Google Glass Essay

Google Glass should be prohibited to be public for the world. In consequence of technological advances, we have changed our society and have been convenient for few decades. Thanks to advanced technology, we eventually became possible to do anything we want with electronic devices from modern technology. At this point, Eric Schmidt, who is a current Google’s executive chairman, announced that Google will commercialize Google Glass by the end of 2013. Google Glass is a wearable computer with a head mounted display by Google in the Project Glass, research and development. Google glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format that can interact with the internet via voice commands. Briefly, it’s going to be like a smart phone wearing on our eyes. It is believed that modern technology has brought many benefits to us, we should be aware that it’s possible to use for our society. Firstly, the public would be threatened by Google Glass seriously. Inverters of Google Glass say that Google Glass will be equipped with an intellectual camera that can take clear pictures at anytime, anywhere. It means that taking picture with a Google Glass can lead to an invasion of portrait right. Furthermore, it doesn’t have any speakers to let other people know that users are in the process of recording. For instance, cell phones and camcorders have speakers exceeding a background noise level of 60~70dB. Instead of loud speakers, it has bone-conduction headphones near frames. But it mustn’t be a function as alert sound. Secondly, Google Glass will absolutely affect our body badly. What would happen if we wear Google Glass for very long time? Every electronic device has electromagnetic waves as always. According to Interphone Study Group in France (ISG), 2 billion people will have brain cancer by 2020 from cell phones. Unfortunately, Google Glass has the same critical influence as the cell phones have. If we wear Google Glass, we might as well face a terrible situation like ISG said. Moreover, they are saying that a new psychological disease called â€Å"nomophonia’, which makes us feel nervous because of not holding own our device, will occur at the moment. I’m sure that it would be a disaster for us as well as our next generations. At last, I’d say that there will be liability problems by being obsessed with Google Glass. People will wear Google Glass while driving in spite of definite warnings not to do. After that, they will clash with the elderly or any pedestrians and somebody will get hurt seriously. The medical insurance may not be possible to cover the medical care because money can be critical. If Google Glass is commercialized, we will have to take up a liability insurance to use it. It means the we need to add cost of an insurance policy to Google Glass bill. Of course, Using Google Glass will make our life slightly more comfortable and convenient. On the other hand, we should deeply think it has so many side effects that can badly effect to our society. Therefore, I hold very strongly that organizations in charge of license of selling electronic devices shouldn’t allow to release into the world.

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 26

Unfortunately, Roman wasn't entirely joking. â€Å"What are you doing?† I exclaimed when we got back to my apartment. He'd flounced on my couch and promptly grabbed a remote. There was no sign of my car on the street, but if Seth had driven it back, Carter-transportation would have arrived much more quickly. â€Å"I have nowhere to go,† he said mildly. Aubrey strolled out from the bedroom and jumped up next to him. â€Å"You just got amnesty from an archdemon. That's unheard of for a nephilim. I thought you wanted to put down roots? Why don't you go get a place in the suburbs? Work on your lawn?† â€Å"No one wants to live there.† I raked my hand through my hair in exasperation and then immediately rearranged it. God, I'd missed shape-shifting. If I was going to be damned, I might as well enjoy the perks. â€Å"You can't stay here. This place isn't big enough.† â€Å"I don't mind the couch.† I prepped myself for a rant, but then someone knocked at the door. Part of me hoped it would be Seth, even though that was pretty impossible. There was no immortal signature, which meant my visitor was a human. Yes, I'd definitely missed my abilities, even if they had strings attached. I opened the door and found Maddie. â€Å"Hey,† she said cheerily. â€Å"Hey,† I said, not sure I matched her enthusiasm. â€Å"Come in.† She stepped through, then faltered when she saw Roman. â€Å"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt-â€Å" Roman hopped up from the couch. â€Å"No, no. I'm just an old friend. Roman.† He extended his hand. She shifted some papers she was holding and shook his hand in return. Her smile returned. â€Å"I'm Maddie. Nice to meet you.† She turned to me. â€Å"You got a sec? I was on my way to work and wanted to show you something.† She handed the papers over to me. They were in-depth reports of the new condo over on Alki Beach. There were detailed price listings, as well as room-by-room photos of one unit in particular. It wasn't finished yet. The floor was only a foundation, and the drywall wasn't painted. Nonetheless, the pictures were clear and gave a good idea of the spacious layout. One picture showed a balcony that opened up to a breathtaking view of the water and the Seattle skyline beyond. It was nothing like what Seth and I had shared, but it was nice. Roman, peering over my shoulder, let out a low whistle. â€Å"Nice.† I elbowed him out of my personal space. â€Å"Where'd you get these?† Maddie smiled. â€Å"You said you were busy, so I went over there myself and talked to the builder. This is the only one left, and they let me go through and take pictures.† I jerked my head up. â€Å"You took all these?† â€Å"I knew how stressed you were and wanted to help. Look, keep going, and you can see all the options you can still get. There are the floor choices: maple, bamboo, cherry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I took a deep breath to steady myself. Maddie hadn't just printed out info for me. After all that searching and fine-tuning, she'd actually gone out of her way to assemble an entire dossier on this place, a place I'd just been acknowledging at random to make her feel better. â€Å"They've got a realtor on-site, but you can get your own too,† she continued. â€Å"Someone else was just looking at it, but the guy said if you were interested and put a bid in soon, he'd consider it along with the other person's.† â€Å"Look,† piped in Roman. â€Å"Two bedrooms.† â€Å"Maddie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I swallowed. â€Å"You shouldn't have done this.† She gave me a quizzical look. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"It was too much work.† â€Å"Whatever. Besides, after all the stuff you've done for me? Georgina, this is nothing. Are you going to go talk to them? I'll go with you if you want.† I sank down onto the couch, flipping through the pages without really comprehending them. I'd been angry when she and Seth hooked up. I had no right, however. She hadn't known about our past. And if I hadn't been so dead-set on keeping things secret, if she had known Seth and I had dated, I felt absolutely certain she would have never, ever gotten together with him. Because she was my friend. I felt a burning in my eyes and willed myself not to cry. I didn't entirely know what I'd done to deserve that kind of friendship. She was a good person. She believed the best in me-just as Seth did. In this dark phase, Seth had never given up on me. Both of them were so good, so kind. And at the end of the day, there really wasn't much of that among humans. Carter had said that if there were no other complications in the world, I would be the one Seth chose. But we did have complications. I still refused to hurt him because of sex, and that problem was now in full effect again. He'd thrown himself into danger for me on the beach. There would always be danger with the life I led-danger for him, not me. I wanted him badly, wanted to reestablish what we'd had, but if I did, I'd only be subjecting him to more of this rollercoaster existence. I'd deny him a normal life, a normal love. I couldn't do that to him, no matter what he said about trying it again. Just because things don't work out, it doesn't mean there aren't other people you can't love. Love is too big a thing for you to go without it in life. At least for humans it was. I wanted Seth and Maddie to have that. I wanted them to have the dream I couldn't have. Maddie's expression softened as she peered at me. â€Å"Why are you looking at me like that?† I swallowed and gave her smile. â€Å"Just still amazed you did all this.† â€Å"Will you go take a look?† she asked excitedly. â€Å"Yeah. I will.† This earned me a hug and a smile, and then she had to scurry off to work. I sat back down on the couch, papers still clutched in my hands. Roman sat down opposite me. â€Å"You're going to end it, aren't you?† His voice was surprisingly gentle. â€Å"With Mortensen?† â€Å"Yeah. I mean, I knew we would, but it didn't hit me until just now. We were deluding ourselves†¦caught up by a temporary situation. They deserve to be with each other, and I shouldn't have done what I did to her.† I sighed. â€Å"Nyx tricked me with the dream. It wasn't real.† Without thinking much about it, I rested my hand on my stomach. Even if there'd been any chance of getting pregnant while in stasis, it was gone now. â€Å"It might be real for them, though.† Roman looked so pained, so sympathetic that it was hard to imagine he still wanted to kill me. Though I was pretty sure he did. â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said. â€Å"Sorry you can't have your man and your daughter. I'm even sorry you can't have your cats.† I glanced over at where Aubrey slept, recalling the tortoiseshell cat from the dream. â€Å"Well, I think she's happier being an only child anyway.† Seth showed up later that evening. Roman was mercifully gone, off to buy groceries. No matter my protests, he seemed intent on staying with me. I thought about complaining to Jerome but was pretty sure my boss wouldn't appreciate such a petty concern right now. If he was still even my boss. I was taking no news as good news for now. Seth handed me my car keys as he walked in. â€Å"It's out behind the building.† â€Å"Thanks.† â€Å"Sorry I took off like that. I didn't want to†¦God, that was so hard.† â€Å"It was what I wanted,† I told him. We stood a couple feet apart, hesitant to get much closer. â€Å"I'm glad you listened to me.† â€Å"I wasn't going to, you know. As soon as I got off the phone with that demon-and let me tell you, that was weird-I was going to head right back, and†¦I don't know. I don't know what I would have done. I would have stood by you.† â€Å"You could have gotten yourself killed.† He shrugged, like that was inconsequential. â€Å"I did actually head back, and then†¦then I saw Dante.† I crossed my arms, still fearful about approaching him, largely because I was afraid I'd throw myself at him. â€Å"I knew that's what you'd done. But why? You don't like him. You know what kind of person he is.† Seth nodded. â€Å"I don't like him, but†¦they would have killed him, wouldn't they?† I thought about Jerome, that cold and barely repressed anger in his eyes. He'd been pissed off, and I knew it must have killed him to not be able to take his wrath out on Grace. There were taboos about directly harming and interfering with mortals, but well, it wasn't unheard of, and there were always loopholes. He would have gotten in less trouble for it than for smiting Grace. â€Å"Well,† I said, â€Å"let's just say, they would have at least made him suffer considerably.† â€Å"I figured. And I couldn't let that happen†¦not even to him. What he did was wrong-it seriously messed things up for you and put you at risk. But in some bizarre, crazy way, he did it because he loved you. And I'm not sure someone should be tortured for that. And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Seth studied me carefully. â€Å"I had a feeling you wouldn't have wanted that.† He was right. No matter how much I'd been hurt, despite the betrayal†¦I had cared about Dante. I still did a little. â€Å"God, I have to stop getting involved with unstable men. Where is he now?† â€Å"I dropped him off at his place. He started coming around and was able to walk and everything.† â€Å"If he has any sense, he'll be long gone. I think Jerome'll have a long memory.† â€Å"And, so†¦things are back to normal?† I took awhile to answer. â€Å"Yeah. I'm back in full succubus glory.† He turned away and began pacing. â€Å"I knew it would happen†¦knew this was coming, and yet†¦I kept pretending it wouldn't.† â€Å"Me too. I think somewhere in my head, I had this fantasy that I could find Jerome and still be with you.† Seth stopped and looked at me. â€Å"We still can be. I meant what I said†¦that I would try again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I met his gaze levelly. â€Å"What about Maddie?† â€Å"I†¦I would end it with her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Do you love her?† My words were blunt. I think I caught him by surprise. â€Å"Yes†¦but it's different. Different from the way I love you.† â€Å"It doesn't matter,† I said. â€Å"You and I can't be together. If you have a chance to be happy, then you need to take it. We can't do this to her again. It's wrong. She doesn't deserve it.† â€Å"I told you I'd end things with her first if we were getting back together. I can't cheat anymore.† â€Å"You can't break up,† I said, surprised by the vehemence in my own voice. â€Å"She loves you. You love her. And after what we did to her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You want me to stay with her as some sort of compensation?† I balked. â€Å"Well, no†¦not exactly. But you guys deserve each other. You deserve to be happy. And you aren't ever going to be happy with me. It's going to always be up and down-just like before.† â€Å"I'm starting to think all relationships are like that,† he said wearily. â€Å"I still don't want to hurt you. I can't stand that-I can't forget what Hugh said, about how that would destroy you. And yet†¦something keeps pulling us back. I told you-we're never going to be able to stay apart.† I knew exactly what he meant, but I didn't say so. â€Å"I thought ending things before would fix all that, that the short-term pain would be worth the long-term stability. But I was wrong. We just found a whole new set of problems, and Maddie's in the middle. I'm willing to try again†¦no matter how hard it is.† â€Å"You were right to end it with us,† I said harshly. â€Å"And I'm not willing to do it again.† He stared at me, shocked. My words were a lie, of course. Part of me wanted to try again, to endure anything to be with him. But I couldn't stop thinking about Maddie. Couldn't stop thinking about the hurt she would go through. It was ironic, really. Last time, he'd gone out of his way to hurt me purposely because it was for the greater good. Now I was doing the same for both of them, saving her from heartache and him from more grief with me. We were in an endless cycle. â€Å"You can't mean that. I know you can't.† His face was a mixture of incredulity and pain. I shook my head. â€Å"I do. You and me are a disaster. What we did during this stasis†¦it was wrong. It was disgraceful. Immoral. We betrayed someone who loves both of us, who wishes nothing but the best for us. How could we do that? What kind of precedent is that? How could we expect to have a solid relationship that was built on that sort of sordid foundation? One that was built on lies and deceit?† Saying those words hurt. It was tarnishing the beauty of these precious few days we had, but I needed to make my case. Seth was silent for several moments as he assessed me. â€Å"You're serious.† â€Å"Yes.† I was a good liar, good enough that the person who loved me most couldn't tell. â€Å"Go back to her, Seth. Go back to her and make it up to her.† â€Å"Georgina†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I could see it, see it hitting him. The full weight of betraying Maddie was sinking in. His nature couldn't ignore the wrong he'd done. It was part of his good character, the character that had gone back to save Dante, the character that was going to make him leave me. Again. Hesitantly, he extended his hand to me. I took it, and he pulled me into an embrace. â€Å"I will always love you.† My heart was going to burst. How many times, I wondered, could I endure this kind of agony? â€Å"No, you won't,† I said. â€Å"You'll move on. So will I.† Seth left not long after that. Staring at the door, I replayed my own words. You'll move on. So will I. In spite of how much he loved me, how much he was willing to risk, I truly felt he'd go back to Maddie, that he'd believe what I said. I'd driven home the guilt, made it trump his love for me. You'll move on. So will I. The unfortunate part about being a good liar, however, was that while I could get other people to believe my words, I didn't believe them myself.

Spirit Leader

To many cheerleading may not be considered a sport, however what those many people may not understand, is that like all sports it requires the same key components to succeed. The cheerleaders that are serious about this sport understand that many elements are needed in making a â€Å"die-hard† cheerleader. I would say these elements are dedication, commitment, heart and soul. It is with these concepts that separate who continues with their sport and who quits at the first sign of difficulty. I would like to be the â€Å"Spirit Leader† of our cheerleading team this season. One reason I’d make a great choice for this position, is that I would be dedicated to the team, and won’t give up when faced with an obstacle. To me, extra practicing, time spent making bows and signs, banners, or our spirit can, is not work, but a privilege. These tasks would not bother or frustrate me, as it would better all of us. I want to be apart of leading the team, and helping us all grow not only as individuals but as a family. Even though I’m fairly new at cheering, my enthusiasm and dedication is great, and would help toward making our team spirit soar this year. I remember as I walked into the first tryout day, last year, how nervous and inexperienced I was, and intimidated by the ones that â€Å"knew it all†. I believe my cheer skills have progressed over time. Even though I’m far from perfect, if I continue to learn and get better, it can help me better the team’s motivation and spirit this season. And bring spirit, love and motivation in leading the team and giving other girls someone to look up to. Being the spirit leader wouldn’t just be my job for the team, but the opportunity to inspire the girls with activities, challenges, and cheering together as a team. I would like to help keep our team connected, keep our cheerleader spirit alive, and have pride in our school. There’s always a time and place for fun, but being focused and keeping the big picture in mind is what is going to make us outshine the rest. We need to motivate our peers, keep the spirit flowing through the halls. Cheerleading isn’t just being a team, but a family. A Spirit Leader should have a positive attitude toward everything. Whether a stunt falls, or the music stops, I would be the motivating factor in keeping our team from falling apart. I need to show these girls spirit and motivate them in all aspects. If accepted to be the Spirit Leader of our team, I plan to execute the suggestions of our coach into making a spirit can, and a sign for the school of the weekly sport games. Also, I have ideas involving our â€Å"little sisters† for JV this year. As well as continuing to brain storm a list of other activities. I want to make this a phenomenal season full of spirit, laughter and love. To keep our school spirit up and running all season, I would like to try and get everyone involved; students, staff, faculty, athletes, families, and the community. To make the best of this year, we need to have support from majority of these people. Those are the people that look up to us, cheerleaders, to bring the spirit to school functions. As a Spirit Leader, I want to make a change in our school and community. That will take more dedication from everyone, especially myself, but I’m willing to do it. Cheerleading, to me, isn’t just about standing on sidelines yelling cheers, but about a group of people supporting another group through their spirit. It may not be about bows or matching outfits, either, but about how people can come together to achieve something great. Finally, it’s not just all about the ‘perfect‘ routine, but about all coming together and loving each other as a family. We can make a difference. I hope in your time reading this, I have helped you realize that I would be a great Spirit Leader for our cheerleading team. I am a team player, a motivator, and girl with lots of spirit! No matter what, we are a team and we’re all in this together. With my concentration, focus, dedication and time, I will help make our Chittenango Varsity Cheerleading team’s spirit shine, and bring our team together as one.

Capital Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Capital Punishment - Essay Example Despite increasing crimes, I am against capital punishment primarily because it would bring our action at par with that of criminal. Den Haag asserts that capital punishments are justified because criminals deserve ‘an eye for an eye’. He asserts that they serve as effective deterrent but unfortunately his assumptions have no concrete proof to support his hypothesis. The concept of punishment has evolved as a justified step making the criminal realize his act of omission and offense that is committed and also as an attempt to give justice to the person or people against whom it has been committed. The punishments which were supposed to serve as examples for others to refrain from crimes are increasingly becoming ineffectual. It is true that the punishment of the offender must serve as deterrent for others. At the same time, life imprisonment without parole would serve the same purpose but would be more humane and give the criminal an opportunity to reform. John Stuart Mill also argues that capital punishment is the most effective penalty for people who have no regard to other people’s lives. He says that ‘he who violates that right in another forfeits it for himself, and that while no other crime that he can commit deprives him of his right to live, this shall’. But he also agrees that ‘that if by an error of justice an innocent person is put to death, the mistake can never be corrected’. Crime has been committed and therefore the criminal must be paid back in the same manner or something which is as bad as his crime. In the modern times and in the civilized society, this act of vengeance is neither considered to be morally right or just. Our actions need to be more thoughtful and effective that conform to the wider perspectives of basic human values that sees punishment as deterrent act which also helps the criminal to reform. Hugo Adam Bedau asserts that ‘death penalty is uncivilized in theory and unfair

International Society For Technology in Education (ISTE) Research Paper

International Society For Technology in Education (ISTE) - Research Paper Example NETS promote online educational system and use of technology in learning, teaching, and coaching areas to meet the pace of the digital age. According to Reynolds (2012), a number of educational institutes all over the word are using online educational systems to improve learning experience of the students. NETS also offer guidelines for students, teachers, coaches, computer science educators, and administrators to make them skilled in the use of technology. NETS for teachers are the set of standards that are used to assess teachers’ skills and knowledge regarding teaching and learning in today’s global environment (International Society for Technology in Education [ISTE], 2012). ISTE fosters the use of latest technologies to enhance teaching and learning practices. NETS.T encompasses five key factors which include digital age learning, professional growth, digital age work, student learning, and digital citizenship (ISTE, 2012). NETS for students are the set of standards that are used to assess students’ skills and knowledge regarding learning in today’s digital world (ISTE, 2012). NETS promote the use of technology in online environments for research processes, as well as for communicating with teachers and other students. NETS.S encompasses six key factors which include communication, creativity, research, critical thinking, technology operations, and digital citizenship (ISTE, 2012). Administrators can improve their performance by using digital resources and modern technology in administrative operation. Such integration of digital resources in administrative practices can improve overall teaching and learning experiences for both teachers and students. NETS.A encompasses five key factors which include visionary leadership, systemic improvement, digital age learning, digital citizenship, and professional practice (ISTE, 2012). NETS for coaches are the standards that are used to assess how well coaches are doing their job of providing

Racial discrimination between UK and USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Racial discrimination between UK and USA - Essay Example It is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a potential employee on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, or ethnic or national origins, which the Act calls collectively 'racial grounds'. Discrimination may be unfavourable treatment of an applicant for a job, offering less favourable terms of employment than other persons might expect or simply refusing a person's application.Discrimination may occur once a person is actually in employment, through lack of opportunities for promotion, transfer and training, refusal of benefits or facilities normally available to an employee, or unreasonable dismissal. It was not until the 1960s that race became a major public issue in British politics. It was, however over the issue of 'immigration', which became the focus of attention rather than the question of racial equality. In the eighteen months before the passage of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 over 200,000 black immigrants had arrived in Britain almost as many as in th e five years 1955 to 1960 and marginally fewer than black immigrants entering the country between July 1962 and the end of 1967. This period was marked by a sharp shift in public opinion towards immigration. In 1962, a few months before the passage of the Act, 62 per cent of the public favored controls and 23 percent favored free entry but by April 1968 the corresponding figures were 95 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. While the diversity of reasons for this shift in public opinion has been well documented 2, one constant theme has been, in the politics of race in Britain, the search by political leaders from the major parties to depoliticise this issue by papering over party differences 3. By the 1960s both major parties subscribed to the view that immigration should be controlled because immigrants placed great strain on employment and housing. It was only the Labour Party, 'albeit' with substantial ambivalence, which supported the idea of anti-discrimination legislation. By the time that Britain's first civil rights law, the Race Relations Act 1965, had been passed, for many, blacks had become synonymous with immigrants. Moreover prior to the Local Government Act of 1966 (Section 11) the general laissez-faire attitude of Central and Local Government meant that virtually nothing had been done to cater for the problems that many immigrants experienced in housing, employment and education. As Burney 4 observed, in the absence of Central Government direction and incentives, many local authorities, frequently in areas of high immigration and Labour controlled, behaved as though blacks did not exist: 'most Labour controlled councils made a habit of resolutely ignoring imm igration, to the extent of, wherever possible, ignoring immigrants'. So far as access to housing was recognised as an issue of concern in relation to ethnic minorities, a resolutely colour-blind approach was advocated whereby the real need was perceived to be to alleviate the housing shortage and to provide for those in greatest need. There should be no attempt to discriminate positively in favour of such minorities to remove the racial disadvantage, which they had experienced 5. At the time of the 1965 Race Relations Act the majority of blacks resident in the United Kingdom were immigrants and were likely to experience or to have experienced difficulties in the following areas: Problems associated with settlement and establishment. Differences in the dominant form of household structure and size being met by shortage

Ethical Issues when Marketing with Children Essay

Ethical Issues when Marketing with Children - Essay Example It was also revealed that children greatly affect the commodities their parents buy. Estimates done in this field show that projects tailored for children in the year 2006 totalled fifty two billion dollars. (McGee and Heubusch, 1997) Regardless of all this potential returns that children can give manufacturers and their marketers, there are key ethical issues that arise in the discussion. For example, do children have the capability of understanding some of the intricate marketing tactics Do children posses the final buying power Do marketers need to get permission from their parents And do children understand the negative effects of some of the products advertised to them These key questions will be analysed in relation to business pressures then recommendations will be made. Some companies have become notorious for the utilisation of psychologists in their advertising and marketing campaigns. Normally what such companies do is that when trying to create marketing strategy, they will involve psychologist to tell them about tactics that they can use to influence children. Since psychologists understand the way child's mind works, they can help marketers create campaigns that will be directly aimed at them and those ones that can easily influence their choices. This trend has becoming so alarming that the American Psychological Association has raised an alarm about it. They have set up a committee to estimate the effect that the involvement of psychologists in the marketing process of children's products has on them. The group has asserted that no psychological principles should be used when marketing to children. They are also recommending that there should be some sort of strategy to protect the young ones from exploitation though the use of psychologica l ploys. (Beder, 1998) The basic framework which steers marketing ethics revolves around three main issues. These are; values stakeholders processes Marketing ethics that are done on a value inclined framework are those one that involve the analysis of the kind of value that the marketing idea creates. So advertisements may instil in their target audiences positive or negative attributes. This all depends on their implementation. For example, an advertising targeting a child may become a problem if it violates the right to privacy, transparency, honesty or autonomy. By using psychologists in the process of creating advertisements for children, marketers are imposing upon children's right to autonomy and transparency. They try studying children's behavioural trends and then use this to exploit those children. This is quite unethical. The process oriented framework in marketing ethics is founded on the basis of analysing marketing ethics through the categories that marketers use. For example research, promotion and placement must be done in an ethical manner. This is something that marketers have chosen to ignore because their research is not done in an ethical manner. Their research involves using psychological experts who may use their knowledge to take advantage of children who belong to vulnerable groups (Lizabeth, 2001) Targeting children alone Marketers who create marketing campaigns that are just directed towards children only are engaging in unethical marketing practices. This is because children are naive. They are at a stage of development

Animal Habitat Destruction in Seattle Research Paper

Animal Habitat Destruction in Seattle - Research Paper Example The seaport city has approximately 85 square miles on undeveloped areas that have predominantly native vegetation that provides favorable habitat for wildlife. Even though the city is developed, the available network of habitat provides a significant support for the wildlife species especially the threatened species such as bald eagle and Chinook salmon (Jacob, 2012). The increased habitat destruction has resulted into establishment of Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation lands that is responsible for ensuring that the city’s habitat is maintained in the natural way (Pierce, 2003). According to American Lung Association, Seattle area is among the dirtiest areas in terms of fine particle pollution. These include microscopic dust, chemicals, diesel exhaust, aerosols, and metals. The aim of this paper is to discuss the Seattle animal habitat destruction by touching on the reasons that lead to habitat destruction, the impact of habitat destruction and most important the solu tions of it. As the human population around Seattle region increase, the demand for fish and other forms of food varieties has increased. For example, salmon, which is the cultural icon in the area, has been used as the source of food resulting to their decrease (Arbault and Sastrapradja, 1995). Thus, the demand for food has been one of the causes of decrease in the number of animals. Seattle is a developed city that has various business activities and production facilities. As a result, there is extensive ocean water pollution due to the chemicals produced from the factories. Water pollution in Seattle region originates from human activities within the streets of the city that produce wastes that are carried to the ocean. Other pollutants that directly affect fish species in Seattle include pesticides and petrochemicals including gas and oil. Additionally, the nitrogen, phosphorus and animal waste cause algae blooms. Once they develop, the blooms occupy patches of the

CAPM & DCFM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CAPM & DCFM - Essay Example the time value of the money. The more the investment is held, the higher would be the return required by an investor as money loses its value over time (Fama, 2004). The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) method on the other hand is a method that is used in order to ascertain the charm of any particular investment. The DCF technique uses cash basis rather than accounting valuation techniques in order to analyze the attractiveness of any particular investment. Hence it considered less subjective because of its cash flow techniques. The cash flows that would be gained from any particular project are discounted using an appropriate discount rate based upon the market rate and the investor’s expectations in order to reflect the time value of money. If the value deduced after discounting i.e. the present value is greater than the outflows (usually required at the current time horizon), the project is accepted (Kaplan, 1994). The CAPM is used to calculate the required return of an investor. This required return is then used as a basis for the DCF method in order to ascertain the Present Value of any given project/investment. The CAPM is used in order to calculate the discount rate and this discount rate is further used within the DCF technique in order to value an investment or an asset. The CAPM uses the risk free rate in order to reflect the time value of the money. The market risk premium (i.e. the expected return rate within the market less the risk free rate) is multiplied with the relevant project beta; this project beta denotes the investor’s risk (Eugene et al, 2011; Kaplan, 1994). Usually, companies use the CAPM to ascertain the cost of equity. This cost of equity is further used to calculate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) of a firm and finally this WACC is used within the DCF technique in order to calculate the Net Present Value (NPV) of a project/investment. The WACC within the NPV technique denotes the required

Life Experiences and Philosophies of M.L.King, Jr. and Malcolm X Essay

Life Experiences and Philosophies of M.L.King, Jr. and Malcolm X - Essay Example He was brought up in a family that upheld dignity and ethnic awareness at a time that racism had started in a bid to curtail the enlightening of the blacks by preachers like reverend Earl. His upbringing saw him witness horrific experiences, his family being harassed, their house burned, threatened, and they were even shot at. His family was brought to their untimely death when he was six years old. He dropped out of school at fifteen years, adopted the livelihood of the streets, was jailed at twenty years following a conviction of burglary and was imprisoned till the age of twenty seven. It was during his imprisonment that he learnt the ways of Islam and upon his release in 1952; he was a changed man, a follower of Elijah Muhammad (Haley 1). However, Dr. King was born on 15th January 1929 in the City of Georgia to a Baptist minister James King and Albert. In a bid to uphold tradition, he was named after a role model Martin Luther. His u brining was not as horrifying as that of Malco lm X. He had the privilege to attain education and even go till college where he attained a degree in Sociology and his posting to Montgomery capital city of Alabama saw him make the first activist move against racism. This was illustrated when he represented the blacks in Montgomery in boycotting the Montgomery city bus lines (183 days) to protest the arrest of a black lady who declined to give up her seat for a white passenger. This saw the birth of a young Baptist preacher civil right activist in 1st December 1955(Martin Luther King, Jr.1-8). The life experiences of Malcolm X saw his transformation into Islam Nation. In contrast, Dr. King and other activists were jailed after planning to stage a demonstration in Birmingham. It was during this period that the philosophy of Dr. King against racism was empirically evident. He affirmed in a manifesto that he could not just relax in Atlanta and not worry about the injustices that blacks were facing in Birmingham. He conferred that the destiny of all blacks was intertwined and oppression on one group translated to oppression to all blacks. He documented in the manifesto that anyone who lived within the US boundaries could not be considered an outsider and hence their peaceful demonstration in Birmingham was justified (Martin Luther King, Jr.1-8). Prior to his conversion while Malcolm X was still under the guidance of Elijah Muhammad, he is stipulated to view America as the devil that needed to be brought down by Elijah, the god. He metaphorically described the oppression faced by the blacks as a dagger six feet deep a black man’s back. He asserted that it was illogic for the white to expect the blacks to celebrate if the dagger was wedged and was currently four feet deep. This illustrated by the brotherhood experienced by the white Islamic faithful. To him it was satirical as even if the dagger symbolizing oppression was removed, the scar would still be evident hence Americans would always have to pay for their actions (Haley 1). Contrast to the belief of Malcolm X, the leader this essay chooses to affiliate with, Dr. King was a staunch follower of Christianity. Though life provided him with the best opportunities, he did not give a blind eye to the injustices faced by blacks in the hands of the white Americans. Unlike Malcolm X who believed that it was only through violence that justice could be achieved, Dr. King

Interest Initiates Learning Essay Example for Free

Interest Initiates Learning Essay In Gerald Graff’s essay, Hidden Intellectualism, one is exposed to the author’s view of different means of intellectualism. Graff gives the reader an uncommon perception of what it means to be an intellectual. He expresses his views by stating that a person can be an intellectual in fields that have nothing to do with academia, such as street smarts or particular interests. He also states that if you incorporate these particular interests in the classroom, students deemed as unintellectual would be more likely to grasp the taught materials. These students could then perform to their true potential. To begin with, Graff uses many forms of logic to persuade the reader into his point of view. By employing logos into his writing he states logical arguments of how many students are street smart or interested in other things. Graff guides the reader into the realization that if a student is interested in a subject, it is only logical that when the subject is incorporated into the learning material then the student will comprehend the concept more easily. Graff states that â€Å"they would be more prone to take on intellectual identities if we encourage them to do so at first on subjects that interest them rather then ones that interest us† (Graff 199). Next, Graff uses his personal experiences to help the reader connect with his ideas through pathos. He tells us how, as a young man, he did not consider himself an intellectual and was not interested in scholarly matters. â€Å"I offer my own adolescent experience as a case in point. Until I entered college, I hated books and cared only for sports.† (Graff 199) He later reflects his newfound thoughts on intellectualism as he states, â€Å"I have recently come to think, however, that my preference for sports over schoolwork was not anti-intellectualism so much as intellectualism by other means.† (Graff 200) He then allows the reader to sympathize and relate by informing us that he â€Å"grew up torn, then, between the need to prove [that he] was smart and the fear of a beating if [he] proved it too well.† (Graff 200) Last but not least, by using ethos, Graff establishes his credibility. He writes extremely well and refers to other well known authors in his essay such as George Orwell, â€Å"Students do need to read models of intellectually challenging writing—and Orwell is a great one—if they are to become intellectuals themselves.† (Graff 199) He also speaks of the 1950’s, a time period when opinions on intellectualism varied and reinforces his statement by supplying a real life example when Marilyn Monroe married playwright Arthur Miller after divorcing baseball star Joe DiMaggio. It was â€Å"the symbolic triumph of geek over jock [and] suggested the way the wind was blowing.† (Graff 201) Overall I personally agree with Graff. As a student myself I feel that learning would be much easier if it was associated with things that I found to be interesting and enjoyable. I feel at times that the education system is very set in its ways. Times and people are changing, and so should the methods of teaching and involving students in the classroom. Many people with great potential might be limited by their lack of interest and may never be able to display to the world what they are capable of without Graff’s vision.

Evaluate the roles of named players Essay Example for Free

Evaluate the roles of named players Essay Managing future energy needs is certainly a global challenge that requires the cooperation of many named players both on a small and large scale. It has been estimated that global demand for primary energy is set to grow 55% by 2030 and that $22 trillion of new investment is need to meet future energy forecasts. The main player in providing future energy security can be argued to be OPEC as they control the production of over 2/3s of the worlds supply of oil, therefore leading them be price makers in the industry. OPEC is considered to be the most important player in global energy provision, it currently consists of 12 members and was created in 1960 mainly to protect the interests of member countries and to stabilise oil prices for a regular supply to oil consuming countries. However, OPECs obligations have been controversial as they have been accused of holding back on production of oil and gas in order to drive up prices, therefore using the market mechanism of demand and supply to increase profits for member states. Currently it has been proven that collectively, OPEC has stored 900,000 million barrels of crude oil, they own 78% of global resources and have a combined market share of 45% for oil and 18% for gas. This inherently makes them the largest producer of fossil fuels in the world meaning they will have a large if not absolute say in future energy provision and energy security. The responsibility of oil distribution will then fall on OPEC when supply of oil runs low leading to a bidding system for allocation of oil to where demand and price is highest. Another large player involved in providing energy security for the future is multinational oil companies; they are involved in the exploration and extraction of oil as well as transporting and refining the oil to consumers meaning they, as well as OPEC control the prices directly to consumers. Most of the top 20 oil companies in 2005 were state owned with companies such as Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia and PDV in Venezuela, this could be beneficial for domestic industry as they may charge less, stimulating the economy with lower production costs. However, many of the largest oil companies are relatively free of direct political influence and are therefore driven by the market mechanism leading to higher prices, above production costs. An example of a petro chemical company that has a direct impact on us in the UK is Gazprom in Russia. It solely controls one third of the worlds gas reserves and accounts for more than 92% of Russias gas production, but more importantly it provides 25% of the EUs natural gas as we are consistently becoming net importers. The security of the energy provision is open to risk as Europes fear is that Russia will be able to name its price for gas because Europe is predominately dependent on its supply. In addition, the reliability is further doubted since Russia temporarily shut off gas supply to Ukraine in 2006 and therefore the whole of Europe. Fossil fuels are of course a finite resource meaning they will one day deplete to such an extent that it will not be cost effective to extract and refine to sell. This insinuates that it is the combined role of governments and oil producing companies to innovate and invest in new technology to sustain increasing energy demands. International Governments is the last and one of the main players in providing future energy security. Governments have the option of allowing oil companies to further exploit their own environment in order to increase oil production such as the case with the province of Alberto. It is estimated up to 2. 5 trillion barrels of are held within the sedimentary oil-shale more so than in Saudi Arabia. This may relieve pressure for rising energy demand in the US as Canada does in fact have a surplus of primary energy. It will also relieve the US from its dominant reliance on the unreliable Saudi Arabian oil reserves with growing political challenges and the threat of terrorism and piracy. However, environmentalists see the exploitation of oil-shale are sands as a disaster in the making, not only does it already have detrimental environmental scars but with current technology, huge amounts of energy are needed in heating the sands to extract the oil (every 3 barrels of oil produced requires 1 barrel to be burnt). Conversely, Governments may opt to incentives conservation of energy through fuel duties or green taxes and emission trading as it leads to industries investing in cleaner technology. In addition, investment in greener fuels such as renewable and nuclear energy is a way for governments to secure energy provision in the future as it can be sustainable and everlasting. In conclusion, each player has a unique role in providing future energy security either with price stability with OPEC, investment into greener technology with oil companies and correct management and legislation from governments to both the exploitation of their environment and their fiscal system in incentive taxation. All in all it depends on the magnitude of integration of all these ideas brought forward that will secure actual energy provision in the future and allow for a sustained and secure increase in consumption of energy.

The Spread of the English Language

The Spread of the English Language English is the language of survival in the present battle of life .This prevalence of English language came as a result of the British colonizing movements previously and the present economical and political power of English speaking countries that imposed themselves and as a result imposed their language on the globe[1]. The essay will include the causes of the dominance of English in the world, its part in the world and in my life as well as the negative results of this dominance. The present wide spread of the English language worldwide is obvious from the huge number of its users which is about 1.8 billion speakers [2] , as well as the increasing rate of its learners which approaches a billion[3]. This remarkable interest in learning English which can be noticed from the huge number of its learners reflects the leading role it plays in our world today. This leading role has various aspects. For instance, the globalized world that English created, presents a way of connecting the whole world together, politically by generating a common area of communication between different ethnic groups which is the use of English language and economically as it led to free trade that resulted from globalization [4]. Moreover, as it is the main language of teaching science, it helped scientists and researchers around the world to share their knowledge and scientific results which led to the developments we witness today [1]. Furthermore, it plays a vital role in the cultural exchange by translating other cultures books to English as there are considerable numbers of English users who can benefit from these translations. English language also has its significant role in individuals lives which I will discuss through my experience. It has been 14 years since I started learning English which has affected my life positively since then. The first and most important thing is that it helped me to enter the university, because without having a certain level of knowledge in English, it is almost impossible to think of studying a scientific major in UAE [5]. In addition, it acts as an access gate for me to other cultures by having the power of communicating with individuals from any part of the world through using English. Moreover, I had the chance to practice my favorite activity which is reading by having a look at English literature depending on my knowledge in its language. Despite of the usefulness of the spread of English language, I believe it has some negative aspects on both learners and native speakers. When it comes to English learners, learning any language is fairly challenging [6]. For me, I can say I started learning real English since five years only and the other nine years were nothing but a waste of time because learning any language requires an extra personal effort in mastering it rather than the knowledge we get from school. As a result, the learning process is long as well as frustrating. In addition, it caused a cultural conflict for non-native speakers as many of them started losing the strength of their mother tongue language because of the extensive use of English language [7]. As an example, in the Arab world we now have what is called the Arabizi generation. Arabizi is a word that is used to describe the mixture use of both Arabic and English languages which was caused by the general interest of mastering English by Arabic nativ e speakers [8]. This trend of mixing Arabic and English resulted in weaken the hegemony of Arabic language especially with children which led to an issue of identity for them. The side effects of the spread of English on native speakers are limited but important. One thing is that English native speakers lost one aspect of their uniqueness which is their language, as they are not longer the only ones who use it. Another disadvantage for the next English native generation is that they face the threat of ending up of having only one language while the whole world is forced to learn English in combination with their own mother tongue language which will have its cultural political and economical threat on them [9]. Although mastering English is of major importance, people shouldnt neglect mastering their own mother tongue language in order to maintain their identity and distinguishing themselves from other nations and cultures. It is also important for English people to start learning other languages to keep up with rest of the world. The references: [1] D. Crystal, Thecambridge encyclopedia of the English language. New York: Cambridge University press, 2003, pp. 106 [2] G. Schiltz. (2004, Jun 2). Lecture 7: World-Wide English. [Online]. Available: http://www.ehistling-pub.meotod.de/01_lec06.php on 21 Apr 2010 [3]K. Beare. (n.d.). How many people learn Englishglobally?. [Online]. Available: http://esl.about.com/od/englishlearningresources/f/f_eslmarket.htm on 21 Apr 2010 [4] J. Korpela. (2003, Sep 2). English – the universal language on the Internet?. [Online]. Available: http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/lingua-franca.html on 21 Apr 2010 [5] T. Morgan. (2008, Sep 21). UAE: Poor English limiting university access. University world news. [Online]. 0045. Available: http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20080919100258584 on 21 Apr 2010 [6] The Language Chronicle. (2008, Aug 3). The Challenge of Learning a New Language. [Online]. Available: http://thelanguagechronicle.com/the-challenge-of-learning-a-new-language/ on 21 Apr 2010 [7] R. Rubdy and M. Saraceni, English in the world. NY: Continuum, 2006, pp. 187 [8] R. Habib. (2005, Dec 18). Thoughts on Arabizi. Gulf news. [Online]. Available: http://gulfnews.com/about-gulf-news/al-nisr-portfolio/tabloid/articles/thoughts-on-arabizi-1.308444 on 4 Apr 2010 [9] M. Taylor. (2006, Feb 15). Global spread of English ‘a threat to UK’. The Guardian. [Online]. Available: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/feb/15/students.tefl on 14 Apr 2010

Yom Kippur Essay -- essays research papers

Yom Kippur   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yom Kippur is the most important holidays for the Jewish. It is a time for people to seek forgiveness from others. Yom Kippur is important because it comes just before the Jewish new year so that people can have a fresh start for the new year. Yom Kippur also gives people a chance to look back on the past year and plan for the upcoming year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yom Kippur dates back to biblical times when animals were used to transfer sins to. The first animal that was used was a goat, but soon roosters for males and hens for females were used. The sins were transferred from people to the animals by tying a rope to the fowl's legs and then spinning around the head of the person who was transferring their sins. While the fowl was being spun the person who was transferring their sins would begin chanting. When the ceremony was finished the animal would be sent away into the dessert. Yom Kippur is practiced very differently today. Instead of transferring their sins to animals people donate money to charities and throw stones into ponds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the night before Yom Kippur, people prepare for the following day's fast by eating an enourmous meal. Following the meal candles are lit and the Shehecheyanu is recited to bless the candles. The following day is spent at the synogauge where services are conducted all day long. The most important part of the services is when the rabbi asks everyone to take time to seek forgiveness of anyone whom they may have hurt in some way in the past year. People must seek forgiveness because the Jewish feel that forgiveness is not something that may be given, it is something that must be sought after. Not wanting to start the new year with any grudges, the entire congregation gets up and begins seeking forgiveness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At sundown the fast is over. The congregation leaves the synagouge and goes home. When they get home the break the fast by eating a huge meal. This meal marks the end of Yom Kippur. Timeline of The Hebrews 922 B.C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Isreal breaks up after the death of Solomon. Splits into a northern and southern kingdom with Shechm the capital of the northern half and Jerusalem as the capital of the southern half. 876 B.C. King Omri makes Samariai new capital. 842 B.C. Queen Jezebel imposes the cul... ... campaign so he cold be consulted at crucial points during the campaign. All of these were done to gain God's will and determine his wishes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main form of battle the Hebrews engaged in was siege warfare. They first would attempt to capture the city's water supply. Once they controlled the water they would cut of the supply of food from outside the city. Once they had accomplished these the would wait for months and sometimes years. This would cause the city to resort to it's stored food. Once the stored food ran out, people either died of malnutrition, paid high prices for food on the black market, or resorted to cannibalism. This method of battle proved to be highly effective for the Hebrews.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reason for much of the Hebrews success was their attitude toward war. Because of their belief that war was holy they got an enormous amount of support from their people. Also, believing that the result of the wars they were fighting was determined by what their God wanted had to have given the Hebrews some hope even when they were losing. Without their attitude towards was the Hebrews would have been a much weaker opponent.

Network (Internet) Neutrality Essays -- Internet Net Politics

Introduction Network neutrality (or more commonly, net neutrality) is a problem related to the internet that not enough people know about. Biases abound in this politically heated debate and although most people that know even a little on the argument have strong opinions, it is becoming more and more apparent that few people are informed about this issue at all. To reiterate, network neutrality has great support on both sides. However, if this problem is not soon addressed, there could be major problems with how the public uses the internet. Hypothesis By looking at what is best for the public and for the internet as a whole, net neutrality laws should be put into place to preserve the characteristics of the internet that make it unique. Definition of Net Neutrality Simply put, net neutrality is a network design paradigm that argues for broadband network providers to be completely detached from what information is sent over their networks. In essence, it argues that no bit of information should be prioritized over another. This principle implies that an information network such as the internet is most efficient and useful to the public when it is less focused on a particular audience and instead attentive to multiple users. To draw a simple example, take two content providers such as the Verizon website and the University of California website. If net neutrality were upheld, both entities would pay their monthly fees to the network provider and if all else equal, any bit of information from the Verizon website will make the same trek as one from say the UC Berkeley website. There would be no roadblocks or shortcuts any of the websites can take to make the end user desire their content more. However, witho... ... market will only hurt consumers if there is no government intervention. By allowing the telcos to tier the internet, consumers will be forced to pay multiple times for the same service. On top of that, tiering could result in telcos becoming an internet â€Å"gatekeeper† that could greatly influence what stays and goes on the internet. Even still, the cases against net neutrality and for tiering are weak at best. Their arguments that content providers are receiving a â€Å"free lunch† are unsubstantiated and, in fact, the telcos are paid twice already. There should be no need for them to be paid a third time. Worse of all is their misleading view that the free market will even out any inequities of their plans when they should clearly know that their industry is anything but a free market. If the internet is tiered, the greatest losses will be to the consumers. Network (Internet) Neutrality Essays -- Internet Net Politics Introduction Network neutrality (or more commonly, net neutrality) is a problem related to the internet that not enough people know about. Biases abound in this politically heated debate and although most people that know even a little on the argument have strong opinions, it is becoming more and more apparent that few people are informed about this issue at all. To reiterate, network neutrality has great support on both sides. However, if this problem is not soon addressed, there could be major problems with how the public uses the internet. Hypothesis By looking at what is best for the public and for the internet as a whole, net neutrality laws should be put into place to preserve the characteristics of the internet that make it unique. Definition of Net Neutrality Simply put, net neutrality is a network design paradigm that argues for broadband network providers to be completely detached from what information is sent over their networks. In essence, it argues that no bit of information should be prioritized over another. This principle implies that an information network such as the internet is most efficient and useful to the public when it is less focused on a particular audience and instead attentive to multiple users. To draw a simple example, take two content providers such as the Verizon website and the University of California website. If net neutrality were upheld, both entities would pay their monthly fees to the network provider and if all else equal, any bit of information from the Verizon website will make the same trek as one from say the UC Berkeley website. There would be no roadblocks or shortcuts any of the websites can take to make the end user desire their content more. However, witho... ... market will only hurt consumers if there is no government intervention. By allowing the telcos to tier the internet, consumers will be forced to pay multiple times for the same service. On top of that, tiering could result in telcos becoming an internet â€Å"gatekeeper† that could greatly influence what stays and goes on the internet. Even still, the cases against net neutrality and for tiering are weak at best. Their arguments that content providers are receiving a â€Å"free lunch† are unsubstantiated and, in fact, the telcos are paid twice already. There should be no need for them to be paid a third time. Worse of all is their misleading view that the free market will even out any inequities of their plans when they should clearly know that their industry is anything but a free market. If the internet is tiered, the greatest losses will be to the consumers.

Market Report: 2005 VW Jetta :: essays research papers

Environmental Scan Nature of Demand: Some of the key target markets for the new 2005 Volkswagen Jetta, include a younger demographic that are looking for a high quality brand name with a tradition of reliability. The new Jetta is breaking ties from its old image of the family car that highlighted safety features and family values, and in turn is being marketed as the new generation Jetta. This Jetta is more high-tech, with a sleek and stylish design, and is being portrayed as an exciting car, as to grasp a younger and trendier target market. Aside from the special features, the most noticeable change in the Jetta is the look. Volkswagen has even gone with a more â€Å"Japanese look†, comparable to the Acura’s and the Honda’s in the market. This is also a reflection of Volkwagen’s attempt to aim at a younger target market, as cars such as the Acura Integra, and the Honda Civic are very popular among younger people. Extra accessories have also been added to this Jetta to give it a more youthful appearance. Some of these accessories include a sporty rear spoiler, 18† VisionV wheels, silver tail lamps and a rear valance. Another key feature to this Jetta is the steering wheel. The steering wheel alone allows you to accomplish up to eight different things, including scrolling through CD tracks and answering your cell phone. This is a great feature to target towards a younger market, as younger people demand a lot out of their cars and are often trying to do many things at once. This makes multitasking that much easier. As far as the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta meeting a consumer need/demand, it satisfies a unique niche that has yet to be filled. This Jetta should satisfy consumers who demand the longstanding history, tradition and performance of a classic European car but who also desire a new generation style of car that meets the criteria of features needed for today’s driver. As mentioned earlier, Volkswagen’s new design is a first of its kind. This is the first serious European threat against the many of the new favourable Japanese cars. As already mentioned, the key target market for the 2005 Volkswagen Jetta is a younger group of drivers.

Prelude to Foundation Chapter 2 Flight

TRANTOR-†¦ The capital of the First Galactic Empire†¦ Under Cleon I, it had its â€Å"twilight glow.† To all appearances, it was then at its peak. Its land surface of 200 million square kilometers was entirely domed (except for the Imperial Palace area) and underlaid with an endless city that extended beneath the continental shelves. The population was 40 billion and although the signs were plentiful (and clearly visible in hindsight) that there were gathering problems, those who lived on Trantor undoubtedly found it still the Eternal World of legend and did not expect it would ever†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica 6. Seldon looked up. A young man was standing before him, looking down at him with an expression of amused contempt. Next to him was another young man-a bit younger, perhaps. Both were large and appeared to be strong. They were dressed in an extreme of Trantorian fashion, Seldon judged-boldly clashing colors, broad fringed belts, round hats with wide brims all about and the two ends of a bright pink ribbon extending from the brim to the back of the neck. In Seldon's eyes, it was amusing and he smiled. The young man before him snapped, â€Å"What're you grinning at, misfit?† Seldon ignored the manner of address and said gently, â€Å"Please pardon my smile. I was merely enjoying your costume.† â€Å"My costume? So? And what are you wearing? What's that awful offal you call clothes?† His hand went out and his finger flicked at the lapel of Seldon's jacket-disgracefully heavy and dull, Seldon himself thought, in comparison to the other's lighthearted colors. Seldon said, â€Å"I'm afraid it's my Outworlder clothes. They're all I have.† He couldn't help notice that the few others who were sitting in the small park were rising to their feet and walking off. It was as though they were expecting trouble and had no desire to remain in the vicinity. Seldon wondered if his new friend, Hummin, was leaving too, but he felt it injudicious to take his eyes away from the young man who was confronting him. He teetered back on his chair slightly. The young man said, â€Å"You an Outworlder?† â€Å"That's right. Hence my clothes.† â€Å"Hence? What kind of word's that? Outworld word?† â€Å"What I meant was, that was why my clothes seem peculiar to you. I'm a visitor here.† â€Å"From what planet?† â€Å"Helicon.† The young man's eyebrows drew together. â€Å"Never heard of it.† â€Å"It's not a large planet.† â€Å"Why don't you go back there?† â€Å"I intend to. I'm leaving tomorrow.† â€Å"Sooner! Now!† The young man looked at his partner. Seldon followed the look and caught a glimpse of Hummin. He had not left, but the park was now empty except for himself, Hummin, and the two young men. Seldon said, â€Å"I'd thought I'd spend today sight-seeing.† â€Å"No. You don't want to do that. You go home now.† Seldon smiled. â€Å"Sorry. I won't.† The young man said to his partner. â€Å"You like his clothes, Marbie?† Marbie spoke for the first time. â€Å"No. Disgusting. Turns the stomach.† â€Å"Can't let him go around turning stomachs, Marbie. Not good for people's health.† â€Å"No, not by no means, Alem,† said Marbie. Alem grinned. â€Å"Well now. You heard what Marbie said.† And now Hummin spoke. He said, â€Å"Look, you two, Alem, Marbie, whatever your names are. You've had your fun. Why don't you go away?† Alem, who had been leaning slightly toward Seldon, straightened and turned. â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"That's not your business,† snapped Hummin. â€Å"You're Trantorian?† asked Alem. â€Å"Also not your business.† Alem frowned and said, â€Å"You're dressed Trantorian. We're not interested in you, so don't go looking for problems.† â€Å"I intend to stay. That means there are two of us. Two against two doesn't sound like your kind of fight. Why don't you go away and get some friends so you can handle two people?† Seldon said, â€Å"I really think you ought to get away if you can, Hummin. It's kind of you to try to protect me, but I don't want you harmed.† â€Å"These are not dangerous people, Seldon. Just half-credit lackeys.† â€Å"Lackeys!† The word seemed to infuriate Alem, so that Seldon thought it must have a more insulting meaning on Trantor than it had on Helicon. â€Å"Here, Marbie,† said Alem with a growl. â€Å"You take care of that other motherlackey and I'll rip the clothes off this Seldon. He's the one we want. Now-â€Å" His hands came down sharply to seize Seldon's lapels and jerk him upright. Seldon pushed away, instinctively it would seem, and his chair tipped backward. He seized the hands stretched toward him, his foot went up, and his chair went down. Somehow Alem streaked overhead, turning as he did so, and came down hard on his neck and back behind Seldon. Seldon twisted as his chair went down and was quickly on his feet, staring down at Alem, then looking sharply to one side for Marbie. Alem lay unmoving, his face twisted in agony. He had two badly sprained thumbs, excruciating pain in his groin, and a backbone that had been badly jarred. Hummin's left arm had grabbed Marbie's neck from behind and his right arm had pulled the other's right arm backward at a vicious angle. Marbie's face was red as he labored uselessly for breath. A knife, glittering with a small laser inset, lay on the ground beside them. Hummin eased his grip slightly and said, with an air of honest concern, â€Å"You've hurt that one badly.† Seldon said, â€Å"I'm afraid so. If he had fallen a little differently, he would have snapped his neck.† Hummin said, â€Å"What kind of a mathematician are you?† â€Å"A Heliconian one.† He stooped to pick up the knife and, after examining it, said, â€Å"Disgusting-and deadly.† Hummin said, â€Å"An ordinary blade would do the job without requiring a power source.-But let's let these two go. I doubt they want to continue any further.† He released Marbie, who rubbed first his shoulder then his neck. Gasping for air, he turned hate-filled eyes on the two men. Hummin said sharply, â€Å"You two had better get out of here. Otherwise we'll have to give evidence against you for assault and attempted murder. This knife can surely be traced to you.† Seldon and Hummin watched while Marbie dragged Alem to his feet and then helped him stagger away, still bent in pain. They looked back once or twice, but Seldon and Hummin watched impassively. Seldon held out his hand. â€Å"How do I thank you for coming to the aid of a stranger against two attackers? I doubt I would have been able to handle them both on my own.† Hummin raised his hand in a deprecatory manner. â€Å"I wasn't afraid of them. They're just street-brawling lackeys. All I had to do was get my hands on them-and yours, too, of course.† â€Å"That's a pretty deadly grip you have,† Seldon mused. Hummin shrugged. â€Å"You too.† Then, without changing his tone of voice, he said, â€Å"Come on, we'd better get out of here. We're wasting time.† Seldon said, â€Å"Why do we have to get away? Are you afraid those two will come back?† â€Å"Not in their lifetime. But some of those brave people who cleared out of the park so quickly in their eagerness to spare themselves a disagreeable sight may have alerted the police.† â€Å"Fine. We have the hoodlums' names. And we can describe them fairly well.† â€Å"Describe them? Why would the police want them?† â€Å"They committed an assault-â€Å" â€Å"Don't be foolish. We don't have a scratch. They're virtually hospital bait, especially Alem. We're the ones who will be charged.† â€Å"But that's impossible. Those people witnessed the fact that-â€Å" â€Å"No people will be called.-Seldon, get this into your head. Those two came to find you-specifically you. They were told you were wearing Heliconian clothes and you must have been described precisely. Perhaps they were even shown a holograph. I suspect they were sent by the people who happen to control the police, so let's not wait any longer.† Hummin hurried off, his hand gripping Seldon's upper arm. Seldon found the grip impossible to shake and, feeling like a child in the hands of an impetuous nurse, followed. They plunged into an arcade and, before Seldon's eyes grew accustomed to the dimmer light, they heard the burring sound of a ground-car's brakes. â€Å"There they are,† muttered Hummin. â€Å"Faster, Seldon.† They hopped onto a moving corridor and lost themselves in the crowd. 7. Seldon had tried to persuade Hummin to take him to his hotel room, but Hummin would have none of that. â€Å"Are you mad?† he half-whispered. â€Å"They'll be waiting for you there.† â€Å"But all my belongings are waiting for me there too.† â€Å"They'll just have to wait.† And now they were in a small room in a pleasant apartment structure that might be anywhere for all that Seldon could tell. He looked about the one-room unit. Most of it was taken up by a desk and chair, a bed, and a computer outlet. There were no dining facilities or washstand of any kind, though Hummin had directed him to a communal washroom down the hall. Someone had entered before Seldon was quite through. He had cast one brief and curious look at Seldon's clothes, rather than at Seldon himself, and had then looked away. Seldon mentioned this to Hummin, who shook his head and said, â€Å"We'll have to get rid of your clothes. Too bad Helicon is so far out of fashion-â€Å" Seldon said impatiently, â€Å"How much of this might just be your imagination, Hummin? You've got me half-convinced and yet it may be merely a kind of†¦ of-â€Å" â€Å"Are you groping for the word ‘paranoia'?† â€Å"All right, I am. This may be some strange paranoid notion of yours.† Hummin said, â€Å"Think about it, will you? I can't argue it out mathematically, but you've seen the Emperor. Don't deny it. He wanted something from you and you didn't give it to him. Don't deny that either. I suspect that details of the future are what he wants and you refused. Perhaps Demerzel thinks you're only pretending not to have the details-that you're holding out for a higher price or that someone else is bidding for it too. Who knows? I told you that if Demerzel wants you, he'll get you wherever you are. I told you that before those two splitheads ever appeared on the scene. I'm a journalist and a Trantorian. I know how these things go. At one point, Alem said, ‘He's the one we want.' Do you remember that?† â€Å"As it happens,† said Seldon. â€Å"I do.† â€Å"To him I was only the ‘other motherlackey' to be kept off, while he went about the real job of assaulting you.† Hummin sat down in the chair and pointed to the bed. â€Å"Stretch out, Seldon. Make yourself comfortable. Whoever sent those two-it must have been Demerzel, in my opinion-can send others, so we'll have to get rid of those clothes of yours. I think any other Heliconian in this sector caught in his own world's garb is going to have trouble until he can prove he isn't you.† â€Å"Oh come on.† â€Å"I mean it. You'll have to take off the clothes and we'll have to atomize them-if we can get close enough to a disposal unit without being seen. And before we can do that I'll have to get you a Trantorian outfit. You're smaller than I am and I'll take that into account. It won't matter if it doesn't fit exactly-â€Å" Seldon shook his head. â€Å"I don't have the credits to pay for it. Not on me. What credits I have-and they aren't much-are in my hotel safe.† â€Å"We'll worry about that another time. You'll have to stay here for an hour or two while I go out in search of the necessary clothing.† Seldon spread his hands and sighed resignedly. â€Å"All right. If it's that important, I'll stay.† â€Å"You won't try to get back to your hotel? Word of honor?† â€Å"My word as a mathematician. But I'm really embarrassed by all the trouble you're taking for me. And expense too. After all, despite all this talk about Demerzel, they weren't really out to hurt me or carry me off. All I was threatened with was the removal of my clothes.† â€Å"Not all. They were also going to take you to the spaceport and put you on a hypership to Helicon.† â€Å"That was a silly threat-not to be taken seriously.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"I'm going to Helicon. I told them so. I'm going tomorrow.† â€Å"And you still plan to go tomorrow?† asked Hummin. â€Å"Certainly. Why not?† â€Å"There are enormous reasons why not.† Seldon suddenly felt angry. â€Å"Come on, Hummin, I can't play this game any further. I'm finished here and I want to go home. My tickets are in the hotel room. Otherwise I'd try to exchange them for a trip today. I mean it.† â€Å"You can't go back to Helicon.† Seldon flushed. â€Å"Why not? Are they waiting for me there too?† Hummin nodded. â€Å"Don't fire up, Seldon. They would be waiting for you there too. Listen to me. If you go to Helicon, you are as good as in Demerzel's hands. Helicon is good, safe Imperial territory. Has Helicon ever rebelled, ever fallen into step behind the banner of an anti-Emperor?† â€Å"No, it hasn't-and for good reason. It's surrounded by larger worlds. It depends on the Imperial peace for security.† â€Å"Exactly! Imperial forces on Helicon can therefore count on the full cooperation of the local government. You would be under constant surveillance at all times. Any time Demerzel wants you, he will be able to have you. And, except for the fact that I am now warning you, you would have no knowledge of this and you would be working in the open, filled with a false security.† â€Å"That's ridiculous. If he wanted me in Helicon, why didn't he simply leave me to myself? I was going there tomorrow. Why would he send those two hoodlums simply to hasten the matter by a few hours and risk putting me on my guard?† â€Å"Why should he think you would be put on your guard? He didn't know I'd be with you, immersing you in what you call my paranoia.† â€Å"Even without the question of warning me, why all the fuss to hurry me by a few hours?† â€Å"Perhaps because he was afraid you would change your mind.† â€Å"And go where, if not home? If he could pick me up on Helicon, he could pick me up anywhere. He could pick me up on†¦ on Anacreon, a good ten thousand parsecs away-if it should fall into my head to go there. What's distance to hyperspatial ships? Even if I find a world that's not quite as subservient to the Imperial forces as Helicon is, what world is in actual rebellion? The Empire is at peace. Even if some worlds are still resentful of injustices in the past, none are going to defy the Imperial armed forces to protect me. Moreover, anywhere but on Helicon I won't be a local citizen and there won't even be that matter of principle to help keep the Empire at bay.† Hummin listened patiently, nodding slightly, but looking as grave and as imperturbable as ever. He said, â€Å"You're right, as far as you go, but there's one world that is not really under the Emperor's control. That, I think, is what must be disturbing Demerzel.† Seldon thought a while, reviewing recent history and finding himself unable to choose a world on which the Imperial forces might be helpless. He said at last, â€Å"What world is that?† Hummin said, â€Å"You're on it, which is what makes the matter so dangerous in Demerzel's eyes, I imagine. It is not so much that he is anxious to have you go to Helicon, as that he is anxious to have you leave Trantor before it occurs to you, for any reason-even if only tourist's mania-to stay.† The two men sat in silence until Seldon finally said sardonically, â€Å"Trantor! The capital of the Empire, with the home base of the fleet on a space station in orbit about it, with the best units of the army quartered here. If you believe that it is Trantor that is the safe world, you're progressing from paranoia to outright fantasy.† â€Å"No! You're an Outworlder, Seldon. You don't know what Trantor is like. It's forty billion people and there are few other worlds with even a tenth of its population. It is of unimaginable technological and cultural complexity. Where we are now is the Imperial Sector-with the highest standard of living in the Galaxy and populated entirely by Imperial functionaries. Elsewhere on the planet, however, are over eight hundred other sectors, some of them with subcultures totally different from what we have here and most of them untouchable by Imperial forces.† â€Å"Why untouchable?† â€Å"The Empire cannot seriously exert force against Trantor. To do so would be bound to shake some facet or other of the technology on which the whole planet depends. The technology is so interrelated that to snap one of the interconnections is to cripple the whole. Believe me, Seldon, we on Trantor observe what happens when there is an earthquake that manages to escape being damped out, a volcanic eruption that is not vented in time, a storm that is not defused, or just some human error that escapes notice. The planet totters and every effort must be made to restore the balance at once.† â€Å"I have never heard of such a thing.† A small smile flickered its way across Hummin's face. â€Å"Of course not. Do you want the Empire to advertise the weakness at its core? However, as a journalist, I know what happens even when the Outworlds don't, even when much of Trantor itself doesn't, even when the Imperial pressure is interested in concealing events. Believe me! The Emperor knows-and Eto Demerzel knows-even if you don't, that to disturb Trantor may destroy the Empire.† â€Å"Then are you suggesting I stay on Trantor for that reason?† â€Å"Yes. I can take you to a place on Trantor where you will be absolutely safe from Demerzel. You won't have to change your name and you will be able to operate entirely in the open and he won't be able to touch you. That's why he wanted to force you off Trantor at once and if it hadn't been for the quirk of fate that brought us together and for your surprising ability to defend yourself, he would have succeeded in doing so.† â€Å"But how long will I have to remain on Trantor?† â€Å"For as long as your safety requires it, Seldon. For the rest of your life, perhaps.† 8. Hari Seldon looked at the holograph of himself cast by Hummin's projector. It was more dramatic and useful than a mirror would have been. In fact, it seemed as though there were two of him in the room. Seldon studied the sleeve of his new tunic. His Heliconian attitudes made him wish the colors were less vibrant, but he was thankful that, as it was, Hummin had chosen softer colors than were customary here on this world. (Seldon thought of the clothing worn by their two assailants and shuddered inwardly.) He said, â€Å"And I suppose I must wear this hat.† â€Å"In the Imperial Sector, yes. To go bareheaded here is a sign of low breeding. Elsewhere, the rules are different.† Seldon sighed. The round hat was made of soft material and molded itself to his head when he put it on. The brim was evenly wide all around, but it was narrower than on the hats his attackers had worn. Seldon consoled himself by noticing that when he wore the hat the brim curved rather gracefully. â€Å"It doesn't have a strap under the chin.† â€Å"Of course not. That's advanced fashion for young lanks.† â€Å"For young what?† â€Å"A lank is someone who wears things for their shock value. I'm sure you have such people on Helicon.† Seldon snorted. â€Å"There are those who wear their hair shoulder-length on one side and shave the other.† He laughed at the memory. Hummin's mouth twisted slightly. â€Å"I imagine it looks uncommonly ugly.† â€Å"Worse. There are lefties and righties, apparently, and each finds the other version highly offensive. The two groups often engage in street brawls.† â€Å"Then I think you can stand the hat, especially without the strap.† Seldon said, â€Å"I'll get used to it.† â€Å"It will attract some attention. It's subdued for one thing and makes you look as if you're in mourning. And it doesn't quite fit. Then, too, you wear it with obvious discomfort. However, we won't be in the Imperial Sector long.-Seen enough?† And the holograph flickered out. Seldon said, â€Å"How much did this cost you?† â€Å"What's the difference?† â€Å"It bothers me to be in your debt.† â€Å"Don't worry about it. This is my choice. But we've been here long enough. I will have been described, I'm quite certain. They'll track me down and they'll come here.† â€Å"In that case,† said Seldon, â€Å"the credits you're spending are a minor matter. You're putting yourself into personal danger on my account. Personal danger!† â€Å"I know that. But it's my free choice and I can take care of myself.† â€Å"But why-â€Å" â€Å"We'll discuss the philosophy of it later.-I've atomized your clothes, by the way, and I don't think I was seen. There was an energy surge, of course, and that would be recorded. Someone might guess what happened from that-it's hard to obscure any action when probing eyes and mind are sharp enough. However, let us hope we'll be safely away before they put it all together.† 9. They traveled along walkways where the light was soft and yellow. Hummin's eyes moved this way and that, watchful, and he kept their pace at crowd speed, neither passing nor being passed. He kept up a mild but steady conversation on indifferent topics. Seldon, edgy and unable to do the same, said, â€Å"There seems to be a great deal of walking here. There are endless lines in both directions and along the crossovers.† â€Å"Why not?† said Hummin. â€Å"Walking is still the best form of short-distance transportation. It's the most convenient, the cheapest, and the most healthful. Countless years of technological advance have not changed that.-Are you acrophobic, Seldon?† Seldon looked over the railing on his right into a deep declivity that separated the two walking lanes-each in an opposite direction between the regularly spaced crossovers. He shuddered slightly. â€Å"If you mean fear of heights, not ordinarily. Still, looking down isn't pleasant. How far does it go down?† â€Å"Forty or fifty levels at this point, I think. This sort of thing is common in the Imperial Sector and a few other highly developed regions. In most places, one walks at what might be considered ground level.† â€Å"I should imagine this would encourage suicide attempts.† â€Å"Not often. There are far easier methods. Besides, suicide is not a matter of social obloquy on Trantor. One can end one's life by various recognized methods in centers that exist for the purpose-if one is willing to go through some psychotherapy at first. There are, occasional accidents, for that matter, but that's not why I was asking about acrophobia. We're heading for a taxi rental where they know me as a journalist. I've done favors for them occasionally and sometimes they do favors for me in return. They'll forget to record me and won't notice that I have a companion. Of course, I'll have to pay a premium and, again of course, if Demerzel's people lean on them hard enough, they'll have to tell the truth and put it down to slovenly accounting, but that may take considerable time.† â€Å"Where does the acrophobia come in?† â€Å"Well, we can get there a lot faster if we use a gravitic lift. Not many people use it and I must tell you that I'm not overjoyed at the idea myself, but if you think you can handle it, we had better.† â€Å"What's a gravitic lift?† â€Å"It's experimental. The time may come when it will be widespread over Trantor, provided it becomes psychologically acceptable-or can be made so to enough people. Then, maybe, it will spread to other worlds too. It's an elevator shaft without an elevator cab, so to speak. We just step into empty space and drop slowly-or rise slowly-under the influence of antigravity. It's about the only application of antigravity that's been established so far, largely because it's the simplest possible application.† â€Å"What happens if the power blinks out while we're in transit?† â€Å"Exactly what you would think. We fall and-unless we're quite near the bottom to begin with-we die. I haven't heard of it happening yet and, believe me, if it had happened I would know. We might not be able to give out the news for security reasons-that's the excuse they always advance for hiding bad news-but I would know. It's just up ahead. If you can't manage it, we won't do it, but the corridors are slow and tedious and many find them nauseating after a while.† Hummin turned down a crossover and into a large recess where a line of men and women were waiting, one or two with children. Seldon said in a low voice, â€Å"I heard nothing of this back home. Of course, our own news media are terribly local, but you'd think there'd be some mention that this sort of thing exists.† Hummin said. â€Å"It's strictly experimental and is confined to the Imperial Sector. It uses more energy than it's worth, so the government is not really anxious to push it right now by giving it publicity. The old Emperor, Stanel VI, the one before Cleon who amazed everyone by dying in his bed, insisted on having it installed in a few places. He wanted his name associated with antigravity, they say, because he was concerned with his place in history, as old men of no great attainments frequently are. As I said, the technique may spread, but, on the other hand, it is possible that nothing much more than the gravitic lift will ever come of it.† â€Å"What do they want to come of it?† asked Seldon. â€Å"Antigrav spaceflight. That, however, will require many breakthroughs and most physicists, as far as I know, are firmly convinced it is out of the question. But, then, most thought that even gravitic lifts were out of the question.† The line ahead was rapidly growing shorter and Seldon found himself standing with Hummin at the edge of the floor with an open gap before him. The air ahead faintly glittered. Automatically, he reached out his hand and felt a light shock. It didn't hurt, but he snatched his hand back quickly. Hummin grunted. â€Å"An elementary precaution to prevent anyone walking over the edge before activating the controls.† He punched some numbers on the control board and the glitter vanished. Seldon peered over the edge, down the deep shaft. â€Å"You might find it better-or easier,† said Hummin, â€Å"if we link arms and if you close your eyes. It won't take more than a few seconds.† He gave Seldon no choice, actually. He took his arm and once again there was no hanging back in that firm grip. Hummin stepped into nothingness and Seldon (who heard himself, to his own embarrassment, emit a small squeak) shuffled off with a lurch. He closed his eyes tightly and experienced no sense of falling, no feeling of air movement. A few seconds passed and he was pulled forward. He tripped slightly, caught his balance, and found himself on solid ground. He opened his eyes, â€Å"Did we make it?† Hummin said dryly, â€Å"We're not dead,† then walked away, his grip forcing Seldon to follow. â€Å"I mean, did we get to the right level?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"What would have happened if we were dropping down and someone else was moving upward?† â€Å"There are two separate lanes. In one lane everyone drops at the same speed; in the other everyone rises at the same speed. The shaft clears only when there are no people within ten meters of each other. There is no chance of a collision if all works well.† â€Å"I didn't feel a thing.† â€Å"Why should you? There was no acceleration. After the first tenth of a second, you were at constant speed and the air in your immediate vicinity was moving down with you at the same speed.† â€Å"Marvelous.† â€Å"Absolutely. But uneconomic. And there seems no great pressure to increase the efficiency of the procedure and make it worthwhile. Everywhere one hears the same refrain. ‘We can't do it. It can't be done.' It applies to everything.† Hummin shrugged in obvious anger and said, â€Å"But we're here at the taxi rental. Let's get on with it.† 10. Seldon tried to look inconspicuous at the air-taxi rental terminus, which he found difficult. To look ostentatiously inconspicuous-to slink about, to turn his face away from all who passed, to study one of the vehicles overintently-was surely the way to invite attention. The way to behave was merely to assume an innocent normality. But what was normality? He felt uncomfortable in his clothes. There were no pockets, so he had no place to put his hands. The two pouches, which dangled from his belt on either side, distracted him by hitting against him as he moved, so that he was continually thinking someone had nudged him. He tried looking at women as they passed. They had no pouches, at least none dangling, but they carried little boxlike affairs that they occasionally clipped to one hip or another by some device he could not make out. It was probably pseudomagnetic, he decided. Their clothes were not particularly revealing, he noted regretfully, and not one had any sign of dcolletage, although some dresses seemed to be designed to emphasize the buttocks. Meanwhile, Hummin had been very businesslike, having presented the necessary credits and returned with the superconductive ceramic tile that would activate a specific air-taxi. Hummin said, â€Å"Get in, Seldon,† gesturing to a small two-seated vehicle. Seldon asked, â€Å"Did you have to sign your name, Hummin?† â€Å"Of course not. They know me here and don't stand on ceremony.† â€Å"What do they think you're doing?† â€Å"They didn't ask and I volunteered no information.† He inserted the tile and Seldon felt a slight vibration as the air-taxi came to life. â€Å"We're headed for D-7,† said Hummin, making conversation. Seldon didn't know what D-7 was, but he assumed it meant some route or other. The air-taxi found its way past and around other ground-cars and finally moved onto a smooth upward-slanting track and gained speed. Then it lifted upward with a slight jolt. Seldon, who had been automatically strapped in by a webbed restraint, felt himself pushed down into his seat and then up against the webbing. He said, â€Å"That didn't feel like antigravity.† â€Å"It wasn't,† said Hummin. â€Å"That was a small jet reaction. Just enough to take us up to the tubes.† What appeared before them now looked like a cliff patterned with cave openings, much like a checkerboard. Hummin maneuvered toward the D-7 opening, avoiding other air-taxis that were heading for other tunnels. â€Å"You could crash easily,† said Seldon, clearing his throat. â€Å"So I probably would if everything depended on my senses and reactions, but the taxi is computerized and the computer can overrule me without trouble. The same is true for the other taxis.-Here we go.† They slid into D-7 as if they had been sucked in and the bright light of the open plaza outside mellowed, turning a warmer yellow hue. Hummin released the controls and sat back. He drew a deep breath and said, â€Å"Well, that's one stage successfully carried through. We might have been stopped at the station. In here, we're fairly safe.† The ride was smooth and the walls of the tunnel slipped by rapidly. There was almost no sound, just a steady velvety whirr as the taxi sped along. â€Å"How fast are we going?† asked Seldon. Hummin cast an eye briefly at the controls. â€Å"Three hundred and fifty kilometers per hour.† â€Å"Magnetic propulsion?† â€Å"Yes. You have it on Helicon, I imagine.† â€Å"Yes. One line. I've never been on it myself, though I've always meant to. I don't think it's anything like this.† â€Å"I'm sure it isn't. Trantor has many thousands of kilometers of these tunnels honeycombing the land subsurface and a number that snake under the shallower extensions of the ocean. It's the chief method of long-distance travel.† â€Å"How long will it take us?† â€Å"To reach our immediate destination? A little over five hours.† â€Å"Five hours!† Seldon was dismayed. â€Å"Don't be disturbed. We pass rest areas every twenty minutes or so where we can stop, pull out of the tunnel, stretch our feet, eat, or relieve ourselves. I'd like to do that as few times as possible, of course.† They continued on in silence for a while and then Seldon started when a blaze of light flared at their right for a few seconds and, in the flash, he thought he saw two air-taxis. â€Å"That was a rest area,† said Hummin in answer to the unspoken question. Seldon said, â€Å"Am I really going to be safe wherever it is you are taking me?† Hummin said, â€Å"Quite safe from any open movement on the part of the Imperial forces. Of course, when it comes to the individual operator-the spy, the agent, the hired assassin-one must always be careful. Naturally, I will supply you with a bodyguard.† Seldon felt uneasy. â€Å"The hired assassin? Are you serious? Would they really want to kill me?† Hummin said, â€Å"I'm sure Demerzel doesn't. I suspect he wants to use you rather than kill you. Still, other enemies may turn up or there may be unfortunate concatenations of events. You can't go through life sleepwalking.† Seldon shook his head and turned his face away. To think, only forty-eight hours ago he had been just an insignificant, virtually unknown Outworld mathematician, content only to spend his remaining time on Trantor sight-seeing, gazing at the enormity of the great world with his provincial eye. And now, it was finally sinking in: He was a wanted man, hunted by Imperial forces. The enormity of the situation seized him and he shuddered. â€Å"And what about you and what you're doing right now?† Hummin said thoughtfully, â€Å"Well, they won't feel kindly toward me, I suppose. I might have my head laid open or my chest exploded by some mysterious and never-found assailant.† Hummin said it without a tremor in his voice or a change in his calm appearance, but Seldon winced. Seldon said, â€Å"I rather thought you would assume that might be in store for you. You don't seem to be†¦ bothered by it.† â€Å"I'm an old Trantorian. I know the planet as well as anybody can. I know many people and many of them are under obligation to me. I like to think that I am shrewd and not easy to outwit. In short, Seldon, I am quite confident that I can take care of myself.† â€Å"I'm glad you feel that way and I hope you're justified in thinking so, Hummin, but I can't get it through my head why you're taking this chance at all. What am I to you? Why should you take even the smallest risk for someone who is a stranger to you?† Hummin checked the controls in a preoccupied manner and then he faced Seldon squarely, eyes steady and serious. â€Å"I want to save you for the same reason that the Emperor wants to use you-for your predictive powers.† Seldon felt a deep pang of disappointment. This was not after all a question of being saved. He was merely the helpless and disputed prey of competing predators. He said angrily, â€Å"I will never live down that presentation at the Decennial Convention. I have ruined my life.† â€Å"No. Don't rush to conclusions, mathematician. The Emperor and his officers want you for one reason only, to make their own lives more secure. They are interested in your abilities only so far as they might be used to save the Emperor's rule, preserve that rule for his young son, maintain the positions, status, and power of his officials. I, on the other hand, want your powers for the good of the Galaxy.† â€Å"Is there a distinction?† spat Seldon acidly. And Hummin replied with the stern beginning of a frown, â€Å"If you do not see the distinction, then that is to your shame. The human occupants of the Galaxy existed before this Emperor who now rules, before the dynasty he represents, before the Empire itself. Humanity is far older than the Empire. It may even be far older than the twenty-five million worlds of the Galaxy. There are legends of a time when humanity inhabited a single world.† â€Å"Legends!† said Seldon, shrugging his shoulders. â€Å"Yes, legends, but I see no reason why that may not have been so in fact, twenty thousand years ago or more. I presume that humanity did not come into existence complete with knowledge of hyperspatial travel. Surely, there must have been a time when people could not travel at superluminal velocities and they must then have been imprisoned in a single planetary system. And if we look forward in time, the human beings of the worlds of the Galaxy will surely continue to exist after you and the Emperor are dead, after his whole line comes to an end, and after the institutions of the Empire itself unravel. In that case, it is not important to worry overmuch about individuals, about the Emperor and the young Prince Imperial. It is not important to worry even about the mechanics of Empire. What of the quadrillions of people that exist in the Galaxy? What of them?† Seldon said, â€Å"Worlds and people would continue, I presume.† â€Å"Don't you feel any serious need of probing the possible conditions under which they would continue to exist.† â€Å"One would assume they would exist much as they do now.† â€Å"One would assume. But could one know by this art of prediction that you speak of?† â€Å"Psychohistory is what I call it. In theory, one could.† â€Å"And you feel no pressure to turn that theory into practice.† â€Å"I would love to, Hummin, but the desire to do so doesn't automatically manufacture the ability to do so. I told the Emperor that psychohistory could not be turned into a practical technique and I am forced to tell you the same thing.† â€Å"And you have no intention of even trying to find the technique?† â€Å"No, I don't, any more than I would feel I ought to try to tackle a pile of pebbles the size of Trantor, count them one by one, and arrange them in order of decreasing mass. I would know it was not something I could accomplish in a lifetime and I would not be fool enough to make a pretense of trying.† â€Å"Would you try if you knew the truth about humanity's situation?† â€Å"That's an impossible question. What is the truth about humanity's situation? Do you claim to know it?† â€Å"Yes, I do. And in five words.† Hummin's eyes faced forward again, turning briefly toward the blank changelessness of the tunnel as it pushed toward them, expanding until it passed and then dwindling as it slipped away. He then spoke those five words grimly. He said, â€Å"The Galactic Empire is dying.†