of theWSH management system in detail and how your organization implement it. Safety training – it is necessary to equip workers at all level with knowledge, skills and attitude so that they can perform their job in a safely manner. Its is also necessary to establish procedures to identify traning needs and provide adequate safety training to all levels. Records of training should also be documented and maintained at all times. In- house safety rules and regulations – it needs to be established and enforced to ensure all working personnel know their roles and responsibilities in safety that they need to comply e.g. proper use of PPE, operation and maintenance of machinery and equipment, proper handling and storage of hazardous materials and reporting of hazards and incident. Incident investigation and analysis – it is to establish the cause of incidents and to prevent recurrence of the incidents. Procedures to identify, record, investigate and analyse incidents should be established and maintained so that corrective actions can be implemented to prevent recurrence of incidents. Five (5) Elements of theWSH management system Risk Assessment /Hazards analysis Safe work practices Safety promotion Safety inspctions Emergency preparedness 4) Identify resources required for the implementation of WSH management. Resources required for implementation of WSH management may include; Human resources (manpower) Financial resources Equipment and tools allocation Space allocation Specialised skills Scheduling of implementation 5) By means of a flow chat, explain how You coordinate and document a management review on WSH Management System and illustrate types of record to be documented for Management review Management meeting – during the meeting, all the relevant stakeholders will be issued a copy of the WSH management system for review. Pre start meeting – during the pre start meeting, the WSH personnal would present the slides on the respective elements of the WSH Management System to all the stakeholders involved. Safety induction course – during the SIC, all stakeholders would be briefed on the implementation of the WSH Management System on site. Toolbox Meeting Record: 6) Prepare all legal register for your workplace 7) Explain how your workplace procedure for checking organizational compliance with applicable WSH legal and other requirement. Organization should document and maintain records of safety training provided for all working personnel in the organisation. Training records may include; Personnel who are provided with training. These include employees as well as sub – contractor’s employees. Duration of training Schedule of training including date and time of training, topics, trainers and details of assessments. Sequence of training includes the order in which training content, activities and how assessment is conducted. Type of training include skills based, knowledge based and target of training whether for workers, supervisor or managers. Trainer’s particulars including their competency and experience in the training topics 8) List of Communication channels at your workplace to reach out to Stakeholders Communication channels Toolbox meeting WSH committee meeting Work progress meeting Management meeting Technical meeting WSH training WSH Inspection Repots Feedback Email Safety poster Newsletters Phone calls 9) Explain how you Coordinate compliance audit for your workplace Arranging the schedule e.g. date of audit, duration of audit, start time of the audit, plant to conduct the audit and scope of the audit. Engaging a competent auditor e.g consultant or Auditing Agencies. Conducting the meeting e.g. opening the meeting, discuss the audit programme with the introduction of auditor and auditees, familiarisation tour at the site process and site utilization plan, verification of effective implementation SHMS involving reviewing of documents, procedures and records, interviewing of personnel and phyisical inspection, evaluation of audits findings and exit the meeting.

Marketing changes :: essays research papers

There have been many significant changes within our society. One of this is the changing gender roles within our society and another is the changing attitudes toward health & fitness. Both of these have impacted on consumer preferences or buying habits. Gender roles are no longer as accurate as it once was. There is now a trend of reserved roles. This is due to the continued growth in a number of dual income households. There has been an increase of women in the workforce in the fast few years. Women in the paid workforce spend less time shopping than the stay at home women. They tend to shop in the evenings and on weekends due to their busy schedules. They tend to swap stores which they shop in due to convenience. This happens due to the time constraints but still earning an income they are less likely to be price conscious. The working women are more likely to purchase convenience foods and products and they tend to be brand and store loyal. In this current society women have different material (clothing) needs to the stay at home women versus the working women. Males are now also more involved in purchasing household products. Some men now do their shopping via the internet rather than physically enter the stores. Because they use this type of method it is harder to record their purchasing habits. They have moved away from traditional roles. Women are now taking a greater role in deciding which products to buy. Buying decisions have moved away from being male/husband denominated to become automatic. i.e. many families now have two cars and they tend to make their purchase decision separate. Direct marketers are now targeting time pressured women who use catalogues, telesales and internet sites as ways of shopping may it be for clothing as well as household and family needs. They have also used this method to target men who now also do the shopping. Marketers who are aware of this change have developed changes to their product design and advertising appeal/styles. Some advertisements have been positive and some offending. I.e. Detergent Ads. Marketers are increasingly attempting to cash in on the belief that men are getting in touch with their feminine side. Many businesses have now marketed their services/ products to suit these changing gender roles. One of this is restaurants. Plenty of them now offer home delivery service. There is also an increase in takeaway stores catering for these busy men and women.

Investigate the Osmotic Point of Equilibrium in a Potato :: GCSE Biology A2 A-Level Coursework

Investigate the Osmotic Point of Equilibrium in a Potato The following Passages are information which I have managed to find when researching the topic of Osmosis: - The cell membrane controls the movement of substances going into and out of the cells. The cell therefore controls the Chemical composition of the internal environment of the cell. It does this in two ways; Passive Process - this does not require energy Active Process - this does require energy to occur This works in principle which diffusion in which molecules and ions in a solution move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration resulting in the equal distribution of molecules. Cells membranes are selectively or partially permeable, this means moving the membrane allows certain molecules to pass through it moving freely down the concentration gradient but not others. Osmosis The cell membrane is partially permeable in that it allows some molecules to diffuse rapidly but slows the passing of others. The glucose molecules try to diffuse to the outside but cannot get through the membrane because the pores are too small. The water molecules diffuse trough the pores down the concentration gradient. This membrane- controlled diffusion of water molecuse is controlled by osmosis, it can works both ways so that it can pass into and out of the cell. Osmosis and Diffusion If water is withheld from a flowering plant, the flowers wilt. If bacterial cells are placed in concentrated salt water solution, they collapse and die. Human red blood cells placed in fresh water expand and burst. These are examples of the effects of osmosis, the process by which water passes through a cell membrane. Osmosis is possible because of the constant state of motion that exists at the atomic and molecular levels of matter. Specifically, in liquid solutions, molecules of solute (the dissolved substance) and solvent (the substance, usually liquid, in which the solute is dissolved) move about randomly, spreading from regions of high concentration into regions of low concentration. This process is called diffusion. If a cell membrane allowed an equal passage of solute and solvent, diffusion through the membrane would lead to a cell whose internal composition would be identical to its environment. This does not occur because the cell membrane is differentially permeable, or semipermeable-that is, it is permeable to some molecules but not to others. Water molecules (and dissolved gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide) pass through the membrane much more readily than dissolved solid solutes, such as sugar and salt (see Cell, "The Cell Membrane"). If the environment is hypertonic (having a higher concentration of solute than the cell), water diffuses out of the cell.

Domestic Violence in America Essay -- Violence Against Women Essays

Domestic abuse in the United States is a large-scale and complex social and health problem. The home is the most violent setting in America today (Lay, 1994). Sadly enough, the majority of people who are murdered are not likely killed by a stranger during a hold-up or similar crime but are killed by someone they know. Not surprisingly, the Center for Disease Control and prevention has identified interpersonal violence as a major public health problem (Velson-Friedrich, 1994). Current estimates suggest that three to four million women are the victims of physical abuse by their intimate partners (Harris & Cook, 1994). According to the FBI, some form of domestic violence occurs in half of the homes in the United States at least once a year (Dickstein, 1988). In reality one out of every six marriages the wife is physically abused. Every fifteen seconds a women is battered in the United States. Daily, four American women lose their lives to their husbands or boyfriends, equaling more than one-third of all female homicide victims (WAC, 1994). These numbers report that too much violence is directed toward women. Historically, domestic violence has been a downplayed and, oftentimes, culturally condoned, American tradition. In the colonial period, laws derived from English common-law permitted a man to beat his wife when she acted in a manner that he believed to be inappropriate. For example, the so-called â€Å"Rule of Thumb† law, which permitted a husband to beat his wife with a stick that could be no larger than the circumference of his thumb, was in effect until the end of the nineteenth century (Dickstein, 1988). The issue of domestic violence, especially wife abuse, first gained national attention in 1974 with the publishing of Scream Quietly or the Neighbors Will Hear by Erin Pizzey, the founder of Chiswick’s Women’s Aid, a shelter in England for battered women. Pizzey’s work helped to stimulate feminist concern and outrage over wife b eating, verbal abuse, financial restrictions and social isolation of women by their husbands (Utech, 1994). Shortly thereafter, the women’s liberation movement, through the National Organization for Women (NOW), advocated for the end of violence against women and sought improved social services for battered wives. NOW also was actively engaged in promoting shelter homes and lobbying congressional leaders for legislation that would... ...t? Because they don’t have the protection they need. The criminal justice system needs to start a victim relocation program for domestic abuse victims. This would ensure their safety and allow them enough courage to leave a horrible situation. In a nation that detests racism and protests animal cruelty then why are women and children still subject to torture and violence in their own homes at the hands of their husbands and fathers? In a politically correct world too many of us still view women and children as inferior, as property. The media portrays women as sex symbols and often with a very noticeable lack of intelligence. Often doctors turn their backs on damage left as the result of abuse because of the fear of embarrassing their patients (WAC, 1994). It is time to declare war on domestic violence. Domestic violence will always be a part of our culture. Women are still not considered equal and historically it was acceptable to beat your wife if she was out of line. Wi th today’s broken marriages and extensive abuse of alcohol and drugs, the matter will only get worse. If strong initiatives are not instilled now, there will be many unnecessary deaths due to the rise in abuse.

Finance 3220 Problem Set 1

What is the present value of $150,000 to be received 8 years from today if the discount rate is 11 percent? Question 1 options: | A)|   $65,088. 97| | B)|   $71,147. 07| | C)|   $74,141. 41| | D)|   $79,806. 18| | E)|   $83,291. 06 | Question 2 (2 points) According to the Rule of 72, you can do which one of the following? Question 2 options: | A)|   double your money in five years at 7. 2 percent interest| | B)|   double your money in 7. 2 years at 8 percent interest| | C)|   double your money in 8 years at 9 percent interest| | D)|   triple your money in 7. years at 5 percent interest| | E)|   triple your money at 10 percent interest in 7. 2 years  | Question 3 (2 points) On your ninth birthday, you received $300 which you invested at 4. 5 percent interest, compounded annually. Your investment is now worth $757. How old are you today? Question 3 options: | A)|   age 29| | B)|   age 30| | C)|   age 31| | D)|   age 32| | E)|   age 33| Question 4 (2 poin ts) You just received a $5,000 gift from your grandmother. You have decided to save this money so that you can gift it to your grandchildren 50 years from now.How much additional money will you have to gift to your grandchildren if you can earn an average of 8. 5 percent instead of just 8 percent on your savings? Question 4 options: | A)|   $47,318. 09| | B)|   $52,464. 79| | C)|   $55,211. 16| | D)|   $58,811. 99| | E)|   $60,923. 52 | Question 5 (2 points) Shelley won a lottery and will receive $1,000 a year for the next ten years. The value of her winnings today discounted at her discount rate is called which one of the following? Question 5 options: | A)|   single amount| | B)|   future value| | C)|   present value| D)|   simple amount| | E)|   compounded value | Question 6 (2 points) Andy deposited $3,000 this morning into an account that pays 5 percent interest, compounded annually. Barb also deposited $3,000 this morning into an account that pays 5 percent interest, compounded annually. Andy will withdraw his interest earnings and spend it as soon as possible. Barb will reinvest her interest earnings into her account. Given this, which one of the following statements is true? Question 6 options: | A)|   Barb will earn more interest the first year than Andy will. | B)|   Andy will earn more interest in year three than Barb will. | | C)|   Barb will earn interest on interest. | | D)|   After five years, Andy and Barb will both have earned the same amount of interest. | | E)|   Andy will earn compound interest. | Question 7 (2 points) You invested $1,650 in an account that pays 5 percent simple interest. How much more could you have earned over a 20-year period if the interest had compounded annually? Question 7 options: | A)|   $849. 22| | B)|   $930. 11| | C)|   $982. 19| | D)|   $1,021. 15| | E)|   $1,077. 94 | Question 8 (2 points)A year ago, you deposited $30,000 into a retirement savings account at a fixed rate of 5. 5 percent. Today, you could earn a fixed rate of 6. 5 percent on a similar type account. However, your rate is fixed and cannot be adjusted. How much less could you have deposited last year if you could have earned a fixed rate of 6. 5 percent and still have the same amount as you currently will when you retire 38 years from today? Question 8 options: | A)|   $2,118. 42 less| | B)|   $3,333. 33 less| | C)|   $5,417. 09 less| | D)|   $7,274. 12 less| | E)|   $9,234. 97 less  |Question 9 (2 points) You are investing $100 today in a savings account at your local bank. Which one of the following terms refers to the value of this investment one year from now? Question 9 options: | A)|   future value| | B)|   present value| | C)|   principal amounts| | D)|   discounted value| | E)|   invested principal | Question 10 (2 points) One year ago, you invested $1,800. Today it is worth $1,924. 62. What rate of interest did you earn? Question 10 options: | A)|   6. 59 percent| | B)|   6. 67 percent| | C)|   6. 88 percent| | D)|   6. 92 percent| | E)|   7. 01 percent |

Acc202 Mod3 Case Essay

ACC202 Module 3 Case Pg.1 ACC202 Module 3 Case James Davis Trident University ACC202 Module 3 Case Pg.2 Explain the main differences between the absorption and contribution (behavioral, variable) income statements. Will net income always be the same under the two approaches? If not, explain the difference. Under absorption income statement, the cost of per unit of inventory is inclusive of direct material, direct labor, variable manufacturing overhead and fixed manufacturing overhead. on the other hand, in case of variable costing income statement, cost per unit of inventory is inclusive of direct material, direct labor, variable manufacturing overhead. In case of absorption costing income statement, the gross margin is computed by deducting the cost of goods sold from the sales. On the other hand, in case of variable costing income statement variable expenses are deducted from sales to arrive at contribution margin and the fixed expenses are deducted from the contribution margin to arrive at sales. In case of absorption costing, the inventories are always valued at full costs. On the other hand, under variable costing, inventories are always valued at variable costs. The net income under two approaches will be the same if the production equals sales. In case the production is more than the sales, then absorption costing will show more profit than the variable costing income statement because the closing stock is valued at high cost per unit compared to variable costing because of inclusion of fixed manufacturing cost in the cost per unit. See more:  The 3 Types of Satire Essay Comment specifically on why companies feel the need to create yet another income statement in a different format. What information can the company  gleam from this approach which is helpful as a tool in the decision making process. Managers need more ,and often times different, information than does outside organizations. The managers are the ones making the decisions that will affect the future of the company. The income statements that are created show much more detail and are formatted for specific reasons that are beneficial to the organization. ACC202 Module 3 Case Pg.3 Explain situations in which break-even analysis can be a useful tool. Provide a specific example. The goal of a break-even analysis is to show when a product is going to profitable. It allows managers to see what affects different cost changes have on the profit margin. An example of this is when Company A is developing product B. The break-even analysis shows all costs associated with producing that product. It also shows how much of the product must be sold in order to recoup the total cost of production. It will also allow managers to tweak things such as sell price to influence the outcome.

‘Fortunate to survive so many enemies for so long’ – discuss this verdict of the Weimar, 1919-24

In November 1918, following the calamity of World War One, the authoritarian German Kaiser Wilhelm II was forced to abdicate. Two months later the Weimar was established. This new authority promised to rule more liberally, and brought hope of freedom and prosperity to the German people. However, from its birth in 1919 to its collapse, the Weimar Republic was to face many problems. Thus, the verdict that the Weimar was fortunate to survive would seem correct. The Weimar began its rule over a country in unfavourable circumstances with considerable deep-routed problems. These dated back to Imperial Germany, and were obvious even before the war. Germany had only been united since 1871. Social tensions had been created by rapid industrialisation that led to changes within the class system, as agriculturists were suspicious of industrial workers taking their place. Also, Germany's economy was behind; Britain had a larger navy, and colonial policy in Africa was not successful. This led to doubt concerning national efficiency. To make matters worse, Germany was run by a narrow elite who was unsympathetic to the hardships his people faced. Less that half a century later, the First World War further devastated Germany. The country encountered continual military defeats, army mutiny, low morale, poor living and working conditions, food shortages, a lack of consumer goods, inflation and much more. As a result of these pressing problems, the Weimar had little choice but to accept the terms of the ‘Treaty of Versailles'. This had devastating consequences for Germany. Weakening the country economically, Germany was compelled to give up much of its land including industrial regions such as Alsace Lorraine, surrender all of its colonies, dematerialise the Rhineland, disarm its army and eliminate its airforce, and pay reparations of i6,600 million. These things brought further hardship for the German people, as the country was continually drained of its wealth and resources. Socially stunting, Germany was forced to accept all responsibility for starting the war, and to accept article 231; the ‘War Guilt Clause'. This led to an overwhelmingly low morale. Politically, Germany was to have an Ally-friendly liberal government. This was a main cause of the introduction of a new constitution, and heavily influenced the style of the Weimar. The set-up of this new democratic government itself brought problems for Germany. The Weimar adopted a policy of proportional representation. This system worked effectively as long as the politicians were prepared to support the constitution. However, the President was given powers under article 48 which could, in times of ‘national emergency', be used to undermine the democratic constitution. This was often abused, and led to dictator-like rulers. Also, the new constitution meant that the Republic consisted of many small parties that had to work together in coalition governments with a proportional representation system. This did not work as the parties had very different political views, and so often couldn't agree on issues. As well as this, many parties within the Weimar actually disagreed with its existence. Leaders of the army, civil service and legal system disliked the new constitution. This lead to certain figures deliberately working against the Republic and stirred trouble in hope that it might fail. The most significant threat came from the President of the Republic from 1925, Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg. Thus, the Weimar itself led to further weakness in Germany. As well as internal enemies, the Weimar also faced a vast number of outer opposition groups. On the left of German politics, communists such as the Spartacists in 1919, attempted to overthrow the government. On the other extreme, monarchists like Wolfgang Kapp in 1920, or extreme nationalists attempted to destroy democracy in Germany. These revolutions undermined the Weimar, and rallied much opposition from the German people. The opposition also led to other flaws in the Weimar. For example, the Spartacist revolution resulted in the Eber-Groner pact, which was designed to protect Germany from Communism. However, this agreement represented a huge mistake made by Ebert and his SPD colleges in believing that the threat to the Republic came primarily from the left, when later the army wouldn't help protect the government against Hitler as he was right wing. Also, the very fact that the pact was needed showed that the Weimar was weak. The sum of these factors led to an overall weakness in the Weimar, though some are much more vital that others. Perhaps the most important was Treaty of Versailles, which led to social, economic, and most crucially political unrest as it also contributed to the success of the Weimar's opponents i. e. the slogan of the ‘November criminals', or the ‘War guilt clause' gave the Nazis a useful source of propaganda. Another vital weakness was constitution itself, which allowed both internal and external opponents to attack its weaknesses, such as proportional representation, or Article 48 which Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg used to undermine the Constituency. Also, many of the factors that led to the Weimar's weaknesses inter-link with one another, for example the lack of German unity partly resulted due to previous deep-routed problems of Imperial Germany, or the Spartacist revolt that resulted in the unsuccessful Eber-Groner pact. Yet, despite all of these varied problems, the Weimar remained, supporting the statement that it was ‘Fortunate to survive so many enemies for so long'. Yet, there were some factors that worked in favour of the Weimar i. e. many people were simply relieved to have change, and pleased that the soldiers were able to return home. Another helpful act is that in 1926 reparations were reduced, and assistance was given to Germany to help with re-building. Therefore, as well as simply withstanding defeat, the Weimar managed several accomplishments which led to an improvement the German people' way of life, for example the Constitution solved hyperinflation in 1923, and also improved foreign relations. Plus, after 1924 further improvements were made i. e. Dawes plan by Stresseman. Yet, overall the Weimar's weaknesses seem to out-weigh its strengths, and hence the statement seems to be an accurate interpretation.

Second Foundation 1. Two Men and the Mule

THE MULE – It was after the fall of the First Foundation that the constructive aspects of the Mule's regime took shape. After the definite break-up at the first Galactic Empire, it was he who first presented history with a unified volume at space truly imperial in scope. The earlier commercial empire at the fallen Foundation had been diverse and loosely knit, despite the impalpable backing at the predictions of psycho-history. It was not to be compared with the tightly controlled ‘Union of Worlds' under the Mule, comprising as it did, one-tenth the volume of the Galaxy and one-fifteenth of its population. Particularly during the era of the so-called Search†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica [1] There is much more that the Encyclopedia has to say on the subject of the Mule and his Empire but almost all of it is not germane to the issue at immediate hand, and most of it is considerably too dry for our purposes in any case. Mainly, the article concerns itself at this point with the economic conditions that led to the rise of the â€Å"First Citizen of the Union† – the Mule's official title – and with the economic consequences thereof. If, at any time, the writer of the article is mildly astonished at the colossal haste with which the Mule rose from nothing to vast dominion in five years, he conceals it. If he is further surprised at the sudden cessation of expansion in favor of a five-year consolidation of territory, he hides the fact. We therefore abandon the Encyclopedia and continue on our own path for our own purposes and take up the history of the Great Interregnum – between the First and Second Galactic Empires – at the end of that five years of consolidation. Politically, the Union is quiet. Economically, it is prosperous. Few would care to exchange the peace of the Mule's steady grip for the chaos that had preceded, On the worlds that five years previously had known the Foundation, there might be a nostalgic regret, but no more. The Foundation's leaders were dead, where useless; and Converted, where useful. And of the Converted, the most useful was Han Pritcher, now lieutenant general. In the days of the Foundation, Han Pritcher had been a captain and a member of the underground Democratic Opposition. When the Foundation fell to the Mule without a fight, Pritcher fought the Mule. Until, that is, he was Converted. The Conversion was not the ordinary one brought on by the power of superior reason. Han Pritcher know that well enough. He had been changed because the Mule was a mutant with mental powers quite capable of adjusting the conditions of ordinary humans to suit himself. But that satisfied him completely. That was as it should be. The very contentment with the Conversion was a prime symptom of it, but Han Pritcher was no longer even curious about the matter. And now that he was returning from his fifth major expedition into the boundlessness of the Galaxy outside the Union, it was with something approaching artless joy that the veteran spaceman and Intelligence agent considered his approaching audience with the â€Å"First Citizen.† His hard face, gouged out of a dark, grainless wood that did not seem to be capable of smiling without cracking, didn't show it – but the outward indications were unnecessary. The Mule could see the emotions within, down to the smallest, much as an ordinary man could see the twitch of an eyebrow. Pritcher left his air car at the old vice-regal hangars and entered the palace grounds on foot as was required. He walked one mile along the arrowed highway – which was empty and silent. Pritcher knew that over the square miles of Palace grounds, there was not one guard, not one soldier, not one armed man. The Mule had need of no protection. The Mule was his own best, all-powerful protector. Pritcher's footsteps beat softly in his own cars, as the palace reared its gleaming, incredibly light and incredibly strong metallic walls before him in the daring, overblown, near-hectic arches that characterized the architecture of the Late Empire. It brooded strongly over the empty grounds, over the crowded city on the horizon. Within the palace was that one man – by himself – on whose inhuman mental attributes depended the new aristocracy, and the whole structure of the Union. The huge, smooth door swung massively open at the general's approach, and he entered. He stepped on to the wide, sweeping ramp that moved upward under him. He rose swiftly in the noiseless elevator. He stood before the small plain door of the Mule's own room in the highest glitter of the palace spires. It opened- Bail Channis was young, and Bail Channis was Unconverted. That is, in plainer language, his emotional make-up had been unadjusted by the Mule. It remained exactly as it had been formed by the original shape of its heredity and the subsequent modifications of his environment. And that satisfied him, too. At not quite thirty, he was in marvelously good odor in the capital. He was handsome and quick-witted – therefore successful in society. He was intelligent and self-possessed – therefore successful with the Mule. And he was thoroughly pleased at both successes. And now, for the first time, the Mule had summoned him to personal audience. His legs carried him down the long, glittering highway that led tautly to the sponge-aluminum spires that had been once the residence of the viceroy of Kalgan, who ruled under the old emperors; and that had been later the residence of the independent Princes of Kalgan, who ruled in their own name; and that was now the residence of the First Citizen of the Union, who ruled over an empire of his own. Channis hummed softly to himself. He did not doubt what this was all about. The Second Foundation, naturally! That all-embracing bogey, the mere consideration of which had thrown the Mule back from his policy of limitless expansion into static caution. The official term was – â€Å"consolidation.† Now there were rumors – you couldn't stop rumors. The Mule was to begin the offensive once more. The Mule had discovered the whereabouts of the Second Foundation, and would attack The Mule had come to an agreement with the Second Foundation and divided the Galaxy. The Mule had decided the Second Foundation did not exist and would take over all the Galaxy. No use listing all the varieties one heard in the anterooms. It was not even the first time such rumors had circulated. But now they seemed to have more body in them, and all the free, expansive Souls Who** thrived on war, military adventure, and political chaos and withered in times of stability and stagnant peace were joyful. Bail Channis was one of these. He did not fear the mysterious Second Foundation. For that matter, he did not fear the Mule, and boasted of it. Some, perhaps, who disapproved of one at once so young and so well-off, waited darkly for the reckoning with the gay ladies' man who employed his wit openly at the expense of the Mule's physical appearance and sequestered life. None dared join him and few dared laugh, but when nothing happened to him, his reputation rose accordingly. Channis was improvising words to the tune he was humming. Nonsense words with the recurrent refrain: â€Å"Second Foundation threatens the Nation and all of Creation.† He was at the palace. The huge, smooth door swung massively open at his approach and he entered. He stepped on to the wide, sweeping ramp that moved upward under him. He rose swiftly in the noiseless elevator. He stood before the small plain door of the Mule's own room in the highest glitter of the palace spires. It opened- The man who had no name other than the Mule, and no title other than First Citizen looked out through the one-way transparency of the wall to the light and lofty city on the horizon. In the darkening twilight, the stars were emerging, and not one but owed allegiance to him. He smiled with fleeting bitterness at the thought. The allegiance they owed was to a personality few had ever seen. He was not a man to look at, the Mule – not a man to look at without derision. Not more than one hundred and twenty pounds was stretched out into his five-foot-eight length. His limbs were bony stalks that jutted out of his scrawniness in graceless angularity. And his thin face was nearly drowned out in the prominence of a fleshy beak that thrust three inches outward. Only his eyes played false with the general farce that was the Mule. In their softness – a strange softness for the Galaxy's greatest conqueror – sadness was never entirely subdued. In the city was to be found all the gaiety of a luxurious capital on a luxurious world. He might have established his capital on the Foundation, the strongest of his now-conquered enemies, but it was far out on the very rim of the Galaxy. Kalgan, more centrally located, with a long tradition as aristocracy's playground, suited him better – strategically. But in its traditional gaiety, enhanced by unheard-of prosperity, he found no peace. They feared him and obeyed him and, perhaps, even respected him – from a goodly distance. But who could look at him without contempt? Only those he had Converted. And of what value was their artificial loyalty? It lacked flavor. He might have adopted titles, and enforced ritual and invented elaborations, but even that would have changed nothing. Better – or at least, no worse – to be simply the First Citizen – and to hide himself. There was a sudden surge of rebellion within him – strong and brutal. Not a portion of the Galaxy must be denied him, For five years he had remained silent and buried here on Kalgan because of the eternal, misty, space-ridden menace of the unseen, unheard, unknown Second Foundation. He was thirty-two. Not old – but he felt old. His body, whatever its mutant mental powers, was physically weak. Every star! Every star he could see – and every star he couldnt see. It must all be his! Revenge on all. On a humanity of which he wasn't a part. On a Galaxy in which he didn't fit. The cool, overhead warning light flickered. He could follow the progress of the man who had entered the palace, and simultaneously, as though his mutant sense had been enhanced and sensitized in the lonely twilight, he felt the wash of emotional content touch the fibers of his brain. He recognized the identity without an effort. It was Pritcher. Captain Pritcher of the one-time Foundation. The Captain Pritcher who had been ignored and passed over by the bureaucrats of that decaying government. The Captain Pritcher whose job as petty spy he had wiped out and whom he had lifted from its slime. The Captain Pritcher whom he had made first colonel and then general; whose scope of activity he had made Galaxywide. The now-General Pritcher who was, iron rebel though he began, completely loyal. And yet with all that, not loyal because of benefits gained, not loyal out of gratitude, not loyal as a fair return – but loyal only through the artifice of Conversion. The Mule was conscious of that strong unalterable surface layer of loyalty and love that colored every swirl and eddy of the emotionality of Han Pritcher – the layer he had himself implanted five years before. Far underneath there were the original traces of stubborn individuality, impatience of rule, idealism – but even he, himself, could scarcely detect them any longer. The door behind him opened, and he turned. The transparency of the wall faded to opacity, and the purple evening light gave way to the whitely blazing glow of atomic power. Han Pritcher took the seat indicated. There was neither bowing, nor kneeling nor the use of honorifics in private audiences with the Mule. The Mule was merely â€Å"First Citizen.† He was addressed as â€Å"sir.† You sat in his presence, and you could turn your back on him if it so happened that you did. To Han Pritcher this was all evidence of the sure and confident power of the man. He was warmly satisfied with it. The Mule said: â€Å"Your final report reached me yesterday. I can't deny that I find it somewhat depressing, Pritcher.† The general's eyebrows closed upon each other: â€Å"Yes, I imagine so – but I don't see to what other conclusions I could have come. There just isn't any Second Foundation, sir.† Arid the Mule considered and then slowly shook his head, as he had done many a time before: â€Å"There's the evidence of Ebling Mis. There is always the evidence of Ebling Mis.† It was not a new story. Pritcher said without qualification: â€Å"Mis may have been the greatest psychologist of the Foundation, but he was a baby compared to Hari Seldon. At the time he was investigating Seldon's works, he was under the artificial stimulation of your own brain control. You may have pushed him too far. He might have been wrong. Sir, he must have been wrong.† The Mule sighed, his lugubrious face thrust forward on its thin stalk of a neck. â€Å"If only he had lived another minute. He was on the point of telling me where the Second Foundation was. He knew, I'm telling you. I need not have retreated. I need not have waited and waited. So much time lost. Five years gone for nothing.† Pritcher could not have been censorious over the weak longing of his ruler; his controlled mental make-up forbade that. He was disturbed instead; vaguely uneasy. He said: â€Å"But what alternative explanation can there possibly be, sir? Five times I've gone out. You yourself have plotted the routes. And I've left no asteroid unturned. It was three hundred years ago that Hari Seldon of the old Empire supposedly established two Foundations to act as nuclei of a new Empire to replace the dying old one. One hundred years after Seldon, the First Foundation – the one we know so well – was known through all the Periphery. One hundred fifty years after Seldon – at the time of the last battle with the old Empire – it was known throughout the Galaxy. And now it's three hundred years – and where should this mysterious Second be? In no eddy of the Galactic stream has it been heard of.† â€Å"Ebling Mis said it kept itself secret. Only secrecy can turn its weakness to strength.† â€Å"Secrecy as deep as this is past possibility without nonexistence as well.† The Mule looked up, large eyes sharp and wary. â€Å"No. It does exist.† A bony finger pointed sharply. â€Å"There is going to be a slight change in tactics.† Pritcher frowned. â€Å"You plan to leave yourself? I would scarcely advise it.† â€Å"No, of course not. You will have to go out once again – one last time. But with another in joint command.† There was a silence, and Pritcher's voice was hard, â€Å"Who, Sir?† â€Å"There's a young man here in Kalgan. Bail Channis.† â€Å"I've never heard of him, Sir.† â€Å"No, I imagine not. But he's got an agile mind, he's ambitious – and he's not Converted.† Pritcher's long jaw trembled for a bare instant, â€Å"I fail to see the advantage in that.† â€Å"There is one, Pritcher. You're a resourceful and experienced man. You have given me good service. But you are Converted. Your motivation is simply an enforced and helpless loyalty to myself. When you lost your native motivations, you lost something, some subtle drive, that I cannot possibly replace.† â€Å"I don't feel that, Sir,† said Pritcher grimly. â€Å"I recall myself quite well as I was in the days when I was an enemy of yours. I feel none the inferior.† â€Å"Naturally not,† and the Mule's mouth twitched into a smile. â€Å"Your judgment in this matter is scarcely objective. This Channis, now, is ambitious – for himself. He is completely trustworthy – out of no loyalty but to himself. He knows that it is on my coattails that he rides and he would do anything to increase my power that the ride might be long and far and that the destination might be glorious. If he goes with you, there is just that added push behind his seeking – that push for himself.' â€Å"Then,† said Pritcher. still insistent, â€Å"why not remove my own Conversion, if you think that will improve me. I can scarcely be mistrusted, now.† â€Å"That never, Pritcher. While you are within arm's reach, or blaster reach, of myself, you will remain firmly held in Conversion. If I were to release you this minute, I would be dead the next.† The general's nostrils flared. â€Å"I am hurt that you should think so.† â€Å"I don't mean to hurt you, but it is impossible for you to realize what your feelings would be if free to form themselves along the lines of your natural motivation. The human mind resents control. The ordinary human hypnotist cannot hypnotize a person against his will for that reason. I can, because I'm not a hypnotist, and, believe me, Pritcher, the resentment that you cannot show and do not even know you possess is something I wouldn't want to face.† Pritcher's head bowed. Futility wrenched him and left him gray and haggard inside. He said with an effort, â€Å"But how can you trust this man. I mean, completely – as you can trust me in my Conversion.† â€Å"Well, I suppose I can't entirely. That is why you must go with him. You see, Pritcher,† and the Mule buried himself in the large armchair against the soft back of which he looked like an angularly animated toothpick, â€Å"if he should stumble on the Second Foundation – if it should occur to him that an arrangement with them might be more profitable than with me – You understand?† A profoundly satisfied light blazed in Pritcher's eyes. â€Å"That is better, Sir.† â€Å"Exactly. But remember, he must have a free rein as far as possible.† â€Å"Certainly.† â€Å"And†¦ uh†¦ Pritcher. The young man is handsome, pleasant and extremely charming. Don't let him fool you. He's a dangerous and unscrupulous character. Don't get in his way unless you're prepared to meet him properly. That's all.† The Mule was alone again. He let the lights die and the wall before him kicked to transparency again. The sky was purple now, and the city was a smudge of light on the horizon. What was it all for? And if he were the master of all there was – what then? Would it really stop men like Pritcher. from being straight and tall, self-confident, strong? Would Bail Channis lose his looks? Would he himself be other than he was? He cursed his doubts. What was he really after? The cool, overhead warning light flickered. He could follow the progress of the man who had entered the palace and, almost against his will, he felt the soft wash of emotional content touch the fibers of his brain. He recognized the identity without an effort. It was Channis. Here the Mule saw no uniformity, but the primitive diversity of a strong mind, untouched and unmolded except by the manifold disorganizations of the Universe. It writhed in floods and waves. There was caution on the surface, a thin, smoothing effect, but with touches of cynical ribaldry in the hidden eddies of it. And underneath there was the strong flow of self-interest and self-love, with a gush of cruel humor here and there, and a deep, still pool of ambition underlying all. The Mule felt that he could reach out and dam the current, wrench the pool from its basin and turn it in another course, dry up one flow and begin another. But what of it? If he could bend Channis' curly head in the profoundest adoration, would that change his own grotesquerie that made him shun the day and love the night, that made him a recluse inside an empire that was unconditionally big? The door behind him opened, and he turned. The transparency of the wall faded to opacity, and the darkness gave way to the whitely blazing artifice of atomic power. Bail Channis sat down lightly and said: â€Å"This is a not-quite-unexpected honor, sir.† The Mule rubbed his proboscis with all four fingers at once and sounded a bit irritable in his response. â€Å"Why so, young man?† â€Å"A hunch, I suppose. Unless I want to admit that I've been listening to rumors.† â€Å"Rumors? Which one of the several dozen varieties are you referring to?† â€Å"Those that say a renewal of the Galactic Offensive is being planned. It is a hope with me that such is true and that I might play an appropriate part.† â€Å"Then you think there is a Second Foundation?† â€Å"Why not? It would make things so much more interesting.† â€Å"And you find interest in it as well?† â€Å"Certainly. In the very mystery of it! What better subject could you find for conjecture? The newspaper supplements are full of nothing else lately – which is probably significant. The Cosmos had one of its feature writers compose a weirdie about a world consisting of beings of pure mind – the Second Foundation, you see – who had developed mental force to energies large enough to compete with any known to physical science. Spaceships could be blasted light-years away, planets could be turned out of their orbits-â€Å" â€Å"Interesting. Yes. But do you have any notions on the subject? Do you subscribe to this mind-power notion?' â€Å"Galaxy, no! Do you think creatures like that would stay on their own planet? No, sir. I think the Second Foundation remains hidden because it is weaker than we think.† â€Å"In that case, I can explain myself very easily. How would you like to head an expedition to locate the Second Foundation?† For a moment Channis seemed caught up by the sudden rush of events at just a little greater speed than he was prepared for. His tongue had apparently skidded to a halt in a lengthening silence. The Mule said dryly: â€Å"Well?† Channis corrugated his forehead. â€Å"Certainly. But where am I to go? Have you any information available?† â€Å"General Pritcher will be with you-â€Å" â€Å"Then I'm not to head it?† â€Å"Judge for yourself when I'm done. Listen, you're not of the Foundation. You're a native of Kalgan, aren't you? Yes. Well, then, your knowledge of the Seldon plan may be vague. When the first Galactic Empire was falling, Hari Seldon and a group of psychohistorians, analyzing the future course of history by mathematical tools no longer available in these degenerate times, set up two Foundations, one at each end of the Galaxy, in such a way that the economic and sociological forces that were slowly evolving, would make them serve as foci for the Second Empire. Hari Seldon planned on a thousand years to accomplish that – and it would have taken thirty thousand without the Foundations. But he couldn't count on me. I am a mutant and I am unpredictable by psychohistory which can only deal with the average reactions of numbers. Do you understand?† â€Å"Perfectly, sir. But how does that involve me?' â€Å"You'll understand shortly. I intend to unite the Galaxy now – and reach Seldon's thousand-year goal in three hundred. One Foundation – the world of physical scientists – is still flourishing, under me. Under the prosperity and order of the Union, the atomic weapons they have developed are capable of dealing with anything in the Galaxy – except perhaps the Second Foundation. So I must know more about it. General Pritcher is of the definite opinion that it does not exist at all. I know otherwise.† Channis said delicately: â€Å"How do you know, sir?† And the Mule's words were suddenly liquid indignation: â€Å"Because minds under my control have been interfered with. Delicately! Subtly! But not so subtly that I couldn't notice. And these interferences are increasing, and hitting valuable men at important times. Do you wonder now that a certain discretion has kept me motionless these years? â€Å"That is your importance. General Pritcher is the best man left me, so he is no longer safe. Of course, he does not know that. But you are Unconverted and therefore not instantly detectable as a Mule's man. You may fool the Second Foundation longer than one of my own men would – perhaps just sufficiently longer. Do you understand?† â€Å"Um-m-m. Yes. But pardon me, sir, if I question you. How are these men of yours disturbed, so that I might detect change in General Pritcher, in case any occurs. Are they Unconverted again? Do they become disloyal?† â€Å"No. I told you it was subtle. It's more disturbing than that, because its harder to detect and sometimes I have to wait before acting, uncertain whether a key man is being normally erratic or has been tampered with. Their loyalty is left intact, but initiative and ingenuity are rubbed out. I'm left with a perfectly normal person, apparently, but one completely useless. In the last year, six have been so treated. Six of my best.† A corner of his mouth lifted. â€Å"They're in charge of training bases now – and my most earnest wishes go with them that no emergencies come up for them to decide upon.† â€Å"Suppose, sir†¦ suppose it were not the Second Foundation. What if it were another, such as yourself – another mutant?† â€Å"The planning is too careful, too long range. A single man would be in a greater hurry. No, it is a world, and you are to be my weapon against it.† Channis' eyes shone as he said: â€Å"I'm delighted at the chance.† But the Mule caught the sudden emotional upwelling. He said: â€Å"Yes, apparently it occurs to you, that you will perform a unique service, worthy of a unique reward – perhaps even that of being my successor. Quite so. But there are unique punishments, too, you know. My emotional gymnastics are not confined to the creation of loyalty alone.† And the little smile on his thin lips was grim, as Channis leaped out of his seat in horror. For just an instant, just one, flashing instant, Channis had felt the pang of an overwhelming grief close over him. It had slammed down with a physical pain that had blackened his mind unbearably, and then lifted. Now nothing was left but the strong wash of anger. The Mule said: â€Å"Anger won't help†¦ yes, you're covering it up now, aren't you? But I can see it. So just remember – that sort of business can be made more intense and kept up. I've killed men by emotional control, and there's no death crueler.† He paused: â€Å"That's all!† The Mule was alone again. He let the lights die and the wall before him kicked to transparency again. The sky was black, and the rising body of the Galactic Lens was spreading its bespanglement across the velvet depths of space. All that haze of nebula was a mass of stars so numerous that they melted one into the other and left nothing but a cloud of light. And all to be his- And now but one last arrangement to make, and he could sleep. First Interlude The Executive Council of the Second Foundation was in session. To us they are merely voices. Neither the exact scene of the meeting nor the identity of those present are essential at the point. Nor, strictly speaking, can we even consider an exact reproduction of any part of the session – unless we wish to sacrifice completely even the minimum comprehensibility we have a right to expect. We deal here with psychologists – and not merely psychologists. Let us say, rather, scientists with a psychological orientation. That is, men whose fundamental conception of scientific philosophy is pointed in an entirely different direction from all of the orientations we know. The â€Å"psychology† of scientists brought up among the axioms deduced from the observational habits of physical science has only the vaguest relationship to PSYCHOLOGY. Which is about as far as I can go in explaining color to a blind man – with myself as blind as the audience. The point being made is that the minds assembled understood thoroughly the workings of each other, not only by general theory but by the specific application over a long period of these theories to particular individuals. Speech as known to us was unnecessary. A fragment of a sentence amounted almost to long-winded redundancy. A gesture, a grunt, the curve of a facial line – even a significantly timed pause yielded informational juice. The liberty is taken, therefore, of freely translating a small portion of the conference into the extremely specific word-combinations necessary to minds oriented from childhood to a physical science philosophy, even at the risk of losing the more delicate nuances. There was one â€Å"voice† predominant, and that belonged to the individual known simply as the First Speaker. He said: â€Å"It is apparently quite definite now as to what stopped the Mule in his first mad rush. I can't say that the matter reflects credit upon†¦ well, upon the organization of the situation. Apparently, he almost located us, by means of the artificially heightened brain-energy of what they call a ‘psychologist' on the First Foundation. This psychologist was killed just before he could communicate his discovery to the Mule. The events leading to that killing were completely fortuitous for all calculations below Phase Three. Suppose you take over.† It was the Fifth Speaker who was indicated by an inflection of the voice. He said, in grim nuances: â€Å"It is certain that the situation was mishandled. We are, of course, highly vulnerable under mass attack, particularly an attack led by such a mental phenomenon as the Mule. Shortly after he first achieved Galactic eminence with the conquest of the First Foundation, half a year after to be exact, he was on Trantor. Within another half year he would have been here and the odds would have been stupendously against us – 96.3 plus or minus 0.05% to be exact. We have spent considerable time analyzing the forces that stopped him. We know, of course, what was driving him on so in the first place. The internal ramifications of his physical deformity and mental uniqueness are obvious to all of us. However, it was only through penetration to Phase Three that we could determine – after the fact – tbe possibility of his anomalous action in the presence of another human b eing who had an honest affection for him. â€Å"And since such an anomalous action would depend upon the presence of such another human being at the appropriate time, to that extent the whole affair was fortuitous. Our agents are certain that it was a girl that killed the Mule's psychologist – a girl for whom the Mule felt trust out of sentiment, and whom he, therefore, did not control mentally – simply because she liked him. â€Å"Since that event – and for those who want the details, a mathematical treatment of the subject has been drawn up for the Central Library – which warned us, we have held the Mule off by unorthodox methods with which we daily risk SeIdon's entire scheme of history. That is all.† The First Speaker paused an instant to allow the individuals assembled to absorb the full implications. He said: â€Å"The situation is then highly unstable. With Seldon's original scheme bent to the fracture point – and I must emphasize that we have blundered badly in this whole matter, in our horrible lack of foresight – we are faced with an irreversible breakdown of the Plan. Time is passing us by. I think there is only one solution left us – and even that is risky. â€Å"We must allow the Mule to find us – in a sense.† Another pause, in which he gathered the reactions, then: â€Å"I repeat – in a sense!†